Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is regarded as one of the most influential and greatest hip hop artists of all time. Wayne was formally part of Cash Money Records,where he would release 5 number 1 albums under the label name before ultimately leaving in 2018. Wayne is now apart of Young Money Entertainment, a record label in which he created in 2005.
Aubrey Drake Graham, known mononymously as Drake, is a Canadian rapper, singer, and actor. An influential figure in popular music, he has been credited with popularizing R&B sensibilities in hip hop artists. Gaining recognition by starring as Jimmy Brooks in the CTV teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001–2008), Drake began his recording career in 2006 with the release of his debut mixtape, Room for Improvement (2006). He followed up with the mixtapes Comeback Season (2007) and So Far Gone (2009) before signing with Young Money Entertainment.
Nayvadius DeMun Cash, known professionally as Future, is an American rapper and singer. Known for his mumble-styled vocals and prolific output, Future is considered a pioneer of the use of Auto-Tuned melodies in trap music. Due to the sustained popularity of this musical style, he is commonly regarded as one of the most influential rappers of his generation.
Willie Junior Maxwell II, better known by his stage name Fetty Wap, is an American rapper. He quickly rose to mainstream prominence in late 2014, after his single song "Trap Queen" was re-released as his debut single for 300 Entertainment, an imprint of Atlantic Records. The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, and was followed by the singles "679" and "My Way", both of which saw similar chart success throughout 2015. The trio of hits—along with his single "Again"—preceded the release of Fetty Wap's eponymous debut studio album (2015), which peaked atop the Billboard 200 chart. During this time, he became distinctive for his melodic blending of singing and rapping, lighthearted lyricism, "bouncy" production, and exclamation of various catchphrases such as "1738!"
Durk Derrick Banks, known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois. He is considered one of the pioneers and a preeminent artist of the drill genre. He initially garnered a local following with the release of his Signed to the Streets mixtape series (2013–2014), whose success led to him to sign with Def Jam Recordings. The label released his debut studio album, Remember My Name (2015) and its follow-up, Lil Durk 2X (2016) to moderate commercial reception before parting ways with the artist in 2018.
Miles Parks McCollum, known professionally as Lil Yachty, is an American rapper and singer. He first gained recognition in August 2015 for his viral hit "One Night" from his debut EP Summer Songs. He then released his debut mixtape Lil Boat in March 2016, and signed a joint venture record deal with Motown, Capitol Records, and Quality Control Music in June of that year.
Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, known professionally as 21 Savage, is a British-American rapper permanently based in the United States. Born in London and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, he began his recording career in 2013 and released three independent mixtapes to regional acclaim. His breakout project—the collaborative extended play (EP) with record producer Metro Boomin titled Savage Mode (2016)—peaked at number 23 on the Billboard 200. Its lead singles, "X" and "No Heart" both peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. Later that year, he saw further recognition for his guest appearance on Drake's single "Sneakin'". He then signed a recording contract with Epic Records in January 2017.
Jordan Terrell Carter, known professionally as Playboi Carti, is an American rapper and record producer from Atlanta, Georgia. An influential figure among his generation, he has contributed to the progression of trap music and its rage subgenre. He first signed with local underground record label Awful Records in 2014, and later signed with ASAP Mob's record label AWGE, in a joint venture with Interscope Records two years later. Carter gained mainstream attention following the release of his eponymous debut mixtape (2017), which peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard 200 and spawned the Billboard Hot 100-charting singles "Magnolia" and "Wokeuplikethis".
Terry Sanchez Wallace Jr., known professionally as Tee Grizzley, is an American rapper. He first began posting music online in 2011; following a two year prison sentence, he released the song "First Day Out" in 2017. It quickly gained viral status—earning two million views on YouTube in under three weeks—due to a social media challenge enacted by basketball player LeBron James, after which the song peaked within the top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100 and led him to sign with 300 Entertainment. Its release preceded his debut mixtape My Moment (2017), and was followed by the single "From the D to the A", which received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His collaborative mixtape with Lil Durk, Bloodas (2018), was followed by his debut studio album, Activated (2018).
