Ice Cube Disses Billboard Over Top 50 Greatest Rappers List: ‘[They] Ain’t Hip Hop’

    Ice Cube has taken issue with Billboard’s Top 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time list, and said that his placement on the list proves the publication “ain’t Hip Hop.”

    TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the West Coast rap legend while he was leaving Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) this week, and Cube at first didn’t seem to be phased by his ranking as the 18th greatest rapper of all time.

    “Who?” he asked rhetorically when the reporter mentioned Billboard‘s list. “I don’t fuck with Billboard or the editor. Billboard ain’t Hip Hop so their opinion don’t matter. So who gives a fuck?”

    Cube added that his Mount Westmore contemporary Too $hort not being included on the list was definitely an undeserved snub.

    “It’s an irrelevant list,” he continued. “It’s like assholes: everybody got one and they all stink.”

    Ice Cube isn’t the only rapper who’s not a fan of Billboard’s list, which ranked JAY-Z as the greatest rapper of all time.

    Ja Rule wasn’t included on the list at all and took to Twitter on Thursday (February 9) to complain about his omission.

    “There ain’t 50 rappers dead, alive or waiting to be born better than me… #ICONN #Vibes,” he tweeted. “@billboard congrats to everyone on the list well deserved but check my resume… #ICONN #Vibes.”

    Billboard‘s top 10 rappers also icluded Kendrick LamarNas2PacEminemThe Notorious B.I.G.Lil WayneDrakeSnoop Dogg and Nicki Minaj, in that order.

    Further down the list, Kanye West came in at No. 11, followed by André 3000RakimLL COOL JJ. ColeScarface50 CentIce CubeMissy Elliott and Big Daddy Kane to round out the top 20.

    Ice Cube may put little stock in Billboard‘s list, but he isn’t above Hip Hop debates entirely. The Predator MC recently appeared on Talib Kweli’s People’s Party podcast alongside his Mount Westmore brethren E-40 and Too $hort, where they shared their picks for a Mount Rushmore-style East Coast supergroup.

    Cube said his dream lineup comprised of JAY-Z, Nas and Busta Rhymes and LL COOL J, while Rakim, KRS-One, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, Ghostface Killah, Redman, Fat Joe and Treach from Naughty By Nature’s names were also put forward.

    Mount Westmore dropped their debut album Snoop, Cube, 40, $hort on December 9 after initially making the project available exclusively via blockchain under the title Bad MFs last summer. The streaming version included additional tracks not featured in the previous release.

    “You know what it is,” Cube said at the time of Bad MFs‘ release. “Mount Westmore — you got the four pillars of West Coast Hip Hop. We are down with Gala Music. We are coming out with that Mount Westmore Bad MFs album. There is going to be new music, new experiences, shows, everything that the Westmore got, baby, you gonna get it.”

    59 thoughts on “Ice Cube Disses Billboard Over Top 50 Greatest Rappers List: ‘[They] Ain’t Hip Hop’

      1. No way,Ice Cube in the 92-94 maybe.But for the millennium Kendrick!Hands Down.Kendrick,Lamar all the way!Mac Dre should be on the list also if we talking about the Level of Ice Cube!

      2. The millennium is hands down on the verge of being psychopaths… so who cares what jibber jabb sell out satanic pedo rappers you embrace. Everyone new is apart of the agenda

      3. You’re just plain ” stupid”……your comment, lmfao, good luck ” fighting the deeeeeeeeeep state” there champ….ahahahahaha……go kidnap Donald Trump and y’all can ” save the world”……oh Lord…

      4. These types of ridiculous polls and or ranking systems created by people outside of the culture are worthless and always way off target. Talentless have no place rating those they can’t relate to or properly comprehend.

      1. According to Billboard, Lamar, Minaj, J. Cole Missy Elliott etc are greater rappers than Wutang Clan members and KRS one. Yeah that’s the shittiest of the most shitty list ever.

