[Severian]

Yeah, in terms of influence I think 2pac is absolutely more influential than BIG. Or Jay. And I don't actually think Nas is as influential an artist as he is creator of one infinitely influential album. So that's why he's not in the top 10. Thinking purely about how much influential material did the artists release, and how big of an impact did it make. You can still catch shout outs to Tribe in modern rap. They're the rap Beatles. RIP Phife. And Pac's the rap Nirvana. And Kanye is (sorry) but the rap .... ok let's just say Prince so you don't have to leave the board.

[Severian]

And de la pretty much invented modern sampling and (ugh... skits), while NWA kicked off gangsta rap. HOV is an industry unto himself. The most successful of all these ninjas, but his influence is definitely waning, and he's fading away instead of burning out.

Edit: whoops... Fact check - in 2004 Tupac Shakur was listed as the biggest selling hip-hop artist of all time in the Guiness Book of World Records.

So, I take that back about Jay. He's had more years of success, and his success has been spread out over more territory, but in strictly hip-hop and music terms, he's no Pac.

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

Originally Posted by Severian

Ah! Ok, all time most influential hip hop artists according to me right now:

1. Tribe
2. 2pac
3. Kanye
4. Notorious BIG
5. OutKast
6. Wu-Tang Clan
7. NWA
8. Jay-Z
9. De La Soul
10. Public Enemy

You made me make a snap decision. This is based on influence alone.

Thank you was that so hard? My list would replace JayZ with Nas but i otherwise could sign on to this if i had to

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

Haha were you honestly going to say Kanye was the MJ of hip hop? Dude... don't cheapen Michael like that! I don't think ANY hip hop group can be the MJ of hip hop because what MJ did since he was a kid was too transformational. We forget how influential MJ is simply because we all live in a world AFTER him. Call me when Kanye invents entirely new genres of music, becomes a cultural icon, and inspires generations to dance.

Best i can give Kanye is the Lou Reed of rap. Mercurial. Unstable. Not always making popular decisions. Still defined a decade of music

[pepper_green]

Originally Posted by SuchFriendsAreDangerous

We forget how influential MJ is simply because we all live in a world AFTER him.

nevermind MJ. I think the world has forgotten a lot or just too ignorant to realize.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by SuchFriendsAreDangerous

Thank you was that so hard? My list would replace JayZ with Nas but i otherwise could sign on to this if i had to

Aww. We'd make a passable team if we had to.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by SuchFriendsAreDangerous

Haha were you honestly going to say Kanye was the MJ of hip hop? Dude... don't cheapen Michael like that! I don't think ANY hip hop group can be the MJ of hip hop because what MJ did since he was a kid was too transformational. We forget how influential MJ is simply because we all live in a world AFTER him. Call me when Kanye invents entirely new genres of music, becomes a cultural icon, and inspires generations to dance.

Best i can give Kanye is the Lou Reed of rap. Mercurial. Unstable. Not always making popular decisions. Still defined a decade of music

Hey, I can get behind this. You are basically saying that my favorite post Sonic Youth artist is like the my favorite pre-Sonic Youth artist of rap.

But Kanye's been infinitely more successful than Lou Reed, and successful in a different way. He hasn't exactly invented new genres of music, but he has changed the sound of modern hip-hop with every new album he's released. I suppose he's not the MJ of rap, but if someone had to be, it would be him. But he's not. He's released too much good material and too little bad material to be the Prince or David Bowie of rap, though, so I'm stuck thinking MJ is the best comparison, because basically the only standards for universal greatness are The Beatles, Mochael Jackson, Nirvana, and... well, maybe Kanye's just his own thing. And others are destined to be the Kanye of other things, rather than Kanye being the anyone of anything himself.

But I can roll with that Lou Reed comparison ...

[Severian]

Originally Posted by pepper_green

nevermind MJ. I think the world has forgotten a lot or just too ignorant to realize.

How can anyone who lived through MJ forget MJ? I won't ever forget MJ. The world won't either. I give credit to rappers like Kanye and Kendrick who repeatedly shout out to MJ, because they remind the world that he was the Fucking bomb, and they show the kids who didn't get the opportunity to see him on tv (the Black and white video debut was an event, yo) or see him live (Jesus H. Christ, what an experience), that he inspired them, and is therefore cool.

