Marshall Bruce Mathers III, known as Eminem, was born on October 17, 1972 in St. Joseph, Missouri. According to the musician, he has English, Scottish, Swiss, German and Polish roots. When Marshall was still very young, his father abandoned the family and never saw his son again. In search of a good life, he and his mother moved from state to state until they settled in Detroit's East Side in 1984.
Life in Detroit became a real challenge for Marshall. They lived in a crime-ridden area populated by African Americans who were not very fond of whites. Moreover, problems awaited the future rapper not only on the street, but also at school. Eminem spoke about his worst school enemy Dee Angelo Bailey in one of his first songs, “Brain Damage.” The black teenager often beat him, so when he went to school, he never knew whether he would return alive.
Marshall's only friend, who replaced his father, was Uncle Ronnie, his mother's brother. He loved hip-hop and even rapped himself. It was Ronnie who introduced Eminem to rap culture by giving him Ice-T's "Reckless" record in 1987. The album impressed the guy so much that he decided to take up music and become a rapper. However, this was not so easy to do.
Marshall began participating in battles - competitions organized by rappers to determine the best performer. He was almost the only white teenager, so he was constantly ridiculed. But Eminem didn't give up. Gradually, people began to listen to the young rapper, he made friends, and at the age of 15, a girlfriend, Kimberly Scott. His passion for music led to Marshall being expelled from school. For several years, he worked part-time as a loader, while continuing to write songs and participate in battles.
Eminem's life changed dramatically after the death of Uncle Ronnie. He started taking drugs and one day almost died from an overdose. Only caring for Kimberly and their little daughter Hayley, born in 1995, helped him cope with depression. And soon the first success came to the aspiring rapper. In 1995, Eminem made his debut as part of the group "Soul Intent", and a year later he recorded his first solo album, "Infinite" (1996). However, his fame did not extend beyond Detroit, and the album was lost among many hip-hop records.
Worldwide popularity
In 1997, Eminem recorded the demo album "The Slim Shady EP", where he spoke for the first time on behalf of Slim Shady - the dark side of his soul. The musician was invited to Los Angeles for the "Rap Olympics" competition. While Eminem was participating in the battle, his manager Paul Rosenberg was sending out a demo tape of the album to all music companies. One of them fell into the hands of representatives of Interscope Records. According to legend, she was discovered there by one of the best hip-hop producers, Dr. Dre. When he listened to the album, he ordered to immediately find the guy.
Best of the day
Eminem won the Los Angeles battle, and Dr. Dre offered to collaborate. In 1999, the full-length album “The Slim Shady EP” was released, which had the effect of a bomb exploding. The content of the songs was so shocking that American society was divided into two camps. Some condemned the rapper for a large amount of swearing and dirt, others praised him for his courage and truth of life.
The album "The Slim Shady EP" went triple platinum and made Eminem famous. The musician was awarded two Grammy statuettes, but most importantly, he received recognition among African-American rappers. However, fame also had a downside. Eminem's mother sued him and demanded 10 million for the moral damage he allegedly caused her with his offensive songs. The truth was on the rapper's side, and he won this trial.
Unlike his career, Eminem's family life was not so smooth. He divorced Kimberly in 2001, but they remarried five years later. This time their marriage did not last even a year. After breaking up in 2006, Eminem and Kim agreed on joint custody of their daughter. After some time, the rapper adopted two more girls: Alaina and Whitney.
Eminem's second album, The Marshall Mathers LP (2000), caused even more controversy and became notorious. Public organizations of sexual minorities came out with angry criticism of the musician, in particular because of the song “Stan”, which, in their opinion, offended people of non-traditional orientation. Eminem said that he does not express his feelings, but is trying to show the world in which he grew up. And to confirm his words, he sang the song “Stan” in a duet with Elton John. Over time, they became best friends, which once again proves that the rapper never felt hostility towards sexual minorities.
Eminem's popularity peaked in 2002, when one of his best albums, “The Eminem Show,” was released. The disc received diamond status and sold 20 million copies around the world. And in October of the same year, the autobiographical film 8 Mile was released, in which Eminem played rapper Jimmy Smith. He was awarded an Oscar for "Lose Yourself", becoming the first rapper to receive this award. The film was a huge success and brought Eminem fame all over the world.
