We list some of the best Houston rappers of all time. Most of these rappers are known for their rhythmic flow as well as others who combine soulful crooning with explicit rapping. Others became famous in the 90s and 2000s, courtesy of DJ Premier with his classic boom-bap hits and DJ Screw with his “chopped and screwed” mixtapes. Needless to say, most of these Houston-based rappers have become superstars in their own right.
1. Travis Scott
Travis Scott‘s debut studio album, Rodeo, was released in September 2015 and was led by the hit single “Antidote”, which reached the top 20 of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. His second album, Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight, was released in September 2016, to generally positive reviews. He released his third album, Astroworld, on August 3, 2018. The effort, which made its way out on August 3, debuted atop Billboard 200 with 537,000 units, becoming the second-largest debut of the year after Drake’s Scorpion.
- Real name: Jacques Bermon Webster II
- Born: April 30, 1991 (Houston, Texas)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 35 million
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2. Paul Wall
Paul Wall was formerly musical partners with rapper Chamillionaire, releasing several collaborative albums including the independently released Get Ya Mind Correct in 2002, which served as the debut release for both artists. In 2005, he was signed to Atlantic Records and became successful with his major-label debut The People’s Champ. He has been nominated for one Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance as a Duo or Group for the song “Grillz”, his collaboration with rapper Nelly.
- Real name: Paul Michael Slayton
- Born: March 11, 1981 (Houston, Texas)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 800,000
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3. Trae The Truth
Trae The Truth is a part of the underground rap collective Screwed Up Click. Trae and Z-Ro, along with Dougie D, are the founding members of the group Guerilla Maab. The Houston rapper has also received the Change Maker Award at the Billboard Music Awards. The award, according to Billboard, pays tribute to “the artist or group that speaks truth to power through their music, celebrity, and community. They are socially conscious, politically aware, active in their community and charitable with time, money and/or influence to improve the lives of others.”
- Real name: Frazier Othel Thompson III
- Born: July 3, 1980 (Houston, Texas)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 350,000
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4. Megan Thee Stallion
Megan Thee Stallion is a Grammy-winning rapper best known for songs such as “Savage,” “WAP” and “Hot Girl Summer.” The Houston rapper rose to worldwide superstardom with her confident flows and sexually charged lyrics. Her mother, Holly Thomas, was also a rapper who performed under the stage name “Hollywood” and would bring her daughter to recording sessions instead of daycare. Megan started rapping at the age of 14, which she continued to do until college. She made it to the top 100 list on Billboard Hot charts with the single ‘Big Ole Freak.’ Throughout her career, Megan Thee Stallion has received several accolades with at least three Grammy Awards. Few female rappers have achieved the fame and financial success Megan Thee Stallion has.
- Real name: Megan Jovon Ruth Pete
- Born: February 15, 1995 (San Antonio, Texas)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 30 million
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- Don’t Mess With Megan
5. Slim Thug
Texas-based rapper Slim Thug came to national attention for his contribution to Mike Jones’ 2004 single “Still Trippin'”. His ninth studio album, Welcome 2 Houston, was released in 2017. Before the fame, the rapper was running on the streets when a mixtape of his made its way to a local producer, who offered him a chance to work for the Swishahouse label. Slim Thug’s debut album was released in 2005 under Star Trak Entertainment, after so many delays. Boss of all Bosses was his second solo album released in 2009, and with this album, he got immense success. 32,000 copies were sold within a week.
- Real name: Stayve Jerome Thomas
- Born: September 8, 1980 (Houston, Texas)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 800,000
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6. Scarface
Scarface is regarded as one of the best Houston rappers of his generation. Hailing from the Houston’s South Park neighborhood, Scarface came to prominence as a member of the Geto Boys before embarking on a successful solo career. Jordan is considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. All his albums have been declared to be either Gold or Platinum records by the ‘Recording Industry Association of America’ (‘RIAA’). In 2012, The Source ranked him No. 16 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time.
- Real name: Bradley Terrence Jordan
- Born: November 9, 1970 (Houston, Texas)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 1 million
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7. Don Toliver
Don Toliver got a lot of fame after he released his debut mixtape Donny Womack. Some of his singles appeared on many charts. Caleb has also collaborated with many well-known artists, including Justin Bieber, Internet Money, Travis Scott, Lil Uzi Vert, and Kanye West. The Houston rapper is also known for songs like “2 Lil Shorty”, “Diamonds” and “Backend.”
