10 Influential Rappers Who Don't Get Enough Credit

Masta Ace came out of Brownsville, Brooklyn, with one of the sharpest, fastest flows the world had ever seen. While contemporaries like KRS-One, Rakim, and Big Daddy Kane have been carved into hip-hop's theoretical Rushmore, however, Masta Ace is inconceivably saved for the second breath.

After the success of 1988's legendary posse cut "The Symphony," Ace's Take A Look Around garnered a hit single in the form of "Me and the Biz." His legacy didn't really began to take shape, however, until the follow-up, Slaughtahouse (1993).

The album was made with Lord Digga and Paula Perry and incorporated West Coast gangsta rap with East Coast hardcore, an explicit and daring aisle-crossing at the time of its release. 20 years later, it's harder to find an album that doesn't pull from both coasts.

Spare me your "Crank That" jokes. Soulja Boy is one of history's first internet artists, a man who immediately understood the power of an online fan base, and has continued to use it to his advantage since day one.

Even before his major label debut Souljaboytellem.com, Soulja was an early adopter of internet culture and cemented his status as a marketing genius with a dedicated fan base that continues to grow: he has 700,000 followers on Vine, 1.6 million on Instagram, 4.8 million on Twitter and 9 million likes on Facebook. Not bad for a guy who hasn't moved significant units since 2008. Though, who knows.

No matter how you feel about his output, Soulja Boy showed the world a blueprint of how the music industry can survive in the internet era. And with a new album due out at the end of the month, it doesn't look like he plans to stop building any time soon. NOW you can play "Crank That."

Dana Dane is part of hip-hop's old guard, a Brooklyn rapper who came up alongside his stylistic twin Slick Rick. Dane had his moment in the sun with hits like "Cinderfella Dana Dane" and "Tales From the Dane Side" charting in the early '90s.

But while Rick (Dane's high school classmate) went on to become an eye-con in his own right, Dana Dane never reached that same classic status. He released three albums, the last in 1995.

But Dane's influence on hip-hop extends beyond helping kickstart the musical movement. He was an iconic dresser, drawing attention for his perfect suits. Dane ended up opening his own store, and his fashion sense was most recently recognized by luxury expert Rick Ross on "War Ready."

And while he may not have released any music recently, Dana Dane is providing a blueprint for life after rap: his novel Numbers was released in 2009, and he currently heads up his own film production company, Def Beat Entertainment.

Before the Cover Girl commercials and talk show gigs, Queen Latifah was incredibly vicious as a rapper. She broke big with the (still banging) "U.N.I.T.Y." in 1993, and is often roped into discussions on pioneering lady rappers.

But to leave it at that is to marginalize the Queen. Sure, she broke boundaries by rapping about domestic violence and sexual harrassment, but Latifah could lace a diss track with the best of them (ask Foxy Brown). She opened the door for rappers like Nicki Minaj—a fact Nicki recently acknowledged—to be more than pin-up girls.

And we haven't even gotten to the acting: Latifah's show-stopping performance as Cleo in Set It Off cements her status as a renaissance human being, a trailblazer for hip-hop's female and male artists. She's had her ups (Chicago) and downs (Last Holiday) since, but the Queen has never stopped innovating.

Yes, we've all heard "Simon Says." But Pharoahe Monch was making tracks well before that 1999 release: as part of Organized Konfusion, Monch was a groundbreaker, handling most of the group's production alongside Prince Po over the course of their three albums.

Just as impressive as his production abilities, however, are Monch's rhymes. He's been ahead of his time since he started rapping (ask Eminem), employing a seemingly limitless vocabulary and penchant for multi-syllabic wordplay. Just listen to the way he stretches and contracts the beat on the first verse of "Bring It On," and you'll see where rappers like Tech N9ne, Busdriver, Aesop Rock, and Marshall Mathers got some ideas.

One of West Coast hip-hop's pioneers, Mac Dre's name still rings out as Oakland's native son. He rose to prominence with songs like "2 Hard 4 Tha Fuckin' Radio." His career hit a snag when police began raiding Dre's Romper Room affiliates (and the studios). Not one to be intimidated, Dre hit back with songs like "Punk Police," in which he called out specific officers profiling the group.