    1. If Billboard rated Ice Cube as the greatest rapper, he wouldn’t say such things. So obviously he cares greatly and is very insecure about his manhood.

    2. My bum is on your lips. My bum is on your lips. Hey Daddy, my bum is on your lips” Eminem aka The 4th greatest rapper of all time.

    3. Know that’s the truth. People have to stop acting like these corny corporations have any say-so on anything to do with excellence. They are why the game is terrible now after they bought all of the grass roots labels out. It’s like when did getting a Grammy become a standard for this genre? It’s beyond moronic. Going to give me your Complex list next?

    4. The list is someone’s opinion. A lot of you people seem to miss that and forget people don’t have to like what you like. Ice Cube ain’t in no damn rotation of mine, don’t make him any less of a rapper, he’s somebody fave. NOT ME!

    5. All opinion. My top 10 only includes 3 of their top 10. This is why I call it my “favorites” list. Because it’s mine.
      10. Eminem
      9. Jay-Z
      8. Method Man
      7. 2Pac
      6. Common
      5. Raekwon
      4. MF DOOM
      3. Black Thought
      2. Ghostface Killah
      1. Nas

      Feel free to agree or disagree

      1. You list is near identical to mine. Except I would push Pac and Eminem out the top 10 replacing with Big Daddy Kane and Rakim. MY favorites.

    6. My top 10 is better than billboard s one:
      mf doom, mos def, redman, rakim, lauryn hill,
      buckshot, krs one, ras kass, big pun, gza.

      Btw: aanyone ever in the life of [billboard’s usa] will do an spanish’s top 50 rappers?

    7. For those dismissing the Billboard list, read THEIR criteria and then debate that. Body of work/achievements are going to push many of your favorite rappers further down the list. For me, Redman is too low, (hasn’t sold as much as Missy but he’s way nicer on the mic. Lol.) and MF DOOM and Masta Ace are missing.

    8. NWA as a group is top 5. How do you slice that with BIGGIE, PAC, TOO SHORT, Getto Boyz, etc?!?

      Where is Busta?!? Busta is leagues beyond Jay-Z, Busta was ahead of his time.

      And Wu?!?! ODB?!?

      Impossible to rank them. In the 90’s to early Oughts they were each almost their own genre. They got lumped into Gamgsta Rap but the category itself was way broader than such a simple definition.

      Q-tip?!? Beastie Boys?!?! Yeah, I said it. Think about it.

    9. Ummm… I’m sorry but tech n9ne, Rittz , and krizz kaliko should be on this list .. Kanye really?? Who tf made this list.. clearly mentally challenged

    10. Ummm… I’m sorry but tech n9ne, Rittz , and krizz kaliko should be on this list .. Kanye really?? Who tf made this list.. clearly mentally challenged

      1. Dog apathy saline jelly roll all are fucking ass compared to em

        Jelly roll ain’t even a rapper he’s a fuck boy hipster version of everlast lol

        Ap is okay the groups he’s in aotp and demigodz are doper than he is and if it wasn’t for his connections to esoteric who makes most of his beats he wouldn’t be shit

        Beasties again are recognized in hiphop as a group not individual artists, so u can’t put them in a list like this

        White rappers that have influenced the culture that belong in a top 50 are pretty short list most white rappers suck but I’ll give slug of atmosphere his roses he’s been touring and selling out every show for close to 30-35 years

        Eminem
        Slug
        Aesop rock
        Yelawolf
        Vinnie paz
        Ra the rugged man
        Rittz
        Paul wall
        Lil wyte

        Those are the only white rappers that you can actually say have had commercial success as well as influenced the culture and weren’t gimmick rappers or clowns or flash in a pan

    11. Cube is ryt. King Tekashi top 5 dead or alive n dey sayin he ain’t even top 50! He on da Mt Rushmore of hip-hop next to Jay n he ain’t on da list. Dat be crazy.

