Best New Age Rappers (2000-2015)

Or aka "Leaders of the New School" showcases rap artist, 2010-2015, in particular, whom have arrived and making a big impact from hot debut albums and mixtapes that caught a huge buzz. These MCs are attempting to build a huge discography to claim dominance by making their legacy's known in the near future. The legends of tomorrow. Here's my list of the ten best at it today and also may just be the established Kings of the rap game as we move into a new generation. These SINGLE ARTIST are doing it the best so far. It looks more clear everyday to me of who's gonna be on top for the next decade. Let's take a look.. I will add on attributes and some Sidenotes attached to each rapper below.
The Top Ten
1 Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Raised in Compton, California, Lamar embarked on his musical career as a teenager under the stage name K-Dot, releasing a mixtape that garnered local attention and led to his signing with indie record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE).

Here's the deal with Kendrick the GOAT Lamar people. This guy has put out 5 studio albums in the past 6-7 years... and each of them have been legendary. It's hard to rank a worst album from this man, but I'd have to say untitled unmastered. People, just listen through To Pimp A Butterfly. For sure top ten best rap albums of all time. Kendrick has been changing the rap game through his rap/jazz/instrumental beats and remarkable flow since 2010, and we can expect much more to come.
Another thing. As a rapper, if you want to be considered the best of a certain period of time or of all time, you can't take ANY L's. Don't get me wrong, I think guys like Em and J. Cole at their best are otherworldly rappers, but both have taken major Ls in songs and even albums. For example, Em with Recovery? come on, man. Kendrick has yet to do a thing wrong, and if he keeps this streak with 2 or three more albums, I could easily say he's the best ever.
What I'm trying to say is, Kendrick Lamar is ...more

My decision was VERY hard. I could've picked Eminem, Kanye, Hopsin, Nas and ton more but my final decision has to go to Kendrick Lamar. His flow reminds me of Eminem. His beats remind me of Ice Cube. His lyrics remind me of Tupac. All of those put into a blender will create Kendrick Lamar. This guy is also very inspiring by speaking out against drugs and drinking just like Hopsin. This man is a true legend. Definitely a to-become-legend with so much ahead of him.

DAMN... Pretty much the only example you need. All 14 tracks hit top 100. EVERY SINGLE SONG on the album hit top 100. Who else has done that? Nobody on this list (that I know of) Kendrick general quality of music is way better in my opinion obviously this is all opinion here. Over all the average quality of anything he puts out is greater than anyone else's. I think Drake and Cole make songs just to try and make hits. Not to say that they are not both incredibly talented and I love both of their music but not even close to Kendrick in my mind as a great rapper.

Honestly, Kendrick is the greatest rapper of our generation, and could be in talks soon about greatest of all time. He has the styles of Eazy E, Dr Dre, Snoop Dog, and is also able to focus on meaningful topics. he's only been in the game for five years, and already has made multiple grammy hit albums. To pimp a Butterfly was also a masterpiece. Kendrick is just plainly the best rapper of our generation, and soon will be the greatest.

2 J Cole Jermaine Lamarr Cole is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Born on a military base in Germany but raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Cole initially gained recognition as a rapper following the release of his debut mixtape, The Come Up, in early-2007.

His music is made for no one but him. His words have the power to change lives. The way he paints a scene in every single song is unparalleled. Kendrick is great and makes my top 3 of this generation with heavy contest coming from Joey Bada$$, Drake, Hopsin and Childish Gambino but J. Cole is undoubtedly the best. I think of all time, excluding Em because I can't even compare anyone to him, he's at his own level and will be forever. J. Cole doesn't care about the hits and numbers, he doesn't release singles or even put features on unless he feels the song needs it, which it never does because the way he rides a beat and what he says when vibing on it is unmatched right now.

He's doing his thing. The new Kanye West.. Production on his own and the whole nine yards. Showing thru his albums how he csn switch it up and be so diverse. From born sinner to the very strong felt forest hills drive that had no features or singles and made a huge statement on his track fire squad, putting his 2 sense in on the rap game and why he's here for the long hall.

