"West Coast fans looking for their favs"- Fans react to Billboard's list of 10 Biggest Rappers Of The Century

Billboard recently released its list of the top ten Biggest Rappers Of The Century on Wednesday, January 7, 2025. Per the publication, Canadian rapper Drake topped the tally, and Eminem came in second. Kanye West, who goes by Ye, came in the third spot, followed by Nelly and Jay-Z.

Drake's rival, Kendrick Lamar, was No. 8, and Nicki Minaj, the only woman on the list, was at the ninth spot. Other rappers to feature on the list were Lil Wayne (six), 50 Cent (seven), and Ludacris (ten).

As the list went viral, internet users were quick to react. Highlighting that Lamar was the only rapper from the West Coast on the list, one fan commented:

"West Coast fans looking for their favs."

A comment reacting to the news (Image via X/ @nfr_podcast)

Many argued against the list, questioning what the criteria behind choosing the rappers were. Here are some comments seen under @nfr_podcast on X:

"Can we have the criteria for this list," one questioned.

"Biggest in terms of what exactly numbers ? Or ??" another wondered.

"not sure how eminem isn’t number rapper for the century…eminem’s biggest 21st century moments are all bigger than Drakes biggest moments," a fan noted.

Others continued to praise Drake's prowess.

"the GOAT title only belongs to one man, drake," one asserted.

"Drake is leading as usual , Kendrick can never catch up with him," another added.

"Dare i say this is a near perfect list," a person remarked.

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Billboard considered chart performances of the rappers for their list

According to a report by Hot New Hip Hop, Billboard considered chart performances of the artists for making their Ten Biggest Rappers Of The Century list. They specifically tabulated the rapper's performance on the Hot 200 (albums) and Hot 100 (singles) charts between January 1, 2000, and December 28, 2024.

Considering the timeframe, it comes as no surprise that Drake topped the tally, considering he boasts thirteen Hot 100 No. 1 singles and thirteen Hot 200 No. 1 albums. Some of his best songs include God's Plan, Wait For U, One Dance, Jimmy Cooks, and First Person Shooter.

Eminem trails with five singles topping the Hot 100 and eleven Hot 200-topping albums. Kendrick Lamar has five singles peaking at the top position on the Hot 100 and five albums topping the latter chart.

The list was quick to spark discourse among Kendrick and Drake's fans, with the latter's fans declaring him better than the other. Early last year, the two rappers were involved in a rap feud, with both dropping diss tracks after another aimed at the other's personal life and career.

This included Drizzy's Family Matter and the Heart Part 6 and K. Dot's Euphoria and Not Like Us. Fans and critics believe the latter song won Kendrick the beef. While the steam between the rappers died by May 2024, several critics, fans, and fellow artists took to rally behind their favorite rapper.

Neither rapper has publicly reacted to the list.

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