3. Eminem
Eminem is the embodiment of the classic rap something-from-nothing story. Growing up in an unstable home in a disadvantaged part of Detroit, he channeled his love for storytelling into hip-hop, and the rest is history. He became the man to break the racial stereotypes associated with rap music and has slowly built his fame and fortune over the course of many years - six consecutive multi-platinum albums later (the second of which, 'The Marshall Mathers LP' remains to this day the best-selling hip-hop album of all time in the US), he's now one of the most successful music artists in the world. He's widely thought to be among the most influential and important hip-hop artists of our time and comes in at #3 on our countdown. Shady stands tall among the other Goliaths of the industry because there's nobody else quite like him. He's the forefather of the comedy-rap fusion which has become a staple in much of his music, and connects with his audience in a way few others are able to through his intense and relatable storytelling-through-music rapping style. He's renowned for the complex structures of his songs - particularly his use of rhyme, and the way he manipulates his language to make things rhyme - and his ability to create and carry a concept across a series of records (most prominently his Slim Shady alter ego, who noticeably appears in Eminem's darker, more violently-themed work). He's influenced and inspired the work of countless other artists and in short, he's a master of his craft.