1998 remains an important year in the Hip Hop timeline. Although Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.‘s deaths still weighed heavy on the heart and the rise of commercialization pushed the genre into the dreaded “Shiny Suit Era,” ’98 nevertheless helped shift the trajectory of rap in ways that can still be felt to this day.
From future Hall of Famers reaching their peak, veterans dropping late-career classics and emerging stars breaking through, that year produced a string of seminal rap albums including JAY-Z’s Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life, OutKast’s Aquemini, Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and Big Pun’s Capital Punishment, not to mention DMX’s historic back-to-back No. 1’s, It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot and Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood.
Even among all that tough competition, however, N.O.R.E. believes he reigned supreme as “the hottest rapper in the world” in 1998, as he claimed during a recent appearance on the I Am Athlete podcast alongside former NFL pros Brandon Marshall, Chad Johnson, Channing Crowder and Jared Odrick.
“I was the hottest rapper in the world! I could’ve held out, but I wanted a million dollars,” he said while revealing he gave up his publishing rights early in his career. After Marshall questioned his bold claim, N.O.R.E. doubled down on his statement while pulling out stats to support his case.
“I was!” he replied. “In 1998? Who was it? Me, DMX, Big Pun, Cam’ron. I was the hottest at the time I signed. And, other than DMX, I sold the most in my first week. DMX did 220[K], I did 163[K] — plus the other 18,000 that they pre-sold from me! Because they bootlegged it and they still counted it!”
The album N.O.R.E. is referring to, of course, is his self-titled debut album, which arrived back in July 1998 via Penalty/Tommy Boy. The project did indeed sell 163,000 copies in its first week and has since been certified platinum.
N.O.R.E. was bolstered by the success of its singles, “Superthug,” “Banned From T.V.” and “N.O.R.E.” Cracking the Billboard Hot 100 top 40, The Neptunes-produced “Superthug” not only helped usher in Pharrell and Chad Hugo’s dominance behind the boards, but it solidified N.O.R.E. as a solo star following his breakout success as part of Capone-N-Noreaga.
The Big Pun, Jadakiss, Cam’ron, Styles P and Nature-assisted “Banned From T.V.,” meanwhile, remains a classic posse cut, as shown by the song’s reception during The LOX’s recent Verzuz battle against Dipset.
N.O.R.E. isn’t the only rapper to have a strong case for hottest rapper of 1998, though. JAY-Z scored his first of many No. 1 albums with Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life, which elevated him to international stardom while taking home Best Rap Album at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards.
Fugees’ Lauryn Hill also shone at the Grammys that year, winning five awards (including the coveted Album of the Year) for her critically-acclaimed solo effort The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Elsewhere, André 3000, Big Pun, Juvenile, Busta Rhymes and Cam’ron all made their presence felt.
N.O.R.E. Explains How DMX's Death Led To 'Marriage Boot Camp' With Wife Neri
However, many would argue the crown for hottest rapper of 1998 belongs to only one name: DMX. The late Ruff Ryders legend made history as the first rapper to release two No. 1 albums in the same year (under the same name) — in his rookie year, no less.
It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot — lead by the timeless “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” — topped the Billboard 200 in May thanks to a quarter-million first-week sales, before Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood repeated the feat in December after shipping 670,000 units, just 11,000 shy of becoming the year’s best-selling rap album.
1998 also saw DMX kickstart his prolific acting career in the classic Hype Williams flick Belly, which also starred Nas, Method Man, T-Boz and Louie Rankin.
“DMX had more love than most rappers will ever see,” Nas said during a recent appearance on SHOWTIME’s Desus & Mero. “He had more love than probably 98 percent of rappers will ever have. He walked through any hood, he sold millions of records and he had an incredible movie career.”
Watch N.O.R.E.’s full I Am Athlete interview below.
Not DMX, but he’s right on saying that about Jay and Pun. Noreaga legit had up next at that time but then Melvyn Flynt just wasn’t what it should have been when it came out, which pretty much ended his prime.
All true but he did bring back a bit of fire in 02 when Gods Favourite dropped. Them vids to that album were fire
DMX was the hottest thing smoking in 98. Nore and Pun right after him from what I remember.
NORE had the hot months. X drop early and late dat yr. NORE chewed dat summer. I remember the car show dat yr in Jacobs javitz center, 34th st was a zoo and Ebody bumping NORE.
