Hip-hop’s Mount Rushmore

Which four rappers represent the zenith of hip-hop?

Carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore, a mass of igneous rock in Keystone, South Dakota, are the heads of four U.S. Presidents — George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. In his own words, sculptor Gutzon Borglum states that the four presidents were chosen to commemorate the founding, growth, preservation, and development to the United States of America. Specifically, George Washington serves as the founder who laid the foundation for American democracy; In authoring the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson portrays the nation’s growth; Abraham Lincoln is a symbol of preservation, as he led the country through the Civil War, before abolishing slavery; And Theodore Roosevelt depicts the nation’s development, by initiating America’s rapid economic expansion in the early 20th century. With that said, these four presidents aren’t necessarily the greatest in U.S. history, but the most important.

In recent years, the term Mount Rushmore has been used to measure the top four or zenith in instances outside of U.S. presidents, such as when ranking athletes, singers, and movie stars. Even so, the only hypothetical version that matters is Hip-hop’s Mount Rushmore. Before carving four rappers into the genre’s shrine of excellence, it’s worth noting…