- Real name: Caleb Zackery Toliver
- Born: June 12, 1994 (Houston, Texas)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 19 million
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- GQ: Don Toliver is thinking bigger
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- The king of the hook returns: Don Toliver changing the face of melodic hip-hop on ‘Life of a Don’
8. T-Wayne
T-Wayne is best known for recording track such as “Nasty Freestyle,” “Boogie on Da Flo,” “South Dallas Swag” and more. In 2011,the Houston-based rapper released a mixtape called Trending Topic which drew his first significant public attention. In 2015, he then released his first single “Nasty Freestyle”. The song was a freestyle over the beat to Bandit Gang Marco’s “Nasty.” The video had over a million views which drove the single’s popularity. By May 2015, “Nasty Freestyle” ranked no. 9 on both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and the UK singles chart and was certified platinum selling a million units.
- Real name: Tyshon Dwayne Nobles
- Born: October 27, 1990 (Abilene, Texas)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 700,000
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Read more:
- T-Wayne Talks Signing to 300 Entertainment, ‘Nasty Freestyle’ & Viral Success
- ‘T-Wayne’ Takes Us Back To That Time Lil Wayne Was The Best Rapper Alive
9. Devin The Dude
Houston-based rapper Devin The Dude started out as a member of the Odd Squad, later known as the Coughee Brothaz, a group of rappers signed to Rap-A-Lot Records. The label is notable for being the home of hip-hop artists such as Geto Boys, Scarface, and Too Much Trouble. He’s renowned for his distinctive approach on songs like “Lacville ’79,” “Doobie Ashtray,” and “What a Job.” Devin did not achieve mainstream success until his appearance on Dr. Dre’s 2001 album. He has also become quite well-known as a featured artist, working with some of the biggest rap figures, such as Snoop Dogg, and Jay Z.
- Real name: Devin Copeland
- Born: June 4, 1970 (Pontiac, Michigan)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 400,000
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- Spotify
- Apple music
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- How Devin The Dude Pioneered Stoner Rap
- Devin The Dude: A Long-Standing Legacy Of Laid-Back Genius
- VICE: Duuuude, It’s Devin the Dude
10. Baby Bash
Mexican-American rapper Baby Bash is known for his club-rocking singles. He has also carved out a successful career for himself writing lyrics for singers such as Paula DeAnda, Jennifer Hudson and Frankie J. Before the fame, the Houston-based rapper intended to pursue a basketball career, until his chances were derailed by ankle injuries. Baby Bash released his first major album Tha Smokin Nephew and was a huge hit. It ranked 48 on the Billboard 200. It also got the Gold certification by RIAA.
- Real name: Ronald Ray Bryant
- Born: October 18, 1975 (Vallejo, California)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 3.8 million
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- Baby Bash on Being a Hispanic Rapper But Not Gang Related, Raised Around Blacks
11. Bun B
Bun B is a member of the rap duo UGK who is known for his southern rap style. His third solo album, Trill OG, was released in 2010 to positive critical reviews. Before he got famous, he and his friend Jalon Jackson started the rap group called P.A. Militia in the late 80’s. With UGK, things came to halt in 2003 when Pimp C was sentenced to eight years in prison on an aggravated gun assault charge. Bun B carried on solo, making numerous appearances on other artists’ tracks and then in 2005 releasing both the mixtape Legends and his debut album, Trill, a Top Ten hit.
- Real name: Bernard James Freeman
- Born: March 19, 1973 (Port Arthur, Texas)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 530k
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Read more:
- Bun B Hasn’t Enjoyed Making Music And Getting Back In The Booth Since Pimp C’s Death
- Bun B Says Heavy D Inspired Him To Start Rapping
- 6 things you may not know about Bun B, a Houston rap legend turned entrepreneur
12. Pimp C
Pimp C was a Texas-based rapper, singer, and producer best known for his work with the Underground Kingz, of which he was a founding member. Pimp C was incarcerated for an aggravated gun assault charge in 2002. People cheered the catch phrase “Free Pimp C”. During this time Bun B lived on the UGK name. Jive Records was forced to release a greatest hits for UGK and Bun B was forced to go solo, as Pimp C was locked up. After that he started working again with Bun B on tracks for their upcoming UGK project UGK (Underground Kingz), which would end up being their most successful project of all time, in either artist’s careers. 4 months after the release of UGK (Underground Kingz), Pimp C died. He died from an accidental overdose of Promethazine/Codeine “syrup” mixed with a pre-existing medical condition, sleep apnea, which causes a person to stop breathing during sleep.
