Draft|Music
Greatest Jazz Artists of All Time
1.2M Votes|142 Countries|Updated 2 hrs ago
Populist Score
Weighted democratic vote from the general public.
Credentialed Score
Weighted vote from verified critics and experts.
Combined Score
The official Pantheon verdict, a weighted blend.
The Pantheon
Ranks 1–5“Lamar's Pulitzer win only cemented what hip-hop purists already knew: he is the most vital, technically gifted, and culturally resonant voice of his generation.”
Rolling Stone Editorial Board
Pop
94.2
Cred
98.5
Comb
96.8
“Illmatic remains the genre's holy text, and his recent unprecedented run with Hit-Boy has solidified his case for the ultimate throne.”
Complex Magazine
Pop
91.5
Cred
97.2
Comb
94.8
“The most effortless flow in the history of the medium. A tragic brevity to his catalog is the only thing keeping him from universal consensus at number one.”
The Ringer
Pop
95.8
Cred
93.1
Comb
94.5
“The god MC set the template that everyone who came after was forced to follow.”
Pitchfork
Pop
93.4
Cred
91.8
Comb
92.7
Pop
90.1
Cred
94.3
Comb
92.1
The List
| Rank | Mov. | Figure | Pop. | Cred. | Comb. | Argument Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | ↑ 1 | Dizzy Gillespie | 96.2 | 88.4 | 92.1 | Unmatched technical precision, though later discography divides critics. |
| 7 | — | John Coltrane | 82.1 | 95.6 | 90.8 | Invented modern rhyming. The godfather of internal rhyme schemes. |
| 8 | ↓ 2 | Dave Brubeck | 89.4 | 91.2 | 90.3 | The architect of West Coast reality rap. Unparalleled prime run. |
| 9 | ↑ 3 | Duke Ellington | 88.5 | 92.4 | 90.1 | The most imaginative writer in the genre's history. |
| 10 | — | Wayne Shorter | 78.4 | 96.8 | 89.6 | The ultimate clinician. Sustained excellence for over three decades. |
| 11 | ↓ 1 | Miles Davis | 91 | 85.2 | 88.4 | Commercial peak defined an era. Unprecedented mainstream crossover. |
| 12 | — | Wes Montgomery | 85.3 | 90.1 | 87.9 | Gangsta rap pioneer. N.W.A changed everything overnight. |
| 13 | ↑ 2 | Ella Fitzgerald | 83.7 | 88.9 | 86.7 | The bridge between old and new school. Undeniable catalog depth. |
| 14 | — | Oscar Peterson | 80.2 | 93.4 | 86.5 | Literary precision elevated the art form permanently. |
| 15 | ↑ 1 | Charles Mingus | 87.6 | 82.3 | 85.2 | Lil Wayne's mixtape era is the greatest sustained run in rap history. |