His albums keep getting better, just like Kendrick. Usually it's the other way around. Drake, Eminen and Kanye are getting worse as they keep making music. 2014 Forest Hills Drive and To Pimp a Butterfly are easily my two favorite hip hop albums of the past five years.

J. Cole and Kendrick are undoubtedly the best two rappers in the game right now. The album Born Sinner was a masterpiece. And what I thought was even better, Friday Night Lights, is arguably the best mixtape of the 2000s.

3 Joey Badass Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott, better known by his stage name Joey Badass, is an American hip hop recording artist and actor.

Lyricism is on another level. This kid is the real deal. The epitome of a new version but yet old school deep lyrical MC all together. If he goes a little more the no.99 route more often on next project, he'll have clearly changed the game forever by rewinding back time. Reviving that New York sound again.

Joey is the man who can do anything, is the person who can maintain the oldschool sound in his style, he also can create any type of rap whit different influence, nothing it's impossible to him in comparation with all of the newschool rappers who just are limited to that style and vision of the rap music, and not just with this, whit music in general.

When I first saw the name Joey badass, I thought he was just another young thug, another wannabee rapper. But this guy's the real deal. Lyricism and effort put into his songs just leave you with a jaw wide open. If one of his songs was put on the radio for all to hear, he would be 3 spots up this list, at least.

Outstanding Lyricism, many floes, very versatile in hip hop Genres: Old school hip hop, Boom Bap, Jazz Rap, Ragga Rap, Politically Concious hip hop, to A new school Alternative and Psychedelic hip hop, Raw Delivery, and interesting Storytelling. This Rapper represents N.Y.C.

4 Eminem Eminem, born Marshall Bruce Mathers III, is an American rapper, actor and music producer born on October 17, 1972 in St. Joseph, Missouri. Eminem has sold over 300 million records making him the bestselling hip-hop artist of all time. In addition to his solo career, he is a member of D12 and (with Royce da 5'9") half of the hip-hop duo Bad Meets Evil. Rolling Stone ranked him 83rd on its list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, calling him the King of Hip Hop. Including his work with D12 and Bad Meets Evil, Eminem has had ten number-one albums on the Billboard 200 and 5 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, and 13 worldwide.

What the hell is this Eminem is one place above Iggy! She has made 3 relevant songs and I personally hate 2 of them. Eminem has made over a decade of some of the greatest rap music ever. He is arguably the best rapper of all time (not saying he is, but you could argue he is) Also, he broke the color barrier in rap. His music is either meaningful or hilarious. And he reinvented the rap game by mixing hard hitting beats, with hardcore rap lyrics with a pop-like rhythm. Hands down one of the top 4 rappers of the 21st century. (Drake, Kendrick, J. Cole are all worthy to be called better than em, but that comes down to personal opinion)

Most of these comments don't even acknowledge the real reasons Eminem is one of the GOATs. Slim Shady LP and Marshall Mathers LP are both classic hip-hop albums (the former being one of the greatest debuts of all time), and always will be remembered that way. His Slim Shady persona was (and still is) hilarious, horrifyingly gruesome, and thought provoking all at the same time (I'm Back, Guilty Conscience, My Name Is, etc.), while his more personal tracks as Marshall Mathers can be touching, heartbreaking, and absolutely incredible (Stan, Like Toy Soldiers, Beautiful, Mockingbird, etc.). His wordplay, lyricism, flow, creativity and humor will never be duplicated in hip-hop again. And that's not even to mention he did all of this as the first real commercially and critically successful white rapper. An absolute legend, top 5 dead or alive easily.

What the hell is he doing at #10?!?
Eminem is real, and people respect him cause he tells it.
Admittedly he was better in the earlier part of his career, but he is still always gonna be better than Drake, Nicki and the rest.

Eii this isn't fair. Eminem is the best rapper ever born.I honestly think Iggy and Niki Minaj don't have their place on this list. He has showed what he can do on RAP GOD single. He isn't just the best white rapper he is the best of all. He had a hard time getting the respect he deserves and all Iggy and Niki Minaj had to do is to show their body.(don't want to be rude).!

