It always comes down to the age-old question, "Who's your top 5 rappers dead or alive?" It's a subjective -- and often touchy -- topic that nobody can seem to agree on. As many hip-hop heads will tell you, one's relationship with the culture -- dependent on their background, age and economic status -- can be entirely different than someone else. It's the reason why The Game is liable to tear apart any list that doesn't include West Coast icons like Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg, and why Lil Yachty doesn't have any of the golden era artists on his list. It's all about your personal preference and what we're left with is countless arguments in barbershops and on message boards around the world.

From a listener's perspective, learning to understand who your favorite rapper's favorite rappers is can help you spot nuances and subtle influences in their work. The problem is -- especially for major recording artists -- the answers aren't always easy and can fluctuate depending on the day you ask them. What's more, they get bombarded with the question constantly and their answers (as we've seen with Vince Staples and Yachty) could inadvertently put them in the crosshairs of critics who expect rappers to uphold a certain standard in the game.

Still, a spot on a rapper's top 5 could add credibility to artists of today and yesteryear -- and help new fans discover their catalogs. Here at XXL, we dug through dozens of interviews and found 20 solid examples of rappers name-dropping their favorite rappers. The question is, who is your top 5 DOA?

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