And even if they're not directly relevant, rappers that they had a large influence on are still relevant. Not to mention, they had long runs of being relevant, at a time when the life span of rappers was really short.

Hell, LL was relevant for 20 years. How you gonna say somebody can't be the greatest because they came out in 85 instead of 95? I mean, if in 2021, Jay-z is done and nobody checks for his new stuff anymore, does that mean he can no longer be the greatest in your eyes?

That's like saying Michael Jordan is no longer the greatest because he doesn't still play in the NBA and isn't better than Kobe right today.