Top 10 Best African Rappers
No doubt, Sarkodie is the best rapper and the beast when it comes to the rap game. The only rapper who has won BET twice with his native language (Twi) and English together. He is the record-keeper of all time and a rapper with the most awards, and at the same time, the most YouTube views. He deserves the best.
Yes, this guy is the best rapper on the continent. I've listened to other top rappers from Africa, but this guy is the best. He's got mad skills, punchlines, tongue-twisting, lyricism, etc. I love this guy. He's simply and undeniably the best in Africa. He (Sarkodie) murdered Nigeria's Ice Prince on their hip-hop track.
If you look down the years, at all the songs he's released and the way he delivers, you'll believe that he's the king, way above the rest. No one beats him. Listen to MI2: The Movie and Illegal Music II. Then you will believe me.
Nothing comes close to this intelligence-personified young man called Jude. Sark's flow might be exceptional, but M.I is all about craftily constructed bars and punchlines. M.I would ride with those American boys and teach them a thing or two. The only rapper on this list who can stay with M.I on those parameters is Tumi Molekane (Stogie T).
Whether or not you agree that he's the best rapper in Africa is up to you, but you cannot deny the fact that he's the most influential rapper on the continent. For example, Khuli, Cassper Nyovest, Riky Rick, Jr, Notshi, Sjava, A-Reece, and a whole list of other rappers have been influenced by him.
Before King Jabba and King Tumi, rappers in South Africa were only focused on being the best in the country. It took two, not so slender geniuses, to upgrade South African hip hop by changing the vision and crossing over the boundaries. As a result, the years between 2007 and 2010 were ruled over by Hip Hop Pantsula, also known as Jabba.
RSA's fresh prince of hip-hop. This dude has already been compared with the likes of Drake and J. Cole, which proves how much of a great rapper he really is.
The consistency is something else. Plus, Composure verse one is my favorite rap verse, so yeah, AKA is the best.
Best African rapper I've ever seen. He's taken the game to another level.
It's obvious rap is something we don't hold with substance here in Africa. But if only one can be ranked to rub shoulders with the best lyricists such as Eric Sermon, Talib Kweli, and Nas, then it should be Modenine. He is by far the best in Africa.
Ridiculous how outgunned other rappers are in front of this man. Seven-time The Headies Lyricist on the Roll winner. Easily the best.
Great lyricism, great flow, great MC... Almost everything about him is great.
Nasty C is a good rapper, and I love him so much. He has been dropping good songs and hit songs, right from Particular, Way It Go, Said, SMA, to Coolest Kid in Africa. I believe Nasty C is good, so he deserves to be No. 1.
A charisma like no other, a musician like no other. I just had to include him.
Naeto C has been an amazing artist for years. He deserves your vote.
I hope Ice Prince is the best among all, said by Lil Lolly.
If there is any rap god in Africa, Ice Prince Zamani should be the one. But these days, I see him doing commercial songs.
This dude has really made a name for himself. He is the game's breath of fresh air.
The MotswakOriginator, lost in time, recently released one of the best rap albums in RSA, "Lost in Time." Or should I dare to say this decade's best rap release in Africa (so far)? This dude has got the best charisma in the African rap game.
Y'all can't seriously put Ice Prince over this dude. He's got better taste in musicality, better charisma, and he's been more consistent. Give the legend the spot which he deserves.
This guy is the only rapper in Africa to have been placed at number 1 for MTV's Hottest MC. He is the first rapper in RSA to go platinum and become as successful as he is. Think about that. AKA has been compared with L-tido (best newcomer at that time) and silenced the critics when he dropped his classic album, Alter Ego. Then, AKA was compared to Ice Prince (who won BET Africa), and he silenced the critics when he dropped Levels. But on the other hand, Cassper has been the toughest cookie on AKA's plate.
Filled up the Dome (20,000 capacity) and Orlando Stadium (40,000), something I doubt any other person on this list can do.
Lil Wine is not that popular. Although his work is good, so are his rapping skills.
Africa deserves artists who do original hip hop and not too much swag in it. Lil Wine is original, same with Olamide, Sarkodie, and others.
Lil Wine's African lyrics are merged with a nice flow, which makes him the best rapper.
The Newcomers
Falz is one of the best African rappers. He is the best African rapper. There is no doubt Falz is the best of the best.
Voted South Africa's Best Rapper of All Time by two hip-hop magazines. This guy is the best lyricist on the continent. He's like the African Dream version of Nas.
The best to ever do it in South Africa for me. He is lyrically one of the most special MCs on the continent. He's easily in Africa's top 10 and, for some, top 5.