    12. First and foremost shady is in a league of his own,and any list that ain’t got 3000 or Redman in their top 10 is bogus so f’em but everybody got an argument

    13. CUBE is a legend, but like Outkast said, don’t forget about the South. SCARFACE, OUTKAST, Lil Wayne, TRICK DADDY, and many more. Rakim is a legend and Big Daddy Kane.

    14. Cube has a solid list. BUT… Let’s go underground shall we? There are artists in underground hip hop/rap that would blow yalls minds, and also stayed true to the culture. It’s not the played out trap beat, identical cadence, rhyme schemes, etc
      They have actual talent, and are lyrical geniuses.

    15. My Mount “Rapmore” is MF DOOM, MadVillain, Viktor Vaughn, and DangerDOOM. Honorable mention: King Geedorah, DOOMStarks, and JJDOOM (in no particular order)

    16. That list is was and is nothing but trash!!!! Rakim Krs-1 and Ice Cube and Big Pun 26!!!!!! GTFOH wit that bullshit Kendrick number 2 the list is trash the mag is trash the editor should be releaved of his command immediately……

    17. That list is was and is nothing but trash!!!! Rakim Krs-1 and Ice Cube and Big Pun 26!!!!!! GTFOH wit that bullshit Kendrick number 2 the list is trash the mag is trash the editor should be relieved of his command immediately……

    18. That list is was and is nothing but trash!!!! Rakim Krs-1 and Ice Cube and Big Pun 26!!!!!! GTFOH wit that bullshit Kendrick number 2 the list is trash the mag is trash the editor should be relieved of his command immediately……

    19. That list is nothing but trash!!!! Rakim Krs-1 and Ice Cube and Big Pun 26!!!!!! GTFOH wit that shit Kendrick number 2 the list is trash the mag is trash the editor should be relieved of his command immediately……

    20. That list is nothing but trash!!!! Rakim Krs-1 and Ice Cube and Big Pun 26!!!!!! GTFOH wit that shit Kendrick number 2 the list is trash the mag is trash the editor should be relieved of his command immediately……

    21. That list is nothing but trash!!!! Rakim Krs-1 and Ice Cube and Big Pun 26!!!!!! GTFOH wit that shit Kendrick number 2 the list is trash the mag is trash the editor should be relieved of his command immediately……

    22. They had the award shows all messed up and then turned around and let the main Hip Hop rappers off the lists.None of it made any sense,whatsoever.Was Lil Wayne on any of the lists or receive any awards?Somebody LMKQ.Thank you,Casey Grimes-Finley,Chicago,Illinois

    23. How the hell is Rakim not in the top 10??? TF are yall doing? 3000 not there either? This is some BS!!! U can save this list for toilet paper later.

    24. Forget the order. What bothers me is that future, lil kim and gucci mane made the list, while artists Slick rick, Kool G Rap, Kool Keith, Raekwon, MF DOOM, B-Real and Del should have.

    25. Forget the order. What bothers me is that future, lil kim and gucci mane made the list, while artists like Slick rick, Kool G Rap, Kool Keith, Raekwon, GZA, MF DOOM, Treach, B-Real and Del should have.

    26. I don’t understand how Jay-Z is the greatest 😂😂 and there’s a such thing as a greatest rapper of all time no more after trying to make my own list

    27. Funny how the same rappers that want to diss Billbosrd cuz they’re not hip hop expect to be in the Rock n Roll HoF when they aren’t Rock

    28. Not a fan of Ja in any way but bro had a radio on a chokehold in his prime. So im sure by there standards he should be on this list. How Common get on the list and Pun with one album made the list over Ja is crazy. Doesnt 3 Stacks only have a flute album?

    29. Not a fan of Ja in any way but bro had radio in a chokehold in his prime. So im sure by there standards he should be on this list. How Common get on the list and Pun with one album made the list over Ja is crazy. Doesnt 3 Stacks only have a flute album?

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *