50 best male Rappers of all time
by ruffcoaley | created - 11 Dec 2013 | updated - 12 Nov 2015 | PublicThe greatest rappers to do it... I know alot of people will disagree with my list but i broke it down into 20 catergories to come up with the rankings...
1. Tupac Shakur
Soundtrack | Poetic Justice
Born in New York City, Tupac grew up primarily in Harlem. In 1984, his family moved to Baltimore, Maryland where he became good friends with Jada Pinkett Smith. His family moved again in 1988 to Oakland, California. His first breakthrough in music came in 1991 as a member of the group Digital ...
2. Jay-Z
Soundtrack | The Great Gatsby
Jay-Z was born Shawn Corey Carter on December 4, 1969 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. Carter was a school friend of The Notorious B.I.G.. He first started releasing records in the late 1980s. In 1990, he appeared on records by his close friend, Jas ("The Originators") and Original Flavor ("...
3. Nas
Soundtrack | Belly
Nas, born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones on September 14, 1973, is the son of Olu Dara, an unconventional jazz musician. At age nine he was a member of the Devastatin' Seven in the mid-1980s, the fruits of which can be heard on his 1994 debut, "Illmatic," which was released on Columbia/SME later that ...
4. Eminem
Soundtrack | 8 Mile
Eminem was born Marshall Bruce Mathers III in St. Joseph, Missouri, to Deborah R. (Nelson) and Marshall Bruce Mathers, Jr., who were in a band together, Daddy Warbucks. He is of English, as well as some German, Scottish, and Swiss-German, ancestry. Marshall spent his early childhood being shoved ...
5. The Notorious B.I.G.
Soundtrack | Bad Boys
Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. Biggie Smalls, was born on May 21, 1972 in Brooklyn, New York. He was the son of Jamaican parents, Voletta Wallace, a pre-school teacher, and George Latore, a welder and small-time politician. He was raised in the poor Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant. ...
6. Scarface
Soundtrack | Narc
Scarface, a.k.a. Brad Jordan, was born and raised in Houston, Texas, in the South Park neighborhood. He is one of the rappers of the Geto Boys, and has recorded solo albums like Mr. Scarface is Back, The Diary, and The World is Yours. In real life, he was a high school dropout at 16, and suffered ...
7. André 3000
Actor | Four Brothers
André 3000 was born on May 27, 1975 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA as André Lauren Benjamin.
8. DMX
Soundtrack | Exit Wounds
DMX was born on December 18, 1970 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA as Earl Simmons. He was previously married to Tashera Simmons.
10. Lil' Wayne
Soundtrack | Suicide Squad
Lil' Wayne was born on September 27, 1982 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA as Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. He was previously married to Toya Johnson.
11. Snoop Dogg
Actor | Training Day
Snoop Dogg was born on October 20, 1971 in Long Beach, California, USA as Calvin Cordozar Broadus. He is an actor, known for Training Day (2001), Turbo (2013) and Baby Boy (2001). He has been married to Shante Taylor since June 12, 1997. They have three children.
12. Rakim
Soundtrack | Limitless
Universally referenced as one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time, Rakim first exploded onto the New York scene in 1986 with the iconic "Eric B. is President" single and album "Paid In Full." With its unprecedented lyricism and complex rhyme patterns, the release, alongside a carefully ...
13. T.I.
Actor | Ant-Man
T.I. was born Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. on September 25, 1980, in Atlanta, Georgia, to Violeta Morgan and Clifford "Buddy" Harris, Sr. He is also known as T.I.P. and "Rubberband Man". T.I. is from the streets of Westside Bankhead Zone 1 in Atlanta. His original stage name, T.I.P., it stems from ...
14. J. Cole
Soundtrack | Project X
Jermaine Cole (a.k.a. J.Cole) was originally born in Germany. But his origins are from North Carolina/Charlotte and he never hides it. He was signed by Jay-Z as the first artist for his record label Roc Nation. He dropped his first mix tape there, 'The Warm Up' and it had received great reviews ...
15. Drake
Actor | The Fabulous Baker Boys
Drake is an actor, known for The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989).
16. Kanye West
Soundtrack | The Great Gatsby
Kanye Omari West (born June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur and fashion designer. His musical career has been marked by dramatic changes in styles, incorporating an eclectic range of influences including soul, baroque pop, electro, indie rock, ...
