For the second day in a row, the great debate on whether Iggy Azalea’s short but visible career should be considered for game changer status. The Australia rapper took exception to Twitter reactions sparked by us after she bigged up her cultural impact in a recent GQ interview.
Barring a few obvious selections (Outkast, Eminem, any extension of the Wu-Tang Clan), here are 25 rappers who actually changed the game, whether it be from raw skill, business savvy or a bit of both.
We never dissed Iggy but she does have a little ways to go before her legacy can be used as trump card. That’s in any circumstance. Peace to Lizzuendo for the inspiration. Follow us on Twitter and all forms social media as well. We are here for you.
Under the tutelage of The Notorious B.I.G., Kim Jones went against the grain of several female rappers who came before her and embraced the obvious. Oh, she had bars too.
Never mind his penchant for attracting gossip headlines. Drizzy got nominated for a Grammy without having an album in stores and inspired a new generation of rappers to try the independent route.
Name an artist who’s consistently in conversations as the best rapper and producer of all time. We’ll wait.
Kool Keith
How So?: Created the new norm.
Together with his band of Ultramagnetic MCs, the Black Elvis carved a new lane for rappers who didn’t subscribe to the simple A-B-C format of stringing together words.
Before Ice Cube came from straight outta Compton, the only bad guys who were cheered on were professional wrestlers. Amerikkka’s most changed all of that.
If the Florida authorities would have foreseen the success 2 Live Crew would gain from all the controversy in their content, they probably would have ignored them.
The Notorious B.I.G.
How So?: Simply by being the illest.
Frank White had America calling him the G.O.A.T. when he was still alive. Go ahead and marinate on that.
