Jadakiss Lists His Top Five Emcees, Talks South Africa & His Fans

    As Jadakiss continues to promote his upcoming album, Top 5 Dead Or Alive, the New York rapper has listed the emcees he thinks are deserving of that honor.

    “Biggie, Tupac, Jay-Z, Nas, Eminem, [and] Styles P,” said Kiss to Rap-Up.com.

    When asked about his recent schedule, the Yonkers native revealed that he recently returned from overseas.”I just came from performing in the last kingdom in South Africa called Swaziland. It was like real life Coming to America—the king with his face on all of the money. This was my first time there. It was for an AIDS benefit, so it was for a good cause so that’s why I was willing to go do it.”

    Kiss, who recently dropped a mixtape titled I Love You (A Dedication to My Fans), also detailed his relationship with his fans, citing one in particular. “…I had this blind girl, she had to be my biggest fan ever. She knew every lyric, she knew every time I was on TV. This was during the first album. When I did a signing for the last album, The Last Kiss, she was grown now, she had a boyfriend and all of that. She was still with me. I’ll never forget that. She empowered me.”

    RELATED: Jadakiss Discusses New Mixtape, Gives His Thoughts On Osama Bin Laden

    92 thoughts on “Jadakiss Lists His Top Five Emcees, Talks South Africa & His Fans

    1. I agree with that top 5 (not styles P tho). I think Big L and Big Pun could have had the potential to be in that spot, but died before there time and therefore didn’t make an impact in hip hop to their fullest potential. I think they both only had 2 albums, same as biggie, which is part of the reason I would throw 2pac, Em and Nas ahead of biggie, possibly jay. Em and Jay deserve a top 5 spot just off there accomplishments alone. Their catalogue speaks for itself. Em has 2 diamond certified albums, Jay has 11 number one albums. Em is the greatest selling rapper of all time and the best selling artist of the decade. So even if u dislike them or their music you have to respect there mark in hip hop and there accomplishments. They are 2 of the most consistent rappers ever. Tons of rappers have come and gone since Em and Jay, but they are both still here and both the best selling right now. You gotta respect their longevity. But since biggie, big l, big pun all died before there time, you never know for sure if they would have maintained consistency and longevity, or if they would have fallen off or went mainstream or just became washed up. Biggie and pac died in the height of there careers during the golden age of hip hop, which makes them that more legendary. I think if Eminem had died right after he put out he eminem show, right at his peak, I think a lot more people would put him in their top 5, maybe thats just me. Personally I think pac is the goat, becuase he’s made the most inspirational music and made one of the biggest impacts in history while only being in the game for 5 years, at such a young age. His work ethic was like no other. But yea I gotta agree with Jada’s top 5, although I wouldn’t even put him in my top 10. Simply because he doesn’t have any classic albums. He’s worked with everyone and has the lyrical skill but lacks a classic album. Maybe top 15 tho…

      1. I actually agree with a lot of what you said… Big Pun was a BEAST on the mic and it bums me out thinking of what could have been. Same with Biggie; he had two certified CLASSICS and had a full career ahead of him before he was tragically taken from us far too soon.
        The only thing I don’t agree with is the 2Pac analysis; he was an interesting figure and knew how to use the media to his advantage, but I can’t think of one hot verse in any song. His style was real simple, with only small flashes of brilliance when it came to social commentary.

        I like Jada’s list for the most part, but I don’t think Styles P is THAT nice. I’d swap him out with Joe Budden actually. A lot of people say “oh he’s that Pump It Up guy” but he can SPIT. He’s got SO many hot verses and a lot of what he raps about is something I can relate to. He’s kind of developed into a bit of an emo rapper and so much of what he raps about is so real…

        Anyway, those are my 2 cents.

