Top 10 Best Rappers Alive

With the plentiful amount of talent across the hip hop world, it’s only right that we compare the best of the best. The term “best rapper” can mean a multitude of things, which comes with the subjectivity of art. The list of top rappers can change based on criteria for lyrics, sound, relatability, sales, impact, substance, metaphors, and much more. In this list, we are going to be looking at who makes good music the most. Whether they emphasize their flow, cadence, lyrics or creativity, we will be judging the top rappers off of their song-making ability. Without further ado, here are the best rappers alive today.

Young Thug

Having been a staple in Atlanta, the most dominant hip hop city, for about a decade, Thugga Thugga deserves his flowers. Despite being signed to Birdman and Lil Wayne being his biggest source of influence, thug has still manage to make his own name for himself. His hits, mixtapes, and albums give him an undeniable catalog.

Future

Speaking of Atlanta legends, Future is in the same boat as Young Thug. When someone is dropping hit after hit and managing to stay relevant in the A, it’s hard to deny their greatness. Future continues to make amazing songs like “March Madness,” “Thought it was a Drought,” “Mask Off,” and much more. His place in hip hop is more than solidified

J Cole

His ability to implement deep lyrics while still making good music is why he’s top ten. He’s had some projects that weren’t received too well, but he’s also had one of the best rap albums in 2014 Forest Hills Drive. His skill, and continuous evolution, can’t be denied.

Lil Uzi Vert

Since 2016, Uzi was simply dominant to say the least. His 2015 debut project Luv is Rage got him off to a fiery start, he then followed up in 2016 with 2 amazing, full length albums to solidify his cult fan base. He also has a reputation of taking over features; when the track says feat. Lil Uzi Vert, everyone knows it’s his track now. There’s no denying that he’s had some of the best rap albums in the last 10 years.

Lil Baby

His rise to fame from 2018 to 2020 was nothing short of impressive. He supplements his superstardom just about every single time he touches the mic. Baby has a widely known reputation for never missing; his singles, albums, and features always deliver. It’s hard to deny the greatness of an artist whose music has an almost 100% success rate. When it comes to releasing high quality music, Baby’s high success rate will undoubtedly land him among the best rappers of all time when he retires.

Travis Scott

If you ever wondered what would happen if you fuzed Kanye and T-Pain together, Travis is the by-product. His amazing production skills and absolute mastery of auto-tune are an undeniable asset in rap music. His timeless classics include Rodeo, Astroworld, and my personal favorite, Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight.

Drake

His tenure has been too dominant to ignore. One of the absolute legends that Lil Wayne has gifted to the rap game. If he continues on this path, he will undoubtedly retire with a resume of one of the best rappers of all time.

Kanye West

Ye’s ear for music is undoubtedly one of the best we’ve ever seen. His production skills rival few, and his ability to sample other songs and movies rivals none. Most of his projects could have easily won a grammy for best rap albums. On top of that, 808’s and heartbreak will forever go down as the pivotal point in hip hop that changed the game from old school rap to new school.

Kendrick Lamar

Being one of the best lyricists of all time, coupled with an amazing ability to make music, K Dot takes a spot on every top 10 whether we like it or not. His jazz influenced masterpiece To Pimp a Butterfly is the trans-generational work of art that everyone needs to hear.

Lil Wayne

Being one of the best rappers of all time, it should come as no surprise that Tunechi made this list. Having a large enough body of work to make the hall of fame at least 3 times over, Wayne will never be denied his GOAT status. Having produced well over 40 mixtapes and albums, Weezy has had the streets on lock for decades. He is also a well known legend for taking the beats to songs that are already popular and making his own version on his mixtape. His versions of the songs were often so good that they would grow more popular than the original, leaving many artists in the dust.

That concludes the top 10 best rappers alive, but there is so much more life to live, so we’ll see how this list evolves over the years! Do you agree with this list? Do you agree with complex’s claim that 21 Savage is currently the best rapper? Is Lil Wayne one of the best rappers of all time? Do you think this list needs to be altered or completely rewritten? is 808’s one of the best rap albums and the precursor to this new era of hip hop? Should a certain female rapper be on this list? what about a certain white rapper?