TIA: Ever since the birth of hip-hop, there’s
always been arguments about who’s the greatest
of all time, or the G.O.A.T.
Plenty of rappers have gone to bat for
who holds the title, but where did the acronym come from?
TIA: In terms of its usage in hip-hop, credit
for the term is often given to LL Cool J.
In 2000 he release his ‘GOAT: The Greatest
Of All Time.’
TIA: LL COOL J first called himself the greatest on his 1997 track, "4, 3, 2, 1" which set off his beef with Canibus.
TIA: As a phrase, the acronym has a long history
in sports too.
The original G.O.A.T. is said to be streetball
legend Earl Manigault, whose reign dates back
to the 1960s, playing with the likes of Kareem
Abdul-Jabar.
CNN: His name is Earl Manigault. Everyone, everyone knows him simply as GOAT.
A jive derivation of his last name that came decades ago when he was making another name for himself.
TIA: The nickname supposedly came after a
teacher mispronounced his name, “Manigault”
as “Mani-Goat.”
And the slip up doubled as an acronym for
the “Greatest Of All Time” which also
described Manigault’s abilities on the court.
One of the earliest uses of G.O.A.T. in rap
lyrics directly referenced the basketball legend
in 1997 on Common’s “Real
Nigga Quotes.”
TIA: Yet another sportsman, legendary boxer
Muhammad Ali, was also known as the greatest,
thanks to his antics and his way with words.
TIA: LL Cool J’s own use of GOAT can also
be traced back to Ali.
He told Rolling Stone quote:
"Without Muhammad Ali, there would be
no ‘Mama Said Knock You Out, and the term
G.O.A.T. would have never been coined."
TIA: LL Cool J brought the GOAT acronym to
the music world in 2000, which sparked debate
about who is hip-hop's G.O.A.T.
But it wasn't until 2007 that another artist
staked his claim.
That year, JAY-Z hopped on the remix
to 50 Cent’s “I Get Money,” and brought
with him his own proclamation of greatness.
TIA: The next year, Lil’ Kim put on for
the women in hip-hop by staking her claim
to the title on her project, ‘Ms. G.O.A.T.’
TIA: And LL Cool J came back again that same
year on “Rocking with the G.O.A.T,”
in case anyone forgot.
TIA: As the late 2000s wore on, there were
increasingly more and more uses of “GOAT,”
but things started to really pick up 
in 2015.
TIA: By 2016, the term had gotten even bigger
than before, with more than 40 lyrical mentions.
TIA: 2017 saw a huge spike in “GOAT” usage,
with more than 60 different instances in lyrics,
which seemed to set the tone for its popularity
over the next couple years.
TIA: The following year, the popularity of
‘G.O.A.T.’ in lyrics grew pretty steadily,
with over 70 uses of the term.
With everyone from Nicki Minaj…
TIA: to Lil Baby claiming the title.
TIA: But no matter how long the term’s been
around or how many times we hear it,
the question still remains: who’s really the G.O.A.T.?
I’m Tia with Genius News bringing you the
meaning and the knowledge behind the music.