17. Ludacris
Actor | Crash
Ludacris was born Christopher Brian Bridges in Champaign, Illinois, where he was raised, the son of Roberta Shields and Wayne Brian Bridges. At nine years old, he started rapping. He attended Emerson Middle School and, eventually, Oak Park and River Forest High School for his freshman year. ...
18. Big Pun
Soundtrack | That Awkward Moment
Big Pun was born on November 9, 1971 in Bronx, New York, USA as Christopher Lee Rios. He was married to Liza Rios. He died on February 7, 2000 in White Plains, New York.
19. Twista
Soundtrack | Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse
Carl Terrell Mitchell (born November 27, 1973), better known by his stage name Twista (formerly Tung Twista), is an American recording artist. He is best known for his chopper style of rapping and for once holding the title of fastest rapper in the world according to Guinness World Records in 1992,...
20. Jeezy
Actor | Worth A Conversation
Over the course of his career, Jeezy has three #1 Billboard albums, sold more than five million albums worldwide and has had multiple chart-topping hits. At the age of 24, he released an indie album called "Thuggin' Under Influence" with Lil J as his moniker. The following years, he spawned more ...
21. Juvenile
Soundtrack | Money Train
Juvenile was born on March 25, 1975 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA as Terius Gray. He has been married to Shadonna Jones since September 4, 2004.
22. Rick Ross
Soundtrack | Suicide Squad
With eight #1 and #2 Soundscan original studio albums, and four Grammy Award® nominations under his belt since 2006, Rick Ross was a core artist on the Def Jam roster. His drawing power was established virtually overnight when, in an earlier digital era, his 2006 label debut, "Hustlin'" became the ...
23. 50 Cent
Actor | Get Rich or Die Tryin'
50 Cent was born on July 6, 1975 in Queens, New York City, New York, USA as Curtis James Jackson III. He is an actor, known for Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005), Power (2014) and Escape Plan (2013).
24. Mystikal
Soundtrack | Kiss of the Dragon
Mystikal was born on September 22, 1970 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA as Michael Lawrence Tyler.
25. Big Daddy Kane
Soundtrack | Blade: Trinity
Big Daddy Kane was born on September 10, 1968 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA as Antonio Hardy. He has been married to Shawnette since May 1, 2010.
26. Styles P
Soundtrack | Exit Wounds
David Styles A.K.A. Styles P was born in 1974 in Corona Queens, New York USA, when his father was from Bed Styu and his mother originally came from South Africa. After a divorce his mother moved to Yonkers when he was seven and had his little brother Gary, then a sister. For years known primarily ...
27. Common
Actor | Wanted
First known as a rapper who became one of the more prominent voices in hip-hop's new millennium renaissance, Common later transitioned into acting. He was born in Chicago, and is the son of educator Dr. Mahalia Ann Hines and Lonnie Lynn, an ABA basketball player turned youth counselor.
On October 6,...
28. Dr. Dre
Soundtrack | Training Day
Considered by many to be hip-hop's greatest producer, Dr. Dre (b. André Young, February 18, 1965) pioneered gangsta hip-hop and his own variation of the sound, dubbed G-Funk. His very early albums were violent but cautionary tales of the criminal mind, but Dre's records with NWA celebrated the ...
29. Slick Rick
Soundtrack | Everest
Born to Jamaican parents in London, on January 14, 1965, Slick Rick, born Ricky Martin Lloyd Walters, is the most successful British-American rapper in music history. Brilliant word play, the effort-less ability to bring life to the stories he rhymed about, dead on pop-culture references and ...
30. Trick Daddy
Soundtrack | The A-Team
Trick Daddy was born in 1973 in Miami, Florida, USA as Maurice Young.
31. LL Cool J
Actor | Deep Blue Sea
L.L. Cool J was born James Todd Smith on January 14, 1968, in Bay Shore, Long Island, New York, the son of Ondrea Griffith and James Louis Smith, Jr. Todd, as he was called, did not have a very happy childhood. At the age of four, he saw his mother and grandfather shot by his own father. After they...