Eminem RULES

5 Drake Aubrey Drake Graham, known professionally as Drake, is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor, born on October 24, 1986 in Toronto, Canada. He started his career on Canadian reality show "Degrassi: The Next Generation".

He is literally steering the game back and forth right now with his completion and rival soon to be announced #1 new age rapper. His album 'if your reading this it's too late' was dropped out of nowhere and created a absolute shock wave thru out the rap game with his bragging right rapping ways. This was a shade of the so far gone drizzy but more evolved. On this project this was the first time you heard drake sound like he knew he was the best. Taking names ready for the throne. Being liked from every kind of fanbase their is and making any single hot every time he hops on the guest feature overlook. He is the new age Hov.

The HOTTEST rapper out right now by a mile... Maybe more, no one has been hotter than this guy for years on years but hottest isn't always the best, especially when all your raps and ideas aren't yours, credit to Drizzy though he sings & raps so as an artist he's really dope he could easily be in the contention for the best artist but rapper? When half the time he sings and half his written aren't his, meaning that he acc raps his own roughly 25% of the time. It puzzles me how stans think he's the best because he has hits, especially when he hasn't got an album worthy of going toe to toe with illmatic, ready to die, reasonable doubt etc. To me when it comes to RAPPING he ain't in the top 10 but as an artist he definitely is.

I understand that what his music is conveying isn't like what Kendrick or Cole are putting out, but you do honestly have to think about the wordplay he uses. His lyrics speak volume. I'd say this. Kendrick is a politician, Drake a ladies man, and Cole is somewhere in between, and I think that these 3 are dominating the rap game at the same time. It's a healthy thing for the game, not to have one dominating force over rap and hip hop. The way the cookies crumbled let it be so that this could be the outcome

There shouldn't even be a mistake here...Drake is clearly at the top of the rap game whether anybody likes it or not. I don't know another rapper who receives nearly the same level of suspense for upcoming projects (views from the 6) as Drake does. He can sing, he can rap, and he can do both at the Greatest of levels.

6 Kanye West Ye (born Kanye Omari West; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer and fashion designer. He is regarded as one of the most influential, as well as controversial, artists of the 21st century. ...read more.

Kendrick and J Cole are great, but no one is better than Kanye. The man is a creative genius, everything he puts out is authentic and innovative. He is constantly changing sounds and breaking down barriers. Kanye somehow is able to make catchy, radio, mainstream music while still making sure the songs are meaningful and resonate with the listener. Neither can be said about Kendrick and Cole. After all, Cole wouldn't even have a career if Kanye hadn't made 808s and Heartbreak. Kanye music is just so much more exciting than anyone else. Listen to 'Can't tell me Nothing' or 'Stronger' and tell me J Cole would be able to top that. And by the way, don't sleep on his lyrics either.

Every Solo album he has released has been a classic. He changes the game like dre when he drops a album, only difference is he does it more often. Love him or hate him as a person, can't deny the music. Most influential artist of the 21st century in my opinion.

Amazing. Lyrical and hardcore. Much respect for pablo (yeezy). Even though could have bad attitude. Nobody can deny he is indeed one of the most influential rappers in history. People that say he doesn't make good music now, please buy the life of pablo.

Kanye is amazing becasue he is always trying to create new forms of music. People think he went downhill, but in reality, he is just trying to predict the future of music. Who knows if music like yeezus will be the new trend in years to come.

7 Logic Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, better known as Logic, is one of the most influential artists in the rap game today. He was Born on January 22, 1990, in Gaithersburg, Maryland and first gained major fame through making 2013's edition of the XXL Top-10 Freshmen List and has easily become the most successful in that entire class (Only Schoolboy Q, Joey Badass and Chief Keef come close). Logic even got more popular in 2017, when he released his song, 1-800-273-8255. It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Music Video and the Grammy Award for Song of the Year. It also reached number 1 on the billboard charts. It was on his album, Everybody.