In 2006, Eminem suffered a great loss - his friend Proof, one of the founders of the group "D12", died. He would later describe his feelings for Proof and Uncle Ronnie in his autobiographical book, The Way I Am (2008). In it he will talk in detail about the fight against drugs, poverty, depression; about how he strived for fame and why it is important to him.
In fact, Eminem was always looking not for fame, but for respect. But fame, according to the musician, comes complete with respect, so he never refused it. According to the rapper, you can’t feed your daughter with respect alone. And he's absolutely right. Eminem looks at many things in life soberly, and there is a reason for this - he matured too early. At the age of 15, he was faced with a choice - either prove that you mean something, or die. Eminem chose the first path and, having gone through it, we can say with confidence that he deserved the title of “King of Hip-Hop.”
To date, Eminem has sold over 100 million records worldwide, which only a few have achieved in the entire history of music in the 20th century. His work influenced many performers and became the standard of the genre. He continues to write songs because he believes that he has not yet told this world everything.
Eminem
dimmss 13.06.2006 08:28:23
They say "rags to riches". In Eminem's case, "From Shit to Hip-Hop God." Not everyone would have survived his childhood with the Nigs. They don't just bother white people though. A great example is Mike Tyson's childhood. It’s good that there are such people, because everything rests on them. P.S. He who was nothing will become everything.
Eminem
Phoebe 07.07.2006 05:55:12
Eminem is just SUPER! I never believed what they wrote about him, I know that he is good... and I would not advise him to get together with his “Wife”. She is unworthy of him.
EMINEM
SATIK 15.09.2006 10:30:40
EMINEM sam@y xorosh@y chelovek b mire
*Eminem*
Djostik 11.10.2006 01:31:27
Eminem the best! If you live by rap, then rap becomes life.... Eminem, despite all the negativity, was able to withstand and prove that he can.....!
Many people try... But he did it!!! 8 Mile is a great movie overall..!!! I was very impressed by his acting qualities, but in principle this was his life....
When you lose everyone, don't lose yourself...
Be yourself..... After all, this is your life....
Cool guy
Gasan 09.12.2006 01:43:23
Eminem became the first rapper I listened to, and to this day he has no equal! Yo, boy!
WHO WOULDN'T MARK WHATEVER
dJ MAN 27.02.2007 11:52:14
"White King & Black Empire" March 2012
Verse 1:
came out unscathed from the dark waters
guide to rap civilization
reboots a new sound space, disarms young impostors
the white rapper answers the questions of the times skillfully.
in other words, he erected not a name, but an entire empire
These are the people I believe in and I will test this strategy on myself
Eminem - acts without logical schemes, knows the real smell of problems,
solves problems with simple conversation -
rap - judgment in words, and even with D 12 choir
fervently: soul and thought resolve eternal disputes.
White King entered the rap ring a long time ago,
Not Sting, but upgraded our new speaking
not Elvis Presley - but he risks his spirit in an interesting way and will not disappear like a star or fashion fades - the most alive of his people
fate rewarded him with freedom of speech -
rap is the fundamental basis for what we are mentally prepared for
remember him as a kind genius
he casts out evil by revelation
from the screen - heals mental wounds
Eminem, a white rapper, is our brave tailwind of good change.
Verse 2:
he moved show business,
learn this lesson strictly - follow yourself
you will learn that the addict in his soul has overcome self-deception - he carries his cross with dignity with double strength, not for a place of honor - his unenviable childhood vouches for this
to your protest - you will not pass his iqtest - on time in his history a gesture - for a rest or an empty fest, only Em knows from school the meaning and power of the verb CAN!!!
scene - no - rap - our white response to socio-psychological affect
unostentatious - listen to white rap in both ears!!
a piercing gaze is often sad -
he who seeks, even a beggar, finds consensus
with human speeches
Meet, download - Eminem was in the beginning
The rap on his behalf has not yet been shouted down
turn on: Eminem – into the energy of young veins
Chorus:
White King & Black Empire
rap entered the ring and his fire will not go out!
Black Empire & White King
Eminem really plays with words with his mind without books
Rap is a relatively young musical direction, but it is firmly rooted in modern culture, giving birth to dozens of heroes, and is not going to disappear anywhere. It is quite difficult to choose several of the best singers and teams of the hip-hop scene, but we still dare to present the ten best rappers, which include our contemporaries and representatives of the old school who stood at the origins of rap.
