Nas, the greatest hip-hop street poet of all-time comes in at the four spot and is recognized as one of the greatest for obvious reasons. When he released his debut album, Illmatic, in 1994, he was only 20-years-old and was able to relate to so many hip-hop enthusiasts the project became an instant classic. His ability to provoke emotion through his lyrical content and delivery is a skill that many have yet to master but he's been able to do throughout his lengthy and illustrious music career.
With hits like 'If I Ruled The World [Imagine That]', 'One Love', and 'Hate Me Now' Nas has gained both an underground and mainstream following and has lately found his own path to ownership as the associate publisher of Mass Appeal, a partial owner in the Bevel shaving blade company, and has several other business ventures underneath his belt. Consistency in his musical delivery can be argued but he's a legend nonetheless.