Top 10 Rappers Over The Past Decade

This list doesn’t care about who’s popular (We love Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G.) but wish no fresh music in the past decade they did not make it. The legacy they had could have been even greater.

It doesn’t give bonus respect points to those who are old school. It doesn’t matter who calls themselves the G.O.A.T. (Kanye West or Kendrick Lamar ) who both get a honourable mention. All we care about is pure, technical skill levels, regardless of whether they’re on a major label or an independent outfit. They need to have been on the scene long enough to prove they can stay consistent, too.

That means we’re analyzing advanced rhyme schemes, multisyllabic rhyming, keeping the lyrics sensible while dancing through these technicalities, and also being genuine and authentic in their messaging.

We’ll start with the top 10 best rappers of all time, then we’ll move on to the runners-up who are real close to breaking into the list. Finally, at the end, there are still more rappers who have what it takes but need a bit more time for refinement and maturity.

If you don’t find your favorite rappers somewhere on this page, you should explore some of the artists listed and see if they expand your horizons and ideas of what’s possible or complex in the rap game.

What’s also interesting is which of these artists makes the list of the richest rappers as well. Does popularity equal skill and vice versa? The answer might surprise you. But in the meantime let’s do this, counting down the list of the best rappers of all time…

10 – Lil Wayne

Some may scoff at this placement on the list, but Lil Wayne is deserving. Ignore his silly auto-tuned sing-song rapping in his radio-centric singles and you’ll find a truly skilled lyricist. For decades now he’s honed his craft to include multisyllabic rhyming, clever rhyme schemes, and gobs of wordplay.

He actually popularized, and some might argue, invented the use of analogies (instead of similes) in his wordplay along with his Young Money label mates, which plays out more like a joke with a punchline than anything else. His standout skill is that he never wastes a line. They’re packed full of these jokes that happen so fast you can’t even take them all in with one listen.

Wayne started his professional career at age 13 when Birdman signed him to Cash Money Records. He later joined the Hot Boys, which launched several bestselling artists like Juvenile. He’s sold over 100 million records, landing him one of the world’s bestselling artists. He’s won five Grammys, 11 BET Awards, and much more.

9 – MF Doom

Yes, he wears a Doctor Doom mask. Yes, his lyrics are often comical and goofy. And yes, you’ll rarely hear a more complex rapper than MF Doom. There are countless videos on YouTube trying to dissect his rhyme schemes and they all fall short. Good luck analyzing it as you listen.

MF Doom, like Kool G Rap, is highly respected by other, far more popular rap artists, but never rose to stardom himself. It’s not stopped him from having widespread success in the underground scene and even bridging over to voiceover work for cartoons.

MF Doom has done countless group albums, most notably Danger Doom with Danger Mouse, which led to collaborations with voice actors from Adult Swim’s Aqua Teen Hunger Force. He’s been known to send imposters onstage to perform his songs while hiding behind the mask.

8 – Royce Da 5’9″

Royce has been around forever, even hired to ghostwrite for P. Diddy and Dr. Dre in the past. His most notable skill, that you hear less in his current, more pop-oriented sound, is his incredible rhyme schemes. In a couplet, his first bar will be incredibly short, allowing the second bar to be extremely long, and when it lands back on the final multisyllabic rhyme, you get your mind blown.

He’s also extremely skilled with internal rhymes that are either stand-alone or parts of the external rhyme. Over time his lyrics became more authentic and mature, where the message fits perfectly into the complexity of the rhyming rather than suffering from it.

Royce came up with Eminem and even formed a duo called Bad Meets Evil. A series of bad business events kept him from rising to the top with his Detroit cohorts like D12, but eventually he hit it big with the group Slaughterhouse.

7 – Kool G Rap

Many of the best rappers of all time call Kool G Rap one of their own favorites. He was an early adopter of multisyllabic rhyming while maintaining that smooth New York flow that inspired several others on this list. While G Rap never hit mass popularity due to his mafioso style of lyrics, anyone who knows rap knows he’s a top rhymer.

His breath control, visual narratives and imagery, and flow are only part of what land him on all the “best” lists. If you’ve never heard him and listen to him, he’ll sound extremely familiar due to how many other artists have tried to emulate him. Big Pun, for instance, got his mafioso style from G Rap.

He’s your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper. This pioneer got his start with DJ Polo and as a member of the Juice Crew. He’s recently put out a group album with Necro, a runner-up below, also from New York. The “G” in his name stands for Giancana, based on Sam Giancana.

6 – Nas

Nas has all of the skills of anyone else on this list but likes to be less strict with the rules of technical rhyming. This looseness allows him to have far more involved lyrical content. He bridges the gap between annoyingly preachy and casual, where you actually learn things by listening.

