With its humble beginnings at block parties in NYC in the 1970s, the rap genre soon gained recognition in the music industry. The 1980s and 1990s were dominated by Tupac and Biggie, but later on Nas, Eminem and several other great minds entered the scene as well.
With the mix of other music genres by Jay-Z and Kanye, another rap generation was born. J. Cole, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar are the most popular rappers of the current generation of rappers in the music industry. You can find a similar mix of casino roulette games at NetBet.
Listed below are the best rappers in the music industry in the current era.
1. Jermaine Lamarr Cole
Inspired by Nas, the career of J. Cole began with his debut mixtape in 2007. After releasing a couple of other mixtapes, Cole finally dropped his first album in 2011, Cole World: The Sideline Story with rise and shine, and Mr. Nice Watch being the best songs on the album. The album remained on the top of Billboard for an extended period of time.
Later in 2013, he released his second album, Born Sinner which also remained at number one on the Billboard 200. His third album in 2014, Forest Hills Drive, earned him a nomination at the Grammy Awards of 2015.
His next album, 4 Your Eyez Only, was a mix of hip-hop with Jazz music. It is considered to be his best album by numerous Cole fans. Then, he dropped KOD, the songs of which are still as fresh as they were in 2018.
In 2021, Cole released his next album, The Off-Season, featuring other renowned vocals such as 21 Savage, Bas and 6lack.
2. Shawn Corey Carter/ Jay-Z
Tupac and Biggie ruled the era of the 80s and 90s, but the crown shifted and Jay-Z then ruled the rap kingdom. He is considered to be the best all-time rapper by famous rappers including Kanye and Kendrick. Jay-Z has more Grammy Awards than any other rapper in the history of the music industry.
His masterpieces include his debut Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint, American Gangster, and several other albums. He collaborated with Kanye in 2011 to release their duo album, Watch the Throne, which is considered to be the best-ever duo album of all time. His latest solo album, 4:44, broke several records and was also nominated for Grammy Awards.
Jay-Z has inspired many of the best rappers of the current era as well, including Kendrick and J. Cole. He is also a great businessman, making him the richest rapper in the music industry as well.
3. Kendrick Lamar Duckworth
Compared with the greatest rappers such as Tupac, Eminem, and Jay-Z, Kenny is considered “The Next King of Hip-Hop”. He is also the most socially conscious and, therefore, most influential rapper of the current rapper generation. The art of story-telling by Kendrick is unique and incomparable.
Kendrick often mixes other music genres such as jazz with his rapping skills. Although Kendrick released his first album in 2011, he has gained enough recognition within just a decade. Among various other records, Kenny won 14 Grammy awards.
4. Aubrey Drake Graham
Drake released his first album, Thank Me Later, with the support of Cash money records in 2010. The album also featured several popular rappers at the moment including Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and Nicki Minaj.
His second album, Take Care, further earned him respect in the music industry. However, his third album, Nothing was the same, brought him to the arena of elite rappers. He later released various other amazing albums such as Views, Scorpion, and More Life.
Early this year, Drake released his house-inspired album, Honestly, Nevermind, and another duo album with 21 savages, Her Loss. Both albums are great commercial and critical hits for Drizzy.