Watch The Throne obviously came out yesterday, and after listening to it, one of my friends sent out a tweet wondering who would have the throne “ten years from now the way Jay and Kanye have for the past 10 years.”  It got me thinking about who the best rappers of the last 10 years actually are.  And it ended up in a top 10 list.  Swag. 

How I made this list: Rappers were only judged on what they did in the past 10 years, since August 2001.  Important factors were how many records they sold, how much radio play they got, how much they influenced the rest of the game, and of course, a little bit of my own opinion.  Anyway, without further ado…

The Top 10 Rappers Of The Past 10 Years:

10. Drake: Right off the bat, I know this could be controversial.  Even tho he’s been releasing mixtapes since 2005, he’s only been relevant since 2009, when So Far Gone came out.  But goddamn has he been dominant in these past 3 years.  He had two legit hits off a mixtape, including the colossal “Best I Ever Had.”  He got an instant co-sign from three of rap’s titans on another big hit, “Forever,” on which he more than held his own.  He was featured on a slew of other hit singles, including “Money To Blow” and “Say Something,” and this was all before his album even dropped.  And oh shit what a release.  Thank Me Later was the best and most popular rap debut album since Kanye West’s The College Dropout in 2004.  Besides selling shitloads of copies, the CD had four legit hit singles that dominated the radio all summer.  Those hot features didn’t stop either: “Un-Thinkable,” “Right Above It,” “Aston Martin Music,” “What’s My Name?,” “Deuces (Remix)” and “I’m On One,” to name a few.  And even tho Drizzy’s only been a major player for a little bit, he’s already made his presence felt on the work of his piers.  He’s the main reason that The Weeknd is currently blowing up, and fellow new schoolers J. Cole and Big Sean make references to him repeatedly in their verses.  MTV named Drizzy the #3 Hottest MC in the Game in 2009 and #4 in 2010, so there’s no denying his importance since he’s blown up.  The only reason he’s so low is that he’s still a new-comer compared to the guys above him on the list.  With the release of Take Care looming in October and some of those dudes seeing their stars fading, however, Drizzy is better poised to make a run up this list than anyone else in rap.  (PS I promise most entries won’t be this long; this was just the one that needed the most explanation)

9. Nelly: Remember Nelly?  The guy who was battling with Eminem nine years ago to be the most popular rapper on the planet?  Well, needless to say, his luster has lost some of its shine.  He’s released five albums since 2001, but each has sold less than the one before it.  Likewise, he had four humongous hits in 2002 and ‘03 (“Hot In Herre,” “Dilemma,” “Air Force Ones,” “Shake Ya Tailfeather”) but only four since (“My Place,” “Over And Over,” “Grillz,” “Just A Dream”).  People have pretty much ceased to seek him out as a featured artist (Drake certainly wrecks him in this category already).  There aren’t exactly many guys out there today quoting him in their lyrics or even sounding much like him (CuDi’s really the closest one, bizarrely).  He’s been completely absent from MTV’s Hottest MCs list since its inception in ‘07 if that gives you any perspective.  But still, 10 times platinum is 10 times platinum, which is what he’s gone since 2001. 

8. Fabolous: Fab’s first album came out in September 2001 (the same day as The Blueprint and 9/11 actually) so he really benefits from the timing of this list more than anyone.  He’s never been in contention for best rapper alive, but all five of his albums peaked as high or higher than the one before it (his last one hit #1) and he’s also produced a string of consistent hits.  He also is a major player on the mixtape circuit, with There Is No Competition 2 being arguably the best of 2010 (I put it #2 after Friday Night Lights).  He’s not the most in-demand features artist, but he’s still popped up on a few notable hits, like “Say Aah” and “Deuces (Remix).”  Given the trajectory of his career I can see him moving up above the next guy after the release of Loso’s Way 2, but not much higher.  He’s clocked in once on MTV’s Hottest MCs list, at #8 in ‘09, but expect him to return when they release the next one.  I think he’s among the most under-appreciated guys in the game. 

7. T.I.: I originally had him and Fab reversed, but I moved Tip up when I looked at how his albums fared.  From 2006 to ‘08, he had three straight #1 albums, and no one really argued when he declared himself “King of the South.”  He’s also had three other Top Ten albums since 2001, and a fuckload of major hits: “Bring ‘Em Out,” “What You Know,” “Big Shit Poppin,” “Whatever You Like,” “Swagga Like Us,” “Live Your Life,” and “Dead And Gone.”  People also love having T.I.P. on their own songs, going way back to 2003 when Destiny’s Child called up him and Weezy for “Soldier” before either of them were running the South.  Other features on hits include “Shoulder Lean,” “My Love,” “I’m A Flirt,” “We Takin’ Over,” and “Fancy.”  He’s also helped launch a few careers for better or worse, like Young Dro’s and B.o.B.’s, and his influence is obvious on new Southern rappers like Big K.R.I.T.  His fall from the top recently is mainly cause he can’t keep his ass from violating parole.  In ‘07 MTV had him as the #2 MC in the Game, then #10 in ‘08, then off the list since, tho his protege B.o.B. clocked in at #9 this past year.  Note to T.I.: The biggest hit you ever had was a Lil’ Wayne rip-off.  You should also be copying how he manages his career while he’s locked up! 

