The Most famous rappers in history Are represented by names such as Tupac Shakur, Eminem, Jay Z or Lil Wayne, but there are many more who have left their mark on this genre.
Rap was born in New York City's Latino and Black neighborhoods in the 1970s, being a hip hop musical expression mixed with funky or disco.
Although its origin was in the Bronx, its expansion has been brutal thanks to artists like those that we are going to recapitulate next.
25 recognized rappers in history
1- Rick Ross
William Leonard Roberts II, born January 28, 1976, is an American rapper and entrepreneur. Ross founded the Maybach Music Group record label in 2009, in which he released 5 albums. This artist has also signed with the company Ciroc Entertainment. His lyrics have gained popularity by touching controversial subjects like drugs and traffic.
2- André 3000
André Lauren Benjamin, born May 27, 1975, is an American rapper, producer, dancer and actor. He is best known for being part of the hip hop duo Outkast along with rapper Big Boi. Along with music, Benjamin is also an entrepreneur and in 2008 launched his own clothing line.
Busta Rhymes
Trevor George Smith Jr., born May 20, 1972, is an American rapper and producer. He is known for his eccentric style that has been shown in many of his music videos. Also it emphasizes his complex technique of rhyme in which rapea to a high speed with a high use of internal rhymes and half rhymes.
4- Big Sean
Sean Michael Leonard Anderson, born March 25, 1988, is an American rapper from California, but raised in Detroit, Michigan. He has signed with GOOD Music in 2007, Def Jam Recordings in 2008 and Roc Nation in 2014.
5- Sean Combs
Sean John Combs, born November 4, 1969, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor and producer. He is best known by his stage name Puff Daddy or P. Diddy. He was born in Harlem and raised in Mount Vernon, New York. In 1993 he founded his own record label Bad Boy Entertainment. Combs has won three Grammy Awards.
6- The Game
Jayceon Terrell Taylor, born November 29, 1979, is an American rapper and actor. He is one of the artists under the label Aftermath Records. He rose to fame with his first album The Documentary which was continued in 2006 with Doctor's Advocate.
7- Future
Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn, born November 20, 1983, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. Wilburn began his career as part of the collective Dungeon Family. After releasing a series of hits between 2010 and 2011, Future signed with Epic Records and A1 Recordings, which helped him launch his own label called Freebandz.
8- T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris Jr., born September 25, 1980, is an American rapper and actor from Atlanta, Georgia. In 1999 he released his first album with the record company LaFace Records. In 2001, he formed the southern hip hop group called Pimp Squad Click, along with several friends from his hometown. In 2003 he released his own record label called Grand Hustle Records. He is known for popularizing a subgenre of hip hop known as trap music.
9- Eazy-E
Eric Lynn Wright, born on September 7, 1964 and died on March 26, 1995, was an American rapper known for his participation in the group Hip Hop N.W.A. In 1988, this group released their most controversial album called Straight Outta Compton. His most notable influences were the funk bands of the 70s and some of the contemporary rappers of the moment.
10- Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj, born December 8, 1982, is a rapper, singer and songwriter of trinitarian and nationalized American origin. Since 2009, Minaj has been linked to the Young Money Entertainment label. By 2016 she has sold over 20 million singles as a lead artist and nearly 60 million as a guest artist worldwide.
11- Rakim
William Michael Griffin, born January 28, 1968, is an American rapper. He is regarded as one of the most influential rappers of all time. He is known for being part of the hip hop duo Erc B & Rakim, who is part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
12- J. Cole
Jermaine Lamarr Cole, born January 28, 1985, is an American hip hop artist and producer from Fayetteville, North Carolina. Cole rose to fame following the release of his first production Come Up in 2007. He also produces singles for artists such as Kendrick Lamar or Janet Jackson.
13- Ice Cube
O'Shea Jackson Sr., born June 15, 1969, is an American rapper, songwriter, producer, actor and director. He began his career as a member of hip hop group C.I.A and later joined N.W.A. Ice Cube is regarded as one of the founding artists of the gangsta rap genre.
14- Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, born June 17, 1987, is an American rapper and songwriter. He began his musical career under the stage name of K-Dot, signing with the record label Top Dawg Entertainment. His breakthrough came when he released his first album Overly Dedicated in 2010. In 2012 he signs with Aftermath and Interscope Records.
15- Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young, born February 18, 1965, is an American rapper, producer and entrepreneur. He is the founder and current president of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics.
Dre formerly part of Death Row Records as co-founder and artist. He is known for being one of the main figures in the popularization of West Coast G-funk, which is a style of rap music characterized by being synthesizer-based along with a soft and heavy rhythm. In 2015 he was listed as the richest person on the hip hop scene with an estimated $ 620 million.
16- Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, born September 14, 1973, is an American singer, producer, actor and entrepreneur. He is known for being the son of jazz musician Olu dara. Nas has managed to release 8 consecutive albums that have become platinum and multiplatino by their sales of more than 25 million around the world.
17- 50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III, born July 6, 1975, is an American rapper, actor and entrepreneur. From very young began selling drugs to pursue a musical career. In the year 2000 receives 9 shots. In 2002, he is discovered by rapper Eminem and signs a contract with Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records.
18- Snoop Dogg
Cordozar Calvin Broadus Jr., born October 20, 1971, is an American rapper. His musical career began in 1992 when he was discovered by Dr. Dre and was included in the album The Chronic. Since then it has managed to sell more than 35 million albums around the world.
19- The Notorious B.I.G.
Christopher Geogre Latore Wallace, born May 21, 1972 and died on March 9, 1997, was an American rapper. He is continually regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time. Wallace was known for his loose, semi-autobiographical lyrics. He was able to change the tone of his voice during the song. He was killed by an unknown assailant in a Los Angeles shooting.
20- Drake
Aubrey Drake Graham, born October 24, 1986, is a rapper, singer, songwriter, producer and Canadian actor. He was first known for being an actor in the juvenile series Degrassi at the beginning of the decade of 2000. In 2007 he began his musical career with his production Room for Improvement. In 2009 he signs with Young Money Entertainment.
21- Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur, born June 16, 1971 and died on September 13, 1996, was an American rapper, producer, actor and poet. Shakur has managed to sell more than 75 million records globally. Their albums All Eyez on Me and Greatest Hits are among the best selling albums in the United States in all of history. He died of fatal shootings during a Las Vegas shooting.
22- Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., born September 27, 1982, is an American rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. His career began in 1991 when he was only 9 years old with the production company Cash Money Records. Lil Wayne has sold more than 100 million records around the world. He is the president of his own label called Young Money Entertainment.
23- Kanye West
Kanye Omari West, born June 8, 1977, is a rapper, songwriter, producer, fashion designer and American businessman. West began his career as a producer in the 2000s. In 2004 he released his first album known as The College Dropout. In his career he has managed to sell more than 32 million albums and 100 million digital downloads worldwide.
24- Jay Z
Shawn Corey Carter, born December 4, 1969, is an American rapper and entrepreneur. It is one of the most sold musical artists in history with about 100 million records around the world. He has received a total of 21 Grammy Awards throughout his career. Forbes magazine estimates its fortune for 2014 of $ 520 million, making it the richest hip-hop artist in the United States.
25- Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III, born October 17, 1972, is an American rapper, producer and actor. Throughout his career he has had 10 number 1 albums according to Bilboard magazine. Around the world has sold over 172 million albums, becoming one of the best-selling artists.
He has also founded record labels such as Shady Records that have released artists of the likes of 50 cents. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in the Film 8 miles , Which he himself starred.