André 3000 creates quality, unique content.

The argument

The case made for André 3000 rests on originality rather than on output or commercial reach. Proponents argue that he constantly steals the spotlight and paves his own way: where most rappers follow a tradition that is already established, and only a few pave the way for others, André belongs to the second group. He pioneers for himself, and the evidence offered is the breaking of cultural norms and of musical insipidity alike — in his outfits as much as in his vocals, since both are treated as part of a single refusal to repeat what the genre had already settled into. The second claim is technical. André 3000 does not only rap; he sings, and he switches between the two seamlessly. Proponents treat this as the difficult achievement it appears to be, because rapping and singing make different demands on the voice — one built on rhythm and delivery, the other on pitch and sustained tone — and moving between them within a performance requires command of both rather than a choice between them. On this reading he has mastered two of the hardest things a vocalist can do, and mastered the transition as well. Put together, the two claims are meant to establish range rather than mere competence. An artist who sets his own direction has no template to lean on, and an artist who commands two vocal modes has more available to him at any moment than one who commands a single mode very well. That combination is why proponents call him not just one of the most multifaceted rappers of all time but the best rapper of all time: the quality of the work is inseparable from how unlike anyone else's it is.

Premises

Counter-arguments

While André 3000 is incredibly gifted, he has never released a solo album. Until he does so, it's nearly impossible to compare him to countless other artists who have displayed their talents without the help of others. Further, André's ability to sing does not further his status as a rapper. Sure, he is a skilled vocalist, but being a good rapper and singer doesn’t make you the best rapper of all time.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] Originality and quality are distinct, and the premise runs them together: breaking with convention distinguishes an artist without establishing that the results are better, and every rapper in this debate's other positions has a comparable claim to having changed the form. [Rejecting P2] Range across singing and rapping is an argument for versatility rather than for supremacy at rapping specifically, and the argument leaves out the body of recorded work on which such a ranking usually rests — which is precisely the gap the absence of a solo album exposes.