6. NaS: Nasty was probably the toughest guy for me to place on this list.  In terms of sales and radio play, he’s way behind some of the guys below him, especially T.I. and Nelly.  However, he has had four Top Ten albums since 2001, his last two hitting the #1 spot.  He’s only had two legit hits in that time tho, way back in 2002 with “I Can” and “Made You Look” (tho “One Mic” is probably the best set of lyrics in hip-hop in this time period).  And even tho he’s not doing a lot of features, you get the sense that’s more because he doesn’t want to and everyone is too intimidated by him to ask.  He’s off doing his own thing with Damien Marley, and you gotta give him credit for succeeding at that when in theory it’s kind of a wacky idea.  Even tho he doesn’t have the sales or cash to prove it, most people kind of agree that he “won” the last great hip-hop feud, whne he destroyed Jay-Z on “Ether.”  Then Jigga siged him, go figure.  The real reason NaS gets the #6 spot tho is his influence.  The list of guys who have, within their own songs, listed him as the best rapper alive, in contention for the best rapper alive, someone who they strive to top, or someone who they feel is simply unbeatable, is amazing: Lil’ Wayne (“A Milli”), Eminem (“Square Dance”), 50 Cent (“Life’s On The Line”), Drake (“Thank Me Now”), J. Cole (“Villematic”) and even Jigga himself (“A Star Is Born,” tho pretty much everyone in history got props on that one).  It’s hard to say how much of NaS’ recent success is based on what he did in the 90’s, but it’s still undeniable that he has been one of the major players in rap for the past 10 years. 

5. 50 Cent: If Drake wasn’t my most controversial placement, it’s gotta be this one.  Without doubt, 50 Cent is and always has been one of the most polarizing figures in hip-hop.  However, there is simply no denying that nobody in hip-hop over the past 10 years had a higher peak than 50 in 2003.  Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ was probably the most successful rap debut ever, and it spawned more smash hits than you can probably remember, including “In Da Club,” which may be the most popular rap song of the past decade.  The Massacre wasn’t as big, but was still massive and took over radio for awhile as well.  The subsequent releases haven’t sold nearly as well, but still both made the Top Five.  I wonder how much different 50’s career would have been if he hadn’t made that shitty biopic.  It also didn’t help that the other 2/3 of his triumvirate (Em and Dre) went into hiding around the same time as the movie’s release and didn’t come back for 3 years. His features credits stil include more huge hits than most rappers could ever dream of having: “Magic Stick,” “How We Do,” “Hate It Or Love It,” “Crack A Bottle,” and “Down On Me,” to name the biggest. He’s also entirely responsible for launching the careers of Young Buck, Lloyd Banks and Game.  When people look back at the post-Pac/Biggie gangsta rap era, 50 Cent will stand out as the dominant figure in the time period.  Very few rappers can top that accomplishment.  

4. Eminem: If I made this list a year ago or a year from now, maybe Shady moves up a spot.  He definitely gets hurt because The Marshall Mathers LP falls just out of range.  Still, The Eminem Show still qualifies as one of the very best rap albums of the last 10 years, and there’s a gigantic list of hit singles to compensate for the three lackluster albums that nonetheless all sold a bagillion copies: “Without Me,” “Cleanin’ Out My Closet,” “Lose Yourself” (the challenger to “In Da Club” for greatest hip-hop song of the 2000’s), “Just Lose It,” “When I’m Gone,” “Shake That,” “Crack A Bottle,” “We Made You,” “Not Afraid,” and “Love The Way You Lie,” to name only the Top Tens.  Can’t forget the guest appearances on “Smack That,” “Forever” and “I Need A Doctor.”  Oh, and he stole the show as the only guest MC on what many consider the best rap album of the 2000’s, Jay-Z’s The Blueprint.  There’s no denying his respect from other MC’s in the game, and he helped blow up the third-biggest rapper to come along in his wake, 50 Cent.  Beyond that tho, his influence is not that obvious on other rappers, one of the main reasons he doesn’t crack the top three.  Also the fact that he disappeared from 2006 to 2009 and he’s on the verge of taking the “disparity between album sales and album quality” record away from Nelly.  MTV did name him the #1 Hottest MC of 2010, tho, after three straight years of not being on the list.  Even tho he’s been around awhile, he could conceivably climb higher on this list soon enough.

