Top Rappers of Hip Hop in 2021

Kanye Omari West (/?k??nje?/; born June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, record producer, businessman, politician, and fashion designer. He has been influential in the 21st-century development of mainstream hip hop, popular music, and popular culture in general.

Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained notoriety as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the early 2000s, producing singles for several mainstream artists. Intent on pursuing a solo career as a rapper, West released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004 to critical and commercial success, and founded the record label GOOD Music. He experimented with a variety of musical genres on subsequent acclaimed studio albums, including Late Registration (2005), Graduation (2007), and 808s & Heartbreak (2008). 

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Cordae Amari Dunston (born August 26, 1997; formerly known as YBN Cordae and Entendre), known mononymously as Cordae, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Cordae gained popularity by releasing remixes of popular songs, such as "My Name Is" by Eminem, and "Old Niggas" which was a response to the song "1985" by J. Cole. Videos to both remixes were uploaded to the WorldStarHipHop's YouTube channel, which led to an immense and immediate positive response from both mainstream media and the online rap community. His debut studio album, The Lost Boy was released on July 26, 2019 to widespread acclaim and received two nominations for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song for the single "Bad Idea" at the 62nd Grammy Awards. Cordae was a member of the YBN collective from 2018 until he left the group in 2020.

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Jermaine Lamarr Cole (born January 28, 1985) known professionally as J. Cole, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Cole is regarded as one of the most influential rappers of his generation. Born on a military base in Germany and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Cole initially gained recognition as a rapper following the release of his debut mixtape, The Come Up, in early 2007. Intent on further pursuing a musical career, he went on to release two additional mixtapes, The Warm Up (2009) and Friday Night Lights (2010) both to critical acclaim, after signing to Jay-Z's Roc Nation imprint in 2009.

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Jacques Bermon Webster II, (born April 30, 1991) known professionally as Travis Scott (formerly stylized as Travi$ Scott), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. His stage name is the namesake of a favorite uncle combined with the first name of one of his inspirations, Kid Cudi (whose real name is Scott Mescudi).

In 2012, Scott signed his first major-label contract with Epic Records. In November of the same year, Scott signed a publishing deal with Kanye West's GOOD Music, as part of its production wing Very GOOD Beats. In April 2013, Scott signed a recording contract with T.I.'s Grand Hustle imprint. Scott's first full-length project, the mixtape Owl Pharaoh, was self-released in 2013. It was followed with a second mixtape, Days Before Rodeo, in August 2014. His debut studio album, Rodeo (2015), was led by the hit single "Antidote". 

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Jonathan Lyndale Kirk (born December 22, 1991),[a] known professionally as DaBaby (formerly known as Baby Jesus), is an American rapper. After releasing several mixtapes between 2014 and 2018, DaBaby rose to mainstream prominence in 2019.

His debut studio album Baby on Baby (2019) peaked at number seven on the Billboard 200, while his second studio album, Kirk (2019), debuted at number one. The former album featured the Billboard Hot 100 top-ten single "Suge", while the latter featured the multi-platinum records "Intro" and "Bop". His third studio album, Blame It on Baby (2020), became his second consecutive number-one album in the US. The album included his highest-charting song, "Rockstar" (featuring Roddy Ricch), which spent seven non-consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

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Aubrey Drake Graham (born October 24, 1986) is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, producer, and entrepreneur. Gaining recognition by starring in the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001–2007), Drake released his debut mixtape Room for Improvement in 2006; he left the series to pursue a career in music and also released the mixtapes Comeback Season (2007) and So Far Gone (2009) before signing a recording contract with Young Money Entertainment.

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Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record executive. He initially gained major recognition as half of hip hop duo Clipse, alongside his brother and fellow rapper No Malice, with whom he founded Re-Up Records. In September 2010, Thornton announced his signing to Kanye West's GOOD Music imprint, under the aegis of Def Jam Recordings. Later that year, he was notably featured on West's single "Runaway," which peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.

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Sir Robert Bryson Hall II (born January 22, 1990), known professionally as Logic, is an American YouTuber, streamer, author, rapper, songwriter and record producer. As a musician, Logic released six studio albums and received two Grammy Award nominations.

