No. 40: Proof

Without Proof, there would likely be no Eminem. That's enough to justify DeShaun Holton's inclusion on this list — but there's much more to it than that.

Proof, who was tragically killed in April of 2006, was a renowned freestyler and is generally acknowledged as the godfather of Detroit hip-hop. He was involved with several different groups over the years, most notably D12, but didn't take the chance to release a full-length solo project until mid-2005. It seems to fit in with his selfless nature that he a) waited so long and b) put the album out on his own label (Iron Fist) when he could probably have put together a project on Aftermath even five or six years earlier.

...But it's too late.

Searching For Jerry Garcia was one of my favorite slept-on projects of the last few years. It speaks to Proof's reputation that he was able to round up guest appearances from not only Em and D12 but also B-Real, Method Man and Nate Dogg, among others. Rather than put out an album with Em's fingerprints all over it in an attempt to sell big, Proof seldom mentions his closest friend. It's his thing, commercial success be damned — and it works. Try to front on a track like "High Rollers."

The album's final track, though, is its best and most haunting — on "Kurt Kobain," Proof raps a three-verse suicide note, shouting out his family and closest friends before blowing his own head off. It was enough to give you chills even when he was still alive. Less than a year later, he was dead, done in by someone else's bullet.

Because he was so content to let others take shine that might have otherwise been his, Proof didn't always get the recognition that he deserved. Even in death, he remains overshadowed by the likes of Biggie, Tupac, Big Pun and now Heavy D.

Ask anyone in Detroit, however, and they'll probably tell you without hesitation that I didn't rank Proof high enough. They might be right.