Ice Cube is considered one of the greatest rappers of all time, who began as a member of the group N.W.A., becoming the author of most of its songs, and then continued his career as a solo artist. AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, his first solo album, was an immediate hit, setting the bar he never fell below.
Of course, the top ten rappers couldn't do without Snoop Dogg. The musician was helped to rise to the top of the hip-hop scene by his good friend Dr. Dre. He stands out from other rappers with his rather calm lyrical style of performing songs.
A representative of the old school rap, he became a symbol of the 80s hip-hop scene, and his song Mama Said Knock You Out became a true classic. LL Cool J turned out to be not only a talented rapper, but also a good actor, TV presenter and businessman who owns his own clothing brand and co-owns several record labels.
7. Kurtis Blow (Curtis Blow)
Curtis Blow became a pioneer who made rap music popular and proved that you can make money from it. It was he who became the godfather of the old school turnip. If you don't agree, let's listen to The Breaks.
6. Rakim (Rakim)
Rakim is a representative of the old school, who suddenly became famous after recording the mega hit Paid in Full, which immediately entered the top ten most popular songs on radio stations. It was his clear articulation and complex lyrics, which he perfected over weeks, that had a strong influence on the modern generation of rappers.
This is not one person, but a group that stood at the origins of hip-hop and determined the modern look of rap, which boldly combined different styles. They were the first to risk releasing an album of songs, which immediately became a hit. It was they who helped Aerosmith return to the stage by recording the song Walk This Way with them in 1986. The real old school, which has returned back to the stage, once again gathers entire halls, turning them on.
4. Eminem
The only white rapper in the top ten in the world. Dr. helped him get onto the big stage. Dre, and then everything was done by his talent, lyrics on topics that are painful for society and Eminem’s unique style of performing the text.
3. The Notorious B.I. G.
Notorious B.I. G. also known as Biggie, was the king of rap east coast. An early death prevented him from becoming number one in the rap world, but he is still one of the legends of the hip-hop world. During the mourning, several hundred radio stations across America honored his memory with 30 seconds of silence.
2. Jay-Z
The new East Coast turnip king, rising from the bottom to a half-billion-dollar fortune. His manner and style of performance is unique, for which he is loved by millions of people around the world.
I think you already guessed who is considered the number one rapper in the world, the king west coast 2Pac. He was killed young at 25, rumored to have been ordered by Notorious B.I. G. is the king of East Coast rap, but still entered the top 100 artists of all time, having sold more than 75 million albums during his lifetime alone.
A little over ten years ago, in September 2007, one of the most striking genre confrontations took place in the world of rap. The famous 50 Cent and Kanye West album sales battle is “Curtis” vs. “Graduation.” The stakes were higher than simply leading in numbers. There was a struggle for direction further development hip-hop. As a result, Kanye sold more and gangsta rap was told - bye! This marked the beginning of hip-hop's phase transition from testosterone to skinny jeans. In Russia, although ten years late, the time has come when the clash between domestic rap artists could take on an equally significant scale.
"Battle for Olympic". This is exactly what the period of the relationship between Oksimiron and Timati, which we are now observing, will be called. But first things first. First, let's restore the chronology of the events of recent weeks. On October 26, an announcement appeared in a VKontakte group called “Model Casting” about recruiting extras for Timati’s concert on November 4 at the Olimpiysky. Staged spectators were promised to pay 900 rubles.
On October 27, it began to be actively replicated on social networks and the media. On the same day, Miron reposted this news on Twitter with the comment: “Everything is wonderful here!” And a little later he answered Harry Topor that if Timur had not previously been noticed recruiting people for his performances, now no one would believe the veracity of this announcement.
Timati's response to such unpleasant accusations was not long in coming. On his Instagram page, he wrote a long text where he went through all sorts of “fake news”, denied all the rumors and expressed surprise at Myron’s malicious behavior.
“Who I didn’t expect to see in the ranks of the “hyenas” this time was Oksimiron>...<приглашаю тебя посмотреть лично 4-го ноября на концерт!!! Ты же смелый парень, особо не боишься никого. Так если у тебя хватает смелости постить всякую левую хуйню про меня, может у тебя хватит смелости прийти и посмотреть самому и сделать вывод?»