The most consistent rapper on the continent being placed at number 12? Hell no! The poet MC deserves better. This guy has shut down shows where he performed alongside The Clipse and The Roots. He's killing it in the rap battle scene (Scramble for Money) and also killing this new wave ("Bump The Cheese Up" and "Visa").
Number 15? Like, seriously, Sarkodie ain't nothing compared to King Khali. Jones is the illest in Africa.
The finest rapper to have graced the music industry from Kenya, a real rhyme spitter, with levels that cannot be matched in Africa. A fast rapper - ask Ice Prince how fast Khaligraph Jones can flip line after line.
There is no match for you. You deserve the best and made it to the top of this game.
I think Scientific needs to be first on the list because he raps reality, and his rap is standard.
Scientific speaks the truth. He talks about things that are happening around the world. I think, for me, he is the best rapper in Africa.
Scientific is the best all-time African rapper because there is no equal for him.
This guy was the first rapper from the continent whom I saw as a great inspiration. He's not only a great rapper, but he's also got a great personality. Let me take it back to '05 when he dropped his first and best classic album (of three classic albums), Book of ProVerb. Tracks such as "Microphone Sweet Home", "Marry Me", "Women", and "Heartbeat" stole my heart, and I never stopped listening to him ever since. Lyrical technicality takes a dump on any rapper or name you'd find on this list or another.
He's a better MC than Mode 9. Book Of ProVerb and Manuscript can body any album made by Mode 9. He's got better wordplay, better concepts, better freestyles, and better charisma. He's the one MC that can body any international MC without swearing on a track, by just delivering pure lyricism and wordplay. So, give it some thought, guys. Go and listen to those two albums and reshuffle your list.
Vernacular No. 2 King of Rap. He's the undisputed King of the Eastern part of Nigeria and is easily one of the greatest vernacular rappers ever from Africa. He is second only to Sarkodie, in my opinion.
One of the best rappers in Africa. Y'all ever heard him freestyle? Stop sleeping on him. Somalia has blessed us. Love him, love his music, and I love his energy.
Best rapper in his crew, Teargas. They won the best rap album award in South Africa, two years in a row. He broke out and created the new trend that's ruling over Africa known as Skanda hip hop. Last year (2015), he was voted the second best rapper in Africa, which led to a lot of criticism. He outshined your favorite rapper (AKA) on every track they've ever been on, and his best hit song has got more views on YouTube than any song released by AKA. He changed the way kids in South Africa dressed last year. Enough said. Father of Skanda.
How can M.anifest be at the bottom of this list? People who listen to rap music know M.anifest is winning this one. I mean, no one can compare to his poetry style. His metaphoric lines, rhymes, and the great sense he speaks with in his music... He is an intelligent writer too. And besides, no one tells the African story in their songs as much as he does. He is the best African rapper, period!
How can you make a list of African rappers and leave M.anifest out? His style of rap and poetry is so deep. No rapper on the continent can match his style. I think he should be at No. 1.
How a rapper from Lesotho became the god MC in South Africa may sound amazing, but it's not. If you'd listen to his lyrics, you might see that he's been Africa's most hidden treasure. Listen to "Tell The Youth" from his classic album Age of Horus (2006). Even the album itself was one of the best I've heard. Go and listen to it. It's so ahead of its time, and the album's message is still relevant to this day.
Southern Africa's rap god. I don't easily throw the word classic around, but Age Of Horus (2006) was a classic album ahead of its time. Best rapper to ever come out of Lesotho along with Konfab.
This guy should be in the top 3. Although his music has not reached everyone, you've got to be honest. He is a wonderful storyteller. I've been studying him for a while now, and I don't see a reason he shouldn't be in the top 2.
This isn't what I was expecting. heavychollo is the best in Africa, and I know he will prove it to everybody when he comes out of jail. This guy is the best talent currently in Africa.
If I am being asked to share my opinion here, I think this guy merits the top spot.
Jovi is the "realest" rapper I know. He sings about his life, his culture, his country, and his continent. He has brought out a rap genre called "Mboko" from his local community, that, in my opinion, should be adopted as the African rap genre. Talking about rap in Africa without mentioning Jovi is a crime deserving public flogging.
He's fostered a whole new genre, and through Mboko, has given African rap an identity the entire continent can get behind. With over 10 projects out, he's a reference and one of the greatest of his time.
He has that spirit of rapping in the vernacular, regardless of the negative critics telling him he can't make it if he does not rap in English. And he puts his rap on point with the mother tongue.
I don't think there is any rapper on this list with as much creative wordplay as this kid.
He's just so super creative. The wordplay, metaphors - no one compares. The guy is smart.