A bigger obstacle awaited, however, when the Oakland rapper refused to inform on his friends and was charged with conspiracy to commit robbery. He went to jail for five years, but Dre still managed to make an album while imprisoned, becoming one of the first rappers to record his rhymes over the phone in the process. After his release, he went about pioneering the West Coast's hyphy movement. Working with artists like E-40, Mac Dre went on a tear, reeling off 10 albums in six years.

Tragically, Mac Dre's career was cut short in 2004 when he was killed in a drive-by shooting while on tour in Kansas City. But the legend persists: a recent sign of his legacy came courtesy of Drake, when he shouts out "Mac Dre back in the Bay."

When most people think of gangsta rap, they think first of N.W.A., the group which saw mainstream public and political scrutiny aimed their way as they rose to rap stardom in the late '80s. N.W.A.'s place in the canon is well and truly cemented, as is that of Ice-T, now an actor on Law & Order, but widely recognized as a key part of the origins of gangsta rap through songs like "6 In The Mornin'" and albums like Power and O.G. Original Gangster.

But what of Schoolly D? His impact and influence is direct and traceable, yet the Philadelphia rapper is nowhere near as well known or as widely credited as he should be. Ice-T explained his impact to PROPS magazine, explaining the "true history of gangsta rap."

"Here's the exact chronological order of what really went down: The first record that came out along those lines was Schooly D's 'P.S.K.' Then the syncopation of that rap was used by me when I made "6 in the Mornin'." The vocal delivery was the same: "...P.S.K. is makin' that green," "...six in the morning, police at my door." When I heard that record I was like, "Oh shit!" and call it a bite or what you will but I dug that record."

Whether you're talking about the genesis West Coast gangsta rap or East Coast hardcore MCs, Schoolly D should be part of the conversation. Plus, dude wrote the music for cult cartoon Aqua Teen Hunger Force—truly a legend.

Houston's Big Moe was one of the first to embrace DJ Screw's signature style, a chop-and-screw technique that would change the game forever. Moe found success with a unique, melodic flow that was half-rapping, half-singing, and all smooth. He was the South's response to Nate Dogg, and commercial success soon followed: Moe's albums City of Syrup (2000) and Purple World (2002) cemented his legacy and helped popularize Moe's drink of choice, syrup.

Moe's legacy extends across the southern states: Lil Wayne has written tributes to Big Moe, and he's been continually listed as one of the region's most influential artists. Big Moe was most recently shouted out by Vince Staples on Summertime '06—keep your ears open during "Jump Off The Roof." His major label work may not have found national acclaim, but his independent and local releases are strong enough (and still unknown enough) to land him on this list.

Gucci Mane is often relegated to punchline status in the music industry, but don't underestimate his rap skills or the extent of his influence. Gucci knows what he's doing. He's built up a reverential following, painting a picture of a lovable thug, one able to poke fun at himself while maintaining street credibility.

That duality is at the center of Gucci's influence. He's one of Atlanta's most famous underground rappers, having produced an absolutely insane amount of mixtapes that have, in turn, produced a rabid horde of followers. But he's also maneuvered his way into the mainstream, with a tenth studio album on the way—once he gets out of prison—and a budding movie career that landed Guwop opposite James Franco in Spring Breakers.

Lil Wayne is still the mixtape legend, but it's Gucci who has retained the momentum: he's an Atlanta icon, and is spoken of in glowing terms by Future, Young Thug, Wacka Flocka, and Mike Will. Yes, his influence is acknowledged, but never enough.

In the internet era, few artists have been able to better sculpt a relationship with their audience and peers.

While Nelly certainly had his time in the limelight with legendary hits like "Country Grammar," "Hot in Herre," and "Ride Wit Me," he's remembered more as a high selling star, and less as an influencer. But dude mastered the art of blending pop and rap to multi platinum effect, helping shape what mainstream radio looks and sounds like today, not to mention finding success as an artist from the Midwest at a time when the region wasn't seen as the hotbed of talent that it is today.

Nelly's other unique contribution came with his embrace of country rap. He had a career resurgence as rap's first cowboy, relentlessly putting on the Midwest and all the music that was coming from that region, not just rap.

Sure, various incarnations of hick-hop have existed since the Bellamy Brothers wrote "Country Rap" in 1987, but frankly, there were a lot of half-assed attempts. Nelly made moves to unite country music and hip-hop through crossover collaborations with Tim McGraw in 2004 and Florida Georgia Line. And even if you don't fuck with the music, you gotta love Nelly's collaborative spirit.