Some of the best rappers in the world have impacted the world of music as we know it. Rap music has taken the world by storm and it creates some of the biggest followings of the moment.
Most rappers are simply following their style and all of the top 10 rappers come with a different style.
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10. Stormzy
Image: Wikimedia / Frank Schwichtenberg
Michael Omari known as Stormzy is an upcoming British rapper. He sings hip hop and R&B music alongside his rapping lyrics.
He has taken off from the underground rap scene in London and he’s now featured on some of the biggest music festivals and TV shows on the planet.
Gang Signs and Prayer is its latest album released in 2017.
9. Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg is a legendary name in the rap world. The American hit the big stage at an early age with a distinct flow and a relaxed style. Hit lyrics often involve personal thoughts and memories.
With multiple award-winning albums, the rapper is now frequently seen on scenes around the world. Snoop Dogg is one of those rappers that is seen on tour more than others as he still manages to remain relevant in a world of new artists.
8. Lil Wayne
Image: Flickr / Megan Elice Meadows
Lil Wayne comes from New Orleans, the US city of music. This can be seen in his DNA even if the young rapper says Nirvana influences his music. He has multiple albums with millions in sales.
His first album The Block is Hot was launched in 1999. His latest album Funeral was launched in 2020. His debut album was certified platinum.
7. Drake
Image: Flickr / The Come Up Show
Drake has won 4 Grammy Awards. The rapper is known to write about egotistical topics and he centers much of his believes into his persona. As a rapper, he inserts personal anecdotes in his music style. The musician lives in a large house in Toronto.
His large house was nicknamed The Embassy. But apart from his lavish lifestyle, he’s also known for dating singer Rihanna on multiple occasions. The couple even appeared in public at certain events.
6. Nas
Image: Flickr / Coup d’Oreille
Nas or Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones is one of the biggest rappers in history. Growing up in the New York rap underworld, he eventually became popularized and he launched multiple platinum and multi-platinum albums. Nas is one of the prominent names in the world of rap as he’s among the world leaders of hip hop heritage.
Harvard University has a Nas fellowship that allows students to learn or to enhance their creative hip hop skills even without funding. Making music from 1991, Nas is one of the oldest rappers at the highest level of platinum albums and millions of dollars in music sales.
5. Jay-Z
Image: Flickr / Joella Marano
Jay-Z is one of the most prominent rappers in history. While not so popular in Europe, Jay-Z positioned his music in the spotlight from the start. He went on to create his own records company where he promoted several prominent stars.
But Jay-Z has also been involved in a few disputes, one of them with no other than Nas. He has been making music and influencing record disc sales for the year. In his personal life, Jay-Z is known to be a family man. He is married to Beyonce and they form one of the successful music business couples.
4. Lamar
Image: Wikimedia / Fuzheado
Kendrick Lamar is now 33. The prominent hip-hopper was born in California and he grew up involved in various local gangs. But of his upbringing is seen in his music today. But Lamar has a few records of his own in the music industry.
For example, he broke Spotify’s record for debut album sales. He’s estimated to have sold over 300.000 copies of his album within 7 days of its release prompting a new record at music streaming platform Spotify.
In his personal life, he has seen plenty of high profile events as he’s the cousin of an NBA player. He’s married to his high school girlfriend. In politics, Lamar doesn’t believe in voting. He’s been interviewed a few times saying voting is useless and that the US president has limited powers.
3. Notorious BIG
Image: Flickr / InSapphoWeTrust
Notorious BIG is one of the rappers with the biggest impact on the music industry. He died at a young age and still passed on an incredible discography. He grew up in New York where he was part of the gangsta culture.
But Biggie was already successful early into his 20s. After his death by shooting in 2004, his album went on straight to the top of Billboard 200. He still had 2 other post-mortem albums that won diamond awards.
His music style was unique and so was his voice. It’s a shame that he didn’t manage to get rid of bad influences and he was lost to shooting while promoting one of his albums in California.
2. Eminem
Image: Wikimedia / Mika-photography
Eminem used to be the underdog as many didn’t felt he had what it takes to become a first-class rapper. But as the years went on, Eminem released hit after hit such as 8 Mile and he went on even on the big screen with brief acting appearances.
Today, it is believed that Eminem and his tour group put on the best live rap music events the world has ever seen as he’s on tour more often than other rappers.
1. Tupac
Image: Flickr / John Seb Barber
Tupac was the son of political activities and this can be seen in some of his lyrics where he criticized politicians and corruption in general. He grew up in New York where he started writing his work. He later moved to San Francisco to be a bit closer to his music dreams.
Tupac is believed to have sold around 75 million albums both before and after his death. He was shot dead in Las Vegas while he was celebrating the birthday party of a friend. He was expected to dominate the world of rap for years to come before the unfortunate event.
