Shawn Corey Carter professionally known as Jay-Z has been named by Billboard as the greatest rapper of all time.
This was unveiled by US top entertainment magazine, in collaboration with Vibe in its release of the list of ’50 Greatest Rappers of All Time’ on Wednesday to mark the golden celebration of this year’s golden celebration of hip-hop.
According to Billboard, when it comes to ranking who or what is thought to be the very best, the abbreviation G.O.A.T. is both a prestigious and divisive honor.
With a rap career that spans three decades, Jay-Z had Kendrick Lamar come right behind him at number two.
“Billboard and Vibe editorial team limited the rap arena to North America and took into account; body of work/achievements, cultural impact/influence, longevity, lyricism and flow,” according to the methodology used to calculate the ranking.
“It took a lot of deliberation to compile this list, which it described as a well-thought-out, authentic list that reflects hip-hop’s foundational pioneers, evolutionary trailblazers and contemporary mainstays.”
See the list below:
50. Rick Ross
49. Rev. Run (Run-DMC)
48. Melle Mel
47. MC Lyte
46. Jadakiss
45. Ice-T
44. Queen Latifah
43. Bun B
42. Redman
41. E-40
40. Dr. Dre
39. Ludacris
38. Gucci Mane
37. Common
36. Yasin Bey (formerly Mos Def)
35. Future
34. Chuck D (Public Enemy)
33. Busta Rhymes
32. T.I.
31. Lil Kim
30. Lauryn Hill
29. Pusha T
28. Black Thought
27. Q-Tip
26. Big Pun
25. Method Man
24. KRS-One
23. Kurtis Blow
22. Ghostface Killah
21. DMX
20. Big Daddy Kane
19. Missy Elliott
18. Ice Cube
17. 50 Cent
16. Scarface
15. J.Cole
14. LL Cool J
13. Rakim
12. André 3000
11. Kanye West (Ye)
10. Nicki Minaj
9. Snoop Dogg
8. Drake
7. Lil Wayne
6. The Notorious B.I.G
5. Eminem
4. Tupac
3. Nas
2. Kendrick Lamar
1. Jay-Z
The most among solo acts, Jay-Z has 14 Billboard 200 No. 1 albums, and he has sold over 140 million albums overall.
He co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records, amassed 24 Grammys, presided over Hip-hop’s Def Jam Records, helped Ye and Rihanna become billionaires, built a massive entertainment/sports agency in Roc Nation, and launched the best-selling spirits brands D’usse and Armand de Brignac.
Jay-Z has remained influential in business in addition to music.
He has become the first hip-hop artist to attain billionaire status.