Kentrell DeSean Gaulden, known professionally as YoungBoy Never Broke Again or NBA YoungBoy, is an American rapper and singer. From 2015 to 2017, he released eight independent mixtapes and garnered a regional following for his work. He signed with Atlantic Records in the latter year to release the singles "Untouchable" and "No Smoke", both of which marked his first entries on the Billboard Hot 100. Released in January of the following year, his single "Outside Today" became his first to reach the top 40 of the chart, and received quadruple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It served as both his mainstream breakthrough and the lead single for his debut studio album, Until Death Call My Name (2018), which peaked at number seven on the US Billboard 200 despite mixed critical reception.
This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 2018.
Kimetrius Christopher Foose, better known by his stage name Lil Skies, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter from Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. He signed with Atlantic Records in 2017 to release the hit singles "I," "Nowadays," and "Red Roses." The songs peaked at numbers 39, 55, and 69 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100. His major label debut mixtape, Life of a Dark Rose (2018) peaked at number ten on the Billboard 200 chart and received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His debut studio album, Shelby (2019) and its follow up, Unbothered (2021) followed thereafter, peaking respectively at numbers five and 50 on the chart.
Dominique Armani Jones, known professionally as Lil Baby, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence following the release of his 2017 mixtapes Harder than Hard and Too Hard, the former of which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100 entry with its lead single, "My Dawg." He signed with Quality Control Music, an imprint of Motown and Capitol Records to release his debut studio album Harder Than Ever (2018), which peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and was supported by the Billboard Hot 100-top ten single "Yes Indeed". He released two additional retail projects that same year: The collaborative mixtape Drip Harder with fellow Georgia-based rapper Gunna—which saw continued success with its singles "Drip Too Hard" and "Close Friends"—and his commercial mixtape Street Gossip, which peaked at number two on the Billboard 200.
Rodrick Wayne Moore Jr., known professionally as Roddy Ricch, is an American rapper and singer-songwriter from Compton, California. He rose to fame in 2018 following the release of his single "Die Young," which marked his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. Moore's first two mixtapes, Feed Tha Streets (2017) and Feed Tha Streets II (2018) received widespread acclaim. Moore guest featured alongside Hit-Boy on Nipsey Hussle's 2019 single "Racks in the Middle"—which earned him a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance—and on Mustard's single "Ballin'" that same year, which peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received a nomination for the same award.
Raqhid Jevon Render, known professionally as Lil Keed, was an American rapper. He was signed to Young Thug's record label YSL Records, as well as 300 Entertainment. His song "Nameless" reached number 42 on the Billboard Hip Hop/R&B Songs Airplay chart.
This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 2020.
Janae Nierah Wherry, known professionally as Sexyy Red, is an American rapper. She rose to prominence with the release of her 2023 single "Pound Town" ; its popularity spawned the remixed sequel "Pound Town 2", which became her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. Her follow-up single, "SkeeYee" was met with similar success as both were included on her second mixtape, Hood Hottest Princess (2023). Her 2024 single, "Get It Sexyy" peaked within the top 20 of the chart.
Robert Coleman Thomas, known professionally as Rob49, is an American rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is best known for his guest appearance alongside 21 Savage on Travis Scott's 2023 song "Topia Twins", which peaked within the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100.
"BBL Drizzy" is a "diss track beat" by American record producer Metro Boomin. It was released on May 5, 2024 in response to the Drake–Kendrick Lamar feud which consisted of multiple diss tracks from both sides. "BBL Drizzy" samples an artificial intelligence-generated track, released on April 14, of the same name by comedian King Willonius. It is the first notable example of AI sampling in mainstream hip-hop music, according to Billboard.
"U My Everything" is a song by American rapper Sexyy Red and Canadian rapper and singer Drake. It was sent to US rhythmic radio through Open Shift and Gamma as the second and final single from Sexyy's third mixtape, In Sexyy We Trust. The song was produced by Tay Keith, Jake Fridkis, and Luh Ron. Both artists wrote it together; King Willonius is also credited as a songwriter as the song contains a sample of his 2024 song, "BBL Drizzy", which was created as a comedy diss towards Drake, who raps over the sample. "U My Everything" marks the second collaboration between Sexxy Red and Drake, following the latter's single, "Rich Baby Daddy", which also features American singer-songwriter SZA, from his eighth studio album, For All the Dogs (2023).
