[gtranslate]
News

Eat up this epic, illustrated list of the best rappers alive in every single year since 1979

If someone asked you to start the most iconic or best rappers of all time, it wouldn’t be too much a an ordeal right? Biggie, 2pac, Snoop… the prodigies go on and on. What would be tougher is embarking on a tour of rap history, knitting together a masterlist of each year’s king.

Complex have done just that with this amazing article. Starting at 1979 and working all the way to 2015 they’ve named the rappers who owned each year, as well as providing ‘credentials’ on the inclusion of each. Illustrations of each artist by Dale Edwin Murray are the icing on the cake.

Illustrations by Dale Edwin Murray
Illustrations by Dale Edwin Murray

Who would you name as the best rapper of all time? Complex magazine have named their kings; the greatest MCs of every single year since 1979.

Whether you agree or disagree with the choices, the illustrations are fucking incredible and the work which has gone into this is magnificent. Head over to the original post to hear the reasoning behind each nomination.

Check out the rest of the choices below.

1979_o0ahya best rappers
1979: Grandmaster Caz
1980: Kurtis Blow
1980: Kurtis Blow
1981: Kool Moe Dee
1981: Kool Moe Dee
1982: Melle Mel
1982: Melle Mel
1983: Run
1983: Run
1984: Run
1984: Run
1985: LL Cool J
1985: LL Cool J
1986: KRS-One
1986: KRS-One
1987: Rakim
1987: Rakim
1988: Slick Rick
1988: Slick Rick
1989: Big Daddy Kane
1989: Big Daddy Kane
1990: Ice Cube
1990: Ice Cube
1991: Q-Tip
1991: Q-Tip
1992: Redman
1992: Redman
1993: Snoop Doggy Dog
1993: Snoop Doggy Dog
1994: Nas
1994: Nas
1995: The Notorious B.I.G.
1995: The Notorious B.I.G.
1996: 2Pac
1996: 2Pac
1997: The Notorious B.I.G.
1997: The Notorious B.I.G.
1998: DMX
1998: DMX
1999: Jay-Z
1999: Jay Z
2000: Eminem
2000: Eminem
2001: Jay Z
2001: Jay Z
2002: Eminem
2002: Eminem
2003: 50 Cent
2003: 50 Cent
2004: T.I.
2004: T.I.
2005_o0c3ej
2005: Jeezy
2006: Lil Wayne
2006: Lil Wayne
2007: Kanye West
2007: Kanye West
2008: Lil Wayne
2008: Lil Wayne
2009: Jay Z
2009: Jay Z
2010: Kanye West
2010: Kanye West
2011: Drake
2011: Drake
2012: Drake
2012: Drake
2013: Kendrick Lamar
2013: Kendrick Lamar
2014: Nicki Minaj
2014: Nicki Minaj
2015: Drake
2015: Drake