The Hip-Hop 25 landing page

The Hip-Hop 25 counts down the 25 greatest rap artists in history, as part of Ben Westhoff’s newsletter Drugs and Hip-Hop. Westhoff is an award-winning journalist and the author of Original Gangstas and Dirty South. Each entry is thousands of words, featuring never-published interviews and rare photos. In total, the project represents Westhoff’s next book. Subscribe now to access the entire list.

25. Eazy-E (tie) free post

25. Nicki Minaj (tie) free post

24. Beastie Boys free post

23. Gucci Mane

22. E-40

21. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five

20. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony

19. Lauryn Hill

18. Rakim

17. Kendrick Lamar

16. Run-DMC

15. Ice Cube

14. Scarface

13. Nas

12. Missy Elliott

11. Wu-Tang Clan

10. Public Enemy

9. Afrika Bambaataa

8. Outkast

7. Jay-Z

6. Eminem free post

5. Dr. Dre

4. Notorious B.I.G.

3. Lil Wayne

2. Kanye West

1. Tupac