Nas is one of those who has just enough skills from all the various types that come together but which never get in the way of the lyrics (pretty much the opposite of Tech N9ne below). He’s in all of the top lists, partially by learning from Kool G Rap and growing from that foundation.

Nas has released eight consecutive platinum and multi-platinum records in a row. He held many high-profile beefs with Jay-Z, 2pac, Cam’ron, and Young Jeezy. He has 12 Grammy nominations, 5 MTV Video Music Award nods, and some wins from the BET Hip Hop Awards. He’s sold over 30 million records.

5 – Sage Francis

Sage Francis comes from the intellectual “backpacker” school of rap, destined to never be mainstream but packs more value into each song than any other sub-genre of hip hop. Francis can do it all as good as any other artist, but his real strength is his storytelling and imagery.

Francis could easily be listed even further up the list, but his content is so thick with intellectual content that it holds him back in terms of pure enjoyment. A lot of times it takes effort to listen to him, as one album can be likened to hearing a lecture. He’ll find the balance soon and move up, I’m sure.

He’s the founder and CEO of Strange Famous Records. He began practising his craft at age eight while listening to Run DMC and Public Enemy. He has degrees in communications and journalism. He’s won Scribble Jam and the Super Bowl MC Battle tournaments.

4 – Jay-Z

Like Nas, Jay-Z is a rapper who’s capable of being complex but chooses to be more loose with his style. This gives him more room to hone and share his message, which is his true strength. When you listen to Jay-Z, you hear a guy who’s experienced in life and has a lot of mature things to say.

Everyone loves it, which is why he’s the wealthiest American musician and the first rap billionaire. He’s in the Songwriters Hall of Fame, has 22 Grammy Awards, and has sold over 50 million albums and 75 million singles. Everyone knows who he is, whether you’re into rap or not.

Jay-Z founded Roc-A-Fella Records and the clothing retailer Rocawear. He founded and owns a luxury sports bar chain called 40/40 Club. He bought the streaming service Tidal recently. Perhaps most impressive, he’s married to Beyonce.

3 – Chali 2na

You know how I’ve complained above about rappers who try to get complex and their lyrics suffer? Not Chali 2na. He does not waste an opportunity to place an internal or external rhyme with multisyllables, and his lyrics make perfect sense and are mature. His baritone voice is so pleasant, too.

Chali 2na is what mastery sounds like. There’s nowhere to improve. The only problem is, he tries to make more uplifting songs (which can get old) and attempts to make pop hits. Big Pun tries a similar tactic: chasing money with cheesy pop songs. Regardless, Chali is at the top of the rap game in terms of refinement.

He’s a member of both Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli. His stage name comes from the deep-voiced animated mascot for StarKist Tuna. He’s known in the rap world but many were introduced to him from a collaboration with Linkin Park.

2 – Tech N9ne

Tech N9ne has the best flow of all time, hands down, zero questions. His use of triplets, sixlets, complex rhyme schemes, multisyllabic rhyming, weird time signatures, and more put him almost at the top. His energy is unmatched. So why isn’t he #1?

Because he refuses to break out of his complexity. He follows the rules so hard that sometimes he even makes up words or phrases to fit into the multi. It’s not a big deal but if he can get past that and perhaps enhance his storytelling, he can easily take the top spot.

He’s a co-founder of Strange Music. His music has been featured in film, TV, and video games. He’s continued to remain independent instead of signing to a major label, and while that’s slowed him down a bit he’s still finding mainstream success without them.

1 – Eminem

If you ask me, Eminem is getting worse with time as he “evolved” through shock rap to sing-song rap to trying to sound like the modern mumble rappers. But if you’ve explored his discography, especially his earliest work and his freestyles, it’s unquestionable… he holds the crown.

Eminem has taken mastery to another level. When he’s not worried about mass appeal, his music is next level in terms of complexity, vocabulary, rhyming phrases you’d never think to put together, etc. His freestyle skills are seemingly limitless, to the point where he’s doing things that seem inhuman.

He played the main character in the drama film 8 Mile, about rap battles. He’s won 15 Grammys, 8 American Music Awards, and 17 Billboard Music Awards, among many others. He’s had 10 #1 albums on the Billboard 200, all debuting at #1. He’s the only artist to have achieved this.

This is the table for the top 10 best rappers in the world. It contains their names and top strength.

Position	Rapper	Top Strength
1	Eminem	Charisma
2	Tech N9ne	Flow
3	Chali 2na	Multisyllabic Rhymes
4	Jay-Z	Authenticity
5	Sage Francis	Narratives
6	Nas	Lyrical Content
7	Kool G Rap	Flow
8	Royce Da 5’9″	Rhyme Structure
9	MF Doom	Multisyllabic Rhyming
10	Lil Wayne	Wordplay