GOAT: Eminem?
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Let me give you a general fact that can't be disputed: what we know now as Hip-Hop was made by people of color in New York City. Whether it be in the Bronx or in Brooklyn is not important because the point is that one of the greatest rappers of all-time doesn't even come from that city, or even the same state. Born Marshall Bruce Mathers III in Missouri, the child who would become Eminem would have to go through a mountain worth of struggles including an absentee father, a strained relationship with his mother and bullying before he started to put words together while listening to the likes of Onyx in his new home of Detroit. His ability would grow, but his skin color would make his acceptance in the culture one that was hard to get. The release Infinite to very little fanfare wouldn't deter his drive to succeed, neither did losing in the finals of the Rap Olympics as this would lead him to being brought into the fold of Aftermath by Dr Dre. Today, Eminem is seen as one of the most prolific rappers of all-time and is in the conversation for the greatest of all-time.
Commercial Success
When it comes to commercial success, only the Real Slim Shady can compare to Eminem, selling 47.4 million albums between 2000 and 2009, which is more than the likes of Britney Spears, Beyoncé and Justin Timberlake. Ten of his albums have gotten the number-one spot in the Billboard 100; three notable ones, The Eminem Show, The Marshall Mathers LP and Encore all ranking in the top ten best selling albums of the 2000's decade. When it comes to individual songs, B. Rabbit has three diamond singles (songs exceeding the platinum threshold of a million copies sold over ten times, making it ten million copies sold) under his belt, those being "Love the Way You Lie", "Lose Yourself" and "Not Afraid", as well as ten other number-one singles worldwide.
Album Qualification
Eminem's longevity has permitted him to create 9 studio albums, 8 compilation albums, 5 video albums and an EP. While it is an impressive list, what should standout is the list for studio albums. Of his nine releases, it is arguable that 3 of them can enter the category of classic albums, with those being in quick succession beginning with 1999's The Slim Shady LP, 2000's The Marshall Mathers LP and 2002's The Eminem Show. The quality of his other releases have created a division in the hip-hop community and most notably his fans, with some saying that any album that begins with the letter R (meaning Relapse, Recovery and Revival) are all horrible or their all good. Nevertheless, he more than fulfills this requirement, coming in with a very good 33% classic rate.
Impact/Longevity
During Eminem's almost twenty year career, he has introduced a plethora of new artists to the game that might've never gotten the recognition, which include 50 Cent, Yelawolf, Stat Quo, Royce da 5'9 and Obie Trice. His groups fair well too, with two all-time great groups being D12 and Slaughterhouse. As much as he's done for the people that he's brought up through Aftermath and Shady Records, the detroit native has also done a lot for himself, popularizing the horrorcore and comedy genres of hip-hop. During this time, he has also released songs that talked about things that had rarely, if not never, been discussed in hip before, such as "Stan", a song about an obsessed fan, and even the songs that discussed his relationships with the women in his life, such as his daughter Hailie Mathers, his mother Debbie and even his ex-wife Kim Scott. The amount of content that he's put out and the impact that it has had on the culture is electrifying; who else can say that their song hyped up the President of the United States?
Lyricism
Where does one begin with Eminem's lyrical ability? I know, let's begin that he has the rapped 97 words in the span of 15 seconds, which is 6.5 words per second in "Rap God" and that he beat himself on "Offended" with 94 words in 13 seconds, which is an even better clip with 6.3 words per second. That is a testament to his technique and rhyming ability, which stands far and above many of the best rappers of all-time, with MF Doom being the only rapper I can think of as being on par or even better than Eminem. Compound that with his ability to not just be fast, but to be able to write cohesive songs with both real and powerful stories, such as "Guilty Conscience", "River" and "Stan", it is evident that his lyricism was never to be doubted.
In conclusion, Eminem is possibly one of the best to ever grace a microphone. Whether you stand on a side in the ridiculous "old-Eminem vs. new-Eminem" debate, let it be known to all who stand before possibly the greatest of all-time the closing words of his song "Chloraseptic (Remix)"; he just uses this as fuel for his rocket pack and that he'll back right at your throat like chloraseptic.