From the late Tupac Shakur to the controversial Eminem, several hip hop artists have hit the stage with unforgettable music.
In what began as a piece of music from the Bronx neighborhood of New York City, hip-hop has grown into one of the most important aspects of pop culture. Music has spread all over the world to all types of people from different walks of life, regardless of skin color, nationality or personal beliefs. Although, sometimes it’s hard to deny the fact that hip-hop feuds can get pretty nasty.
Over the years, some of the best animators, producers and hitmakers who have graced the genre have come up with unforgettable hits. While it is true that the number of sales does not always match the quality of the music, the longevity of these artists easily speaks for itself. From the late Tupac Shakur to the controversial Eminem, here are the ten best-selling hip-hop artists of all time.
ten Black-eyed peas (+75 million copies)
The Black Eyed Peas were the face of alternative dance club hip-hop in the 2000s; it is therefore not surprising to see them on this list. Comprised of will.i.am, Taboo, apl.de.ap and former member Fergie, the Black Eyed Peas scored their very first major success with Elephunk (2003), which tops the rankings in more than 13 countries. Although the group is not as popular as it used to be, BEP has claimed to have sold over 75 million copies.
9 Tupac Shakur (+75 million copies)
Despite his curtailed career, Tupac Shakur is still one of hip-hop’s most authentic stars. As the BBC noted, Shakur has sold over 75 million copies of his albums and posthumous records. Sadly, the star died aged 25 after a fatal shooting in 1996.
8 Flo Rida (+80 million copies)
Another pioneer of the hip-house subgenre, Tramar ‘Flo Rida’ Dillard scored back-to-back singles in the 2000s. He scored his first single with “Low”, which spent more than ten consecutive weeks at the top of the charts in the United States alone and broke sales records at the time. Although it wasn’t as popular as it was in the 2000s, Flo Rida has sold over 80 million copies worldwide, as The Detroit News noted.
seven Nicki Minaj (+100 million copies)
After Lil Wayne took her under his wing, Nicki Minaj quickly evolved into the queen of rap (sorry, Cardi B) with a deadly pen set. His “Pink” trilogy: Pink friday (2010), Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012), and The Pinkprint (2014) catapulted her to stardom. His iconic colorful costumes and alter egos have earned him over 100 million RIAA unit sales, as Chart Data reported.
6 Lil Wayne (+120 million copies)
Lil Wayne’s longevity is what makes him one of the greatest and most influential artists to have done so. His creative frenzy of mixtapes and the “Tha Carter” series in the 2000s showed his incredible work ethic. Besides releasing albums, Wayne is known to nurture other bona fide talent, including Drake and Nicki Minaj.
5 Jay-Z (+125 million copies)
Rap star turned entrepreneur Jay Z remind everyone that “he’s not a businessman, he’s a business, a man”, with over 125 million album sales. While he didn’t release music like he was in the ’90s or’ 00s, Jay-Z Roc Nation’s label has housed so many incredible talent, including Rihanna, Meek Mill, Kanye West, and others. .
4 Chris Brown (+140 million copies)
Chris Brown fuses his calming R&B vocals with hip-hop, and as Billboard noted from RIAA, the singer has racked up over 140 million copies worldwide since his debut in 2005. His self-titled debut album has gone double. platinum the year following its release.
Brown also ventured into theater, making his screen debut in 2007 in Stomp the Yard and continued to act with Think like a man (2012) and The battle of the year (2013).
3 Kanye West (+160 million copies)
Although he was struck off in the early days of his career because he was not a “gangsta rapper,” Kanye westToday ‘s influence in music can not be denied. Not only did he master the art of Auto-Tune, but West also paved the way for non-gangsta rappers to make a name for themselves in the rap game. According to RIAA, the producer-turned-rapper has an estimated sale of over 160 million units.
2 Drake (+170 million copies)
Another Lil Wayne’s protégé, Drake went from being a teenage Canadian actor to one of hip-hop’s biggest stars and hitmakers of all time. He smoothly blends R&B influences into his hip-hop records, and the result of his hard work is over 170 million unit sales, as noted by the BBC. His next album, Boy in love certified, arrives in 2021.
1 Eminem (+220 million copies)
Finally, there is Eminem. While his status as a white rapper has helped him increase his sales, as he freely admits in his song “White America”, Eminem’s talent as a writer and recklessness helped him get there. where it is now. His iconic series of three albums: The LP Slim Shady (1999), The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) and The Eminem show (2002) was legendary.