The following is a list of notable alternative hip hop artists.
Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, and is often mentioned among the greatest rappers of all time. Carter's career began in 1995, when he was signed by rapper Birdman to his record label Cash Money Records, becoming the youngest member of the label at age eleven. From then on, he was the flagship artist of Cash Money Records before ending his association with the imprint in June 2018.
Kimberly Denise Jones, better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper. She was born and raised in New York City and lived much of her adolescent life on the streets after being expelled from home. In her teens, she would freestyle rap, influenced by fellow female hip-hop artists like MC Lyte and the Lady of Rage. In 1994, she was discovered by fellow rapper The Notorious B.I.G., who invited her to join his group Junior M.A.F.I.A.; their debut album, Conspiracy, generated two top 20 singles in the United States and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Inga DeCarlo Fung Marchand, better known by her stage name Foxy Brown, is an American rapper. Upon signing to Def Jam Recordings in 1996, she released her debut studio album, Ill Na Na in November of that year to critical and commercial success. It peaked at number seven on the Billboard 200, received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), sold over seven million units worldwide, and was supported by the Billboard Hot 100-top ten single "I'll Be".
Cash Money Records is an American record label founded in 1991 by brothers Ronald "Slim" Williams and Bryan "Baby" Williams. In its early years, the label signed and released albums for New Orleans-based musical acts Juvenile, B.G., and Hot Boys. It became an imprint of Universal Records, a division of Universal Music Group in March 1998, and remained so during its following iterations as Universal Republic, Universal Motown and ultimately Republic Records.
Katrina Laverne Taylor, known professionally as Trina, is an American rapper. She rose to prominence in the late 1990s for her collaborations with Trick Daddy on the singles "Nann Nigga", "Shut Up", and "Take It to da House". In 2000, she released her debut album Da Baddest Bitch. Afterwards, she made an appearance on the remix of "One Minute Man" by Missy Elliott and Ludacris. In 2002, she released the Kanye West-produced single "B R Right" featuring Ludacris, from her sophomore album Diamond Princess (2002).
Mario Sentell Giden Mims, known professionally as Yo Gotti, is an American rapper and music executive. In 1996, he released his debut album Youngsta's On a Come Up under the alias Lil Yo. He went on to release From Da Dope Game 2 Da Rap Game (2000), Self-Explanatory (2001), Life (2003), Back 2 da Basics (2006), Live from the Kitchen (2012), I Am (2013), The Art of Hustle (2016), I Still Am (2017), Untrapped (2020), and CM10: Free Game (2022).
Young Money Entertainment is an American record label founded by rapper Lil Wayne in 2005. The label was an imprint of Cash Money Records, known together as YMCMB from its formation until 2018, thereafter operating as an imprint of its parent label, Republic Records. Wayne's longtime affiliate and rapper Mack Maine was appointed as the company's president in 2009.
The discography of Rick Ross, an American rapper, consists of 11 studio albums, one compilation album, 145 singles, one soundtrack, and 40 music videos. Ross's debut studio album, Port of Miami (2006), features two singles with "Hustlin'" and "Push It". Ross's second studio album, Trilla (2008), produced hit singles such as "The Boss" and "Here I Am". Ross's third studio album, Deeper Than Rap (2009), includes the singles such as "Magnificent" and "Maybach Music 2". Ross's fourth studio album, Teflon Don (2010), includes the hit single, "Aston Martin Music".
Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, known professionally as Nicki Minaj, is a Trinidadian-born rapper and singer based in the United States. Often referred to as the "Queen of Rap", she is known for her musical versatility, animated rap flow, and alter egos. She first gained recognition after releasing three mixtapes between 2007 and 2009.
The discography of American rapper Tyga consists of seven studio albums, three compilation albums, twenty mixtapes, sixty-seven singles and forty-six music videos. In 2008, Tyga released his first studio album, No Introduction, on the record label Decaydance Records. The album included the single "Coconut Juice", the song peaked at number 94 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Tyga's first song to appear on the chart. In 2010, Tyga and Virginia singer Chris Brown released the collaborative mixtape Fan of a Fan (2010), which included their hit single "Deuces": the song peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Tyga's first song to chart on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, peaking at number one.
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth is an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he is the only musician outside of the classical and jazz genres to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Publications widely believe that his regular infusion of political criticism and social commentary influenced a rise of social consciousness within his generation.
Trap is a subgenre of hip hop music that originated in the Southern United States, with lyrical references to trap starting in 1991 but the modern sound of trap appearing in 1999. The genre gets its name from the Atlanta slang term "trap house", a house used exclusively to sell drugs. Trap music uses synthesized drums and is characterized by complex hi-hat patterns, snare drums, bass drums, some tuned with a long decay to emit a bass frequency, and lyrical content that often focuses on drug use and urban violence.
Nicholaus Joseph Williams, better known by his stage name Trinidad James, is a Trinidadian-American rapper and songwriter. In December 2012, he signed a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings and released his debut single, "All Gold Everything". The song reached number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100, received platinum certification by the RIAA, and spawned a remix featuring fellow Georgia-based rappers T.I., Jeezy and 2 Chainz. He was dropped from the label in 2014 after failing to promptly record a debut album.
Dijon Isaiah McFarlane, known professionally as Mustard, is an American record producer. A frequent producer for California-based hip hop artists YG and Ty Dolla Sign, he has produced various hit singles for both artists and others of whom perform in hip hop and R&B since his entrance into mainstream music with his work on Tyga's 2011 single "Rack City".
Carl Eugene Lilly Jr., better known by his stage name Gudda Gudda, is an American rapper from New Orleans. He was originally a member of Sqad Up with Kidd Kidd and Lil Wayne. After forging a long-time friendship with Wayne, he signed to Young Money Entertainment, and later Republic Records.
Leland Tyler Wayne, known professionally as Metro Boomin, is an American record producer. Critically acclaimed for his dark production style, he is regarded as among the most influential producers in modern hip hop and trap music. His frequent collaborators include Future, Young Thug, the Weeknd, Travis Scott, Don Toliver, 21 Savage, Gucci Mane, Gunna and Nav.
Deja Monét Trimble, known professionally as Dej Loaf, is an American rapper and singer from Detroit, Michigan. She is best known for her 2014 single, "Try Me" and its 2015 follow up, "Back Up". The latter received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and served as the lead single for her debut extended play ...And See That's the Thing (2015), which was released by Columbia Records. Both songs, along with her guest appearance on Kid Ink's 2015 single "Be Real", peaked within the top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100. Her debut studio album, Sell Sole II (2020) was met with positive critical reception, although it failed to chart.
Durk Derrick Banks, known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. He first garnered a regional following with the release of his Signed to the Streets mixtape series (2013–2014), which led to his signing of a recording contract from 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.
Khaled Mohammed Khaled, known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American record producer, disc jockey, radio personality, and record executive. Originally a Miami-based radio hype man, Khaled has become known for his extensive curation of high-profile music industry artists and producers to record singles or albums. His distinctions are his booming voice presence, "motivational" abstractions, and numerous catchphrases. While his musical contribution is often questioned, Khaled's role has been described as "organization, direction, [and] promotion".
Emo rap is a fusion genre of hip hop and emo music. Originating in the SoundCloud rap scene in the mid-2010s, the genre fuses characteristics of hip hop music, such as beats and rapping, with the lyrical themes, instrumentals, and vocals commonly found in emo music. Lil Peep, XXXTentacion, and Juice Wrld are some of the most notable musicians in the genre.
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El-P and Killer Mike are currently at the forefront of what is classified as "Alternative Hip-Hop."
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