5. Nas

He created probably the most important LP in Hip Hop History......Illmatic.  

He was dubbed the second coming of the man in front of him on this list.  

He has battled through tough times, and even tougher opponents.  

After succeeding in battle over Jay-Z, Nas resurrected his career

with his important LP that time, Stillmatic.

 Nas is one of the greatest to ever grace a mic, and his legacy will

 be forever etched in Hip Hop.  All he needed was One Mic.

4. Rakim

He changed the way an MC approached the mic at 17!

 He brought multi-syllabic lyricism to the table.  

Used God and The Nation of Islam in his rhymes.  

Set the standard for what an MC should sound like.

 Rakim has had the biggest impact of anyone on this list

.  The landmark album "Paid In Full" proved to be the standard.

  When Rakim went solo, he dropped the critically acclaimed "The 18th Letter".

 He signed to Aftermath in 2000, and left after he and Dr Dre had

creative differences.  

When his most anticipated project "Oh My God!" drops,

he will change the game once again.

3.2 Pac

Dubbed "The Most Influential Rapper Ever", "

All-Time Fan Favorite", the "G.O.A.T".

 Whatever he is to his fans,

2Pac will forever be remembered for bringing emotion to Hip Hop.  

With is 1992 debut "2Pacalypse" he proved he can hang with the best of them.  

But 1995's "Me Against the World"

put 2Pac on a pedestal with the greatest artists in musical history.  

His battles with the two rappers in

front of him were well documented, and he still has the diss song of all time with "Hit Em Up".  

Although he was percieved as a public

 disgrace and a menace to society, he blessed us with more than Hip Hop.  

He graced the big screen, wrote heart-

wrenching poetry, and from time to time showed us all his emotions in his songs.  

R.I.P. Tupac Amaru Shakur, G.O.A.T.

2. The Notorious B.I.G.

Long live The Flow.

  Biggie was to the East Coast what 2Pac was to the West Coast.

  Biggie released the Hip Hop classics "Ready to Die" and

 "Life After Death" and became a Hip Hop icon.

  He changed the way an MC flows, and stopped everyone in

 their tracks when he dropped his verse on "Notorious Thugs"

 using the Bone Thugs style better than they did themsleves.

 Also one of the great storytellers in Hip Hop,

The Notorious One had every element an MC could dream of.

 Would have easily been No.1 if not for his untimely death in 1997.

1. Jay-Z

Jay-Z, Jigga, Jay-Hovah, God MC, or just Sean Carter.

  Call him whatever.  He has rhymed alongside the best and held down his own.

 His style and flow has been copied by countless MC's.

  Has been the most consistent rapper in the past ten years.

  After 8 multi-platinum albums, Jay-Z is and was what every rapper in the game want to be.

  His presence on the mic is unmatched.

 And even though he lost in battle to rival Nas, The war was won by Jay in the end.

  His debut album "Reasonable Doubt" his heralded as his best work,

 even though albums such as "The Blueprint" and "The Black Album" are classics in their own right.

 Even "Hard Knock Life" with its mainstream appeal, can be considered a classic.

 All in all, Jay-Z is the true meaning of G.O.A.T.

 We will miss Hova as he retired after the release of The Black Album (Or so we think).  God Bless.