Complex: 50 Best New York Rappers of All-Time

[ISO]

I’d rather be considered flab than being a dude that’s clearly older than he’s letting on but continuing to fake the funk to impress some 22 year olds. You’re basically Fivio Foreign and you don’t even know it.

Fivio 33 he got years on me

 

[Ripp]

Respectfully battle rappers and someone like Stack Bundles without a proper album are never gonna make a mainstream publication Best Of list.

EDIT: disclaimer! I got a little crazy tryna defend my guys. I never really listened to Sean P solo work and jumped out the window.

I hear what you're saying but I disagree with complex criteria.

No disrespect but idk Sean Price like that... I've heard his name but couldn't name a song. Albums out or not Loaded Lux and Murda Mook are synonymous with Hip Hop. Those classic battles are their albums. When you got people like Jay Z quoting lux for example and eminem putting Reed Dollaz clips in their music videos, and diddy, busta, LL cool J, Drake showing up to your battles (mook) battle rap is definitely a big deal. Or at least was a big deal. And notice I didn't name every tom, dikk and Harry. Mook and Lux are not ordinary.

And people in here calling for Max B... who I doubt has a studio album either. Max is my guy by Stack Bundles was that nikka. Everybody knows stack... or maybe thats just the me that lived in Far Rock for 9yrs speaking

 

[g-ice]

I hear what you're saying but I disagree with complex criteria.

No disrespect but idk Sean Price like that... I've heard his name but couldn't name a song. Albums out or not Loaded Lux and Murda Mook are synonymous with Hip Hop. Those classic battles are their albums. When you got people like Jay Z quoting lux for example and eminem putting Reed Dollaz clips in their music videos, and diddy, busta, LL cool J, Drake showing up to your battles (mook) battle rap is definitely a big deal. Or at least was a big deal. And notice I didn't name every tom, dikk and Harry. Mook and Lux are not ordinary.

And people in here calling for Max B... who I doubt has a studio album either. Max is my guy by Stack Bundles was that nikka. Everybody knows stack... or maybe thats just the me that lived in Far Rock for 9yrs speaking

Breh...c'mon now. Don't do that!

 

[Ripp]

Breh...c'mon now. Don't do that!

I should probably edit that but you already quoted me lmao.... Ima just have to take my L. I know I'ma get cooked. I got a little trigger happy my bad

 

[g-ice]

I should probably edit that but you already quoted me lmao.... Ima just have to take my L. I know I'ma get cooked. I got a little trigger happy my bad

Yeah, you about to get yours for that one breh

I'm just letting you know now.

 

[Michael's Black Son]

Nicki?

If they needed a chick...I'd put foxy or kim

Not even. Rather have Lyte or Roxanne Shante up there. I guess their criteria is hype and sales because we know Nicki can’t write or battle and the theatrics she has done hasn’t exactly aged well.

 

[kingofnyc]

Biggie was NOT 2-3 times more relevant than Nas when he was alive. Illmatic’s first week actually outsold and out-charted Ready To Die’s before RTD took off. It Was Written spent FOUR CONSECUTIVE WEEKS at number 1 which no Biggie album accomplished. Ready To Doe took a year to reach double platinum whereas IWW was double platinum within three months of release.

do you seriously want to go down this path if we just took units sold which both debuted in 1994?
if we compare their debuts album numbers, how the hell you gonna tell me it’s not 2 , 3 or maybe 4 times more successful

Nas
album - illmatic = 500k
single - it ain’t hard to tell = no certification
single - life’s a bytch = no certification
single - The World Is Yours = no certification
single - one love = no certification

Biggie
album - ready 2 die = 2x plat
single - juicy = 500k
single - big poppa = plat
single - one more chance - plat

 

[Ripp]

Yeah, you about to get yours for that one breh

I'm just letting you know now.

I got a pos rep... was probably supposed to be a neg lmao

I put a disclaimer in the post Hopefully nikkas cut me some slack. I don't fly off the handle too often if at all on here lol

 

[kingofnyc]

That was a 3-year span that basically encapsulated Big's entire career...

