This is a purely hypothetical list made purely for fun – inspired by a Quora post that estimated the IQ of each of The Beatles members. I decided to use this same formula to estimate the verbal IQ’s of the top rock lyricists as ranked by Digitaldreamdoor.com.
The formula can be found here.
The original list can be found here.
1. Bob Dylan – 152
2. John Lennon – 149
3. Neil Young – 148
4. Rakim – 147
5. Chuck Berry – 147
6. Leonard Cohen – 146
7. Joni Mitchell – 146
8. Nas – 146
9. Smokey Robinson – 146
10. Paul Simon – 146
11. Pete Townshend – 146
12. Jerry Leiber – 146
13. Curtis Mayfield – 146
14. Bruce Springsteen – 146
15. Stevie Wonder – 146
16. The Notorious B.I.G. – 146
17. Roger Waters – 145
18. Eminem – 145
19. Ray Davies – 145
20. Jay-Z – 145
21. Elvis Costello – 145
22. Tom Waits – 145
23. Jackson Browne – 145
24. Jim Morrison – 144
25. 2Pac – 144
26. Bob Marley – 144
27. Big Daddy Kane – 144
28. Kool G Rap – 144
29. Lou Reed – 144
30. Van Morrison – 144
31. Chuck D – 143
32. Joe Strummer – 143
33. Morrissey – 143
34. Patti Smith – 143
35. Gil Scott-Heron – 143
36. Ice Cube – 143
37. John Fogerty – 143
38. Melle Mel – 143
39. Kendrick Lamar – 143
40. Randy Newman – 143
41. Warren Zevon – 143
42. Eddie Holland – 143
43. Laura Nyro – 143
44. Nick Cave – 143
45. KRS-One – 143
46. Slick Rick – 143
47. Bono – 143
48. Eddie Vedder – 143
49. André 3000 – 143
50. Sly Stone – 143
51. Tom Petty – 143
52. Thom Yorke – 143
53. Kurt Cobain – 143
54. Common – 143
55. Kate Bush – 142
56. Mick Jagger – 142
57. Paul McCartney – 142
58. Michael Stipe – 142
59. Cynthia Weil – 142
60. John Hiatt – 142
61. Bernie Taupin – 142
62. Brian Wilson – 142
63. David Bowie – 142
64. Frank Zappa – 142
65. LL Cool J – 142
66. Linton Kwesi Johnson – 142
67. Geezer Butler – 142
68. Steve Earle – 142
69. Suzanne Vega – 142
70. Tracy Chapman – 142
71. Robbie Robertson – 142
72. Elliott Smith – 142
73. Doc Pomus – 142
74. Billy Joel – 142
75. Zach de la Rocha – 142
76. Robert Plant – 142
77. Barrett Strong – 142
78. Kool Moe Dee – 142
79. John Mellencamp – 142
80. George Harrison – 142
81. Billy Corgan – 142
82. Cat Stevens – 142
83. Paul Weller – 142
84. Conor Oberst – 142
85. Donald Fagen – 142
86. Black Thought – 142
87. Chris Difford – 142
88. Billy Bragg – 142
89. Beck – 142
90. Chrissie Hynde – 142
91. Posdnuos – 141
92. Sting – 141
93. Don Henley – 141
94. Chris Cornell – 141
95. Lauryn Hill – 141
96. Neil Diamond – 141
97. Big L – 141
98. PJ Harvey – 141
99. Mark E. Smith – 141
100. Scarface – 141
What is an IQ Score?
An IQ test score is a psychometric score calculated based upon a norm group with an average score of 100 and the most common standard deviations of 15 or 16. The standard deviation is a measure of range, in this case it refers to a range of IQ scores. A standard devation of 15 means 68% of the norm group has scored between 85 (100 – 15) and 115 (100 + 15). In other words, 68% of the norm group has a score within one standard deviation of the average (100).
Why Do Some People Have Higher IQ’s Than Others?
Variation is inevitable in a biological context. Natural selection basically requires it, unless a being is genetically perfect, which is so unlikely as to render impossible in most contexts. If a higher level of intelligence (as indicated by an IQ score) proves to be beneficial, then that level of intelligence will likely will become average and the lower level (also as indicated by an IQ score) will be below average. There will still be variation to and fro as natural selection is a game of trial and error.
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