We list some of the best New York rappers who are dominating the rap game right now. Hip hop fans know how rappers like Nicki Minaj or Joey Bada$$ don’t hold back when it comes to delivering hard, no-nonsense verses about life experiences. But it’s also diverse as well with rappers like French Montana and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie having styles that eschew melodic hooks and flashy delivery, instead focusing on intense, motivated lyricism.
1. Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj started creating a buzz after releasing the mixtapes Playtime Is Over (2007), Sucka Free (2008), and Beam Me Up Scotty (2009). After which she signed to Young Money Entertainment in 2009. No doubt Nicki Minaj is one of the best female rappers of all time. Her unique voice (which often makes use of various accents), and vigorous, fast-flow rap style have made her popular both as a solo artist and as a featured cameo voice on other albums. Minaj has received several music awards and 10 Grammy Award nominations. She’s also one of the best-selling music artists, with more than 100 million records sold worldwide.
- Real name: Onika Tanya Maraj
- Born: December 8, 1982 (Saint James, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 49 million
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- Nicki Minaj Is The 21st Century’s Insatiable Hip-Hop Monarch
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- Why Nicki Minaj Is One Of The Greatest Of All Time
2. Cardi B
Cardi B is a Grammy Award-winning American rapper, social media personality and former reality star whose commercial debut single, “Bodak Yellow,” surged to the top of the music charts in 2017. Cardi learned how to be self-dependent in life since she was a teenager as her cashier mother and cabbie father barely could make ends meet. During this time, she turned to stripping, calling it an escape from poverty and domestic violence in her relationship with her then boyfriend. Cardi B appeared as a regular cast member on the reality television series Love & Hip Hop: New York (2011), which represented the pursuit of her music aspirations. Later on, her debut studio album, Invasion of Privacy (2018), debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, broke several streaming records, was certified triple platinum by the RIAA and named by Billboard the top female rap album of the 2010s. Critically acclaimed, it won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, making Cardi B the only woman to win the award as a solo artist, as well as the first female rap artist in 15 years to be nominated for Album of the Year.
- Real name: Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar
- Born: October 11, 1992 (New York City)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 29 million
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Read more:
- How Cardi B’s Unconventional Success Is Impacting the Music World
- A Timeline of Cardi B’s Meteoric Rise to Fame
- How Cardi B Became One Of The Most Influential Rappers Of The New Age
3. Pop Smoke
Pop Smoke started getting popularity from his April 2019 single “Welcome To The Party,” which was boosted by support from A$AP Ferg. Smoke also used a signature and distinguishable drill-style rap in his music, the style that is typically seen in the UK rap scene. However, Pop Smoke joins young talented rappers such as Mac Miller, Lil Peep, the problematic XXXTentacion, Nipsey Hussle and Juice WRLD whose lives were cut short in the prime of their careers. Early in the morning on February 19, 2020 the Brooklyn rapper was shot and killed at the home he was renting in the Hollywood Hills.
- Real name: Bashar Barakah Jackson
- Born: July 20, 1999 (Canarsie, Brooklyn, New York)
- Died: February 19, 2020 (Los Angeles, California)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 20 million
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Read more:
- Pop Smoke: The life of Bashar Barakah Jackson
- Everything We Know About Pop Smoke’s Death
- Pop Smoke Made Brooklyn Sound Like the Center of the Rap Universe
4. A$AP Rocky
A$AP Rocky started out selling drugs and also ended up behind bars. He spent 2 weeks in detention sharing a cell with rapper Casanova. After his release, the New York rapper realized that it was time to change his life, and seriously took up music. He first gained fame with his LiveLoveA$AP mix tape. His first studio album Long. Live. ASAP debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 2013 and earned him a nomination for a BET Award for Best Male Hip-Hop Artist. Since then he’s gone on to collaborate with a wide range of artists from Kendrick Lamar and 2 Chainz to Skepta and Skrillex. Rocky himself has assisted with hits headlined by Selena Gomez (“Good for You”), G-Eazy (“No Limit”), and Famous Dex (“Pick It Up”).
