Criteria
The first thing you need to qualify for this list is a great album. I mean a classic. Most great artist has that one classic album that defines their career and pretty much who they are or who they want us to believe they are. On the other hand the legends, the immortals of the game constantly gives us great albums, great singles, verses and overall swag that reminds us that they surpass their peers, and only compare with their previous work. That’s consistency, and that is needed to be on the list also. The last qualification is influence, what type of social and cultural impact has the artist made on the game. I know some people are asking what about flow, lyrics, content, style, and record sales. All that was taking in consideration but there are a lot of great rappers who have those things. But to separate the best fro the rest you need that something more. I mean Cee-lo Green of Goodie Mob and Gnarls Barkley fame has said some of the greatest verses I have ever heard, so has KRS- One, and Jadakiss, and so on, but not everybody makes an album like Criminal Minded or Illmatic and there is where the separation occurs. Even with that said, five slots are not enough greatest artists are. I need ten, but then that would be too easy. So without further adieu, I give you my top five rappers of all time.
LL COOL J 
LL is the first person I ever heard rap a love song when he made “I need love”. He was the first rapper I saw with swag, the gold chains, the physique, the attitude, he in my opinion, epitomizes what a successful rapper is to suppose sound and look like. His blueprint for creating songs that ladies love and the fellas respect is being used to this date. No other rapper has more consecutive platinum and gold albums Think about Nelly, 2Pac, Lil Wayne, and any other rapper walking around with their shirt off and I bet they got it from LL. His impact on the game has been similar to Michael Jordan with the baggie shorts in basketball. He had the clothing line with Troop (remember those sweat suits!) Not to mention his acting career. His one knock from me though; is no classic records, I know Mama Said Knock you Out(1990) is considered a classic album, and it is a great album, but when you go back and listen to it, some songs sound a little dated. Unlike Paid and Full by Eric B. & Rakim (1987) or Niggaz4life (1991) by NWA which sounds fresh every time you listen to it.
Notorious BIG 
This slot originally was given to the rapper Nas, who happens to be my favorite rapper, and who, in my opinion has the greatest hip hop album of all time, which is called Illmatic. But to hear Biggie Smalls for the first time in your life is like losing your virginity: It’s never going to happen again. It just unexplainable to describe what it felt like to hear Juicy the single or Ready to Die the album for the first time. He had only three albums before his passing, but more than anybody on this list, he had a natural gift to make words sound good (I’m counting Life after Death as two albums) His simplicity in lyrics, was made up by an unparallel flow and one of a kind voice. The only thing I can say in my apologies to Nas is that Notorious BIG was “unbelievable.