3. Jay-Z: Like Fab, Jigga benefits from the timing of this list.  The Blueprint, by far his best album since Reasonable Doubt, came out in September 2001.  Even tho Em outdoes on him on one of its tracks, the album as a whole helps push him a slot above Shady.  He’s also the only guy who can go head-to-head with Em in sales, having released six #1 albums in the past 10 years despite briefly “retiring” in 2003.  Jigga also has nine Top Ten singles to his name since 2001, as well as five others as a featured artist.  His influence on today’s rappers is topped only by Biggie Smalls’ on himself: simply put, there’s no Kanye West, 50 Cent, Fabolous, Drake or J. Cole without Jigga, to name a few.  He’s probably responsible for blowing up more names than anyone else on this list, including but not limited to Kanye West, Rihanna and J. Cole.  Watch The Throne’s significant advantage in quality over Em’s Bad Meets Evil release doesn’t hurt either.  The main knock on Jay is that it seems that more and more he’s relying on other artists to keep him relevant, whereas it used to be the other way around.  MTV doesn’t seem to think so tho, naming him the #2, 1, 2 and 7 Hottest MC of the year in reverse chronological order. 

2. Lil’ Wayne: Two questions:  Has anyone dominated radio to the extent Weezy has since 2007?  And was there any rap album release since 2003 that garnered as much hype and anticipation as The Carter III?  The answer to both questions is a resounding no.  Weezy has had six Top Ten albums since 2001 (including The Block Is Hot believe it or not, the only one not to make the Top Five.  Number bumps up to eight if you include his album with Birdman and the Young Money release), and like Eminem, even his crappy releases like Rebirth and I Am Not A Human Being still sell thanks to his name on the cover.  There’s also no denying his supremacy on the mixtape circuit since 2007.  He’s had a shitload of his own hit singles this past decade, but his real strength is on the number of features he’s made on legit hits.  I’m sure you can name at least five without blinking.  He’s also responsible for blowing up not one but both of the two biggest rappers to hit the scene in the past five years, Drake and Nicki Minaj.  Weezy topped the inaugural MTV Hottest MC list, fell to #3, rose to #2, and then dropped to #7.  While he was in prison.  Weezy’s ubiquity is a large source of the criticism aimed at him, but it also is the reason he is the second most important rapper of the past decade.  And by now you’ve probably guessed #1.

1. Kanye West: I honestly can’t think of anyone in the world with an ego both so large and so justifiable.  If you don’t count 808s as a rap album (and we shouldn’t; does he even rap on it?), you could make a legitimate case that every year that Kanye West has released a rap album, it was the best of the year.  Nothing in ‘04 touches College Dropout, nothing in ‘05 touches Late Registration, nothing in ‘07 touches Graduation, and nothing in ‘10 tops My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.  All of his albums except his first hit #1 (even 808s, and CD still hit #2).  Watch The Throne is about to do the same.  Plus he’s been turning out hit singles since 2003 virtually non-stop; I’d bet only Wayne has appeared on more.  And for that whole time period he’s been one of the most in-demand features artist as both rapper and producer.  His placements on MTV’s Hottest MC list? #5, #1, #4, #3, and probably #1 on the next installment (2010’s came out before MBDTF).

Perhaps even more importantly tho, Kanye West changed the rap game from the day he stepped onto its biggest stage with The College Dropout.  Remember, in 2004, rap was absolutely run by gangsta rappers.  Nobody except for the white boy Eminem could get anywhere without rapping about selling crack, toting gats and getting shot at.  Then Kanye comes along and drops an album about intrapersonal conflict, spending time in the hospital (from a car crash, not bullet wounds), and Jesus, and the game changes, instantly.  No one has had a bigger instant impact since Biggie.  Strictly stylistically, he is the most important influence on Lupe Fiasco, KiD CuDi, J. Cole and Drake, just for starters.  He’s also blown up more than his fair share of artists, including Lupe, CuDi, John Legend, Big Sean, and even returned Common to the forefront of rap.  How long he stays at the top isn’t even a meaningful question, because barring some sort of catastrophic accident, he’s going to keep getting better, and barely anyone could touch him in the first place.  No, the real question is how long until we have to seriously consider him one of the five greatest rap artists of the post-Rakim era (it’s not fair to compare today’s artists with Run-DMC, Public Enemy or Rakim because it’s simply impossible to shape the art like they did in its developmental stages).  Right now, the list goes 2Pac, Biggie, Eminem, Jay-Z & Nas, and I don’t think many people question it.  But what more does Kanye have to do to get in there?  That’s the real question, because after listening to him outdo Jay on Watch The Throne, I can’t see how we can continue to leave him out. 

Anyway, there it is, hope you enjoyed.  Please leave comments about what you agree with, disagree with, or if you just wanna shit on me for clogging up your dashboard. 

Deuces

PS I came back to look at this months after the fact prompted by Luda’s new mixtape.  Totally forgot him.  So did everyone else I discussed this list with tho, so maybe “I got ho’s in different area codes” isn’t that legendary a lyric…