- Real name: Rakim Athelaston Mayers
- Born: October 3, 1988 (New York City)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 20 million
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Read more:
- A$AP Rocky: Mr Dynamical
- ASAP Rocky on Rap Being ‘Stuck’ in State of Adolescence Since the Rise of the Internet: ‘It’s Not as Mature’
- The Renaissance Man: A$AP Rocky reflects on life in his thirties
5. A Boogie Wit da Hoodie
A Boogie Wit da Hoodie began rapping at age twelve after listening to Kanye West and 50 Cent. On June 13, 2017, the New York rapper was named as one of the ten of XXL’s “2017 Freshman Class”. On September 29, 2017, he released his debut studio album, The Bigger Artist, featuring guest appearances from Chris Brown, Trey Songz, Kodak Black, 21 Savage, PnB Rock and YoungBoy Never Broke Again. His biggest charting songs are “Numbers” (which debuted at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100), “Look Back at It” (number 27), and “Drowning” (number 38). (number 38). His first studio album, The Bigger Artist (2017), debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 list.
- Real name: Artist Julius Dubose
- Born: December 6, 1995 (New York City)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 16 million
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Read more:
- A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie: What’s in a Name?
- A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie Thinks All Hits Are Mediocre — Even His
- A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie: The Resounding Influence of NYC’s Quietest Rap Star
6. French Montana
After years of independent material, French Montana was signed as joint-venture record deal with Puff Daddy’s Bad Boy Records and Rick Ross’s Maybach Music Group in 2012. The New York rapper released his debut mixtape in 2007 and had his first breakthrough with the single “Choppa Choppa Down” in 2010. He released his debut studio album Excuse My French on May 21, 2013. In July 2017, Montana released his second studio album, Jungle Rules, which peaked at number three on the Billboard 200.
- Real name: Karim Kharbouch
- Born: November 9, 1984 (Casablanca, Morocco)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 16 million
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Read more:
- French Montana Has Never Felt So Free
- French Montana on Why It’s Tougher to Succeed as a Rapper Than as an NBA Player
7. Lil Tjay
Lil Tjay spent his early teenage years getting into fights and pulling off petty robberies, which landed him in a youth detention center in 2016, when he was 15. After returning home in late 2017, he started releasing music on SoundCloud. Over the next year, he started gaining momentum, as singles “Resume,” “Brothers,” “Leaked,” and “None of Your Love” racked up millions of plays. Tjay’s official studio debut, True 2 Myself was certified gold and peaked in the Top Five on the main album chart. His second studio album Destined 2 Win followed shortly thereafter, expanding his drill beginnings to explore various approaches to songwriting. The album featured contributions from Polo G, Offset, Saweetie, and others and debuted at number 5 on the Top 100 albums chart.
- Real name: Tione Jayden Merritt
- Born: April 30, 2001 (New York City)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 15 million
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8. Lil Tecca
Lil Tecca‘s career as a rapper began after roasting his friend on Xbox Live, while playing a game of Call of Duty. He then started making a name for himself with the song “tectri” which he made in collaboration with his friend Lil Gummybear. He gained recognition upon releasing his breakout single, “Ransom”, which has amassed over 900 million plays on Spotify and peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. After a handful of non-album singles like “IDK” and “All Star” featuring Lil Tjay, he released his debut album, Virgo World, in September 2020. It reached number ten on the pop charts.
- Real name: Tyler-Justin Anthony Sharpe
- Born: August 26, 2002 (New York City)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 13 million
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Read more:
- Gen Z Rap’s Reluctant Star Lil Tecca Is Back Like He Never Left
- Lil Tecca on His Monster 2019: ‘You Have To Be Unique. That’s It’
9. A$AP Ferg
A$AP Ferg is a unit of the hip hop unified A$AP Mob, from which he acquired his alias. His breakthrough came when his debut album, Trap Lord, was released in 2013 and was convened with commonly favourable reviews. In 2016, Ferg released his second studio album, Always Strive and Prosper. In 2017, the New York rapper released his second mixtape, Still Striving, which was preceded by the single, “Plain Jane” (featuring Nicki Minaj). In 2019 and 2020, he released Floor Seats and Floor Seats II respectively, the latter featuring the single “Move Ya Hips” (featuring Nicki Minaj and MadeinTYO).