32. Beanie Sigel
Soundtrack | State Property
Beanie Sigel was born on March 6, 1974 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA as Dwight Grant.
33. Meek Mill
Soundtrack | Bright
Meek Mill was born on May 6, 1987 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA as Robert Rihmeek Williams. He is an actor and composer, known for Bright (2017), Spring Breakers (2012) and Creed (2015).
34. Kool G. Rap
Soundtrack | Colors
Kool G. Rap was born on July 20, 1964 in Jamaica, Queens, New York City, New York, USA as Nathaniel Thomas Wilson.
35. Kendrick Lamar
Soundtrack | The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Kendrick Lamar is a hip-hop artist from Compton, California. He's signed with Dr. Dre's label, Aftermath. Kendrick also has his own label, known as 'Top Dawg Entertainment', with includes artists such as Jay Rock, ScHoolboy Q and Ab Soul. Kendrick's major label debut album, 'good kid m.A.A.d city' ...
37. Ice-T
Actor | New Jack City
The legendary gangsta hip-hop emcee Ice-T was born Tracy Marrow on February 16, 1958, in Newark, New Jersey. He moved to Los Angeles, California, to live with his paternal aunt after the death of his father while he was in the sixth grade; his mother had died earlier when he was in the third grade....
38. Ice Cube
Soundtrack | Friday
Ice Cube was born in South Central Los Angeles, to Doris (Benjamin), a custodian and hospital clerk, and Hosea Jackson, a UCLA groundskeeper. He first came to public notice as a singer and songwriter with the controversial and influential band N.W.A. His compositions with that group included many ...
39. Mase
Soundtrack | Money Talks
Mase was born on August 27, 1974 in Jacksonville, Florida, USA as Mason Durell Betha. He has been married to Twyla G Styles since August 25, 2001. They have one child.
40. Talib Kweli
Soundtrack | Superbad
Talib Kweli was born on October 3, 1975 in Brooklyn, New York, USA as Talib Greene.
41. Yasiin Bey
Actor | The Italian Job
Regarded as one of hip-hop's most introspective and insightful artists, Mos Def has shaped a career that transcends music genres and artistic medium. Taking a cue from the Afrocentric stylings of the Native Tongues crew, which included De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest and Andres ...
42. Method Man
Actor | How High
Method Man was born on April 1, 1971 in Richmond [now Staten Island], New York City, New York, USA as Clifford Smith. He is an actor, known for How High (2001), Garden State (2004) and Method & Red (2004). He has been married to Tamika Smith since March 3, 2001.
43. Ghostface Killah
Soundtrack | Iron Man
Born and raised in the heart of Staten Island, New York, Ghostface Killah, born Dennis Coles, is a very well-known member of Wu-Tang Clan, the celebrated hip-hop group. Emerging from a childhood filled with poverty, he puts his all into his projects and everything he rhymes about basically stems ...
44. E-40
Soundtrack | The Big Hit
E-40 was born on November 15, 1967 in Vallejo, California, USA as Earl Stevens. He has been married to Tracey Stevens since June 22, 1991.
45. B.G.
Soundtrack | Romeo Must Die
Christopher Noel Dorsey (born September 3, 1980),[2] better known by his stage name B.G. (short for "Baby Gangsta"), is an American rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. He began his music career signing to Cash Money Records in 1992, with Lil Wayne (then known as Baby D.) as half of the duo The B.G....
47. Yo Gotti
Soundtrack | Skam
Yo Gotti is an actor and composer, known for Skam (2015), Yo Gotti Feat. Lunchmoney Lewis: Lifestyle (2017) and Madden NFL 18 (2017).
48. Eazy-E
Soundtrack | The Watch
Eric Lynn Wright, better known by his stage name Eazy-E, was an American rapper who performed solo and as a member of the group NWA Wright is affectionately called "The Godfather Of Gangsta Rap."
He was born in Compton, California. After dropping out of high school in the tenth grade, he supported ...
49. Wale
Soundtrack | American Honey
Wale was born on September 21, 1984 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA as Olubowale Victor Akintimehin. He is an actor, known for American Honey (2016), Million Dollar Arm (2014) and 30 Minutes or Less (2011).
50. Future
Soundtrack | Fast & Furious 7
Future was born on November 20, 1983 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA as Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn.
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