Why Jay-Z Was Named The #1 Rapper Of All Time

Kaitlyn Meyers |

February 23, 2023

Photo Credit: Billboard

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Who is the greatest rapper of all time? Is it even possible to crown just one person? Well, Billboard and Vibe did exactly that. And, according to them, that person is Jay-Z.

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In honor of Hip-Hop’s 50th birthday, Billboard and Vibe slowly rolled out a list titled the Best Rappers of All Time. With 50 people total on the list, the last 10 were announced on Feb. 8.

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“It took a lot of deliberation and deep discussion to reason our way to what we believe is a well-thought-out, authentic list that reflects hip-hop’s foundational pioneers, evolutionary trailblazers and contemporary mainstays," - Billboard

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Billboard and Vibe’s Top Ten Greatest Rappers of All Time (limited to North America):

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Jay-Z
Kendrick Lamar
Nas
Tupac
Eminem
The Notorious B.I.G
Lil Wayne
Drake
Snoop Dogg
Nicki Minaj

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As you can see, Jay-Z came out on top, but who is Jay-Z?

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From a young age, music was a huge part of Jay-Z's life. Although he listened to all genres of music, he especially loved listening to the soul artists in his parents’ record collection.

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It’s no surprise then that he began his music career in the late 1980s. One of his many trademarks is “triplet rhyme,” which is the fast rapping technique he developed early on with his mentor Jaz-O.

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In 1994, Jay-Z co-founded the independent record label Roc-A-Fella Records after being rejected by major record labels. Two years later, he released his debut studio album Reasonable Doubt to widespread critical success. Both fans and Jay-Z himself consider this album to be his best ever.

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Since then, Jay-Z has reached countless milestones and received many awards for his music, including:

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Selling over 140 million records
Winning 24 GRAMMY Awards
One of two rappers with the most GRAMMY Awards (the other being Kanye West)
Record for the most number-one albums by a solo artist on the Billboard 200 (14 albums)
One of Billboard and Rolling Stone’s Greatest Artists of All Time
First rapper honored in the Songwriters Hall of Fame
First solo living rapper to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

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Outside of his music career, Jay-Z received awards in other fields, such as television and sports. As well, he has become a successful businessman. So successful in fact that he is the first hip-hop billionaire.

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Photo Credit: The Hollywood Reporter

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With all of these achievements and awards, Jay-Z being named Billboard and Vibe’s #1 Rapper of All Time isn’t unexpected. However, does that mean he deserved it over other artists of similar talent? It depends on who you ask.

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Billboard’s reason for placing Jay-Z at the top came down to his overall career success. “Maybe there are other rappers who could claim to match Jay at his peak. But there are simply none who can match his entire career — his longevity, the breadth of his accomplishments, and what he’s meant to hip-hop from a musical, cultural, and financial standpoint for the last three decades.” - Billboard

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Some fans agreed wholeheartedly with Billboard. Others thought the top spot should go to a different artist, like Eminem (#5) or Tupac (#4). Meanwhile, one fan believed that all the rappers in the top 10 were equally amazing.

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Needless to say, the #1 Rapper of All Time is debatable. Who do you think deserves that title?

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If you’d like to see the full list of Billboard and Vibe’s Greatest Rappers of All Time, click here!

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Photo Credit: Billboard

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Why Jay-Z Was Named The #1 Rapper Of All Time