- Real name: Darold Durard Brown
- Born: October 20, 1988 (New York City)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 10 million
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Read more:
- A$AP Ferg on How the New Rock Stars Are Rappers (and Why He Doesn’t Hang Out with Them)
- A$AP Ferg Describes His Creative Process & Love For A$AP Rocky
10. Fivio Foreign
Fivio Foreign started rapping under the name Lite Fivio in 2011. In 2013, he changed his name to Fivio Foreign and formed a music collective with his friends under the name 800 Foreign Side. 2019 was a breakthrough year for him as his debut EP Pain and Love was released under the record label Foreignside Records. He also signed a million-dollar deal with Columbia Records in October 2019. In the same year, he released his single “Big Drip” which received a remix with ATL rappers Lil Baby and Quavo. The release of “Big Drip” skyrocketed his music career as a rapper. The song received more than five million hits on SoundCloud and became his most successful single.
- Real name: Maxie Lee Ryles III
- Born: March 29, 1990 (New York City)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 9 million
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Read more:
- Rapper Fivio Foreign: ‘We made drill different. We made it mainstream’
- Fivio Foreign Talks Issues With Mase, Says He Was ‘Hurt’ DJ Khaled Didn’t Ask Him to Be on Album in New Song
11. Joey Bada$$
Joey Bada$$ is regarded as one of the best New York rappers of the New School generation. He came onto the scene at age 17 after the president of the Cinematic Music group discovered his freestyle rap video on YouTube. The rising star of the underground hip-hop scene then began to gain prominence with several well-received mixtapes and a growing following on YouTube. His debut studio album, B4.Da.$$, was released in January 2015. His second and third studio album, All-Amerikkkan Badass and 2000, were released in April 2017 and July 22, 2022, respectively.
- Real name: Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott
- Born: January 20, 1995 (New York City)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 4 million
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Read more:
- “I’ve Never Wanted to Be a Rapper So Much in My Life”: Joey Bada$$ Is Back and All Grown Up
- Joey Badass Honors Murdered Rappers Hip Hop Needs To Be Held Accountable
12. Sheff G
New York rapper Sheff G is known for his standout lyrical capabilities compared to the rest of the drill scene, mixing storytelling in with the genre’s signature hardcore style. He was influenced and inspired to rap by listening to 50 Cent, Notorious B.I.G. and Chicago drill rappers like Lil Bibby and Chief Keef. In 2017, his single “No Suburban” produced by AXL Beats went viral and he was credited as one of the pioneers of the Brooklyn drill music movement.
- Real name: Michael Kyle Williams
- Born: September 23, 1998 (Brooklyn, New York)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 4 million
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13. Young M.A.
Young M.A. first gained widespread recognition with the release of the triple-platinum hit single “Ooouuu”, breaking the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, boasting over 300 million YouTube views on the music video. After the success of her debut single, Young M.A was nominated for BET and MTV Artist of the Year and Female Hip-Hop Artist of the Year awards. The female rapper is an open gay, she’s lesbian which she often discuss in her music, she has been open about her sexual orientation in her music throughout her career.
- Real name: Katorah Kasanova Marrero
- Born: April 3, 1992 (New York City)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 2.4 million
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Read more:
- Young M.A Is Not Just Lesbian Rapper, Or One-Hit Wonder — She’s A Game Changer
- Young M.A Interview – Selling NFTs, King of New York Debate and Women in Hip-Hop
14. Dave East
Dave East began his career in 2010, and gained attention in 2014 from his eighth mixtape, Black Rose. In 2016, East was chosen as part of the XXL magazine’s 2016 Freshman Class. His tenth mixtape, Kairi Chanel, was released in the same year and peaked at number 38 on the US Billboard 200. His eleventh mixtape, Paranoia: A True Story, was released in 2017 with features from Nas, Wiz Khalifa and Chris Brown amongst others and peaked at number 9 on the US Billboard 200. His debut studio album Survival was released on November 8, 2019, and peaked at number 11 on the Billboard 200.
- Real name: David Lawrence Brewster Jr.
- Born: June 3, 1988 (New York City)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 1.8 million
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Honorable mentions
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