The 50 Greatest Hip Hop Artists of All Time

In 2003, VH1 produced a list of the 50 greatest hip-hop artists of all time. The artists with an asterisk (*) have already been celebrated on VH1's Hip Hop Honors.

Granted, there are a lot of problems with this list and a number of artists have emerged in the last five years that would now qualify (Kanye, Common), but it is serving as a rough template for the Hip Hop Honors selections. The only performers who have been honored but don't appear on this list are DJ Hollywood, DJ Kool Herc, Eazy-E (solo), and Whodini. Are Eminem, Dr. Dre, and Jay-Z next?

  1. Run-D.M.C. *
  2. Public Enemy *
  3. 2Pac *
  4. The Notorious B.I.G. *
  5. LL Cool J *
  6. Eminem
  7. Dr. Dre
  8. Grandmaster Flash *
  9. Salt-N-Pepa *
  10. Jay-Z
  11. Beastie Boys *
  12. Wu-Tang Clan *
  13. N.W.A.
  14. P. Diddy
  15. Missy Elliott *
  16. Ice-T *
  17. Fugees / Lauryn Hill
  18. Afrika Bambaattaa *
  19. Nas
  20. Eric B & Rakim **
  21. Outkast
  22. KRS-One *
  23. DMX
  24. Queen Latifah
  25. Snoop Dogg *
  26. Ice Cube *
  27. A Tribe Called Quest *
  28. Busta Rhymes
  29. Nelly
  30. Will Smith / D.J. Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh
  31. Naughty By Nature
  32. Cypress Hill
  33. De La Soul
  34. Lil' Kim
  35. Big Daddy Kane *
  36. Master P
  37. The Roots
  38. Biz Markie
  39. Ja Rule
  40. Gang Starr
  41. MC Lyte *
  42. Kurtis Blow
  43. Coolio
  44. MC Hammer
  45. Heavy D. & The Boyz
  46. Eve
  47. Arrested Development
  48. Kool Moe Dee
  49. Tone Loc
  50. Sugarhill Gang *

** Rakim was honored, but Eric B was not.

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