With only 20 spots, some of rap’s most storied live gigs had to be left off the list. For years, hip-hop has battled the perception that it doesn’t translate well to live performance. Several artists, ranging from Run-DMC and Salt-N-Pepa to MC Hammer and Nicki Minaj, were included because they broke new ground, beyond how much their tours grossed. We also took into account the cultural and historical impact of each tour. That means huge record-breaking, co-headlining live runs such as Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s On the Run II Tour were not included, given Queen Bey’s rhythm and blues/pop leanings. Our list was compiled using several rules: First and foremost, the headliners for every tour must be from the hip-hop/rap genre.
With all this rap talent on the road, The Undefeated decided to take a crack at ranking the 20 greatest hip-hop tours of all time. The reunited Wu-Tang Clan continue their well-received 36 Chambers 25th Anniversary Celebration Tour, and Cardi B will be barnstorming through the beginning of August. Stoner rap fave Wiz Khalifa will headline a 29-city trek on July 9. Lil Wayne is doing a string of solo gigs and will launch a 38-city tour with pop punk heroes blink-182 starting June 27. West Coast giant Snoop Dogg is headlining the Masters of Ceremony tour with such heavyweights as 50 Cent, DMX, Ludacris and The Lox. And the summer concert season is set to feature even more high-profile hip-hop shows. Rhyme greats De La Soul recently finished a European tour billed The Gods of Rap with the legendary Public Enemy, Wu-Tang Clan and Gang Starr’s DJ Premier. Look around and it might feel like we’re in a golden age of rap tours.
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