His albums are cornerstones of the hip-hop genre, he is one of the most respected lyricists in the genre yet was able to gain and maintain a mainstream following. He's one of the few rappers who emerged in the golden era of hip-hop (the 90's) who is still releasing material. He's a major part of why Hip-hop is now a BILLION dollar industry. He's one of the very few hip-hop moguls. He's the first rapper to sell out Madison Square Garden. He birthed a generation of rappers that have idolized and tried to follow his career path.