Logic began his music career in 2010, releasing the mixtape Young, Broke & Infamous; he gained popularity with his Young Sinatra mixtape series, with the response to its third iteration, Young Sinatra: Welcome to Forever (2013), helping Logic secure a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings. Logic's first two studio albums — Under Pressure (2014) and The Incredible True Story (2015) — both peaked within the top five on the U.S. Billboard 200, while the former was ultimately certified platinum.

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Gary Maurice Lucas Jr. (born August 17, 1988), better known by his stage name Joyner Lucas, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, poet and actor.

Lucas received widespread exposure and critical acclaim after the release of his single "Ross Capicchioni" in 2015. In June 2017, he released his fourth mixtape, 508-507-2209, which was his first on a major label. On November 28, 2017, Lucas released his single "I'm Not Racist", which quickly went viral, gaining him further attention and praise. The video was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Music Video at the 61st Grammy Awards. Lucas was briefly signed to Atlantic Records, until he announced his departure from the label in December 2018.

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Daystar Shemuel Shua Peterson (born July 27, 1992), known professionally as Tory Lanez, is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He received initial recognition from the mixtape Conflicts of My Soul: The 416 Story, released in August 2013. In 2015, Tory Lanez signed to record producer Benny Blanco's Mad Love Records through Interscope Records.

Tory Lanez's debut studio album, I Told You (2016), included the singles, "Say It" and "Luv", which peaked at number 23 and 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 respectively. In 2018, Lanez released his second and third studio albums, Memories Don't Die and Love Me Now?. His fourth studio album Chixtape 5 (2019) peaked at number 2 on the US Billboard 200. The following year, he released his fifth studio album, Daystar (2020), which debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200. The album delves into his alleged shooting of rapper Megan Thee Stallion.

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Austin Richard Post (born July 4, 1995), known professionally as Post Malone, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Known for his tattoos, introspective songwriting, and laconic vocal style, Malone has gained acclaim for blending a range of genres including hip hop, R&B, pop, trap, rap rock, and cloud rap. He first attained recognition in 2015 following the release of his debut single "White Iverson". He subsequently signed a recording contract with Republic Records. His stage name is derived from his last name and from a rap name generator.

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Artist Julius Dubose (born December 6, 1995), known professionally as A Boogie wit da Hoodie (or simply A Boogie), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is signed to his own label, Highbridge the Label, and Atlantic Records. His stage name is derived from the character "Ace Boogie" from the 2002 film Paid in Full, and because he was wearing hoodies all the time, friends gave him the nickname "A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie".

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Stokeley Clevon Goulbourne (born April 18, 1996), known professionally as Ski Mask the Slump God (formerly stylized as $ki Mask "The Slump God"), is an American rapper and songwriter. He initially rose to prominence alongside late American rapper XXXTentacion and their collective Members Only. In 2017, he released the singles "Catch Me Outside" and "Babywipe", both of which were featured on his mixtape You Will Regret (2017), which was certified Gold by the RIAA.

Goulbourne's mixtape, Beware the Book of Eli, was released in May 2018, and peaked at No. 50 on the Billboard 200 chart. His debut album Stokeley (2018) peaked at number 6 on the US Billboard 200.

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Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (/??m??n?m/; formerly stylized as EMIN?M), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Eminem is among the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated worldwide sales of over 220 million records. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in Middle America, and is critically acclaimed as one of the greatest rappers of all time.

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Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record executive, and entrepreneur. He is regarded by many contemporaries as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, and often cited as one of the greatest rappers of all time. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label. From then on, Wayne was the flagship artist of Cash Money Records before ending his association with the company in June 2018.

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Jeffery Lamar Williams (born August 16, 1991), known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is considered to be an influential figure of his generation, with his music impacting the modern sound of hip hop and trap music. Known for his eccentric vocal style and fashion, Thug initially released a series of independent mixtapes beginning in 2011 with I Came from Nothing. In early 2013, he signed with Gucci Mane's 1017 Records, and later that year he released his label debut mixtape 1017 Thug to critical praise.

