Wired 25: The 25 Greatest Overweight Rappers Of All Time
Written by
Kazeem Famuyide
Published on
November 21, 2012
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It’s Thanksgiving Eve, which means we are all pre-gaming for the incessant pigging out we are about to endure.
In honor of the holiday, this weeks Wired 25 takes a look at some of our favorite rappers of all time who did their fair share of pigging out in their day. From Biggie Smalls to The Overweight Lover, Hip-Hop loves our fat guys.
Save room for the side dishes tomorrow and get in the Thanksgiving mood by celebrating our heavy homeboys on this week’s Wired 25. Check the linkage below to get your fill, and Happy Thanksgiving.
Bone Crusher’s ode to facing your fears made him one of the many chunky one-hit wonders you are sure to see on this list. The song gave T.I. his first big look, if you can believe it, and the remix featuring a red-hot Cam’Ron gave the song even more life.
24. Fat Man Scoop
Fat Man Scoop isn’t so much a rapper more than he is a phenomenal hypeman. Doesn’t mean that his records won’t get spins from now until the end of time.
23. Sir Mix-A-Lot
Can you make a career off of one massively and insanely popular song? You darn right you can. Thanks, Sir Mix-A-Lot.
22. Gift Of Gab
Underground darling, Gift Of Gab, is best known for performing in the Bay Area hip hop duo Blackalicious along with DJ Chief Xcel. He went solo and saw moderate success commercially, but is critically regarded as one of the dopest on the mic.
21. J-Live
Another underground darling, J-Live is an alumni of The Source’s coveted Unsigned Hype section. He’s also dropped memorable music by collaborating with legends like Prince Paul, DJ Premier, and Pete Rock.
20. Action Bronson
Although relatively new to the scene compared to those on this list, Bronsolino is already one of the greats when it comes to the hefty spitters. He doesn’t take himself that seriously, but his bars are no joke.
19. Vinnie Paz –
As a part of Jedi Mind Tricks, Vinnie Paz tore up the Philadelphia music scene. As a solo artist, he made his mark with Season Of The Assassin as well as God Of The Serengeti, which dropped this year.
18. Prince Markie Dee
Prince Markie Dee first made his mark as a member of The Fat Boys. He went on to be an acclaimed producer behind the scenes, crafting songs for Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Craig Mack and Marc Anthony.
17. MF Doom
MF Doom is one of the best acts in Hip-Hop for his obscurity. He’s always performed in a Doom mask, and has even had multiple imposters pose as him at many shows. However, we know the real MF Doom is a husky microphone feen.
16. The Fat Boys
The group that started it all in Krush Groove and Disorderlies, were one of the most charismatic group of fat guys Hip-Hop has ever seen. The best thing about the group is how they embraced their fatness with songs like “All You Can Eat” and “Chillin With The Refrigerator.”
15. Biz Markie
Nobody beats the Biz. His classic record “Just A Friend” has and always will be the National Anthem of the Friendzone.
14. Big Moe
Big Moe is a founding member of the “Original Screwed Up Click,” which defined a region in Houston , Texas. His music was popularized by the codeine syrup epidemic that continues today in the area. The same beverage that people speculate that took his life at age 33.
13. N.O.R.E.
N.O.R.E.’s critical success came as a part of CNN, but he went nuclear as a solo artist. Being largely responsible for the success of The Neptunes with “S.U.P.E.R.T.H.U.G.,” “Nothin” and more, the Queens product was never a hater like Star and Buc. What?
12. Joell Ortiz
Joell Ortiz is the latest in a long line of incredible Brooklyn rappers to come from NYC’s biggest borough.
11. Cee-Lo Green
Before Cee-Lo became a famous judge, one half of Gnarls Barkley, and an open invitation it seems to perform at any and every single live sporting event, he was a part of Goodie Mob. The Dungeon Family collective is one of the most influential groups in the history of Southern Hip-Hop.
10. Chubb Rock
In the early 90s, nobody could see Chubb Rock. With singles like “The Chubbster,” “Treat Em’ Right” and “Just The Two Of Us” that all hit #1 on the rap charts, this former Brown University student is one of the greatest to ever do it. Regardless of weight class.
9. Fat Joe
Joe Crack is looking more like Medium Joe lately, but we all know he met his biggest success as a big fella. With songs like “Lean Back” “Twinz” and “Make It Rain,” Joey found Pun’s rhyme book and hasn’t looked back.
8. Missy Elliott
Missy’s lost a considerable amount of weight since her heyday, but let’s face it, Heavy Missy was a problem. Dropping records like Supa Dupa Fly, Miss E…So Addictive, and more Missy’s skills on the board and on the mic were next level. We are certain you’ve never heard grasshoppers the same again after Missy came through with Timbo.
7. E-40
Not only is E-40 status as a west coast legend cemented with his prolific career, but his never ending book of Fortyisms is what will out life him. All of that izzle-shizzle-bizzle talk? Yeah, you can credit 40 Water with that, and tons more. Keep it one thou-wow.
6. Rick Ross
The Bawse went from an afterthought on his own label to be one of the most successful artists in Hip-Hop. It’s one thing to be a successful solo artist, but Ross took it to another level by taking artists that seemingly nobody wanted and making them stars. Can’t act like he didn’t tell us what exactly was on his mind when his first single dropped.
5. Heavy D
Heavy D’s career with The Boys was on fire back in the early 90s. He also paved the way for rappers of today as the first rapper to run a major music label as president of Uptown Records. It was there when he hired Sean “Diddy” Combs as an intern and developed Mary J. Blige into a star. “The Overweight Lover” also forayed into acting with memorable roles in Who’s The Man?, B.A.P.S., Tower Heist, and Life.
4. Scarface
As a part of The Geto Boys, Scarface helped bring a side of the south that wasn’t previously noted until his group. As a solo star, Scarface’s vivid story telling has become the stuff of legend. He’s recorded classic records with Tupac on “Smile” before his demise and his classic album and Def Jam debut, The Fix, featured a still-hungry Kanye West, Jay-Z and Nas all on one album.
3. Raekwon
Everyone has their favorite member of the Wu-Tang, but Shallah’s run of solo albums is hard to top. With two classics under his belt with Only Built For Cuban Linx 1 and 2, Rae’s cokeboy tales from the streets of Shaolin have become folklore.
2. Big Punisher
“Dead in the middle of little Italy little did we know that we riddled some middle men who didn’t do diddly.” As if anything more needed to be said, Big Pun’s short but memorable run as the pride of BX was cut short, but it doesn’t mean that the Puerto Rican wasn’t one of the best ever. Pun’s ability to pack so many words into such little stanzas was incredible for a man his size. You can even hear him breath heavily in his later records.
1. The Notorious B.I.G.
Heartthrob? Never. But did you expect anybody else at this coveted spot? Christopher Wallace wasn’t only the greatest rapper of all time, but he shattered the fat barrier when it came to being a s*x symbol. Without a doubt, Biggie is the most influential rapper of all-time. His life and death effectively shifted the culture of what Hip-Hop is today and a cautionary tale to when things get deeper than rap. Although his murder has never been solved, we’ll always love Big Poppa.
