The concept: wax poetic about the greatest rappers who ever lived by comparing them to legendary athletes. I love sports. I love rap. Plus, I’ve always wanted to write about the best emcees who ever lived, I just never got around to it. I can no longer say that. Special thanks to my Twitter fam, who really helped me take this post to another level. Oh, don’t beef too much about this list of 20 of the greatest rappers ever. It’s not definitive, it’s subjective. The list is also not in any particular order. These are just 20 rhymers I think have to be included on any G.O.A.T. list. Enjoy…
Notorious B.I.G./Bo Jackson - When Biggie and Bo debuted, both were instantly hailed as potential G.O.A.T.s. Unfortunately, both superstars’ careers were cut tragically short. I think I’ve spent more time pondering “what if” over these two than anybody else alive. Two of the most amazing natural talents to ever walk the Earth.
Jay-Z/Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – Who else besides these two has been in the “best in the game” conversation for nearly two decades. Besides, who else in either industry has made greatness look so effortless? Both the Captain and Hov were so smooth during their respective primes that they made you forget how amazingly skilled they truly were.
Andre 3000/Dennis Rodman – Because of their eccentricity and sex appeal, their unique talents often are ignored. Big Boi and Michael Jordan are both natural ballers, but they needed Dre and the Worm to reach their highest of highs. How many dudes have been able to pretty much dress drag and “still stay street,” outperforming some of the biggest and baddest in the process?
KRS-One/Brett Favre – Please, please, please retire. I really, really used to love you both. Always said there will never be another you. Now I’m starting to think there will never be another you because you won’t hang ‘em up and let there be. Continiously switching teams won’t bring back the glory days. Just face it.
Nas/Roger Federer – Both got beat by legends in their first “major” battle (by Andre Agassi and Jay-Z), but have been downright unstoppable for the rest of their careers. Problem is, neither guy is mainstream enough to become one of the biggest stars alive. Nonetheless, these two are as good as anybody anywhere. Believe it, baby.
Scarface/Bobby Clarke – Both are remembered for being the leaders of great teams — the Broadstreet Bullies and Geto Boys — and being violent, but these fellas were two of the nicest around. They might not be household names, but they are Hall of Famers no questions asked.
Ice Cube/Shaq – Both came into the game as popular overnight stars, and both lived up to expectations. Both came into their own in Los Angeles as well. Nowadays, both Diesel and Doughboy are pretty much washed up. They got too fat with their riches, lost their edge, and embarrassed themselves on the mic and silver screen (Shaq is headed their on the court, too). Still, two of the dopest ever.
L.L. Cool J/Joe Nameth – Neither of these Big Apple superstars possessed the most talent. But what they both possessed was more sex appeal and swagger than anybody else “Doing It.” Unfortunately, both got a little carried away with their sexiness; L.L. did with his lip-licking obsession, while Broadway Joe did when he tried to plant his lips on Suzy Kolber’s.
Snoop/Walt Frazier – Both wake up every single morning and straight piss coolness. I’m seriously not sure there has ever been two cooler human beings than Clyde and the D-O-Double-G. The similarities don’t stop there either, because both dress like pimps and have very distinct ways of speaking. Stay fly, my nizzles, fo shizzle!
GZA/Bobby Fischer - Funny that Fischer is really not even an athlete, because the GZA really isn’t a rapper — he’s more of a street poet, a spoken word mastermind. Very few people in this world ever get labeled with the “Genius” designation, but both these little-known legends did. They deserved it, too.
Tupac/Lawrence Taylor – What boggles my mind is how effin’ unstoppable both L.T. and Pac were despite their reckless lifestyles. Then again, the way they lived gave them an edge their rivals could never match. These two rebels changed the way their respective games were played forever, and dominated until things spiraled downward for them.
Common/Jeremy Roenick – Two crazy consistent performers who began their careers in Chicago under the radar. Eventually, both ended up in Cali and gained more notoriety. Com and Roenick both were good for a long, long time, but is that time finally coming to an end? With both pushing 40, that’s likely the case.
Ghostface Killah/Rasheed Wallace – Iron Man is probably the most-underrated rapper ever, while Sheed has been the most-underrated player in the NBA over the course of the past decade. Both were the ingredient that made their squads — the Pistons and the Wu-Tang Clan — special. Plus, other than this duo, I don’t know anybody outside the WWE who rocks a championship belt.
Rakim/Ty Cobb – The term “original gangster” probably originated with these two. Not only were both of these old schoolers brilliant and bad ass, but both are also in the G.O.A.T conversation. Period. End of story. Rakim and Ty might have been the first legends in their respective fields.
Big Daddy Kane/Muhammad Ali – Sex appeal. Braggadocio. Battle skills. Back in the day these combatants ruled their respective rings. Kane might not have ascended to the same zenith Ali did, but he is generally accepted as one of the 10 dopest human beings to ever spit on a mic. Hard to argue with that sentiment.
Big L/Len Bias – The best that never was on both accounts. Big L died in a fatal shooting a week before he inked with Jay-Z’s “Dynasty” — Roc-a-Fella. Len Bias died 48 hours after getting drafted Larry Bird’s dynasty — the Celtics. Who knows what those teams could have accomplished with these would-be superstars in the fold.
Eminem/Tiger Woods – The easiest comparison on this list. Yes, Em dropped “Purple Pills” while Tiger rocked green jackets. They are different personality wise, no question about it. But both crossed what had previously been considered an uncrossable racial barrier, and did so with relative ease. Both pioneers dominated this decade, breaking long-standing records along the way.
