If you’ve ever read my blog before (and chances are, you haven’t) you know that when I decide to write about music, I typically write about rock ‘n roll, a genre I know inside and out. I decided I needed some diversity in my music writing so I took on the task of coming up with the Top-10 Hip-Hop artists of the last decade.
It didn’t take long for me to realize that I was in way over my head, so I enlisted the help of two of the biggest Hip-Hop heads I know, Jeff and Ian, to make their own lists so I could have some balance on my blog.
I instructed Jeff and Ian to come up with their lists, without guidelines from me. I told them to just make a list they felt comfortable with. I wanted to see how my list would stack up against theirs. The results are somewhat surprising. We each picked a different artist for the number #1 spot, but the top-4 of our lists all featured the same artists, just in different orders.
Without further delay, Wilbur Wired (with the help of some friends) brings you the top-10 Hip Hop artists of the new Millennium!
Jeff Balthazar is a student at Central Michigan University, co-founder of Ten over Ten Clothing and a certified Hip-Hop head. Here is his list:
#10. Ludacris- Luda first hopped onto the scene with his Back for the First Time album. This album was not only fun to listen to it was filled with hard hitting beats and summer anthems. While Luda may not be on everybody’s top ten list there is something to be said about multiple platinum albums, and a decade in the game. Ludacris has created and defined himself as a brand and has become something like a house hold name without having to fabricate a life of crime and dope dealing. Respect.
#9. 50 Cent- Say what you want but Fifty came, he saw, and he conquered. Had it not been for Fifty I’m fairly certain that Ja-Rule would be on this list. The man is a marketing genius and doesn’t even make money off of Hip Hop anymore; he just does it for the sport. Say what you will but you can’t deny that you had a favorite track off of Get Rich or Die Trying. Respect.
#8. Lupe Fiasco- It honestly pains me to put Lupe so low on this list, alas the top of the Millennium was a great time for hip hop. Lupe is a lyricist and a poet. He can make you cry, laugh, and get amped up all in the same song. The man got Jay-Z to spit a few bars on a mix-tape track. He is an incredible voice for those who don’t have their own pulpit to speak. He has made a huge impact on my personal life but I cannot say he has done the same for the Hip-Hop game as of yet but only time will tell. He is somebody that the game needs. Respect.
#7. DMX- And then there was X. Raw, Gritty, painful, and bleak; DMX had his own portion of the decade as far as Hip Hop is concerned, from Ruff Ryders anthem to Party Up In Here, to a prayer on every album the man was the original street poet. If you didn’t live the life you could see it through his verbal portraits, if you never felt the devil breathing down your own neck, you saw him breathing down his. He had the ability to put you where he was and relate to his pain, had he been more successful in fighting his demons I’m confident that he would be on the top of everybody’s list. There is something to be said about anyone who could go toe-to-toe with Jay-Z in his prime. DMX did it. Respect.
#6. T.I.- TIP the south’s version of Jay-Z and self proclaimed King of the South. There is no question that he belongs on this list, say what you want, feel how you feel but the man has bars no question. Trap Muzik is a classic and is still relevant. There are few artists that came out as hard as T.I. did, and there really isn’t much of a comparison when it comes to a hungry TIP. T.I. has made his mark time and time again with banger after banger despite anything that happens to him in the future his legacy is cemented. Respect.
#5. Young Jeezy- On any given day five and six could be flip-flopped; today Jeezy reigns supreme. There is no question The CTE general slaughtered the competition with his ad-libs and his classic Gangsta Grills and Trap or Die mix-tapes. The self-proclaimed street poet has had longevity and massive amounts of success motivating the thugs. Without a doubt Young Jeezy has made his mark on the game with his street anthems. So much in fact there is no question; the game needs Jeezy. Respect.
#4. Kanye West- This is the area where feelings start to get hurt. Kanye West is the man musically and if we were discussing who is the best artist in all music genres Kanye is at the top of my list every time. The thing is in Hip-Hop you gotta wait your turn. College Dropout, Late Registration, Graduation. Classics all in a row. The man is very talented but while he is clever I cannot say that he is the greatest writer, he makes me laugh and is creative both on and behind the mic, but some of the things he says he only can get away with because he is Kanye. In my opinion a dope line is a dope line no matter who is saying it. He isn’t a great freestyler but his music makes me happy. His influence on pop culture cannot be denied, and I am certain that time will prove him to be a legend in the game. Respect.
