The Mount Rushmore of ’90s Rap

For many music fans, the ’90s represent the Golden Era of rap music. You had established stars like Run-DMC, LL Cool J, and Beastie Boys still making music. You had new stars like Lauryn Hill, Jay-Z, and Missy Elliott taking the marquee. And you had bright sparks about to make their marks like Eminem and 50 Cent.

It was an incredible time to be a hip-hop fan. But who were the biggest stars and the most influential rhymers? If you were asked to distill the decade down to just four names, who would be on your Mount Rushmore? That is the question posed here today. So, let’s get to it. This is the Mount Rushmore of ’90s rap.

Dr. Dre / George Washington

If hip-hop had a $1 bill, it seems more than reasonable to assume the currency would have Dr. Dre’s face on it. The artist who released his debut solo album, The Chronic, in 1992 is the definition of an O.G. Not only has he been the preeminent beat maker for the past several decades in rap, but his big booming voice can be heard on many a popular track. It’s like the voice of God. On top of all that, his rule has led to the discovery of many important voices in rap, from Snoop Dogg to Eminem.

The Notorious B.I.G. / Thomas Jefferson

Outside of his troubling stances on the social order in America, one of the things Thomas Jefferson was most known for during his life was his love of lavish things. His life was all flourish. The same can be said for the rhyming style of the Notorious B.I.G. Word-for-word, he might be the best rapper in the history of the genre. He boasted the most creative rhyming, the most vivid imagery. He was a force of nature, as substantive as he was garish.

Tupac Shakur / Abraham Lincoln

When it comes to both Abraham Lincoln and Tupac Shakur, there is a clear before and a clear after. Both men’s lives were cut short due to their policies and their politics, and both stood for social justice movements that will be remembered for generations. With an ability to move the people with a single turn of phrase, these two all-time figures in history seem to be cut from the same cloth.

Nas / Teddy Roosevelt

There was something both so innovative and so traditional when it came to Teddy Roosevelt. He was forward-thinking in how he felt about the environment. And yet preserving our planet seems so obvious, too. That is how you can describe the style of rapper Nas, who sounds unique and new every time he spits into the mic, yet at the same time sounds like the straight-ahead architecture of his Queens Bridge home. Each word is like a brick from his tongue. And he’s building an empire that will last the millennia.