Going off of just lyrics, Logic is the greatest lyricist of the new school and possibly of all time. He really has it all, he has excellent metaphors, crazy complexity, good wordplay, and incredible story telling that makes you feel like you are right there with him. To top it all off, he also has a large vocabulary that is just a breath of fresh air. In no way am I saying he should be number one on this list, but in two more years he will definitely be looked at as the greatest lyricist be just about anybody and at least be in the top three for rappers of the new school.

Word Play, Lyricism, message, and overall display of Artist Personality creates a blend of a legendary piece of Talent that is too modest discredit anyone or anything. Strictly positive music and a lyrical genius with amazing delivery who has all abilities to take his dreams to the very Top. Watch out for Logic because his mindset defeats the average person and his skills in the music industry are only helping him prove his necessary place in hip hop. When it comes to Influence he has the ability to run with Drake, J cole, and Kendrick.

Great Lyricist with an amazing flow that can just change your favorite style of music forever. In about 2 years he has the capability of being one of the greatest of new school rap and be up there with Kendrick, Cole, & Drake. He sends a positive message and gives off a great vibe when you hear him. From hard hitting beats to slow and calm Logic can flow perfectly to them all with his clear and catchy voice. Also probably the Greatest lyricist of new school rap and he proved it in his new album "The Incredible True Story" especially in "I am the Greatest"

After 4 albums and constant criticism.. Logic is still a Grade-A artist.
Sure, he doesn't have the fame and media attention of a Drake or a Kendrick, but he's been successful with what he's had, and that's whats so amazing about him.
Today, Logic is easily a top 5 rapper. Sure, he has a bit more to go before reaching Kendrick, J Cole, Kanye or Drake's level, but based on lyricism alone, he's easily top 3. His flow and vocabulary are smart.. stunning.. beautiful.
See, Logic doesn't just rap about getting turnt in the club.. he's more than that. He's not another mumble rapper, he's special. He raps about his hardships and problems, all the things he's taken from others, and become stronger with. Some people see that as cringe, and judge it, but it separates him from a whole 'nother list of rappers who aren't even on here.
Logic is truly amazing. His 5th and final album should see him go out with a bang, and put him up there as one of the greats. Maybe he's not the best in ...more

8 Hopsin Marcus Jamal Hopson, better known by his stage name Hopsin, is an American rapper, record producer, director and actor from Los Angeles, California. Hopsin was born on July 18, 1985. His first album was called Emurge but he's best known for his album titled Raw.

If you only knew Hopsin's talent.

He produces all his beats (by himself), writes all his lyrics (by himself), records all his songs (by himself), mixes/masters all his songs (by himself), edits all his videos (by himself), has gained over 100MM views on YouTube (by himself with no T.V., big promotion or radio. It's all from his damn bedroom SON! ), talks about real issues in society and yet you put him as #14 on this bull ass list?!

ARE YOU A HOMO ERECTUS?!

This guy has 129394x the talent anyone else on this list has if you were to combine it all into one thing (rap).

If he were put all that talent into one thing (rapping) he wouldn't have a career anymore cause it'd cause massive deforestation and we would all die due to asphyxiation.

What's he doing here underneath Drake? Hopsin is a god how dare you guys leave him here underneath trash rappers like Drake, Tyler the Creator, Lil Dicky, Pitbull, and Logic. Come on guys. Listen to just one of his songs and you'll be blown off of your feet.

It's funny that you guys think you listen to rap! Lyrically Hopsin's in the top five at least! Hopsin 14th, really! Give respect, where respect is due! Mindless sheep, come on Drake, ahead of Hopsin, no way!

Why is he so low? He is incredibly talented he just needs to work on not sounding like he's preaching. You can't listen to Ill mind of hopsin 8 and tell me he's not an amazing rapper.

9 Lil Wyte Patrick Lanshaw, better known by his stage name Lil Wyte, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee.
10 A$AP Rocky Rakim Mayers, better known by his stage name ASAP Rocky, is an American rapper, record producer, director and actor from Harlem, New York.

This dude is just AMAZING. My favorite rappers go Kendrick, Earl Sweatshirt, and then A$AP Rocky. He is just such a great rapper and people do need to give him he credit he deserves. Nobody should put Drake over A$AP.