#3. Lil Wayne- I have been a fan of Cash Money since Juvenile was the front runner. Lil Wayne found mainstream success after the Carter 2 but I was a fan when he dropped Lights Out. I was the young kid in my family so, I used to love watching this young kid on the T.V. spittin these ambiguous rhymes; Bling-Bling. It makes me sad that I can’t put him higher on the list, but the facts are that as a result of over saturation I think his stock is depleting. I don’t see him running out of money any time soon and I will be the first to admit that I thought he would have ran out of bars a while back. His hustle is un-matched and his work ethic is astounding, future Hip-Hop hall of famer. Respect.
#2. Eminem- The highest selling Hip-Hop artist ever, nuff said. Respect.
#1. Jay-Z- I thought this was going to be a tough decision figuring out the top three but it was a lot easier than I had anticipated. While creating the reasons behind the list I realized a consistent pattern. Verbally or nonverbally I was comparing each artist on the list to Jay-Z. He is the standard in the new Millennium. The future G.O.A.T in the game if he isn’t already. Nobody has been more consistent or hot for as long as him in the history of the game he is the self-proclaimed god of the game for good reason. Respect.
Ian Stonebrook is a Michigan State University graduate and now blogs for NiceKicks.com here is his list:
#10. Nas: Remained relevant and versatile while maturing.
#9. Ludacris: Crazy range, killed beats by just about all producers, earned respect of peers, huge mainstream success.
#8. Ghostface: Critical success on nearly every album, deep catalog and very consistent.
#7. Young Jeezy: 3-3 on albums, simple style created counter-culture and embrace from top listeners, sought after by peers.
#6. Andre 3000: Most feared lyricist, opened genre by showing you could be smart on ignorant beats.
#5. TI: Brought the streets to radio, owned the radio, and kept the streets.
#4. Lil Wayne: Best rapper alive, amount of content made him King but also easy to critique.
#3. Eminem: Huge sales, amazing technical rapper that still pulls emotion.
#2. Jay-Z: Consistency and longevity due to great skill, real stories, smart, provocative lyrics, and being trend savvy.
1. Kanye: 4-4 on albums, pushed the genre to new places artistically, influenced majority of Jay's best work and many others on the list, brought hip hop to stadiums and festivals, knocked down barriers.
Honorable Mention (in no order): Lupe Fiasco: 2-2 on albums, Bun B: the most well known and well liked man within hip hop; the ambassador, Big Boi: Made Outkast great and proved his talent on solo project, Scarface: Numerous quality solo efforts over the past decade and very respected by peers, Common: Reignited career in 2000s and took hip hops role of good guy and thinker, 50 Cent: G-Unit movement was probably bigger than any other posse movement in the genre, transitioned from artist first to biz first at the perfect time, Soulja Boy: Made hip hop viral, Drake: No one has ever been as hot, respected for their content, and eclectic at once.
And here is my list:
#10. Lupe Fiasco: Call him high-brow Hip-Hop or whatever, Lupe can spit regardless. He took on Kanye’s mantle of backpack rapping and took it to the next level. Always creative, always thought provoking, Lupe stole this number #10 spot from Hip-Hop heavyweights like Nas and Game because of his ability to connect with such a wide array of audiences, all while staying true to himself.
#9. Ludacris: It seemed like every time I went to a party in high school, Ludacris was always playing. That’s because Luda has the gift for coming up ways to relate to all different types of people, which explains why he sold so many records this Millennium.
#8. Young Jeezy: At first I thought Jeezy was a joke, because of his background sounds and long drawn out syllables (ayeeeeeee) but then I listened to what he was saying, and it was powerful stuff with catchy hooks without losing the raw power of this hustler’s street mentality.
#7. T.I.: Southern swag never sounded as polished as it did when T.I. was spitting on a track. His voice and style are truly unique. Nobody brought the Southern sound to the mainstream like TIP did this Millennium.
#6. Andre 3000: Definitely one of the most inventive rappers of his era, 3-Stacks always has something to say, and finds interesting ways to say it. While he is famous now for his fashion sense and his acting roles, it can be easy to forget Andre 3000 kills it every time he steps up to the mic.
