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The term “pop culture” in music is incomplete without the inclusion of rap in its itinerary, and the hip-hop scene of 2023 is proof that it has now become one of the most significant pillars of the music industry. Including artists like Bad Bunny, Doja Cat, Drake, and Nicki Minaj among the insane list of stars who have taken over the industry with their talent, the competition across the Billboard charts is quite fierce.
Though it is difficult to state who the Best rapper in 2023 is, below are some of the most popular stars of the genre:
- Kendrick Lamar
The American rapper, songwriter, and record producer, Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, was born on June 17, 1987. He began his musical career as a teenager under the stage name K-Dot and gained recognition after his first retail release ‘Overly Dedicated’ in 2010. His debut album ‘Section.80’ was released in 2011, followed by ‘Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012)’, ‘To Pimp a Butterfly (2015)’, ‘Untitled Unmastered (2016)’, ‘DAMN (2017)’, ‘Black Panther (2018)’, and ‘Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022)’. Having sold over 70 million records in the US, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has certified all of Lamar’s albums platinum or higher. He has won multiple accolades, including 17 Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, two American Music Awards, six Billboard Music Awards, 11 MTV Video Music Awards, a Brit Award, California State Senate’s Generational Icon Award, and a nomination for an Academy Award. His project ‘Humble’ became the first non-jazz and non-classical work to win a Pulitzer Prize for Music.
- 21 Savage
Born as Shayaa Bin Abraham-Joseph on October 22, 1992, 21 Savage moved to Atlanta from London when he was 7 and began to gain fame after releasing two mixtapes in 2015: ‘The Slaughter Tape’ and ‘Slaughter King’. He gained international recognition with the release of his collaborative EP ‘Savage Mode’. His debut studio album ‘Issa Album’ came in 2017, followed by others: ‘I Am > I Was’, ‘Without Warning’, ‘Savage Mode 2’, ‘Her Loss’, and numerous singles. So far he has won one Billboard Music Award, one MTV Video Music Award, one iHeartRadio Titanium Award, and one Grammy, along with multiple nominations in several award categories.
- Drake
Canadian singer, songwriter, and actor, Aubrey Drake Graham, professionally known as ‘Drake’, was born in Toronto, Ontario, and rose to fame with his role as Jimmy Brooks in the CTV teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation. His musical career began with the mixtape ‘Room for Improvement (2006)’, followed by ‘Comeback Season’, ‘So Far Gone’, ‘If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late’, ‘What a Time to Be Alive’, ‘More Life’, and ‘Dark Lane Demo Tapes’. Drake propelled into the world of hip-hop with his first studio album ‘Thank Me Later (2010)’, followed by ‘Take Care (2011)’, ‘Nothing Was the Same (2013)’, ‘Views (2016)’, ‘Scorpion (2018)’, ‘Certified Lover Boy (2021)’, ‘Honestly, Nevermind (2022)’, and ‘For All the Dogs (2023)’. ‘Her Loss (2022)’ was a collaborative album released with Savage 21. He has also released a large number of singles, extended plays, and compilation albums. With over 170 million records sold, Drake has been ranked the highest-certified digital singles artist in the US by RIAA and has won five Grammy Awards, six American Music Awards, a record 34 Billboard Music Awards, two Brit Awards, and three Juno Awards.
- Eminem
Considered to be the Best Rapper in the world, Eminem (born Marshall Bruce Mathers III), began his solo musical career with his debut album ‘Infinite (1996)’, followed by the extended play ‘Slim Shady EP (1997)’. He gained worldwide success with the albums ‘The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)’ and ‘The Eminem Show (2002)’. They were followed by ‘Relapse (2009)’, ‘Recovery(2010)’, ‘The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (2013)’, ‘Revival (2017)’, ‘Kamikaze (2018)’ and ‘Music to Be Murdered By (2020)’, and ‘Music to Be Murdered By – Side B (2020)’. Being one of the best-selling music artists of all time, the American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, film producer, and actor, Eminem has won numerous awards, including 15 Grammy Awards, eight American Music Awards, 17 Billboard Music Awards, an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and an MTV Europe Music Global Icon Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November 2022. He made his debut in acting when he played a dramatized version of himself in the musical drama film 8 Mile (2002).
- Nicki Minaj
Born on December 8, 1982, in Saint James, Port of Spain, Onika Tanya Maraj, professionally known as Nicki Minaj, is a Trinidad and Tobago-born rapper, singer, songwriter, actress, and model, who rose to fame with her mixtapes, ‘Playtime Is Over (2007)’, ‘Sucka Free (2008)’, and ‘Beam Me Up Scotty (2009)’. Her first studio album, ‘Pink Friday’ was released in 2010, followed by ‘Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012)’, ‘The Pinkprint (2014)’, ‘Queen (2018)’, and ‘Pink Friday 2 (2023)’. Her compilation album ‘Queen Radio: Volume 1’ was released in 2022, and she has also released an immense number of singles. With more than 100 million records sold worldwide, Nicki Minaj has won eight American Music Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards (including the 2022 Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award), twelve BET Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, a Brit Award, three Guinness World Records and ten Grammy nominations. Apart from her music career, she has also leaned her voice to animated films like Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012) and The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019), and has acted in supporting roles in the films The Other Woman (2014) and Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016).
These are just 5 among the uncountable names that have popped up in the world of hip-hop over the years and made their mark. New bars are being set by A-list newcomers like Doechii, GloRilla, and Ice Spice, who are also an inspiration to the future generation of female rappers, and Frank Ocean is anticipated to headline the upcoming Coachella music festival.
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