Ain't nobody ever going to forget Michael Jackson. Don't worry.

[Severian]

p.s. SFAD - Kanye's definitely a cultural icon. Time may show that he has, in fact, invented entirely new genres, but that ninja can't dance, and never will (thank god)

[louder]

Kanye hasn't tweeted anything about Phife. Instead he tweeted a link to Young Thug's new tape and went on about how "inspiring" he is. The same man who once called Tribe his favorite group of all time.

[noisereductions]

Beastie Boys would be on my list of influential rappers...

[Rob Instigator]

In terms of ALL time? Sev, your list is woefully short on originators.

Most influential Rap acts/rappers of all time

1. RUN DMC
2. Eric B. & Rakim
3. NWA
4. 2Pac
5. Notorious BIG
6. A Tribe Called Quest
7. Kanye West
8. Wu-Tang Clan
9. Public Enemy
10. Outkast

[Rob Instigator]

if you don't put RUN DMC at the TOP of influential rap acts then you is perpetratin' a fraud.....

[Severian]

Originally Posted by louder

Kanye hasn't tweeted anything about Phife. Instead he tweeted a link to Young Thug's new tape and went on about how "inspiring" he is. The same man who once called Tribe his favorite group of all time.

Shhhh. I stopped following him for a reason, man.
Sucks though.

[Rob Instigator]

kanye has not been posting his own tweets for years... all these fools have assistants to do these things....

[Severian]

Originally Posted by Rob Instigator

In terms of ALL time? Sev, your list is woefully short on originators.

Most influential Rap acts/rappers of all time

1. RUN DMC
2. Eric B. & Rakim
3. NWA
4. 2Pac
5. Notorious BIG
6. A Tribe Called Quest
7. Kanye West
8. Wu-Tang Clan
9. Public Enemy
10. Outkast

I could live with this list. And I agree that RUN is extremely important in the landscape of popularizing rap, BUT unlike the other artists on the list, I don't think Run has had the kind of lasting musical influence that others have had. Like De La Soul, for example, who helped put Dilla on the map as a signature sound redefiner. Or NWA, who are still being heard in the music of Black Hippy and TDE acts.

But I just think that in terms of musicality, there's only a few artists that have really been consistently influential, and Run were originators, and trendsetters, but they haven't had the multigenerational impact that others have.

In a list of most influential albums, I'd put Raising Hell on there. Just like I'd put Illmatic on there, but wouldn't put Nas on my artist list. Paul's Boutique would have to go on a most influential albums list, but Beastie Boys probably aren't among the most influential hip-hop groups even if they are one of the most popular. They're far too alternative oriented to be considered along the same lines as Pac and Big and groups that really represented the genre.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by Rob Instigator

kanye has not been posting his own tweets for years... all these fools have assistants to do these things....

No, I highly doubt that. Many businesses and organizations and groups have Twitter reps, but these are official accounts. It wouldn't make sense to have someone else speak for you, and if someone else WAS speaking for Kanye, he's have the good sense not to say the things Kanye says.

No, I think it really is Ye and Twitter. And I think it's Wiz too, and Wayne Coyne, and Kim K.

What, do you just think that celebrities are, like, the only people in the world who don't use Twitter? Everyone is addicted to that shit. If Kanye West. The world loves Twitter, and people love using it. Kanye/Kim/Wayne/Wiz would be paying some punk to have fun for them, and that punk would be responsible for the words that are attributed to that individual. It doesn't make sense, bro.

[Rob Instigator]

Kanye has at least 1 personal assistant to help him do the Twitter. THEY ALL DO. Don't believe the hype.

[Rob Instigator]

all he has to do is turn to his assistant and say "tweet out this..."Kim is looking extra hot today!" and add a picture."

honestly, this is what they all do. OF COURSE they pretend like it is them...

[Rob Instigator]

In terms of influence? RUN DMC showed the entire world that Hip Hop was a force. They defined the 2 MC's and one DJ structure. They took away the singing and R&B bullshit. That is all so very influential!!!!