#5. 50-Cent: For my money’s worth Get Rich or Die Tryin was the hip-hop album of my high school experience. It is basically banger after banger, and for me, hearing gunshots as the beat to a song? Damn that blew my mind. People say Fif has fallen off, but really where can you go after you sell 11 million copies of your debut album? Regardless, 50 is still dropping hot tracks and staying relevant through his irreverent Twitter feed and his G-Unit brand.
#4. Kanye West: Kanye had been on the Hip-Hop scene for a minute as one of the best young producers in the game, but when he decided to start rapping he changed the Hip-Hop landscape profoundly. He helped usher in a new era of “backpack rappers” who didn’t have to rap about slanging dope and totting guns to be popular. He also helped usher in a new era of Hip-Hop fashion that turned away from the baggy jeans and sports jerseys. His albums tend to be introspective but with scathing criticisms of the world he lives in. Hate him or love him, nobody does it quite like Kanye.
#3. Jay-Z: Ok I’ll admit it; I’ve never been the biggest Jay-Z fan. In fact I used to hate on him quite a bit because I thought he was overrated. Boy was I wrong. “99 Problems” really grabbed me by the collar and got in my face to what Jay was all about. All of the Blueprint albums are classic’s in my opinion. Jay-Z is probably the most talented story teller in the game, and he did something neither Biggie or 2pac pulled off, writing successful records about being on top rather than coming up the chain. Jay-Z has maintained his “street cred” despite being the wealthiest player in the Hip-Hop game, which is no easy feat. The only reason he is behind Wayne and Em at this point is because he came out with some of his best records before 2000. If we are talking about the greatest Hip-Hop artists of all time then Jay-Z is ahead of both Wayne and Em. But we’re not, so I gotta put Hova at #3.
#2. Lil Wayne: Complex Magazine has a list called “The 100 Greatest Lil Wayne Songs” think about that for a minute. Not just “100 Lil Wayne Songs” but “The 100 GREATEST Lil Wayne songs” it’s no surprise, Wayne has been a worker since he was nine years old and has only stopped for a stint behind bars. Countless mix-tapes and classic albums like Tha Carter 3 showcased his pension for ridiculous wordplay and contagious hooks. It’s hard to overlook “Rebirth” his detour into the rap/rock arena. still, when it comes to Weezy the good vastly outweighs the bad.
#1. Eminem: I can remember the first time I heard Eminem, it was on my eighth grade trip to Ceder Point. Needless to say for a white kid from suburbia, I had never heard anything like it and it was really my first foray into the Hip-Hop world. Em would destroy anyone else on this list in a freestyle battle, but the thing that impresses me most about Eminem is that his best two albums came out at the very start of the decade and the very end. Em not only moved massive amounts of units, but he connected Hip-Hop with a whole new genre of fans.
Just Missed: Nelly (Moved units, but lacked substance) Fabolous (One of the most underrated hip-hop stars of the new Millennium, Fabo was consistent as hell.) Big Boi (Out of Andre 3000’s shadow, Big Boi proved he was just as important to Hip-Hop as his partner in crime) Rick Ross (Great records), Drake (Delivered (mostly) on the hype but with only one major album out he comes nowhere near making my list), Nas (Followed up Illmatic with good, solid records), The Game (Hard hitting but inconsistent)
So where does that leave us? Well, obviously we all agree on a top-4 of Eminem, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z and Kanye West but couldn't agree on the order. What do YOU think? in your opinion who is the best Hip-Hop artist of the new Millenium? is it someone on our lists, or did we miss somebody completely?
Obviously there are so many different factors that go into lists like these, but I would take any one of these lists over the ones B.E.T. or MTV made. I might not know a lot about Hip-Hop, but I stand by list and feel somewhat vindicated that my list included many of the same artists that made the lists of two certifiable Hip-Hop heads like Jeff and Ian. Rock 'n roll might be my strong suit, but I have no problem going in on a Hip-Hop topic like who reigned supreme over the new Millennium.
You can follow me on Twitter @AirWilbur23
You can follow Ian on Twitter @IanStonebrook
You can follow Jeff on Twitter @JBalt1
