We list some of the best Philly rappers you can add to your playlist. Philadelphia is home to talented rappers such as Meek Mill, Armani White and many more. Many of them have created Billboard charting songs and critically acclaimed albums. Old school Philly rappers like Will Smith even became the first artist to win a Grammy Award, the first Grammy ever presented in the rap performance category. Come what may, Philly rappers know how to represent their city.
1. Lil Uzi Vert
Lil Uzi Vert is best known for his mixtape Luv Is Rage, which was released on October 30, 2015. His also collaborated with Migos on the hit “Bad and Boujee,” which landed on Billboard’s Hot 100. He gained more prominence when he secured his first top ten single with “XO Tour Llif3”, which won the MTV Video Music Award for Song of Summer. “XO Tour Llif3” acted as the lead single to Lil Uzi Vert’s debut studio album Luv Is Rage 2 (2017), which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). At the 2018 Grammy Awards, Lil Uzi Vert was nominated for Best New Artist.
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2. Meek Mill
Meek Mill is considered one of the best Philly rappers of his generation. He was briefly signed to T.I.’s label Grand Hustle Records and in February 2011 signed to Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group. He adopted the rap name “Meek Mill” after family and friends from his neighborhood kept referencing him by his middle name. One year later he released his debut album, Dream and Nightmares, with hit singles “Amen,” “Burn,” “Young and Getting It,” and “Believe It.” The album would be certified gold, selling more than 500,000 units. He embarked into music business through his own label ‘Dream Chasers Records’ and now, he is promoting the young talent through it.
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- Meek Mill’s ‘Expensive Pain’ comes with a heavy cost
- Meek Mill, whose long prison sentence sparked national outrage, says he doesn’t blame racism
- Rolling Stone – Meek Mill’s Legal Troubles: A History
- Finally, Meek Mill confronts freedom as an artist and an activist
3. Armani White
Philadelphia rapper Armani White‘s “happy hood music” broke through in 2022 with the viral single “Billie Eilish.” Before the fame, he released ‘Stick Up’ in March 2015, an impassioned one-take, 1 min 13 sec. video, shot in his neighbourhood streets. This record triggered the attention of the music industry. As life would have it though, he was struck by the sudden passing of his father. Deciding to focus on supporting his family, he took a step back from his music. He returned in 2017 with the release of “Public School” which he was inspired by the lifestyle of his Dad. His song “Billie Eilish” peaked at number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 2022.
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Read more:
- 3 Things to Know About the Rising TikTok Star Armani White
- Who is Armani White? Philly rapper opens up about viral ‘Billie Eilish’ TikTok song
- TikTok ‘Billie Eilish’ sensation Armani White: ‘Eilish’s style is what the song’s about’
- Review: Armani White’s ‘Billie Eilish’ Is Incredible Rap Eulogy
4. Will Smith
Will Smith formed an alliance with schoolmate and deejay Jeffrey Townes, whom he met in 1981. They began recording as the Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff and released their first single, “Girls Ain’t Nothing but Trouble,” in 1986, later followed by the album Rock the House. In 1988 the group released the groundbreaking single “Parents Just Don’t Understand,” which went on to win a Grammy Award, the first Grammy ever presented in the rap performance category. Smith then transitioned from successful rapper to Hollywood A-lister, starring on ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ before headlining such films as ‘Independence Day,’ ‘Men in Black’ and ‘Ali.’ Still, Will Smith is regarded as one of the best Philly rappers of all time.
