Music
Rappers Tier List Maker
Rank rappers, from Kendrick Lamar, Drake and J. Cole to Eminem, Jay-Z and Tupac.
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Meet every rapper (32)
These 32 rappers load into the maker above. Each write-up covers what the rapper is and what to weigh when you rank it. Facts were last checked on .
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Kendrick Lamar
Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, with conscious, introspective lyrics on African-American culture. In 2018 he became the first musician outside the classical and jazz genres to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music.
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Drake
A Canadian rapper and singer credited with popularizing R&B sensibilities in hip-hop through rap-singing. He first gained recognition as Jimmy Brooks on the teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation.
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J. Cole
Born on a military base in Germany and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He gained attention with his 2007 mixtape The Come Up and signed with Jay-Z's Roc Nation.
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Eminem
Born Marshall Mathers, known for his rap flow and conscious rap, which includes political criticism and social commentary. He is often credited with popularizing hip-hop in middle America.
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Jay-Z
Born Shawn Carter, a rapper, businessman and record executive known for complex lyricism with double entendres, wordplay and braggadocio. In 2023, Billboard and Vibe ranked him the greatest rapper of all time.
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Kanye West
A rapper, songwriter and producer, now legally known as Ye, whose music is characterized by frequent stylistic shifts. He is credited with helping rappers who did not fit gangsta rap conventions to emerge.
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Travis Scott
A rapper, singer-songwriter and producer born Jacques Webster, with five number-one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and over a hundred charting songs, plus ten Grammy nominations.
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Nas
The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, who began his musical career in 1989 as "Nasty Nas." Rooted in East Coast hip-hop and regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time.
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Tupac Shakur
Also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, a rapper, actor and political activist who died in 1996. He is among the best-selling artists, with more than 75 million records sold worldwide.
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The Notorious B.I.G.
Christopher Wallace, also known as Biggie Smalls, rooted in East Coast hip-hop and gangsta rap. He is known for a distinctive, laidback lyrical delivery that offsets often grim content, and died in 1997.
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Lil Wayne
Born Dwayne Carter in New Orleans and discovered by hometown rapper Birdman in 1993. He is often regarded as one of the most influential hip-hop artists of his generation.
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Snoop Dogg
A key figure in West Coast hip-hop who helped define G-funk and gangsta rap, known for a signature drawled delivery and melodic flow. Born Calvin Broadus Jr. in 1971.
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Dr. Dre
Rapper, producer and executive who founded Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founded Death Row Records. He began in 1984 with World Class Wreckin' Cru before gangsta rap fame.
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50 Cent
A rapper, actor and businessman from Queens, who began his music career in 1996 and recorded his debut album Power of the Dollar for Columbia in 1999–2000. He was shot nine times in 2000.
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Nicki Minaj
A Trinidadian rapper, dubbed the "Queen of Rap," noted for dynamic flow, witty lyrics, musical versatility and alter egos. She is credited as a driving force in the mainstream resurgence of female rappers.
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Cardi B
A New York City rapper known for her energetic flow and outspoken lyrics. Since launching her music career in 2016 she has been credited for elevating the relevance of female rappers.
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Future
Known for mumble-style rap-singing and a prolific output, credited with helping pioneer the use of Auto-Tuned delivery in trap music. Born Nayvadius Wilburn, he is commonly regarded as hugely influential.
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Lil Baby
Rose to prominence with his 2017 mixtapes Harder than Hard and Too Hard, the former spawning his first Billboard Hot 100 entry with "My Dawg." He signed with Quality Control Music.
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21 Savage
An Atlanta-based rapper born in London who began recording in 2013. His breakout project was the 2016 collaborative EP Savage Mode with producer Metro Boomin.
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Tyler, the Creator
A rapper, singer, producer and fashion designer known for eclectic, experimental music, a raw lyrical style and frequent use of alter egos across albums. Influential in alternative hip-hop.
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A$AP Rocky
Born Rakim Mayers and raised in Harlem, he took his stage name from the ASAP Mob collective. His single "Peso" leaked online in August 2011, which helped launch his career.
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Post Malone
A singer, rapper, songwriter and producer whose music blends pop, hip-hop, trap, country, R&B and rock. He broke through with his 2015 cloud rap single "White Iverson."
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Juice WRLD
Jarad Higgins, a leading figure in the emo and SoundCloud rap genres who died in 2019 at age 21. His stage name, he said, represents "taking over the world."
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Playboi Carti
An American rapper known for an eccentric vocal style and fashion, and a pioneer of the rage microgenre. His atmospheric, avant-garde music uses unconventional techniques such as a "baby voice."
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Megan Thee Stallion
A rapper, songwriter and actress who gained recognition after videos of her freestyling went viral. She released the mixtape Fever in 2019 and the EP Suga in 2020, both reaching the top ten.
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Ice Cube
O'Shea Jackson, whose work on N.W.A's 1989 album Straight Outta Compton helped popularize gangsta rap. His political solo albums AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, Death Certificate and The Predator were all successful.
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Missy Elliott
A rapper, singer, songwriter and producer, also known as Misdemeanor, who began as a member of the R&B girl group Sista in the 1990s, part of DeVante Swing's Swing Mob collective.
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Lil Uzi Vert
A Philadelphia rapper and singer-songwriter known for an eclectic fashion style and genre-blending music, considered an influential figure in contemporary hip-hop.
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Young Thug
Known for an eccentric vocal style and fashion, and a popularizer of the mumble rap microgenre. He began his career in 2011 with a series of mixtapes.
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Pop Smoke
A Brooklyn rapper who rose to fame with his 2019 singles "Welcome to the Party" and "Dior." He often collaborated with UK drill artists and died in February 2020.
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Metro Boomin
A record producer born Leland Wayne, acclaimed for a dark and cinematic style and regarded as one of the most influential producers in trap. He has worked with Future, 21 Savage and the Weeknd.
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Outkast
An Atlanta hip-hop duo formed in 1992 by Big Boi and André 3000, widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential hip-hop acts, active from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s.
Rappers tier list questions
Why are producers and duos on a list of rappers?
Metro Boomin is a producer and Outkast is a duo, but fans routinely rank them alongside solo rappers because of their influence on the genre, so they are on the list.
Do the write-ups include controversies?
No. They cover careers, styles and milestones, and leave out personal and legal controversies, so the list stays about the music and the ranking is up to you.
How should I rank rappers?
Common criteria include lyricism, flow, influence, catalog, longevity and personal favorites. Many fans rank by era or region, since styles from different decades are hard to compare directly.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these references on .