      2. @Daniel. I Agree, Budden is in my top 10 and idc what anybody says. His Mood Muizk series is one of the best mixtape series ever, if not number 1. I feel sorry for people who know him as the pump it up guy, because he’s so much more than that. ‘If I Die Tomorrow’, ‘All Of Me’, ‘Dumb Out’, ‘Get The Picture’ ‘Invisible Man’, that’s the REAL Joe Budden. And Mood Muzik 4 was classic as well, I think a little bit of time needs to pass before people realize it, it got overlooked IMO. Also, J Cole is on his way to my top 10 as well, he’s been touring without even having an album, his new song ‘Return of Simba’ is crazy, I don’t think he’ll be letting his fans down with his debut.

    2. That’s a lame list. Only Biggie was worth listening to. 2pac and Eminem were the worst piece of shit homo rappers and Jay-Z a freemason bitch. Fuck them… listen to these rappers:

      1. GUCCI MANE
      2. Justin Bieber
      3. OJ Da Juiceman
      4. Soulja Boy
      5. Waka Flocka Flame
      Honorable Mention: Lil B, Hopsin, Tyler The Creator, Vinnie Paz, and Canibus.

      Worst Rappers
      1. Eminem
      2. 2pac
      3. Nas
      4. Immortal Technique
      5. Lupe Fiasco
      Dishonorable Mention: Atmosphere, Murs, Jay-Z, Andre 3000, Kanye West

      It’s Gucci Time!

      1. Interesting list.
        Does JB count as a rapper / MC? I’d have thought he was a pop singer.
        Time will tell if your list holds up.

      2. I just wanna say, that I laugh every time you post something like this about Gucci. Idunno if you’re the same person, but you seem like it. Keep it up! FLAAAKKKKA!

    3. That is such a typical bullshit list.
      I think a lot of rappers are afraid not to mention Notorious F.A.T. and 2Fag in their lists.
      Notorious had 2 albums and that first one was full of jiggy Puff Daddy shit.
      2Pac’s voice was so shit that he had to double track his vocals.
      I’m not going to attempt to name my own top 5, but it certainly wouldn’t include those 2.

      1. Hellrazor, I’m an old ass man – probably too old to be listening to hip hop and probably too old to be voicing my opinion on websites. That’s right – my opinion. So fuck you and your bullshit reply. Doesn’t matter if I’m under 18 or over 50. I voiced my opinion to arouse some thought. It’s nice to see plenty of other people who are brave enough to look beyond the usual 2Pac and Notorious B.I.G. greatest of all time bullshit.

    4. swaziland is not in south africa,wtf.jada is one of favs but dude cnt jst cum out n say ignorant s*&t lyk dat

      1. Says the guy who can’t spell for s@#!. Always amusing when someone who can’t spell something is quick to call somebody an idiot or say they’re ignorant…

    5. i would have left out eminem, i wont deny that he’s nice but he fell off since “encore”. i would have put kool g. rap or big L instead of em

      1. After eminem show he fell off hard in my opinion. Every artist names tupac and biggie I really doubt everyone likes them that much, I really think it’s fear of saying you don’t like them and getting hated on for it. Now I’m a big fan of biggie but to compare his career of a few years to another career of say ten or more years is unfair. In those ten or more years you could have fell off, became irrelevant or anything.

      2. personally, you can like & feel whatever you choose. you dont have to forcibly like 2pac or biggie but what i dont like is certain people resorting to insulting them, it’s disrespectful to their legacy. i’m a fan of both ‘pac and big, they share commonalities though their approach to the art differed from one another. they both paved the way for many rappers & serve as inspiration. if they was alive, i dont think they would’ve sold out but no one can really know that for sure. as for eminem, i dont like his music no more. relapse and recovery are VERY mediocre albums and should stick to runnin his label & producin for the artists he signs.

    6. THE OFFICIAL LIST OF THE TOP 5 EMCEES EVER:
      1. K-Rino
      2. GZA
      3. Ghostface Killah
      4. Nas
      5. Big L

    7. Don’t have an official top 5 but I do however have an official top 2 that will never be replaced.

      1) Nas
      2) B.I.G.