A$AP. Drake found him. Rocky is lyrical and smart. I agree with this position but people underrate him WAY too much.

Should definitely be in the top 3 if we are talking about this generation. Dudes lyricism is insanely good.

As far as flow goes, Rocky is no doubt the best, his Lyrics come out so smooth, definitely a top 5 rapper in the world In our time right now

The Contenders
11 Chance the Rapper Chancelor Jonathan Bennett, known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer from the West Chatham neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.

His Acid Rap Mixtape was arguably the biggest project of 2013 considering the marketing he had to work with, but, it didn't matter.. His artistry was just off the charts and he's a great songwriter with catchy melodies. He stands out as much as Andre 3000.

Amazing lyricism, and should be much higher especially with Coloring Book just being released which is easily the best album this year so far.

Chance can spit fire with deadly lyrics. His songs actually have meaning which makes him at least top 5.

Yeah this dude is for real. He's got a ton of talent, and will likely have a long and interesting career ahead of him. He also walks the razor's edge between mainstream vs. underground perfectly...let's just hope he doesn't slide too far in either direction.

12 Big Sean Sean Michael Leonard Anderson, known professionally as Big Sean, is an American hip hop recording artist from Detroit, Michigan.

The Sean Don deserves this spot showing us he's just getting better as a rapper and showed great improvement with his recently dropped album Dark Sky Paradise. A huge hit for the radio with e-40. Two hard verses with Waynecand kanye on this album. And came out with a ton of freestyles he just rips on top of it. He can also hang with the bigs from his hometown on Detroit vs. Everybody. Big Sean has shown me he's all game and ready to compete for the new school throne.

Strongly disagree. Should be #18. Sean was found by kanye, and could sometimes have good rhymes and raps, but sometimes the music isn't that good. But his story of his life is really inspiring.

Drake stole from Big Sean. Big Sean's delivery is impeccable, lyrics are super witty, and he has a great vibe in his music. Deserves a spot in the top 5.

He's a great rapper, for all the haters just listen to his song "Control ft. Kendrick Lamar"

13 Nas Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, better known by his stage name Nas, is an American rapper and entrepreneur born on September 14, 1973 in New York City. His album, Illmatic, is considered to be one of the best rap albums of all time. He is also considered to be one of the best rappers of all time.

Nas is a rap legend. He makes sense in his music, and leaves out a message. You just have to listen to what he says. Brings out great vibes. He recently dropped out a song with Justin Bieber, showing that Nas is still alive, He killed that Song! Rap god

He should be number 2 behind Eminem, but Nas in the 90's beats every artist here. In this century, Nas has made great songs such as Ether, One Mic, and Daughter

I said the same thing back there with Em; he's great, but new age? Hardly.

Nas is an old school rapper, not an new school rapper.

14 Childish Gambino Donald McKinley Glover Jr. is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, rapper, singer, songwriter, producer and DJ. He performs music under the stage name Childish Gambino and as a DJ under the name mcDJ. He has starred in many films such as Guava Island, The Martian, Spiderman: Homecoming, The Muppets, Magic Mike XXL and Solo: A Star Wars Story. He is also well known for songs such as This is America, Redbone, Bonfire, Freaks and Geeks, 3005, Sweatpants and Feels Like Summer.

Greatest rapper of the new generation. There I said it. He mixes genius wordplay, musical creativity, emotional depth and his talent on the mic to create art that transcends most of the rap nowadays. And he does it all without having to stunt or act hard whilst doing 4 other jobs at the same time. Arguably in terms of classic rap, Kendrick is at the top. But Childish Gambino is definitely at least second. Just above J Cole. Most slept on rapper of this decade.

Great rapper. Great lyricist. Great singer. Great writer. This man has so many talents and definitely deserves to be higher on this list. Gambino IS a mastermind. His lyrics are some of the best in the game. He is so underrated and I would like to here more of his work and hopefully some new content as well.

His crazy word play is up there with the greatest like jay z and nas. But he has a more playful attitude in the way he raps, also very relatable, super creative, and has a nice sound in general.

