Who's the greatest rapper of all times

I like the insight into the G.O.A.T. given by another guest in that there can never be one 'greatest'. Although i have studied Pac for the last 8 years and can say that flat out he beats any other rapper in terms of his impact on not only the rap game but also the way he stirred up the whole of white America at the time, i believe that all rappers are interdependant upon eachother (where would Pac be without kane, pharcyde, biggie, public enemy, dr-dre, ice-cube? the list goes on and on).
On the subject of lyrical content i'd say the only rapper on the same level as Pac is Escobar. These are the only two rappers who can really just say what they think almost without thinking and it comes out in rhyme form. Pac could address any subject and speak of it with a passion and energy found only in the rawest mc's.
Pac was an emotive rapper and would adapt his vocals and even his dialect to reflect the mood of a track and is one of the only rappers who maintained his passion and energy for the game. Many rappers think that frequency of release is a key part of the game, which may well be true, but alot of rappers like hova focused so much on the release of new material they lost direction. This is another aspect of the game where Tupac shines brighter than any other, cos in the 7 years of his rap career he managed to release 6 solo albums have one in production, made an Outlawz album and have enough material to supply us with another 7 years of regular releases, all without selling outfor a second. My hat's off to Pac!
Pac's music, poetry and all round creativity gave hope to millions and his estate is giving young black american children in particular the chance to expand their creativity, and his words are the inspiration for many talented individuals to make it in the rap game.
I guess i would say that Pac was the G.O.A.T. but he wouldn't have been where he is without the other rappers that helped him on his way.
Pac inspired and affected EVERY single rapper in the game in his life and death, people need to learn from Pac, all these fake ass rappers in the game strictly for the love of money are destroying what 2pac spent his life fighting for-(keep it real). Pac lived and died for the values of equality and if a rose can grow from the concrete then anything is possible. Pac had nothing and made it to being up there with Malcom and Martin in the fight for an anti prejudice america. So Pac was more than a rapper which i thik makes him the best. Don't just listen, learn from what pac is telling you. He didn't die for nothing, if you need to worship someone, fuck religeon pac is all the jesus you need.
I'm a rapper myself and at the age of 17 i have been inspired by pac to make it in the game and make a difference Pac is the greatest rapper of all time-but all respect due to all the others who came before and since pac and all the other fallen souljaz in the world of rap music.

Don't look at just skill, or vocal talent when considering the greatest rapper, what's equally important is their influence on rap, and taking this into mind, I don't think many rappers approach the level of Dr. Dre. Not only was Dre around in the NWA days, but he was there with Snoop and Pac, then kept the West Coast movement going when Pac and Biggie left. Dre signed and produced the greatest vocal talent that rap has ever known (Sorry, there is just no way you can compare Nas to Eminem, Eminem is clearly the better of the two vocally). Dre is still influencing the game today, after a LONG career in the rap game, by producing many beats which 50 Cent, Eminem, and Obie Trice rap on. No other rapper can claim to be influential for as long as Dr. Dre. On top of all this, The Chronic and The Chronic 2001 are still benchmarks in great rap. Other rappers may be good, but Dr. Dre is simply the greatest.


Dre is Gay

The Notorious B.I.G.

As much as I respect other peoples opinions I feel the greatest rapper of all time is KRS ONE.He is great cause he is one emcee with a million styles on his sleeve,almost two decades in the game (never crossed over),8 albums(some rappaz can't even put up 8 bars on paper),the mighty KRS ONE will eat you up in a freestyle battle ask mc shan,Kris is a teacher most mc's can't teach you anything positive(bling bling f**k that).For me to be great take's more than just selling a million records and one lucky hit that get's played out after a few months,it takes endurance-able to stay in the game for so long,adaptability-able to change style with the time,Kris put's his message accross and teaches you and he one cat who can freestyle and battle any body.This is my top three emcees:
1.KRS ONE
2.KEITH MURRAY(the most beautifullest,Lyrically there is no much for this cat)
3.BIG L (he would have done alot for hiphop r.i.p)

I have to agree with all you saying that 2pac and biggie were the most infuential of the hip hop era, but if we are talking about lyrical talent, then no we can't no mention the likes of Rass Kass, Rakim, Rza, Canibus, dead prez.