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Destin Choice Route (born October 31, 1990), better known by his stage name JID (also stylized J.I.D), is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. He is part of the musical collective Spillage Village, founded by EarthGang in 2010, with Hollywood JB, JordxnBryant, and 6lack, among others.[2] He is also signed to J. Cole's Dreamville Records and Interscope Records. He is also a member of the hip-hop supergroup Zoink Gang, with Smino, Buddy and Guapdad 4000.

JID began gaining recognition after releasing several independent projects such as Route of Evil (2012), Para Tu (2013) and DiCaprio (2015). His debut studio album, The Never Story, was released on March 10, 2017 to public praise and included the single "Never". He released his second album DiCaprio 2 on November 26, 2018; it contained the singles "151 Rum" and "Off Deez" and also received critical acclaim.

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Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion),[note 1] is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, media personality, and businessman. His fame dates to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, "Deep Cover," and then on Dre's debut solo album, The Chronic. Broadus has since sold over 23 million albums in the United States and 35 million albums worldwide.

Broadus’ debut solo album, Doggystyle, produced by Dr. Dre, was released by Death Row Records in November 1993, and debuted at number one on the popular albums chart, the Billboard 200, and on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Selling 800,000 copies in its first week, Doggystyle was certified quadruple-platinum in 1994 and bore several hit singles, including "What's My Name?" and "Gin & Juice."

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Nathan John Feuerstein (/?fa?.?rsta?n/;[citation needed] born March 30, 1991), known by his initials NF (stylized as ?F), is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. He has released two EPs, I'm Free (2012), and a self-titled EP in 2014 with Capitol CMG. NF has released five studio albums: Moments (2010), Mansion (2015), Therapy Session (2016), Perception (2017), and The Search (2019). NF released a mixtape: Clouds (The Mixtape) (2021). His albums have earned several accolades, some of which include: the Gospel Music Association Dove Award for Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year (Therapy Session); two No. 1 debuts on the Billboard 200 charts (Perception and The Search); and a triple-platinum certified single in the United States which also charted internationally ("Let You Down").

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Dominique Armani Jones (born December 3, 1994), known professionally as Lil Baby, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia. He rose to mainstream fame in 2017 following the release of his mixtape Perfect Timing, becoming one of the most prominent figures in the trap music scene to date.

Lil Baby's debut studio album Harder Than Ever (2018) was certified RIAA Platinum and included the song "Yes Indeed" (with Drake), which peaked at six on the Billboard Hot 100. He went on to release two more mixtapes in 2018, Drip Harder and Street Gossip, the former containing his most popular song "Drip Too Hard", which peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100, and the latter peaking at number two on the US Billboard 200. Lil Baby's second studio album, My Turn (2020), peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 and is certified three times platinum by the RIAA. The song "We Paid" (with 42 Dugg) charted at number ten on the Hot 100.

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Robert Rihmeek Williams (born May 6, 1987), known professionally as Meek Mill, is an American rapper, songwriter, and activist. Born and raised in Philadelphia, he embarked on his music career as a battle rapper, and later formed a short-lived rap group, The Bloodhoundz. In 2008, Atlanta-based rapper T.I. signed Meek Mill to his first record deal. In February 2011, after leaving Grand Hustle Records, Mill signed with Miami-based rapper Rick Ross's Maybach Music Group (MMG). Mill's debut album, Dreams and Nightmares, was released in 2012 under MMG and Warner Bros. Records. The album, preceded by the lead single "Amen" (featuring Drake), debuted at number 57 on the U.S. Billboard 200.

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Rodrick Wayne Moore Jr. (born October 22, 1998), known professionally as Roddy Ricch, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to fame in 2018 with the single "Die Young", which peaked at number 98 on the Billboard Hot 100. Ricch's first two mixtapes, Feed Tha Streets (2017) and Feed Tha Streets II (2018), also received widespread acclaim. In 2019, Ricch was featured on Nipsey Hussle's single "Racks in the Middle", which earned him a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance, and on Mustard's Grammy-nominated single "Ballin'", which reached the top 20 of the Hot 100.