Oxy did not comment on Timati’s proposal. Instead, he recorded a video in which he reported on the sold-out at his concert at the Olimpiyskiy on November 6, as well as the start of sales of an additional two thousand tickets.
And this is only what concerns the correspondence of musicians a few days before their concerts. But long before that, the artists mentioned each other in interviews and posts on social networks. On December 21, 2012, Timati, during a quick survey, the site called Oxy “a real rebel, an intellectual and a cynic.” What the latter dedicated his tweet to:
Miron’s next response to Timati’s words followed an interview with the site on May 18, 2016, where he spoke of his colleague as an excellent battle MC, but a bad musician.
Before this, Miron had repeatedly teased Timati on his Twitter, for example, discussing the video “Exhibit” by the Leningrad group.
After a series of statements addressed to each other and before the upcoming concerts at the Olimpiysky, we have to figure out: what, exactly, do we have in the bottom line? Who will now be considered the king of Russian hip-hop?
Who collected more?
The maximum capacity of the Olympic is 35 thousand people. Only Basta managed to gather such a number of spectators in April of this year. Vasily was the first Russian rapper to give his concert at this venue. Next in line was Timati on July 22, 2016 with the “Olympus” program, attracting 15 thousand guests. His previous big concert was a performance at Crocus City Hall on November 2, 2015 with more than 7 thousand people in attendance.
Oksimiron also did not waste time last year and gave a lot of concerts. On April 17, he gathered “Stadium Live” in Moscow with 8 thousand guests. Exactly a year ago, on November 6, 2016, right from the stage of his last show as part of the autumn tour “Takeover Tour-2”, he publicly announced his intention to swing to the main stage of the country on the same date. He later said that you can also get to the event using tickets from last year’s canceled performances.
This spring, Timati scheduled his second concert at the Olimpiysky for November 4. The difference of two days naturally caused surprise even then, giving rise to a lot of talk about why this was done and which of them would collect more. As a result, both announced a sold-out in about a week. Timati initially had 25 thousand open, Oxy had 18, but Miron began adding tickets - on the evening of November 2, he wrote that we were already talking about 22 thousand tickets sold.
At the moment, Oksimiron’s most popular video is “City Under the Sole” with 34 million views, and the most popular video with his participation is Versus with Johnyboy with 40 million. Next is the world-famous battle with Gnoyny - 26 million, and with ST - 19.
In turn, Timati boasts 158 million views of the “Welcome to St. Tropez" with DJ Antoine. Breathing in the back of his own record are “Eggplant” - 144 million and “Where are you, where am I” with Creed and 132 million. In general, all of Timati’s latest video works gain at least 20 million.
Over the course of his entire career, Timati has released and continues to release disproportionately more music videos than Oksimiron. The Oxford graduate makes up for the lack of his own videos with his participation in rap battles that have record numbers of views.
Who earns more?
In 2017, Forbes magazine compiled its annual ranking of the richest celebrities. Among fifty stars of domestic show business and sports, Timati came in fourth place with a score of $6.6 million. For him, being on the top list is not new, but for Oksimiron, his 44th place with 1.3 million evergreens turned out to be his debut. The rapper was helped to achieve this result, among other things, by his exclusive ambassadorship of the Reebok brand, which no other Russian artist has ever had before.
In addition, Miron is currently the executive director of the Booking Machine concert agency. So far, BM can hardly be called a full-fledged music label, while Timati has created not only the most powerful and profitable concern for promoting new artists in Russia, but also an entire business empire.
The artists of the Black Star label are 12 people, not counting their boss: L’One, Yegor Creed, Mot, Scrooge, Natan, Klava Koka, Dana Sokolova, Doni, Kan, Kristina Si, Misha Marvin and newcomer Vander Phil. The company promotes musicians “from scratch” - from developing the image, style, concept of entering the market, to organizing the recording of albums, filming videos, concerts and participation in advertising campaigns.
In addition, Timur Yunusov holds shares in such branches of his main business as the Black Star Burger chain, the Black Star Sport football agency, the Global Star and Make It Music advertising agencies, and the Black Target computer software development "and the gaming platform "BS Games", as well as "Barbershop&Tattoo13".
Who has more hype?
Timati’s latest video “Demons” features Oleg Tinkov, who, after the conflict with Nemagia, is hated by the entire Internet. Everyone who wanted to have already publicly cut his card, refused any advertising contracts and liked all the videos with his participation. How can you make a banker one of the heroes of your video after this? Of course, for the sake of hype, or, more precisely, anti-hype. After all, Tinkov was allegedly ridiculed and humiliated in the video, so all claims against Timati should pass by.
It's all about the approach to promotion. From the very beginning of his career, Timati has been a person regularly discussed in the press and on the Internet for various reasons. It seems that in the life of the head of Black Star there was everything that could be written about - a home video with Ksenia Sobchak, a chase from a traffic police battalion in an orange Kaen, a beef with Kirkorov, and support for Putin’s presidential campaign. Each, even the most seemingly unprofitable step of the performer, instantly ends up on the pages of the tabloids and ultimately brings him dividends.
As for Oksimiron, starting from the moment of “turning the game around,” he, perhaps without realizing it, is actively catching up with the pace of public discussion of his person. With the coming wave of recognition and popularity, not only new battles and guest participations in the videos of other artists, but also simply Miron’s tracks began to be widely discussed by the media and social network users.
With the approach of the long-awaited concert at the Olimpiyskiy and the Internet confrontation with Timati that arose, the degree of mention of Oksimiron in the information space increased to the level of his opponent. In such a situation, one can only guess which of the two heroes will become the first guest of the new season of VDudya.
Who is the future of Russian rap?
Let's do a little psychological test. Imagine there are two parties. One is in an elite country house with a swimming pool, and the other is in a damp, dilapidated dugout. Where would you like to go? To the mansion! But what if people in a country house gathered on the occasion of moving to a dugout, and in it they celebrated moving to a mansion? Now the answer is not so obvious, is it? This is because it is human nature not only to think about what is happening now. Often what people care about is the trend.
At the end of September, almost a month before the Olympic, Timati released a short documentary, “Generation,” in which he said that his November performance would be his last. In the next 2-3 years he will not give concerts at major venues. He explained that preparing for such events takes up a lot of his time, which he wants to devote to his daughter. Timati also needs to take a break to rethink his creativity and search for new directions for further development in music.
These are fairly understandable arguments for going into the shadows for a while. But what if the “Battle for the Olympic” made Timati worry about leadership in the industry? After all, given the growth rate of Miron’s popularity, perhaps in a year he will gather much more viewers. Maybe it's better to leave undefeated? It’s one thing to give in to Basta, who has been in the top for more than 10 years, and another thing to lose to a battle MC unknown to anyone three years ago.
After all, look what happened in the situation with the announcement of extras. The reputation of the huge Black Star business machine, meticulously built since the mid-2000s, with a whole squad of PR specialists, marketers, SMM specialists, control of all processes, CRM systems, “big data” and, probably, already its own “blockchain”, is crumbling from -for one message in some dubious and unknown VKontakte community. Why, in order to at least counter something to this, is it necessary to have the personal intervention of the main person in the company?
But even despite this, Timati’s future is the future of his music label, his business lines, but not him as an artist. He has already missed his opportunity to get into the world hip-hop elite, having changed the vector of his music from international to domestic Russian, for the sake of jingoism and friendship with Ramzan Kadyrov. At best, the artists from Black Star will be able to repeat some of the success that he managed to achieve.
Oksimiron, on the contrary, is just beginning its global expansion. The deposit in the form of a resoundingly successful battle with Disaster is only the first step on the path to conquering the West. Yes, most likely, the management of Booking Machine will not bring either himself or this organization much fame, money or recognition. Perhaps, from under the wing of this company, not a single character as noticeable as himself will emerge. The notorious “empire” that he constantly talks about will be a monarchical state in miniature, where no one else is known except the emperor himself.
Myron is not about money. He has another trump card. Behind him, sincerity is his main weapon and main capital. Still in the same situation with the announcement, he laughs and behaves as if nothing like this could happen to him. And this will indeed be impossible as long as he does not have a vested interest in relation to his fans.
Other contenders for the throne
There are probably no more polar rappers on the Russian stage than Timan and Miron. They are completely different. Their worlds intersected only at the Olympic Stadium. But, despite the fact that right now their names are on everyone’s lips, we don’t know what will happen in a year. Recently, Scryptonite, in an interview with the already mentioned Ksenia Sobchak, said that he would release a double album this month. Remembering the effect of his debut and the buzz around his second solo album, it’s hard to imagine what we can expect if he actually presents his new material.