Excellent, thoughtful, creative wordplay. One of, if not my favorite "new school" lyricist. So many top songs Freaks and Geeks, Bonfire, Heartbeat, Telegraph Ave, Sweatpants.

15 Lil Boosie Torrence Hatch, born November 14, 1982, is an American rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He released his first independent album 'Youngest of the Camp' in 2000, followed by "For My Thugs" in 2002. He released two collaboration albums with Webbie, Ghetto Stories in 2003 and Gangsta Musik in 2004. In ...read more.
16 Phonte Phonte Lyshod Coleman, better known as Phonte, is an American rapper. He is known as one of the most technically gifted lyricists from the south, and is one third of the North Carolina hip hop trio Little Brother, as well as one-half of the duo The Foreign Exchange. In addition to his contributions to Little Brother and The Foreign Exchange, he has also released two critically acclaimed solo albums, Charity Starts At Home in 2011 and No News Is Good News in 2018.

This list is messed up...

17 Mick Jenkins

Once his sound gets out there more and gets heard by more people he will be recognized as one of the greats of our generations and probably ever.

18 Lupe Fiasco Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco, is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor. He also performs as the frontman of rock band Japanese Cartoon ...read more.

Drake is higher than this guy, let that sink in.

Watch "Gotta Eat" lyrical breakdown and listen to Tetsuo & Youth Album. This guy is the most slept on emcee and is on a whole other level.
P.S: this list doesn't make any sense what with Nicki being ranked higher than Eminem lol.

His music is amazing

19 Rittz Jonathan McCollum, better known by his stage name Rittz, is an American rapper from Gwinnett County, Georgia.

Amazing rapper signed to Strange Music Records who has recently been blowing up on YouTube. His flow and lyricism is insane and unbelievable. If you don't believe me, listen to his most recent song Ghost Story and it'll do the talking for me.

20 Earl Sweatshirt Thebe Neruda Kgositsile, better known by his stage name Earl Sweatshirt, is an American rapper, record producer, and disc jockey from Los Angeles, California.

Dudes lyrics are crazy and always spits real. Reminds me of mf doom. Crazy ass rhymes and he studies his poetry. Earl should be higher on the list. So should Tyler.

To be 100% earl is better than half the rappers above him on this list. He doesn't try for bangers, he speaks real stories and experiences. The dude is genuine

Earl tells poetically charged verses over beats. This guy has mastered the double inuendo and the inverted meanings. He's brutally underrated.

Needs to be higher on the list! One of the best lyricists, he puts poetry into rap even if the songs can be a little dark

21 Bizzle
22 Vince Staples Vincent Jamal Staples is an American rapper from Long Beach, California. He is part of the hip hop trio Cutthroat Boyz alongside fellow Californian rappers A$ton Matthews and Joey Fatts.

He will become known worldwide after he drops his next studio album. After Kendrick, he is the best rapper right now.

Honestly one of the hardest up and comers, we're going to see a lot more of him!

Crazy underrated rapper,

23 Andre 3000 André Lauren Benjamin, known by his stage name André 3000 is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia, and is most known as one half of the hip-hop duo OutKast. Despite never actually releasing an official solo studio album, 3000 has built up a strong following online among hip hop listeners and often ranks very high on hip hop lists.

It's laughable that Nicki Minaj and Meek Mill are ahead of 3 Stacks. I know the article is just referring to artists between the period of 2000-2015, but Andre (along with the too-often overlooked and almost equally dope Big Boi) put out two classics with Stankonia and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.

He ain't new age. His prime was in the 90's.

24 Haystak
25 Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter, known by his stage name JAY-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur and investor born on December 4, 1969 in Brooklyn, New York. He is best known for his albums Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint, and The Black Album. He is considered to be one of the best rappers of all time.

I don't know if he counts, his first album was 1996. But if it's just what he did from 2000 on then he should be top 5, "The Blueprint" and "The Black Album" are two of the best in hip hop history.

I'm glad this overrated sellout isn't very high on the list, he mostly sucked during this time.

Should be higher

8Load More
PSearch List