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The Mt. Rushmore Of Hip Hop

Posted on February 25th, 2014
by
Staff Editor


KC's Mt. Rushmore

When it comes to hip hop and who fans think is the best MC, there will always be a great debate. That’s the beauty of it. Opinions are formed based on the impact a certain artist had on an individual, and because of that, the votes vary.

Lately, there’s been a lot of “Mt. Rushmore” chatter in pop culture, and which players are the leaders of their respective industry. After Derek Jeter announced that this upcoming baseball season will be his last, there have been constant back-and-forth about who would sit atop the New York Yankees’ Mt. Rushmore. And just last week, the Twittersphere was discussing the “Bloggers Mt. Rushmore” and which journalists were at the top of our class.

So, with that being said (and after a tough debate), here’s who be in our four-faced (well, five) sculpture for hip hop. Check ’em out after the break!

biggie smalls

1. The Notorious B.I.G.

The Notorious B.I.G. will always be remembered as one of the pioneers of today’s hip hop. One of the original rags to riches stories, his drug-dealing lifestyle and raw storytelling allowed Biggie to become one of the more relatable artists for those living the street life. That ability, ultimately, set the framework for the street rappers who followed. Musically, his flow was one of the best of all time and his rhyme schemes were always top notch. Biggie was only 24 years old when he was fatally shot to death, but his impact will always live on.

tupac-shakur-06

2. Tupac Shakur

A revolutionary, a realist and someone who always spoke his mind, Tupac Shakur is undoubtedly worthy of a spot on hip hop’s Mt. Rushmore. Unfortunately, Pac and Biggie are best known for their infamous East vs. West beef that led to the deaths of both legends, but Pac’s unwavering strive for justice and call for equality will forever live on through his music.

eminem

3. Eminem

In 1999, hip hop was introduced to a rambunctious, outspoken “white boy” known as Eminem. Aside from being one of the best lyricists ever, Marshall put his life and his family on the big screen for all of us to see. He brought us along on his journeys, explained his wildly inappropriate antics, and on top of that, he was a figure that many could look up to. Because of his rolodex of classics and for inadvertently breaking the color barrier for white rappers, Eminem is on hip hop’s Mt. Rushmore by a landslide.

outkast

4. Outkast

Consisting of Andre 3000 and Big Boi, the most prominent duo our industry has ever witnessed is Outkast. We’ve seen the two legends rock the industry since the early 90s, and their impact on Atlanta and the whole South was remarkable. Songs like “Ms. Jackson” and “Hey Ya” will continue to live on for several years to come, and despite branching off to pursue solo careers (don’t forget about their reunion!), 3 Stacks and Big Boi will always be remembered as the best duo of all time and beyond worthy of capping off hip hop’s Mt. Rushmore.

12 responses to “The Mt. Rushmore Of Hip Hop”

  1. @1neofmani says:

    This will Def be debated heavily. Great picks btw

  2. LuckyP says:

    great picks my ass. eminem would never be on it. nor outcast although they are incredible, at least half of them is. BIG is a no brainer though.

    • Casinova Stewart says:

      True Talk, I completely agree, ill swap out HOV for Em, and ill swap out Run DMC for OUTkast, cause they were the first to take hip hop to the that next level, then ill keep B.I.G, but swap PAC out with maybe a RAKIM or KRS

      • LuckyP says:

        sounds good homie. its crazy how very few lists have true OGs like KRS, Rakim or Run DMC. We wouldn’t be this deep in the game without them so how niggas got Eminem on their list is crazy to me, unless its some affirmative action for the white man going on, then i get it. I think you have to have Jay on there too not because he’s one of the greatest to ever do it but he’s also one of the most successful businessmen when it comes to this genre too

        • Casinova Stewart says:

          Em is nice, i give him his props, but when it comes to top 4 or even 5, he’s not consistent enough or impactful enough, he had maybe one or two classic, then he disappeared for mad long. When it come to HOV, he the BEST RAPPER DEAD OR ALIVE… He’s the most consistent most relevant, most successful, and the richest, he’s never fell off, all his albums went platinum. Like he said “Your last shit ain’t better than my first shit
          Your best shit ain’t better than my worst shit

      • Tha Kιd Ryan says:

        Your list sounds good but i disagree to swap PAC out with RAKIM or KRS … Tupac deserves the spot ..

        • Casinova Stewart says:

          I can live with pac on the list, i respect that, but Em definitely doesn’t deserve to be on list over HOV, Jay is way more relevant, and consistent than Em, Jay never had a wack album, em definitely had one or two. When it come to both there recent work, Magna Carta, was way better and more impactful than The Marshall Mathers LP 2

  3. disqus_1Oo7LOi99i says:

    This seems to be a collection of milestones of Modern hip hop. Once biggie and 2pac came out, the sound and culture of the genre changed. Hip hop became more about real life struggle and gritty storytelling rather than breakdancing and kangols. That is not to say that the pioneers like krs, run dmc, ect. Aren’t worthy of a crown in their own right, as they definitely are. But, most would say that the 90s bred the best lyricists of all time. And I think these 4 are a prime example of that, each with their own style, and something groundbreaking to the culture. Eminem could probably be swapped out with with Nas or maybe Jay z, but the reason he’s there isn’t just because he’s white. He brought hip hop to the forefront of pop culture, and to the forefront of pop music.

  4. Erin Johnston Ratney says:

    Pac should have been number 1 though!!!

  5. thomas99 says:

    in terms of originality, concepts, production, and lyrics it would be outkast, in terms of lyrical ability, vision, taking chances artisticly it would be eminem, in terms of touching his people, being political, and how deep hip hop can go it would be tupac, and in terms of flow, street tales, and knowledge it would be biggie. most people think biggie or pac automatically because they hear hit em up or juicy but its deeper than just those songs kids

  6. Aymany Junior says:

    I think hiphop’s legendaries cannot fit in a 4 spot… all 4 of them deserve the title GOAT (although in Outkast it’s only Andre 3000 in my opinion).. but he definitely dropped out Nas, Rakim, KRS, Jay Z, Eazy E, Big Daddy Kane, Lakim Shabazz and many more… you just can’t wrap up the greatest hiphop artists in a 4-spot list, a 25 or 50 might serve it justice