The best rapper from all 50 states

South Carolina

Artist – Jeezy

Years Active – 1998-Present

Notable Album – Seen It All: The Autobiography

Sample Rhyme (from the track “Me OK”):

“Had you cashing out, paying for, you can’t pronounce the name

Had that Murcielago, it was green like margaritas

I sold yayo, I sold albums, might as well sell some tequila

Dropped so many Lambos, thought I was a Lambassador

Snow, it’s been a while, yeah, you know them streets missed you

I don’t eat, sleep or shit without my motherfuckin’ pistol”

—

Jeezy — then Young Jeezy — didn’t start out in rap expecting to rap. He was a suit, a label representative, a promoter. He worked for Cash Money Records around the turn of the century.

Being around the game — particularly that of his adopted hometown of Atalanta — inspired Jeezy to eventually start releasing his own material. When his material found traction in the rap scene, he quit the business end entirely and focused on becoming a rapper in his own right.

The last years of the 21st century’s first decade were Jeezy’s pinnacle. He released four albums and mix tapes from 2005 to 2008, capped by his ominously titled album Recession.

A diagnosis of bells palsy delayed any further production, but when he did come back he came back hard. Seen It All: The Autobiography came out in 2014 and might be his best material to date.

Next: South Dakota