X had the whole year. Noreago was definitely one of the top guys, but X had RR Anthem bumping everywhere. It’s Dark and Hell is Hot was some cold shit, and then he dropped another gem right before Christmas to solidify him as that dude at the time, not to mention he had Belly come out. He was on singles like the Lox’s Money, Power, and Respect that year. He was on Mase’s single from his album the year before. He was all over the place. People were basically looking for someone to step in Pac’s shoes, and he got it because he was on that similar thug vibe and had the multi-facets to his game.
Please don’t forget Busta!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not saying he out did everyone, he just belongs in that discussion
Major facts
I forgot about Busta. You right!
REDMAN TOO!
2pac was the hottest rapper in 1998! Greatest hits sold diamond! Changes was nr 1 on the charts! Fuck nore
2Pac wasn’t the hottest rapper in 98 lol. He was the hottest in 96. The hottest rappers were Nore, Ja Rule, Juvenile, Mystikal, Silkk the Shocker, Nas, DMX, and Big Pun.
don’t forget canibus. Fantastic 4 and that infamous cypher!
Canibus is one of those guys who fumbled the industry push. There are a few of them over the years like him, Ras Kass, Charles Hamilton, etc. that the industry had put a lot of their weight behind who just never jumped through the window when it was open.
Damn how could I forgot about sillk the shocker and juvenile those guys sold millions and are world wide famous. They still play those guys on the radio every day!
I liked all of this stuff mentioned. 1998 dope year. Nore had indeed fire joints. We (the listeners) could care less about sales though. Black Star debut came out. Canibus was knocking everybody out. I also liked Kuruption. Good times
THANK YOU! See You’re A Real One… The Fact You Mentioned Canibus, Black Star & Kurupt Shows You’re Not About Popular Opinion… Shoot Pete Rock DJ QUIK, Busta Rhymes, Timbaland And Goodie M.O.B Represented For The 98 As Well As Mystikal…
Jay’s V.2 did what, 4 or 5 million? X had TWO albums that year that both went about triple plat each, give or take. Nore’s solo debut was hot but NOWHERE close to either of these, nor Pun. He likely did gold but may or may not even have gone plat.
We’re talking about the feeling at the time. Jay didn’t have it like that then. That’s how much the album has sold over time as people appreciate it. At the time, Noreaga was one of those dudes who came up right after Pac and B.I.G. got killed who ran with it most. Jay outlasted them all more than anything. Like I said earlier. Noreaga didn’t do as well with Melvin Flynt because the music wasn’t as hot, and often back then with so many great rappers constantly coming out with a new sound right around that corner, that would often end your prime where everyone would be listening to what’s next. Like CMB, Eminem on the strength of Chronic 2001, etc. were all chomping at the bit back then when Noreaga had that misstep with Melvin Flynt.
Jay aint have it back then? Vol.2 had “Hard Knock Life” and “Can I Get A” on it, two of his biggest songs ever, and its his biggest selling album ever. 98 is when Jay exploded, and the album sold immediately, wasnt a slow burner at all. We aint even talking about Melvin Flynt, that came out in ’99. The NORE LP, his solo debut was ’98, dropped a few months before Jay’s V.2. Good (but not classic) album, had some bangers on it for sure. Definitely “hot,” but still nowhere near Jay’s, X’s, & Pun’s level of hotness in ’98.
Jay was doing his thing, but you’re talking about who was considered the man up next at that point. Even he has admitted retrospectively that X was that dude, and I’m just adding context that Neoreaga was probably right behind him. Jay was in the mix, but he was not that guy that everyone was waiting for greatness from. Most felt like they had seen what Jay was about, and he didn’t recapture that spot until the Bleuprint because Vol. 3 and Dynasty were definitely a step down, and Vol. 2 was worse than Vol. 1. Those other two were fresh hungry faces to the mainstream.
Hottest Solo rappers in 98 was Tupac, Big after they’re deaths they became even bigger even a few years after, Jay z, Dmx, Master P, Diddy, Will Smith, this has nothing to do with whose your favorite but who was the hottest. People will look at will smith name on this list and say you bugging, you better go back in look at the numbers Big willie style did end of 97 going into 98. Hottest groups were Bone Thugs N Harmony and Wu tang. Oukast popularity didn’t really catch or pass Bone and Wu until miss jackson around 2000. Once again not about who’s your favorite, go back and look at the numbers Bone and Wu tang was the highest selling rap groups from like 94-2000. Nore was dope though, That first CNN album was hitting hard and You came up with him and Pun is one of my favorite tracks ever.
