Drake Topping Billboard’s “Biggest Rappers Of The Century” List Leads To Intense Debates

The 2000s have been one of the most competitive eras in all of hip-hop. You can obviously make the argument for the 90s and 2010s as well, but the number of hitmakers from this period is nothing to sneeze at. So, if someone decides to make a list to rank them, they are going to be in for a real doozy. Well, Billboard has gone ahead and attempted to provide their top 10 for “Biggest Rappers Of The Century” and it’s got everyone in a tizzy. According to the publication here’s how their ranking shakes out. The top five in order goes Drake, Eminem, Kanye West, Nelly, and the Jay-Z. Rounding out 6-10 is Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar, Nicki Minaj, and then Ludacris.

It seems that they went for rappers that have produced the most hits over this span and perhaps how well they’ve done on their charts. However, the credentials for this list have not been revealed so this is all speculation. If that is indeed how Billboard intended to go about this, then it’s a pretty solid ranking overall. Drake is particularly a no brainer at number one, especially due to his 13 Hot 100 No. 1 singles and 13 Hot 200 No. 1 albums.

Those statistics scored him the title as the “Greatest Pop Star” of the 21st century, beating out names like Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, and more. Despite what Billboard will eventually explain as their reasoning behind this list, fans are going to be pretty angry regardless. Right now, they are, however, there are lot of Drake stans pounding their chests in The Boy’s honor. “You mad because your darling is in 8th spot where he belongs?😂” one X user writes.

Outside of the Drake and Kendrick Lamar angle, others were very happy with Ludacris and Nelly getting their respect. “People in the replies are showing their age. I don’t think yall understand how many hits Luda and Nelly were putting out in the early 2000s.” Others were upset with Wayne being at six, with one person combating with, “Nelly over Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, & 50 Cent is insane.” Overall, though, given fans’ reactions to this, it further proves just how much of a gauntlet this period is.