Eminem
He was — and still may be — the most recognized rapper on the planet not named Jay-Z or Snoop and in the first half of the decade, was the most controversial artist in music. His second album, The Marshall Mathers LP, ranks among the greatest of the decade and he’s sold more records than any solo rapper alive. Add to that his countless arrests, always-entertaining family issues, hit semi-autobiographical movie, 8 Mile, and his mentoring of superstar 50 Cent — and who was more relevant in the 2000s?
Kanye West
He had the sheer audacity to rock polo shirts and backpacks at the height of G-Unit gangster-ism. His talents are only surpassed by his ego, and his outbursts rank among some of the best TV moments of the 2000s. His three-album string of classics isn’t matched by anyone in his era — and Mr. West produced more than his fair share of classic singles and albums for the majority of the decade.
T.I.
Sure Geto Boys, OutKast and Eightball & MJG are among the godfathers of Southern rap; but Clifford Harris was the face of its most visible decade. In T.I., the South had a self-proclaimed “King” and its first, true street superstar. T.I.’s mix of trap swagger and crossover appeal provided a template for the Jeezys and later on, the Guccis to follow, and he was at the forefront of Southern hip-hop’s decadelong dominance.
Lil Wayne
Technically, Weezy is the O.G. of this list — he made his debut in the late ‘90s. But in the 2000s — particularly the latter half — Lil Wayne become an entity unto himself. One of the most artistically complex, confounding and unpredictable rappers of his era, Lil Wayne revitalized the mixtape as a viable marketing tool while establishing himself as the most indefatigable artist in music. He’s done guest-spots with virtually everyone in music and his epic Tha Carter III was the best-selling album of 2008.
50 Cent
His debut established him as a megastar, and 50 Cent took its success and his high visibility and used them to market and brand himself all over the world. No rapper had ever released a debut as commercially earth-shattering and ultimately polarizing as Curtis Jackson, but the success of Get Rich or Die Tryin’ proved to be a double-edged sword for the Queens, N.Y.-born rapper. Nonetheless, Fiddy was untouchable in the middle of the decade.
–todd williams