      Nas because he had longevity in this Hip-Hop game. B.I.G. is not number 1 for me only because he was not around long enough. However, his first 2 albums were insane classics even if some of the material was previously heard on some of his mixtapes. (and when I say material, recycled verses; production was obviously different).

      As for a possible (this could be altered at any point in time)
      3) Big Pun
      4) Method Man
      5) Andre 3000

      as for a further 6-10

      6) Eminem *
      7) Q-Tip
      8) Ghostface Killah
      9) LL Cool J *
      10) Big L

      * Still Debatable.
      Absolutely no Jay-Z or 2Pac. Never really got into 2Pac like that. Has a lot of material, granted. However, some of his material is not that good in my opinion. And I cannot respect someone who claims to be a Thug and stuff when he was no where near one. Rick Ross is doing the same thing right now. As for Jay-Z, he is a snake, and if it weren’t for B.I.G., he would of never dropped. And if B.I.G. never died, he’d still be his hype man to this day.

      It’s that simple.

      1. That was an awful long paragraph about something so simple as an unimportant personal preference.

      2. Jay was hype man for Jaz-O and Big Daddy Kane. He wasn’t Biggie’s hype man. Check your facts before you write dumbass statements kiddo.

      3. u dumb if u think tupac wasnt real and u damn surer cnt compare him to rick ross deathrow was real as it got back then even though suge is a bitch he had bloods and crips in the studio together tupac lived what he was sayin he lived as a don in his own mind and he was educated his mom was a black panther and im from bmore its not a easy place to b without gettin involved in illegal activities

    8. #eastcoast top 5
      Rakim
      2Pac
      Nas
      AZ
      Jay-Z

      #westcoast top 5
      Dj Quik
      Ice Cube
      The D.O.C.
      Game
      Spice 1

      #midwest top 5
      Lupe Fiasco
      Common
      Eminem
      Elzhi
      Petey P.I.

      #south top 5
      Scarface
      Andre 3000
      Cee-Lo Green
      Bun B
      T.I.

      1. Mister: I suggest that you change that Southern list If you think that
        T.I. and Bun B are top5 then I suggest you listen to K-Rino, Z-Ro and Trae and may justice be served.

      2. Nas was born in New York. He didn’t rap there. He’s a Jamaican rapper because he made a cd with Damian Marley titled Distant Relatives…C’mon SON!
        …moving to China don’t mean you’re from there

      3. 2Pac’s birthplace is New York. He grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and moved out to the bay (San Marino, California) after high school.

      4. Z-Ro is garbage, and so is Trae…fuck outta here with that shit. T.I. is a snitch, everybody knows it. Bun B is the greatest in the South, with Cham right behind him.

    9. Yall niggas crazy.” Biggie only put out two albums”- That is what makes him one one the best of all times. Because he managed to take over and get the crown with ONLY two Albums…
      “Notorious had 2 albums and that first one was full of jiggy Puff Daddy shit.” What the hell where u listing to???

      And Eminem is in the top 5. no doubt about it. Cant have his wordplay,wittiness,lyrics,flow and creativity, and not be in the top 5

      1. Big was cool, but Jay is so much better…so as far as him being the G.O.A.T.? Nah, Hova is the king, and Em is his right hand man. Pac was good too, just not the greatest, not even close…Tech N9ne is way better, so is Royce.

    10. 2pac,Nas,Biggie,Jayz,LilWayne is the best rappers of all time to me.Fuck with people are saying!!!!!!!!!!!

      1. I like your list as well, heres my top TEN though
        1. jay-z
        2. nas
        3. 2pac
        4. raekwon
        5. biggie
        6. lil wayne
        7. eminem
        8. mos def
        9. common
        10. talib kweli

      1. when did you white nazi bastard start listening to hip hop ? oh let me guess 1999 when some white nigga could rap other than vanilla fucking ice ! why don’t you go burn a cross or shoot something. you are a bitch ass nazi nigga cock sucking fag bastard !

