{"id":171056,"date":"2024-08-05T00:00:12","date_gmt":"2024-08-05T00:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/culture.org\/?p=171056"},"modified":"2024-08-05T07:49:24","modified_gmt":"2024-08-05T07:49:24","slug":"best-rapper-of-all-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/culture.org\/art-and-culture\/music\/best-rapper-of-all-time\/","title":{"rendered":"The Evolution of Rap Music: Each Year\u2019s Best Rapper Alive Since 1979 (2024 Update)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Rap music has existed for decades, with someone new stepping up every year to claim the spotlight.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019ve been many influential artists throughout the years, so we decided to delve deep into how rap music has grown, changed, and given us heroes with microphones.<\/p>\n <!-- <script type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n jQuery(document).ready(function() {\r\n jQuery(\".key-accordion-item .key-menu\").on(\"click\", function() {\r\n if (jQuery(this).parent().hasClass(\"active\")) {\r\n jQuery(this).next().slideUp();\r\n jQuery(this).parent().removeClass(\"active\");\r\n } else {\r\n jQuery(\".key-content\").slideUp();\r\n jQuery(\".key-accordion-item\").removeClass(\"active\");\r\n jQuery(this).parent().addClass(\"active\");\r\n jQuery(this).next().slideDown();\r\n }\r\n });\r\n })\r\n <\/script> -->\r\n\r\n\r\n <!-- start html -->\r\n\r\n <div class=\"news-key-takeaway-wapper\">\r\n <span style=\"background-color:#4db2ee;\">Key Takeaways<\/span>\r\n <ul class=\"news-key-nbox\" style=\"border-color:#4db2ee;background-color:rgba(77, 178, 238, 0.1);\">\r\n <li>Trace the journey from Grandmaster Caz in 1979 to J. Cole in 2023, highlighting the evolution of rap.<\/li>\r\n <li>Explore seminal albums and chart-topping hits that secured each rapper's spot on the list.<\/li>\r\n <li>Understand these artists' influence on music, culture, and rap.<\/li>\r\n <\/ul>\r\n <\/div>\r\n \n<h2>The Start of Rap’s Biggest Stars (1979-1989)<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>1979: Grandmaster Caz – <\/b>It all began with Grandmaster Caz amazing everyone with his way with words.<\/li>\n<li><b>1980: Kurtis Blow – <\/b>Kurtis Blow made history with “<i>The Breaks<\/i>,” becoming the standout rapper of the year.<\/li>\n<li><b>1981-1989: <\/b>New heroes emerged every year; Kool Moe Dee, Melle Mel, Run (shining for two straight years), LL Cool J, KRS-One, Rakim, Slick Rick, and Big Daddy Kane each led the rap world at their time, each with their own sound and memorable shows.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>The 90s: The Era of Rap Legends (1990-1999)<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>1990: Ice Cube –<\/b> After leaving N.W.A., his solo journey skyrocketed, making him the top rapper of the year and one of the most influential <a href=\"https:\/\/culture.org\/art-and-culture\/music\/90s-hip-hop-albums\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">90s hip-hop artists<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><b>1994: Nas – <\/b>Nas’s Illmatic transformed rap, putting him at the forefront in a tough year.<\/li>\n<li><b>1995 and 1997: The Notorious B.I.G. – <\/b>Biggie, with his charm and skills, was named the top rapper twice, leaving a lasting impact on rap.<\/li>\n<li><b>1996: 2Pac – <\/b>Tupac, known for his deep lyrics and charm, was the year’s clear winner.<\/li>\n<li><b>1998: DMX –<\/b> DMX’s debut shook the rap scene with his intense style, earning him the top spot.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>The 2000s: New Century, New Icons (2000-2009)<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>2000 and 2002: Eminem –<\/b> Eminem stood out twice with his sharp words and bold themes.<\/li>\n<li><b>2003: 50 Cent – <\/b>Get Rich or Die Tryin\u2019 brought 50 Cent to the forefront of rap.<\/li>\n<li><b>2007 and 2010: Kanye West – <\/b>Kanye earned the award of the year\u2019s best rapper twice during this decade, thanks to his innovative sounds and albums.<\/li>\n<li><b>2008: Lil Wayne – <\/b><i>Tha Carter III<\/i> broke records, making Lil Wayne the year’s leading artist.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>The 2010s: The Birth of a New Era (2010-2019)<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>2011 and 2012: Drake –<\/b>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/culture.org\/art-and-culture\/music\/drakes-1-02m-splurge-tupac-shakurs-crown-ring-now-in-the-rappers-hands\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Drake<\/a> led the early 2010s with his hits topping the charts.<\/li>\n<li><b>2013: Kendrick Lamar –<\/b> <i>good kid, m.A.A.d city<\/i> confirmed Kendrick’s top spot as the year\u2019s leading rapper.<\/li>\n<li><b>2014: Nicki Minaj – <\/b>The Pinkprint and her chart success made <a href=\"https:\/\/culture.org\/art-and-culture\/music\/kim-petras-and-nicki-minaj-release-alone-music-video-with-a-nostalgic-twist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nicki Minaj<\/a> the first woman to claim the title.<\/li>\n<li><b>2018 and 2023: J. Cole – <\/b>J. Cole stood out during both years for his significant role in rap, sparking debates but earning respect for his work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Wrapping It Up: Unpacking Decades of Rap Brilliance<\/h2>\n<p>Looking back, it’s clear that rap is more than just music; it’s a story of struggle, joy, and everything in between, told by <b>artists who bring their unique flavor<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>From the streets of New York to stages worldwide, these rappers have made us <b>dance, think, and feel<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>The debate over who’s the best of all time might never end, but that’s part of what makes rap so exciting.<\/p>\n<p>As we move forward, we can’t help but wonder who’ll be next to take the title and add their chapter to rap’s ongoing story.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":10026,"featured_media":171058,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[398],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-171056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171056"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10026"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=171056"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171056\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/171058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=171056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=171056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=171056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}