- Real name: Chad Lamont Butler
- Born: December 29, 1973 (Crowley, Louisiana)
- Died: December 4, 2007 (West Hollywood, California)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 250,000
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Read more:
- The Story of How Pimp C Ended up in Prison
- UGK’s Pimp C: An Underground Legend Who Defied The Mainstream
13. Chamillionaire
Chamillionaire started his career from the Houston Hip Hop radio show in KBXX Fm, where he and Paul Wall used to do freestyle intro. Soon they both became the regular staples in Houston’s mixtape circuit. After that, they formed their own group named “The Color Changin ‘Click” in 2001, which split in 2005. In 2005, Chamillionaire released his first solo album titled “The Sound of Revenge”. The album debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 album chart but did not climb any higher on the charts. However, the single “Ridin” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and its video was named “Best Rap Video” at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards. The following year he won he won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance for the same song.
- Real name: Hakeem Temidayo Seriki
- Born: November 28, 1979 (Washington, D.C.)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 2 million
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Read more:
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- How Chamillionaire Went From Ridin’ Dirty To Entrepreneur
14. Lil’ Keke
Lil’ Keke proved himself to be one of the Houston collective’s strongest artists, strongly himself with the city’s underground rap don of the south. Not only by appearing on countless “Screwed” DJ mixes but also a seemingly endless number of other albums to come out of the South, he also became one of Houston’s most visible rappers, releasing solo albums for Jam Down Entertainment. In 2018, he continued growing his discography with Slfmade II, a volume of his signature styles that included guest appearances by Bun B, Slim Thug, Daz Dillinger, Big K.R.I.T., and many others.
- Real name: Marcus Lakee Edwards
- Born: March 29, 1976 (Houston, Texas, U.S.)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 450,000
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- How One of Houston’s Most Celebrated Rappers Started His Career in a Car
- After Many Years, You Still Can’t Mess With Lil Keke
15. DJ Premier
DJ Premier is best known as one half of the hip hop duo Gang Starr who are known for albums like 1994’s Hard to Earn. The Source magazine named DJ Premier one of the five greatest producers in hip-hop history. Though DJ Premier is technically a music producer and DJ, you can’t mention the best rappers of all time without him. He’s brought together some of the best rappers in the game in order to create dope rap songs that have become classic hits. These include notable tracks for artists such as Jay-Z (“D’Evils”, “So Ghetto”), Big L (“The Enemy”), The Notorious B.I.G. (“Unbelievable”, “Kick In The Door”, “Ten Crack Commandments”), Nas (“N.Y. State of Mind”, “Nas Is Like”), Pitch Black (“It’s All Real”), M.O.P. (“Downtown Swinga”), Jeru the Damaja (“Come Clean”, “My Mind Spray”), KRS-One (“MC’s Act Like They Don’t Know”), Mos Def (“Mathematics”), Non Phixion (“Rockstars”), and Royce da 5’9″ (“Boom”).
- Real name: Christopher Edward Martin
- Born: March 21, 1966 (Houston, Texas)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 1 million
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Read more:
- Where We Dwell: How DJ Premier Changed Hip-Hop
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- New York’s Texas Import: How DJ Premier Helped Shape the Sound of Hip-Hop
16. Mike Jones
Prior to gaining mainstream exposure during late 2004 and early 2005 with his single “Still Tippin’,” Houston-based rapper Mike Jones had long been a stalwart of the Swishahouse label, with a handful of releases under his belt. His breakout album, Who Is Mike Jones?, was released in April of 2005, distributed via Warner Brothers. It topped out at number three on the Billboard 200 chart. Jones’, however, was nowhere close to being satisfied with temporary fame. In September 2006, he released another impressive single called “Mr. Jones”, including some freestyling elements in to the track. He subsequently released another single “My 64” with rappers Bun B and Snoop Dogg. The track became such an outstanding hit, that it premiered at #1 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
- Real name: Michael Allen Jones
- Born: November 18, 1981 (Houston, Texas)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 1.9 million
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Honorable mentions
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