With thousands grinding and hustling to include their names in the top charts of hip-hop, have you ever wondered which all artists have made it to the top and unleashed the tag of the best rapper in the scene? Some have been nominated and even won a B.E.T. or two, and then others are amazing enough but just not made it to the list. But here we are strictly going to focus on those legends, who have already created a benchmark in the hip-hop scene with their extraordinary musicianship and are on the joyous ride to success. Below listed are the top 10 African rappers in 2020, who have given a new dimension to rap and demonstrated the ultimate authority. Read below to know more.
- SARKODIE
Being regarded as one of the most successful rappers in Africa, Sarkodie is a skillful Ghanaian rapper and entrepreneur who with his remarkable rap compositions and performances have collected over 88 awards including two BETs by over-shining some terrific rappers like Tory Lanes and Nasty C. The rapper was raised to fame in 2012 for his second album named Rapperholic that gifted him his first BET award for the Best International Act. Moreover, who is the first rapper to have bagged the BET Hip Hop awards in 2018 who is the master of some great rap tunes like CEO Flow. Many even consider him to be the African Rap God whose contribution to the rap industry for over ten years has earned him massive acknowledgment.
- NASTY C
Passing by the name Nsikayesizwe David Junior Ngcobo, NASTY C is a prolific South African rapper, record producer, and songwriter who earned fame with his hit mixtape Price City back in 2015. The rapper is the youngest recipient for the Best Freshman Award at the 2015 South African Hip Hop Award and also owns the awards for the Best Male Artist, Best Male Album, Best Hip-Hop Album, and songwriter of the year being presented at the 16th Metro FM Music Awards. All his masterpieces perform terrifically well at the charts and some of his well-known bangers are Win Some, Loose Some, Bookoo Buck, etc.
- FALZ
A Nigerian rapper with an Afro Hip-Hop style who has raised to great heights with his indigenous Nigerian sounds fused perfectly with contemporary sounds is Falz. He is a fantastic rapper, actor, and songwriter who stepped into music during his secondary school days and gained popularity after he launched his professional career in 2009. The rapper has won several worthy titles including Viewers Choice Best New International Act at the BETSs in 2016 and has also bright home the Album of the Year at the City People Entertainment Awards held in 2016. Born with the name Folarin Falana, this rapper is certainly one of the most adaptive rapper’s in the league who considers his award for the Best Actor in AMVCA as his true achievement so far.
- CASSPER NYOVEST
Refiloe Maele Phoolo, affectionately known as Cassper Nyovest is a South African rapper and record maker who tasted fame back in 2013 with his composition named Gusheshe and has never since looked back. His consistent hit delivering ability and honest skills have allowed the fans to mark him as one of the top South African musicians in the scene. The versatile rapper has won forty-seven awards in total and back in 2017, he had won the MVP, Hustler of the year, Milestone, Best Video, Best digital sales, and also for the Best Male Act in the South African Hip-Hop awards show. The celebrated rapper has recently dropped his new album Any Minute Now that is ruling all the streaming platforms and charts now.
- KHULI CHANA
South African rapper, Khuli Chana who started rapping from a very young age earned fame only after he released his major album Motswakoriginator that went ahead to establish his name permanently in the African rap scene. The rapper has already shared the stage with Drake and has even partnered with big brands like Absolut as one of their ambassadors. His polished style and remarkable rap artistry have fetched him awards like the Best New Comer at the Channel O Music Video Awards, Best Vernacular Hip-hop album at the South African Traditional Music Awards, and many more.
- OLAMIDE
Nigerian hip-hop recording artist Olamide who mostly records in his native tongue is the first-ever Nigerian artist to have sealed a deal with Ciroc. The rapper who has some flawless hits under his name like First of All, Voice of the Street, Stupid Love, and Ilefo Illuminati has won awards like the Best Street-Hop artist, Artist of the Year, and also an award for the Best Rap artist of the year at the Headies.
- M.I. ABAGA
M.I. Abaga, a prolific rapper and record producer from Nigeria who rose to fame in 2006 after his famous tune Group Mentality but quickly recognized by his fans for his sound and commendable sense of music-making. The artist nurtured the passion for hip-hop music from a very tender age and subsequently started creating songs that highly impressed the people around him. His songs are always full of punch and many times his style has been stated similarly to that of Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and Jay-Z. Moreover, many even claim his ego to be similar to that of those big names. The rapper has bagged awards for the Best Hip-Hop and also for the Best New Act at the 2009 MTV Africa Music Awards and was even nominated in the Best International Act category at the BET Awards in 2010. Additionally, he also awards like Best rap single, Best rap album, and others at the Headies Awards in 2016.
- AKA WORLDWIDE
Kiernan Jarryd Forbes most affectionately known as AKA Worldwide is a famous South African rapper, record producer, songwriter, entrepreneur, and singer who gained victory in the African industry after his massive hit Victory Lap. This rapper has opened for some big artists like Ed Sheeran and 2 Chainz during their visit to South Africa. He has delivered several collections to date and his 2015 collection named Levels became Certified Gold. To celebrate his success, Forbes released his albums Touch My Blood, Levels, And Be Careful What You Wish For in 2017. AKA has earned numerous awards like the Best Male Artist at the South African Music Awards back in 2012 and also the awards for the Favorite African Star and the Pan African Artist of the year at the 2019 Kids’ Choice Awards.
- M.ANIFEST
Anifest, the artist, rapper, and musician from Ghana is a widely celebrated figure in the African Rap industry who began showing off his significant skills from 2005 onwards. His single Someway bi earned him the third place in the International Songwriters Competition in 2015 and in the same year The Guardian presented him the award for the foremost rapper on the continent. His project Manifestations had presented him with the Songwriter of the year Honors in the City Pages. The stunning rapper has also bagged awards like the Minnesota Emerging Composer Award in 2010, for the Best Hip-Hop Video in the 4syte Music Video Awards, for the Hip-Hop song of the year at the Ghana Music Awards in 2013, and many more.
- KHALIGRAPH JONES
Khaligraph Jones most popularly called Papa Jones is a much influential Kenyan rapper who hones a rap speed similar to Twista’s. The rapper who was once persuaded by his elder brother back in 2007 to take his musical attributes to greater heights is now one of the most prominent figures in the African rap industry. At the age of 13, he released his first massive hit and mainly practices freestyling rap form to please his fans. His craft and style are favored by a lot of music lovers. The artist has won awards like the Channel O Emcee African Champion in 2014 and was thereby titled as the Kenyan Music Ambassador. Moreover, Papa Jones is also the face of Kenyan Hip-hop.