    11. My Favorites:
      1)Nas
      2)Lupe Fiasco
      3)Joe Budden
      4)Pharoahe Monch
      5)Rakim

      Top 5 of all time (No particular order)
      1)Rakim
      2)Nas
      3)Notorious B.I.G
      4)KRS-One
      5)2Pac

    12. 1.) Jay-z
      2.) 2pac
      3.) Big
      4.) Krs-1
      5.) Rakim
      6.) LL
      7.) Chuck D
      8.) Kool G Rap
      9) Scarface
      10.) Ice Cube
      11.) Nas
      12.) Eminem
      8.)

    13. A borin’, predictable list. Rappers feel obliged to name Em to show they’re PC and inclusive, but if I was gonna put a white emcee on my list it’d be Pete Nice, Apathy, Copywrite or Ill Bill. I love BIG, but Big L’s more deserving of a spot on a GOAT list. And where the hell’s Cube, any Wu member or DOOM?

      1. I think the reason you don’t see Big L listed more often is because he didn’t get to make enough music. He died so young and never got to blow up so he didn’t get to contribute as much to hip hop as other people you see getting named…

    14. All time top ten

      1. Nas
      2.Big Daddy Kane
      3.Chuck D
      4.KRS 1
      5.Biggie
      6.Ghostface
      7.Pac
      8.Ice Cube
      9.Raekwon
      10.GZA

    15. Since everyone posting their top 10 here I go..
      Random order
      Nas
      Kool G Rap
      Rakim
      GZA
      KRS-One
      Chuck D
      Big Daddy Kane
      Common
      Black Thought
      Andre 3000

      No Pac or Big, y’all mad?

    16. REAL HIP HOP FANS!!! TONIGHT @ 9PM EST ON http://WWW.BKS1RADIO.COM BKS1 RADIO’S LIVE IN THE CIPHER TEAM ALONG WITH YOU RATE & REVIEWS JADAKISS’ NEW RELEASE I LOVE YOU (A DEDICATION TO MY FANS). WE WILL BE PREMIERING OUR NEW LIVE IN THE CIPHER PROMO VIDEO, SO TUNE IN FOR HIP HOP NEWS, RUMORS AND MORE!! CALL IN 646-929-1530 SPIT YOUR HOT 16 MC’S DONT BE SCARED. JOIN THE HIP HOP EXPERIENCE!

    17. Jada’s list isn’t bad…for the most part they are all the best at what they do so I can see why he would say they are the best…

      Personally Big and Pac are not in my Top 5 (if I even have a top 5) but I give respect to them for their influence and impact…

    18. Oh and to everybody flipping out because he named 6 instead of 5…that’s why the “and” before Styles was in [brackets]…take your time and just look at stuff people….

    19. my fav top 5 yall might hate but this is the my list not yours
      8ball and MJg
      UGk
      Pac
      Wutang the whole clan
      Tech N9ne

    20. i hate when people say Pac wasnt lyrical. are u kidding me? not many can write like he did. so vivid. just because he didnt have hella punchlines and metaphors does not mean he wasnt lyrical. their are plenty ways to be lyrical. a true lyricist paints a vivid picture and makes you feel like you was there. he was a lyrical genius in my opinion. ever heard so many tears, trapped, brendas got a baby, change? just to name a few. my top 5 is pac (emotion, poetic,passion, presence, and lyricism), jay-z (witty, trendsetting, flow, charisma), nas (lyricism, patterns he uses, all around the best lyricist to ever do it), b.i.g (trendsetter, style, flow, charisma, vocals, natural ability to flow on a track like no other), my 5th spot is still open. but i’m considering (lauryn hill, big l, j.cole, eminem, kanye, scarface, ice cube, fabolous, t.i., elzhi)

    21. top 5.

      1. jay-z
      2. skyzoo
      3. lupe

      biggie and pac are on “everyones” top 5. they both died when i was a kid so they had a very small impact on my life, thus no place on my top 5 or 3 in my case…

      1. Had to be born after 90 then son, those two created a lane for A TON of MC’s. Respect tho, if you didn’t know em well then I understand. I can’t relate to some of the early 80’s cats but I still recognize it.