Basta is still strong and powerful, easily assembling the Olympic Stadium, and even more so the smaller venues. He also has his own quite successful label and a bunch of other areas for growth that will keep him at the top of the domestic rap game for a very long time. There is the ageless Casta and the trio from the Centr group, each member of which never ceases to remind themselves from time to time.
There are a bunch of other young and not so Russian rap artists who are gaining their weight every year. Any one of them can, at some point, do something that will dramatically increase his importance in our hip-hop. The same Oksimiron flashed on the periphery of rap for a very long time before revealing himself into the most seasoned battler in the country and becoming a superstar. Everyone has a chance. And it will definitely be used by someone whom we may not yet know at all.
3351
25.10.16 10:47
Even those who are not interested in this musical direction can name a couple of the most famous rappers. Surely the name of Kanye West will be mentioned (the media pays too much attention to both him and his wife Kim), the name of Jay-Z (he and Beyonce made up one of the most influential couples in the world of music) and also Eminem. However, the most famous rappers in the history of hip-hop are not artists who released several multi-platinum discs, but those who lived and breathed rap became trendsetters in this genre, because trends are not born of mediocrity.
New King of the West Coast
A native of Compton (California), Kendrick Lamar Duckworth is the youngest member of our top, he is now 29 years old. But he has already been dubbed the “New King of the West Coast.” Lamar's mixtape Section.80, released in 2011, became a sensation. The combination of lyrics and sounds recorded on the streets of Compton make Lamar's raps unforgettable. His second studio album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012), went platinum and won two Grammy awards. But it is not even considered the young rapper’s best, but his third disc “To Pimp a Butterfly”, reviews of which from critics are full of compliments to the author. Now Lamar has 7 Grammys, but there will be more.
Very bright character
Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., better known as Lil Wayne, was born in New Orleans, where music seems to be heard from every corner. You can love or hate this rapper, be surprised by his strange appearance (tattoos, piercings and inlaid teeth), but there is no point in belittling his talent. It took the 2000s by storm. The hype around his 2008 album Tha Carter III did not subside for a long time, and before that there were no less successful Tha Carter (2004) and Tha Carter II (2005). Now, at 34 years old, Lil Wayne remains very successful, collaborating with many colleagues including Eminem, Pitbull and Nicki Minaj.
Veteran and legend
51-year-old Andre Romell Young, who goes by the name Dr. Dre, is the eldest on our list of the most famous rappers in hip-hop history. Many years ago (in 1984), he began his career with the group “World Class Wreckin' Cru”, and then founded “N.W.A.”, laying the foundations of gangsta rap with his comrades. Dr. Dre’s first solo album “The Chronic” was released in 1992 -year, and the rapper immediately became a trendsetter in West Coast hip-hop fashion. Then he discovered Eminem and helped this artist get to the top (no one believed that a white rapper could achieve such success).
Well, simply - jack of all trades!
39-year-old Kanye West was also an innovator in the genre, although he also respected the classic style. Kanye's debut disc was released in 2004, and since then he has set a record, collecting 21 Grammy awards. Now Kanye is a producer, fashion designer, an iconic figure in pop culture and the husband of the famous socialite Kim Kardashian, raising two children with her. He is quite a controversial figure with his scandalous antics and statements, but his contribution to hip-hop culture can hardly be overestimated.
"Face" of the musical South
Andre Benjamin (Andre 3000), who became famous in the mid-1990s in the duo Outkast, shook up the musical South of the United States in a good way. When he steps up to the microphone, you can be sure that you will hear real poetry! The first disc released by the group had a very complex name: “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik”. This did not prevent the disc from going platinum. The duo now has six Grammy Awards. Andre 3000 gravitates toward southern soul and lyrical arrangements, so he produces compositions that are not similar to the rap of other artists.
One of a kind
44-year-old Marshall Bruce Mathers III, or simply Eminem, stands out from our top, and not only because of his skin color (all other participants in the ranking are African-American). From the very beginning, it was implied that rap was the music of the black population, but Eminem managed to prove that he, too, is worthy of storming the charts. Having worked his way up from the bottom (a poor area of Detroit), Eminem turned all his hardships into music. Despite the fact that his lyrics (especially those read from the point of view of the character Slim Shady) are shocking, he is very lyrical. Ask any rapper who considers himself a lyricist whose work he was inspired by, and he will answer: “Eminem's compositions.”
Revolutionized rap
In 1994, young Brooklyn rapper Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones (Nas) released his debut album, Illmatic, and revolutionized hip-hop. Therefore, Nas can be considered the most influential rapper in the world. Illmatic was universally praised and called the greatest hip-hop album of all time. The author's compositions have been compared to the cold air of a winter night in New York. This was the beginning of great street rap and the birth of some of the rhyming styles we hear in rap scenes today. Since then, nine more solo discs have been released by the artist, but “Illmatic” is considered a true classic.
Untimely deaths
Tupac Amaru Shakur from impoverished Harlem performed gangster rap, but already his debut disc “2Pacalypse Now” in 1991 showed that the guy would become a legend. But he was only 20 years old then! Tupac addressed sensitive topics (police brutality, poverty, racial discrimination, teenage pregnancy), but remained very lyrical. A good son, a gangster, a scientist, a poet, he got into trouble many times and was shot and killed in September 1996 in Las Vegas at the age of 25.
A similar fate awaited Christopher George Lator Wallace, who outlived Tupac by only a few months - the 24-year-old rapper was killed in 1997 in Los Angeles. You don't know who we're talking about? Biggie Smalls, Big Daddy or Notorious - call it what you want, but you've definitely heard this name. The biopic “Notorious” was dedicated to him, telling about the rapper’s short but bright journey. His relaxed style and deep voice cannot be confused with anyone else's. Christopher's mother recalled that he began to sing before he spoke. Although almost 20 years have passed since the rapper’s death, his unsurpassed poems and songs (about violence and love, women and “weed,” the meaning of existence and dreams) are alive to this day.
The most successful
We somehow “hung” on a sad note, but now we’ll tell you the name of the most famous rapper in the history of hip-hop, and your heart will feel lighter. After all, he’s definitely doing fine! 46-year-old Shawn Corey Carter, or simply Jay-Z, became famous for a number of albums, including “The Blueprint” and “The Black Album.” These two albums have more style and lyrics than his other colleagues in his entire discography. The rapper's signature style was imitated many times, but could not be copied. Now Jay-Z is a producer, tycoon, businessman with a net worth of $610 million, and also the husband of the beautiful and talented Beyoncé.
The world-famous publication Billboard, which regularly publishes ratings of the richest and most successful people, has compiled a list of the best rappers in the world in the entire history of hip-hop.
The top “rappers in the world,” according to the publication, look like this:
The list of "rappers of the world" would be completely impossible without this guy. Christopher George Luthor Wallace, better known as The Notorious B.I.G., Biggie or Biggie Smalls, was born in Brooklyn, New York. His first album, Ready to Die, was included in the list of the most iconic: it was with it that the dominance of hip-hop culture in New York began, and the city itself eventually began to be called the mecca and birthplace of hip-hop.
The artist was the leader of the East Coast, who was opposed to the West Coast in the person of its leader Tupac Shakur. In 1997, The Notorious B.I.G. was killed with a firearm in a street shooting. 16 days after his death, the world saw the artist’s second album, Life After Death, which subsequently received a diamond certificate, indicating that the circulation sold more than 10 million copies.
Jay Z
Shawn Corey Carter is one of the most successful representatives of the “rappers in the world” rating. His 13 records topped the same Billboard ratings. If it weren't for the even more stunning success of The Beatles, Jay Z would have broken the absolute record for the number of albums that have achieved leading positions on the chart.
The artist began his career in the distant 1990s, at that time he performed with The Notorious B.I.G. It is noteworthy that Jay Z's style of performance is based on pure impromptu. He appeared in memorable duets with Mariah Carey and his current wife Beyoncé. At the moment, in addition to music, the artist is involved in business - he is a co-owner of several clubs and produces his own clothing line.
Marshall Bruce Mathers is an artist without whom any top rapper would be impossible. This is one of the most popular and best-selling artists in the world, including Rolling Stone magazine giving him an honorable 83rd place in the list of the 100 greatest artists in the world. The same publication awarded Eminem the title of King of Hip-Hop, and for good reason: the artist has sold more than 100 million copies of his releases worldwide.
In addition to music, Eminem is also involved in other active activities. He has his own radio station, owns a music label, acts in films and became the first rapper in the world to win an Oscar for the best track for a film (“Eighth Mile” - approx. edit.).
Rakim
William Michael Griffin Jr. in his work reflects the ideology that he was passionate about from an early age. He belonged to the Nation of Islam, whose main activity was racist attitudes towards white people and the state as a whole. The lyrics of Rakim’s songs in one way or another refer to the themes of the Islamic religion, and Allah, according to the artist himself, saved him from rash actions - fights and theft.
In his work, Rakim moves away from the improvisational technique that was popular in the 1980s. His signature style, numerous rhymes and their innovative use made him one of the first performers whose compositions sounded smooth and slow. While his colleagues on stage were full of energy, the voice of this artist, one of the top rappers, sounded jazzy, almost hypnotic. Rakim has released 7 albums (4 of which with Eric B). His album Paid in Full was included in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums.
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones is considered the most successful and outstanding artist in the hip-hop genre, the world community even awarded his album Illmatic the title of the greatest in history. The artist's releases have sold more than 25 million copies around the world. Nas owes the start of his successful career to Columbia Records, by signing a contract with which he had the opportunity to participate in the soundtrack to Oliver Stone's film Zebrahead. The artist’s talent was noticed and highly appreciated by the public, after which the star’s successful ascent began and his presence in the rankings of the best rappers in the world.
It is noteworthy that Nas had a long-standing conflict with another world-famous star, Jay Z, who claimed that Nasir’s work was fake. However, in 2005, the celebrities called a truce, and Nas signed a multimillion-dollar contract with Def Jam Records, managed by the same Jay Z.
Andre Lawrence Benjamin actively manifests himself in various creative roles: he performs as part of the popular rapper group OutKast, which he founded in 1991, plays in films, is a music producer and designer of his own line of clothing - Benjamin Bixby.
Music critics spoke warmly about the band’s work, but it was the Ms. track that brought the guys real popularity and the love of millions of people. Jackson from the album Stankonia.
The only woman who has the honor of being represented in this ranking of the best rappers.
Lauryn Noel Hill performs in the neo-soul genre and her work is a stunning success. This was confirmed by the fact that by the age of 25, the girl had won the prestigious Grammy Award 8 times.
The artist began her career as a member of the popular group The Fugees, which subsequently broke up, and the members began solo projects. Lauryn's debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, brought the performer positive reviews from critics. In their opinion, the artist’s style of performance softened the boundaries between such musical genres as soul, reggae and hip-hop.
It was thanks to this album that Lauryn Hill was nominated for 10 categories for the first time in the history of the Grammy Awards and won in five of them.
Denis Coles is known as a member of the popular group Wu-Tang Clan. The stunning success of the group gave the green light to all its members, who began to release solo projects with varying degrees of popularity.
Ironman was the name of the first solo album of the artist Ghostface Killah. The album received critical acclaim and was followed by equally successful releases by Supreme Clientele and Fishscale. In 2006, the performer was awarded the title of best MC of all time by MTV and was included in the top rappers of the prestigious Billboard publication.
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth is a successful hip-hop artist whose collaborations with such famous artists as Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne were highly appreciated by both the public and critics. The latter, by the way, call him the new King of the West Coast, which fully justifies his presence in the list of “rappers of the world.”
The most successful record was the third album, entitled To Pimp a Butterfly. The release was such a success that it was in first place in the list of the best albums of 2015 by such world publications as The New York Times and Rolling Stone. In addition, the artist managed to receive 7 Grammy statuettes throughout his career.
Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. is considered one of the best-selling hip-hop artists. The artist began to get involved in music from early childhood and already at the age of 9 became a member of the Cash Money label. Later, Lil Wayne, in collaboration with other artists, created his own label, Young Money.
The artist’s first album, Tha Block Is Hot, received platinum status, and the next two (Lights Out and 500 Degreez) went gold. The artist's sixth album, Tha Carter III, strengthened his position in the music arena and brought even greater success in the form of 1 million copies sold in the first week of sales. The same album won best at the 51st Grammy Awards.
This is how the creators of the Billboard rating see the top rappers of all time. Interestingly, the list was criticized by hip-hop fans. For example, they were outraged by the fact that there was no place in it for the most iconic representative of the genre - Tupac Shakur.
