The Greatest of All Time

Who is the greatest?

I love music. It's one of my favourite hobbies. So I was a little surprised one day when I was on a forum and the question was asked, "who's the greatest rapper of all time?"

I saw responses like "Biggie!" or "Pac!" somebody even said "Eminem!" But in my humble and honest opinion, the greatest to ever do it should be one person, and it shouldn't even be close.

There has only been a handful of rappers to survive the sands of time. One rapper in particular has been able to cross genres, expand their audience, and pave the way for future generations. And that person my friends, is Jay-Z.

To be around during THE most controversial era in music, thrive, and still be around is a thing of legend. Blazing the trail for future artists to follow, Jay-Z has carved his name in the history books time and time again. With over 50 million albums sold worldwide, 14 Grammy's, and countless other awards and nominations, people don't have to like him, but they 'can't knock the hustle'.

Collaborating with plenty big name talents like, Nas, Eminem, Rihanna, Beyoncé, Kanye West, Linkin Park and The Notorious B.I.G, no one has been able to tell their story quite like Jay-Z. From humble beginnings to his meteoric rise to fame, Jay-Z embodies everything it means to be an icon. As an artist, he holds the record for most number one albums by a solo artist on the Billboard 200 with eleven.

While other musical icons have been marred in scandal, Jay-Z has stayed relatively clean. And it is because of this fact, I hold him in the highest regards, as you should.

Without him there would be no Drake, no Rick Ross, no lil Wayne, or T.I. and the world would still be listening to boy bands. But apart from it all, the real reason why he will go down as the greatest rapper of all time is because not only is he a class act, but he married Beyoncé, had a baby girl (named Blue Ivy Carter) and discovered Rihanna! Who are we kidding here?

Feel free to disagree, but comment and let me know who YOU think is the greatest rapper of all time.

Please enjoy this two part Jay-Z compilation (parental advisory)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxI4hEEeWyU&feature=plcp (part one)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phaNjajne14&feature=plcp (part two)