Top 24 Most Overrated Rappers of All Time

Sales, skill and reputation almost never line up in rap, and this is where the gap gets loud. Some names here sold diamond; some are here because a rival ended them.

1. 1
   Drake

   The streaming era's biggest star, and the one critics accuse of chasing every trend.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Big Sean

   Detroit hitmaker with a long run of chart singles whose punchlines are often mocked as corny.
   794pts
3. 3
   Lil Yachty

   The self-styled 'King of the Teens' whose early mumble-rap hits made him a lightning rod in debates over lyricism.
   700pts
4. 4
   Lil Wayne

   The mixtape-era phenomenon whose late catalogue divides even loyal fans.
   676pts
5. 5
   Kanye West

   A producer-turned-rapper whose production is rarely questioned and whose rapping often is.
   676pts
6. 6
   Lil Uzi Vert

   Emo-rap star whose melodic hits drew devoted fans and skeptics of his lyrics in equal measure.
   676pts
7. 7
   Jeezy

   Atlanta trap figurehead often named in debates as repetitive in subject matter and delivery.
   625pts
8. 8
   Post Malone

   A genre-blurring hitmaker whose place inside hip-hop is argued every year.
   566pts
9. 9
   Iggy Azalea

   The Australian rapper whose chart peak drew persistent questions about authenticity.
   566pts
10. 10
    Vanilla Ice

    A single enormous hit built on a borrowed bassline, and little else.
    500pts
11. 11
    Waka Flocka Flame

    Trap pioneer whose energy and influence, critics say, far outweigh his verbal skill.
    500pts
12. 12
    Tupac Shakur

    Hip-hop's most mythologized figure, whose posthumous legend some critics argue has outgrown the albums he actually released.
    423pts
13. 13
    Soulja Boy

    The 'Crank That' star who pioneered internet self-promotion in rap, while critics say his music never matched his boasts.
    423pts
14. 14
    Logic

    A technically fluent MC whose reputation among critics never matched his sales.
    423pts
15. 15
    Ja Rule

    An early-2000s hitmaker whose run ended when a rival dismantled his reputation.
    333pts
16. 16
    2 Chainz

    Atlanta veteran whose punchline-heavy hits have long been questioned by lyric-focused critics.
    333pts
17. 17
    J. Cole

    A respected lyricist whose critics call his albums safe and his songwriting preachy despite his huge sales.
    333pts
18. 18
    Lil Pump

    A viral SoundCloud-era figure whose fame far outran his catalogue.
    227pts
19. 19
    Eminem

    Detroit's technical benchmark, and the name that starts the loudest argument about whether skill equals greatness.
    227pts
20. 20
    Travis Scott

    A stadium-filling performer whose rapping is often called secondary to his production, ad-libs and spectacle.
    227pts
21. 21
    Machine Gun Kelly

    The Cleveland rapper who pivoted to pop-punk after a very public losing beef.
    227pts
22. 22
    Nicki Minaj

    A record-breaking rapper whose pop crossovers split opinion about her rap legacy.
    227pts
23. 23
    Cardi B

    Record-setting chart star whose critics argue her personality and social-media fame outweigh her rapping.
    227pts
24. 24
    Jay-Z

    The business blueprint of rap, and a frequent target of the argument that longevity is not the same as peak.
    0pts

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