Nas was hot before Big hit the scene and was hot after Big passed...

Jay became bigger in every aspect of The Game after big passed and while he wasn't bigger during Big's brief run, he still dropped quality music and was relevant...

Jay, Nas, LL. That's the GOAT 3 NY rappers. If you wanna argue Big and LL I'll allow it for 3rd place but Nas leapt over Big along time ago. He has no case as Top 2 and that case died years ago...

you’re not making much sense because you posted things that are very vague - like - who was hot, who was relevant before and after, doesn’t say anything relevant towards the topic

So let me just school you real quick we New Yorkers created the culture and a quarter of a century after its creation. One person was crowned the King of New York, by source magazine, and by the streets of New York that should tell you everything you need to know on who should be at the top of the list

 

[kingofnyc]

This is very revisionist... Jay z wasn't fighting for a 2 or 4 spot when Biggie was alive... Jay was fighting to get in the top 10 if not top 15. Reasonable Doubt was a good album but wasn't hitting like that. It didn't start getting touted as an all time level album until about 2001. Nas off the bat was looked at as the second coming. Album was critically acclaimed and solidified in the streets. Biggie was not 4 times more relevant than Nas even when you list his sales and all that other shyt.. if you from NY and was actually around, NAS was HIM forget all that glitz and glam. And Nas dropped before BIG. Nas was definitely regarded as the best rapper when Illmatic dropped and if anything biggie was tryna catch up to him. You can argue that he did but thats another story. Just don't group early Nas and Jay together as if they were always peers... Jay was a little nikka to big.... therefore Jay was also a little nikka to nas. There was a three way tie between Nas, Big and Meth before Jay ever released an album

it’s not revisionist everything I said is true if you have dudes on here that want to claim Jay-Z and Nas as No.1 & No.2 and remove biggie completely out of the top-tier it makes absolutely no fukking sense

because when all three was alive at the pinnacle of the culture … I’m sorry biggie was 2 . 3 maybe 4 times more relevant
I just posted the comparison between Illmatic and ready to die

men lie
women lie
numbers don’t

 

[kingofnyc]

nikka this is pure fan fiction. Lol

how da hell would u even know ?
u was a lil youngin during that era

 

[murksiderock]

you’re not making much sense because you posted things that are very vague - like - who was hot, who was relevant before and after, doesn’t say anything relevant towards the topic

So let me just school you real quick we New Yorkers created the culture and a quarter of a century after its creation. One person was crowned the King of New York, by source magazine, and by the streets of New York that should tell you everything you need to know on who should be at the top of the list

And yet you have New Yorkers in this very thread disagreeing with you

 

[Ripp]

it’s not revisionist everything I said is true if you have dudes on here that want to claim Jay-Z and Nas as No.1 & No.2 and remove biggie completely out of the top-tier it makes absolutely no fukking sense

because when all three was alive at the pinnacle of the culture … I’m sorry biggie was 2 . 3 maybe 4 times more relevant
I just posted the comparison between Illmatic and ready to die

men lie
women lie
numbers don’t

Saying Nas and Jay were competing for the #2 and #3 spot while Biggie was alive is 100% false... not debatable in any way shape or form. so just off that I'm not even gonna attempt to entertain whatever point you think you have.

 

[Surreal]

you’re not making much sense because you posted things that are very vague - like - who was hot, who was relevant before and after, doesn’t say anything relevant towards the topic

So let me just school you real quick we New Yorkers created the culture and a quarter of a century after its creation. One person was crowned the King of New York, by source magazine, and by the streets of New York that should tell you everything you need to know on who should be at the top of the list

Illmatic sold more than RTD first week and IWW was the first East Coast solo rap album to debut #1 on Billboard

 

[Cladyclad]

What happened in 94-96 don’t fukking matter jay z lapped all them dudes. we in 2023 Jay number 1

the only argument should be who 2nd