      2. so what if they wwere before your time dog, all you need to do is downlaod their discography and give it a good listen, then they will both def be in your top 5.

    22. This is my top 10:

      1: Nasty Nas
      2: Nas
      3: Esco
      4: Nas
      5: Nas
      6: Nas
      7: Kool G Rap
      8: Biggi
      9: The Lox
      10: Onyx
      Then:
      11: Big Pun
      12: 2pac
      13: Wu-Tang
      14: Capone (Sorry P)
      15: KRS One
      16: Rakim
      17: LL Cool J
      18: Havoc of Mobb Deep (Sorry P)
      19: G-G-G-G-G-G-Grand Wiz QB
      20: T.I
      21: Ludacris
      22: DMX
      23: Murder INC
      24: Jay-Z
      25: Run DMC
      26: Snoop dogg
      27: Julez Santana
      28: Fat Joe
      29: Game
      30: Foxy Brown
      31: Q-Tip
      32: MJ (RIP)
      33: Slik Rick
      34: Black Rob
      35: Big Noyd of Mobb Deep (Sorry P)
      36: NORE
      37: Ty Nitty of Mobb Deep (Sorry P)
      38: Tru Life
      39: Saigon (Sorry P)
      40: Lil Kim
      41: Dr dre
      42: Cypress Hill
      43: Shyne
      44: P of Mobb Deep
      45: osv
      45

    23. yall are forgetting the punchline king Big L. One of the greatest storytellers of all-time. he didnt have the time to perfect his craft and evolve to his fullpotential but if he did he would def be top 5 emcee of all time

      1. dont get hype on blogs..thats corny.”the idiot” comment. drake did in one summer what alot of rappers couldnt do in a career. he dropped a classic mixtape “so far gone” and completely changed the game. had features with damn near everybody in hip hop, wrote songs for alicia keys, rihanna, jamie foxx etc. released his first album went platinum. dude is under 25, yeah he got ways to go but he def got a shot at becoming one of the best. fuck what you think.

      2. did you forget to mention you want to lick his balls.
        Hop off drake dick.
        Dude is OK at best. I can name 50 rappers 10000x better. Fuck that mainstream garbage bullshit. ohhhh i sing and rhyme im the best drake holy fuck i rap about girls, money, and thats almost it. oh i’m so ill, best rapper ever. here to save the game. FUCK DRAKE HE IS FUCKING TERRIBLE IN COMPARSION IS OTHER REAL EMCEES. DO THE KNOWLEDGE FAGGET

    24. ras kass ( Soul on Ice )
      Big Daddy Kane (Veterans Day)
      Kool G Rap (Anything)
      GZA (Wu tang, Liquid Swords)
      Last Emperor (Lyricist lounge, legend of Bigfoot, Music magic and myth, Secret wars part 1&2, and Fine Art)

    25. Jay-Z, Kanye West, Eminem, Nas, Outkast

      Affected my life the most. Has nothing to do with lyricism. They’re MUSIC just happen to hit me @ the right times in my life that they will always bring back the most memories.

      Honorable Mention:
      Lauryn Hill (Not a full-time MC, but still)
      Common
      Lupe Fiasco
      Lil’ Wayne (04′-07′)
      and Big & Pac (of course)

    26. I aint even gonna bother listing it cos ya’ll will just contradict me but i will say this, if hov aint in ur top 5, then ur a hater

    27. I got roots in SD. My peeps down there boycotted the AIDS event & less than 500 showed up. Not to hate on ‘Kiss; but to hate on the regime. It ain’t all Akeem & Semi down there – no jobs, corruption, highest HIV rate in the world, & a monarch raping the people for every dime. They taking the power back like our brothers in Tunisia & Egypt.

      Fuck the king, his wives, the police & the gov’ment! POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!

      1. You must think I’m your mother talking to me like that…

        … go back to watching her video where she does some wild things with another girl & a cup!

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