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- Will Smith ‘hated’ being called ‘soft’ in rap industry for not cursing in songs
- The Misunderstood Legacy of Will Smith’s Music Career
- Will Smith says he never used expletives in his rap songs
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5. PnB Rock
PnB Rock was an American rapper and singer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was best known for his 2016 single “Selfish”, which peaked at #51 on the US Billboard Hot 100. PnB Rock’s debut mixtape, “Real N*gga Bangaz,” which was written while he was jailed, was released on June 24, 2014. He entered into a recording contract with Atlantic Records in 2015, and the company published his third mixtape, RnB3, as his debut project. PnB Rock was subsequently selected as a member of the 2017 XXL Freshman Class. His 2019 sophomore studio album, TrapStar Turnt PopStar, peaked at #4 on the US Billboard 200. Unfortunately, on September 12, 2022, PnB Rock died in a shooting at Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles in Los Angeles.
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- PnB Rock Dead: 5 Things To Know About The Rapper After Trio Charged In His Murder
6. Eve
Eve is regarded as one of the best female Philly rappers of her generation. The rapper turned actress, is best known for hits like ‘What Ya Want,’ ‘Gangsta Lovin,’ and her Grammy-winning “Let Me Blow Ya Mind” collab with Gwen Stefani. Dr. Dre saw she had talent and immediately signed her to his fledgling Aftermath record label. However, after a year passed and Dre still had not done anything with Eve, her contract lapsed and she was back in Philadelphia. In 1997, New York’s Ruff Ryders record label picked Eve’s career up where it had left off with Dre. Eve appeared on the Ruff Ryders Ryde or Die album. In 1999, she released her first solo album, Let There Be Eve: Ruff Ryders’ First Lady. Her second album, Scorpion, was released in 2001. Dr. Dre produced two songs on the album, to help mend fences including the album’s second single, “Let Me Blow Ya Mind,” her duet with Gwen Stefani, which became her biggest success.
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- Eve will still blow your mind
- Rapper Eve on the Gap Between Her Albums and Testosterone in Hip-Hop
- Eve critiques current state of hip hop: “There’s a lot of clones”
7. Tierra Whack
Tierra Whack originally performed as “Dizzle Dizz” as a teenager, but later on reverted to her birth name in 2017. Her debut studio album, Whack World, was released in May 2018 and received widespread critical acclaim. She further displayed her wry creativity on standalone tracks like 2020’s “Feel Good” and 2021’s “Walk the Beat.”
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- Tierra Whack Is Reimagining Music (Genres)
- Tierra Whack Colors Outside The Lines
- What Rapper Tierra Whack Can’t Live Without
- Tierra Whack Proves ‘Whack World’ Was More Than Chance Success With “Only Child”
- From homelessness to Philly rap sensation, Tierra Whack is the real deal
8. Black Thought
Black Thought started his career in 1987 when he met with drummer Ahmir Thompson well known as Questlove. Both had performed in live shows alongside Malik B under the name Square Roots. The music group renamed themselves from “The Square Roots” to ” The Roots” and came through with their debut album “The Organix” in 1993. They got signed to DGC and followed it up with other projects. Some of their albums include; Phrenology (2002), The Tipping Point (2004), Game Theory, Rising Down and so on. In 2018, he released a solo EP, Streams of Thought, Vol. 1. Black Thought is considered one of the greatest Philly rappers of all time.
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- Everything Writes Itself: An Interview with Black Thought
- Black Thought Is Loved and Feared by Your Favorite Rapper
- An Interview with Black Thought
- Black Thought Wants to Speak Truth to Power
9. Matt Ox
Matt Ox is a young rapper best known for his hit single “Overwhelming,” which went viral on YouTube in 2017 when he was only 12. Matt Ox represents his hometown of Philadelphia and boasts about the success of himself along with his crew OX Gang. The song was produced by OogieMane who has worked with superstar rappers including Lil Uzi Vert and Xavier Wulf and F1LTHY worked as a sound engineer.
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10. Kurupt
Kurupt is considered as one of the best Philly rappers of his generation. He’s mainly known as a former Vice President of Death Row Records and a member of hip hop duo Tha Dogg Pound, alongside Daz Dillinger. Kurupt is also regarded as one of the pioneers of gangsta rap, which he popularized in the 1990s. Kurupt contributed to two of the genre’s most popular albums, Dr. Dre’s The Chronic and Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle, before releasing the controversial Dogg Food as part of the duo Tha Dogg Pound in 1995. Going on to a solo career, Kurupt released a series of solo albums that featured hard-edged sounds and explicit lyrics.
