Complex.com is known for their attention-grabbing headlines and over-the-top content, but this is neither.

Compiled by numerous contributors, this list tackles the almighty question of which rapper is the best, and adds a little science. The ending result is a thorough breakdown of each year, complete with its champion and all the major players of honorable mention.

It’s a bit lengthy, but a recommended read for rap fiends and Hip Hop heads regardless of age. Shout outs to Ice Cube, Snoop Doggy, and Kendrick Lamar for holding the West coast down (Tupac is from New York). And for the sake of discussion, I’ve stripped the list down to its skeleton:

1979 Grandmaster Caz
1980 Kurtis Blow
1981 Kool Moe Dee
1982 Melle Mel
1983 Run
1984 Run
1985 LL Cool J
1986 KRS-ONE
1987 Rakim
1988 Slick Rick
1989 Big Daddy Kane
1990 Ice Cube
1991 Q-Tip
1992 Redman

Let’s be clear; there are a lot of rappers. Judging by my findings, there are literally thousands of dudes (and ladies) on the Internet chasing their dream of becoming a popular, successful rap star. You probably know someone that is currently devoting their energies into tapping into the seemingly endless resource that rap music has become. Hell, it’s like America’s #1 export. In fact, a study recently done shows rap music as the most influential genre of music over the last 40 or so years.

I’ve noticed an influx of sites doing bracket-like competitions to whittle rap artists and albums down to the best ones, respectively. Most recently, Mobb Deep’s The Infamous won as the hardest rap album of all time via PassionOfTheWeiss and I’m totally fine with that.

The task of finding “the best” of anything is undoubtedly arduous, even if it is decided by a voting system. Opinion…