Hottest rapper don’t mean you out selling. Hottest rapper mean he was collaborating on everyones projects and his songs were critical acclaim. For example..Benny the Butcher one of the hottest MC right but he don’t do Drake numbers.
Selling is apart of being one of the hottest, you can’t be considered one of the hottest and not be selling decent numbers. When someone has buzz and we look at them as being one of the hottest and their album doesn’t put up good number, everybody is like they flop they not hot anymore. Everyone loves to use that narrative for rappers they don’t like but changed the narrative for they favorite mc’s.
The term “Hot Rapper or the Hottest Rapper” means everyone wants to collab with that rapper and the joints the rapper dropping killing the game. He never said, “Best Selling Rapper nor Hottest Rapper.” He said, “hotter than Jay, X and Pun.” In 1998, Nore was featured on a lot of songs. He had songs from Nas to Three 6 Mafia and even Lil Wayne. Production from Neptunes to Poke and Tone to Fresh. Most his songs were considered hip hop classics. For example: BG from Cash Money was hotter than his group mates but he never did Lil Wayne and Juvenile numbers.
Eminem dropped Just Don’t Give a F and My Name Is in 1998. He won.
Big Cap
If I remember correctly, no google or anything, X did drop two albums that year. One in the top of the year and one in the latter 3rd of the year. NORE tore up everything Btwn those months.
NORE had da summer Nyc streets that year. X drop 2 albums. Sold more whatever. But goons bumped NORE dat summer. It was the whole QB connection but NORE happen to pop dat yr once he got wit neptunes. Neptunes sound was new and NORE helped make dem pop!
NORE always looks like he is surprised or taking a shit. Or both.
I read that like NORE is always suprised when taking a shit LOL
I think he was the hottest back then lol. His album War Report is an underground classic. He then followed up with guest appearances and had the hottest verse on the entire Firm album. All of that led to him having plenty momentum when the N.O.R.E. album released in 1998 which is another underground classic. People forget that N.O.R.E. put the production team The Neptunes on the map with the SuperThug track from that album. Pharrell/The Neptunes became hot in the industry not long after. N.O.R.E. has a very strong argument for being the hottest in 1998.
Eminem was the hottest rapper in 98 coming off 280,000 sold in his first week in 97… his singles guilty conscience and role model were released in 98. But sure let’s talk about all the other great talents and not him by all means
What imaginary stats are you pulling? Provide a link, please. Em dropped mainstream in 99 and debuted at #2 behind TLC.
It was clearly DMX at the time. 2 albums that went like 5x platinum. I love NORE but he needs to stop playing. Jay released one of his worst albums so that makes sense why he wasn’t there. He quickly lost his spot as one of the hottest rappers over the next few years though as the next year Eminem and then Nelly came out I believe the year after. But being one of the hottest isnt a joke, he just wasnt #1. R.I.P DMX, top 5 DoA.
That may have been true then…but your legacy’s not as strong as theirs is.
And that’s what matters now in 2021.
Growing up during that time he’s half right. Super thug was EVERYWHERE, but I’m glad he corrected himself. Nobody was hotter than X from ’98-’01. Nobody…
Super Thug was huge. That was like major. That was the record that made the Neptunes. Plus cats was just still getting into the Capone N Noreaga album too. The whole thing was classic especially the beats. Only problem was no one could figure out what Norey was saying – turned out most of it was either gibberish or super local gang slang. All you could make out was “wha wha”
Nore can talk his shit, he had a great year, but we all know the truth. DMX had ’98 on lock. Record sales, clubs, and tours, X was on top.
Nore talking about how hot he was in the streets in 98. Nore was flooding the game with features and radio singles. He had way more features than X, Jig, and Pun. He had features with everybody back then.
Master P sold 400k first week on 1998 idk what Nore is talking about
The hottest rappers in 98 was Master P, Puff, Jay, Dmx, Wu tang clan, Bone Thugs n harmony. Wu first album did 3 mill the second one did 4 mill. Bone thugs first album did 3 mill, the second one did 6 mill and third one did 4 mill. Everything with Master P name on it was going plantinum and gold. Jay took lead of the East Coast and established his dominance, Dmx came out the gate hitting hard on Money power respect and that set him up for a home run on Shut em down.
He said he was hotter than Jay, X and Pun. No one else.
He said he was hotter than Jay, X and Pun. He didn’t say he was hotter than anyone else. Y’all misquoting him. He was definitely hotter than them at the time. Jay Z, X and Punisher started killing it in 1999.