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Read more:
- Kurupt Shares His Thoughts About Lyrics Being Used Against Rappers In Court
- Kurupt Praises Eminem For Getting Him Out of Trouble
11. Khia
In 2002, Khia rеlеаѕеd hеr dеbut аlbum Тhug Міѕѕеѕ on Dirty Down/Artemis Records. It peaked on the Billboard 200 Album chart at no 33 and remained on the chart for 25 weeks. However, the explicitly titled hit ѕіnglе frоm thе аlbum, “Му Nесk, Му Васk (Lісk Іt)” reached no. 12 on thе Ноt Rар trасkѕ сhаrt and peaked at no. 42 on Billboard Ноt 100. It was an international hit, reaching no. 30 on the Canadian Digital Song Sales chart, and no. 141 on the UK chart. That single went double platinum, selling more than two million copies.
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- My Neck, My Back, My Pussy, and My Life
- Who is Khia? ‘My Neck, My Back’ rapper slams Beyonce’s Renaissance album as devil-worshipping music
12. Vinnie Paz
Vinnie Paz is known as the frontman of the hip hop supergroup Army of the Pharaohs. Paz is known for his dense and heavy lyrics, which often contain religious and political themes. He is also known for his aggressive vocal style, and has been compared to rappers such as Eminem, Xzibit, and Ice Cube. In 2010, he formed Heavy Metal Kings with Ill Bill (Non Phixion, La Coka Nostra). Remaining active with all of these projects, Paz continued issuing solo material, including 2012’s God of the Serengeti and 2021’s Burn Everything That Bears Your Name.
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Read more:
- Vinnie Paz – Burn Everything That Bears Your Name
- Vinnie Paz Remembers Philadelphia’s South Street Hip Hop Scene, Labels Scared To Send A&Rs
13. Cassidy
By junior high school, Cassidy was appearing on a local radio station, where he battled the then current rhyme champion, resulting in the youngster winning week after week and focusing on a rap career more seriously. A demo was assembled soon after, which led nowhere, but a chance meeting between Cassidy and the father of rapper Swizz resulted in the up-and-coming rapper signing on with the Ruff Ryders. He eventually switched to Clive Davis’ J Records and worked on his debut album, under the watchful eye of producer Swizz Beatz. The album Split Personality, featured renowned rap names, including Snoop Doggy Dogg, Jadakiss, Styles, and even R&B artist R. Kelly on the Top 10 pop hit ‘Hotel’. The album was a commercial success, reaching number 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. Other singles his best known for is “Get No Better”, “I’m a Hustla”, “B-Boy Stance” and “My Drink n My 2 Step”.
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14. Freeway
Philly rapper Freeway is known for his time as a member of State Property. He’s also known for his solo albums Philadelphia Freeway and Free at Last. Philadelphia Freeway featured many rappers from Roc-A-Fella and was produced by people affiliated with Roc-A-Fella. Afterwards, Freeway and Beanie Sigel compiled the people from Philadelphia into the group called State Property. The album produced the biggest hits of the entire music career of Freeway, the two singles “What We Do” and “Flipside”. Unfortunately, Freeway was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2015 and he shared his experience with the world in his 2016 album, Free Will. It was released independently and this made him an official ambassador for the Kidney Foundation and he had to wait for three years to get a kidney transplant.
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- Freeway Shares Emotional Freestyle Honoring His Late Son and Daughter
- Rapper Freeway on violence against black men: Somebody has to do something
- How kidney failure changed Philly rapper Freeway’s music and life
Honorable mentions
- Beanie Sigel
- Bahamadia
- Ivy Sole
- King Syze
- Charli Baltimore
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