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Bryson Lashun Potts (born November 1, 2002), known professionally as NLE Choppa (formerly YNR Choppa), is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He rose to fame with his January 2019 single "Shotta Flow", which was certified platinum by the RIAA and peaked at number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single was featured on his debut EP Cottonwood, released in December of that year.

Potts released his debut studio album Top Shotta (2020) which peaked at number 10 on the US Billboard 200 and contained the singles "Camelot" and "Walk Em Down" (featuring Roddy Ricch), which peaked at number 38 on the Hot 100. His second mixtape From Dark to Light was released on November 1, 2020, his 18th birthday.

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Kentrell DeSean Gaulden (born October 20, 1999), known professionally as YoungBoy Never Broke Again (also known as NBA YoungBoy or simply YoungBoy), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Between 2015 and 2017, Gaulden released eight independent mixtapes, and steadily garnered a cult following through his work. In late 2017, Gaulden was signed to Atlantic Records, who distributed two additional mixtapes. In January 2018, Gaulden released the single "Outside Today", which peaked at number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was the lead single for his debut studio album Until Death Call My Name (2018) which peaked at number 7 on the US Billboard 200. His follow up singles included "Valuable Pain", "Slime Belief", and "Genie".

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Denzel Rae Don Curry (born February 16, 1995) is an American rapper. Born and raised in Carol City, Florida, Curry started rapping while in sixth grade and began working on his first mixtape in 2011. Influenced by underground Florida rapper SpaceGhostPurrp, the mixtape was later featured on Purrp's social media, giving Curry local attention and resulting in Curry joining Purrp's hip-hop collective, Raider Klan.

Curry left Raider Klan in 2013, releasing his debut studio album, Nostalgic 64, in September of that year, while still in high school. He has gone on to release four more projects, 32 Zel/Planet Shrooms on June 9, 2015, Imperial on March 9, 2016, and Ta13oo on July 27, 2018, which debuted at number 28 on the Billboard 200 chart. His fourth studio album, Zuu, was released on May 31, 2019, and a collaborative project with Kenny Beats, Unlocked, was released on February 7, 2020. All of his projects have garnered significant acclaim.

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Donald McKinley Glover Jr. (born September 25, 1983), also known by the stage name Childish Gambino, is an American actor, comedian, singer, producer, writer, and director.

After working on Derrick Comedy while studying at New York University, Glover was hired at age 23 by Tina Fey as a writer for the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. He later rose to fame for portraying college student Troy Barnes on the NBC sitcom Community from 2009 to 2014. Since 2016, Glover stars in the FX series Atlanta, which he created and occasionally directs. For his work on Atlanta, Glover won various accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. In 2017, Glover was included on the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world.

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Donald McKinley Glover Jr. (born September 25, 1983), also known by the stage name Childish Gambino, is an American actor, comedian, singer, producer, writer, and director.

After working on Derrick Comedy while studying at New York University, Glover was hired at age 23 by Tina Fey as a writer for the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. He later rose to fame for portraying college student Troy Barnes on the NBC sitcom Community from 2009 to 2014. Since 2016, Glover stars in the FX series Atlanta, which he created and occasionally directs. For his work on Atlanta, Glover won various accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. In 2017, Glover was included on the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world.

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Gunna (Gaelic: Gunnaigh) is an island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland.

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Karim Kharbouch (Arabic: ???? ?????‎ Kar?m Kharb?š [kæ?i?m χ??bu??]; born November 9, 1984), better known by his stage name French Montana, is a Moroccan-American rapper managed by SAL&CO. Born and raised in Morocco, he emigrated to the United States with his family when he was 13. He is the founder of Coke Boys Records and its predecessor Cocaine City Records. After years of independent material, he was signed as joint-venture record deal with Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records and Rick Ross's Maybach Music Group in 2012.

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Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Since his mainstream debut in 2012 with Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City, Lamar has been regarded as one of the most influential rappers of his generation. Aside from his solo career, he is also known as a member of the hip hop supergroup Black Hippy alongside his Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) label-mates Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, and Schoolboy Q.

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