Slick Rick/Mike Tyson – One rocked black trunks, the other a black eye patch — both repped New York, and repped it well. Their dominance out the gate will be a “Children’s Story” I tell me own kids someday. And what about the funny way they talk? The biggest similarity, however, is that neither of their careers recovered after their prison stints.
Chuck D/Troy Aikman – Superstar signal callers who were the leaders of their legendary teams, despite being saddled with goofy sidekicks. Currently, both make a living speaking; Chuck D is a phenomenal public speaker, while Troy calls NFL games for FOX on Sunday afternoons.
Melle Mel/Babe Ruth – These two original Bronx Bombers were the first stars in rap and baseball, respectively. Would A-Rod and Jay-Z still rule the Big Apple if the Bambino and Mel didn’t do so decades before they did? No how, no way. These two paved the way for everyone who followed in their footsteps.
(Adam Best is the senior editor of the FanSided.com Sports Network and the twisted mind behind Fan Addict. Follow him on Twitter.)
Great choices: Big L/Bias; Cube/Shaq; Eminem/Tiger; LL/Namath.
Good choices: KRS/Favre; Snoop/Clyde.
Head-scratchers: Chuck/Aikman; Rakim/Cobb; Nas/Fed; 3K/Rodman.
Well done, this was a fun read to start the morning, love the Gza/Bobby Fisher one the best!!!
Strange article. The Big L/Len Bias comparison makes a lot of sense
Love the article. Got to say though, omitting the Beastie Boyz is pretty glaring. Ad Rock and Jason Williams maybe? And Jay Z the best in the game? I dunno about that but people love him so I guess so. IMHO a KAJ would have to go to like, Boombatta or Grand Master Flash.
Good post. But where is Big Pun, Kool G Rap or the front man of one of the greatest rap group of all time…Q-Tip?
Had no idea this post was gonna be this deep. Awesome, interesting post. Except Pacs life really never spun out of control. He had control the whole time just got unlucky! Rakim is the G.O.A.T.
mike tyson = kool keith or del. undisputed greats that were too crazy to be as great as they should have been.
i love the b-i-g-d-a-double-d-y-k-a-n-e but you can’t give him ali since ali is clearly the goat and kane is not. bdk = pistol pete. had style beyond anyone in the game and came along a decade or two too early.
rza = larry brown. winner and leader on every level, but never gets to shine like the top dogs jay-z or phil jackson. great guys that study their craft and take serious approaches to getting better.
fun read, great stuff.
you got nas all wrong. nas is obviously vince carter. both were young studs that blasted on the scene with crazy juice (unc/dunk contest and illmatic), became hailed as the ‘next greats’, spent about a decade doing nothing of note, and somehow still gets paid millions to do mediocre work.
Glad to see Big L getting some recognition on a G.O.A.T. list
I had to stop reading at Nas..
Nas did NOT lose to Jay Z! LOL Why do you think the term ETHER exists so strongly in the hip hop community?
now, back to reading the rest haha.
Totally agree on Melle Mel..
KRS One is hilarious.. I cant argue with that
I can live with Pac – LT
LOL @ homie who said Kool Keith is Mike Tyson.. I can’t totally disagree since things have gone way better for Kool Keith. (Still going strong!)
Vanilla Ice is Brian Bozworth haha.
Love the list. You did not list “rappers” these were emcees. Not one person on the list was just a “rapper.”
My only problem is with KRS-One. I just saw him a few months ago and he can still eat most of these “rappers” alive.
Jari is absolutely right, Nas let Jay-Z have it with Ether. I thing Jay through in the towel after that one.
2pac/Mike Tyson is a better match. Both were at the top of their respective games, both were reckless/fearless, both struck the fear of god into their opponents, both were jailed on rape charges, etc.
great list!
thanks for leaving out all the newcomers for they have yet to prove their longevity!
one more thing Nas took out Jay. listen to “Ether” one more time.
Editor’s Note: After “Ether,” Jay came back with “Super Ugly,” a song where he rhymed about f***ing Nas’ baby’s mama. Nas did not record a comeback battle track, likely because it’s reportedly true that Jay slept with his baby’s mama.
nas did not get beat by jay. ‘ether’ killed jay. jay has had the more illustrious and mainstream career, but to say jay won that battle is reckless. the article is dope, though. great comparisons.
’super ugly’ received no play because it was weak. nas had no reason to respond to it because he had already won.
Wow, you actually think Nas lost to Jay-Z? Ever heard of ETHER?
On the money except for 3000. Another way that Bo Jackson Like B.I.G. is that Bo claimed to never go to the gym.
Jackson (is) Like B.I.G
haha Nas lost his first major battle? even jay-z admits that he lost that one.. Hot 97 even held a poll Ether Vs. Superugly aka Nas Vs. Jay-z and the callers voted nas.. i think it’s been accepted for a very long time that nas won that battle EASY..
the term Ether now means “to destroy another rapper lyrically”.. which is what nas did to jay
Man, you are a genius! These comparisons are incredible. I wish I would've thought of it…. Good job though man.
You have to be joking.Andre 3000 before krs1 . and Ghostface Killah before em wow . start all over and really study and listern for yourself . you are really buggin
That was a funny post, really.
saludos
yeah I have to agree with the other guys
Nas annihilated Jay-Z with “Ether” super ugly didn’t even compare