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).
Hip hop music in Washington, D.C., has been an important part of the culture of the area.
Adolph Robert Thornton Jr., better known by his stage name Young Dolph, was an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He first garnered mainstream attention for his guest appearance on O.T. Genasis' 2015 single "Cut It", which peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. The following year, he released his debut studio album King of Memphis (2016), which peaked at number 49 on the Billboard 200. His fifth album, Rich Slave (2020) peaked at number four on the chart. Young Dolph founded the independent label Paper Route Empire, through which he signed fellow Memphis rapper Key Glock. On November 17, 2021, he was shot and killed in his hometown.
Theory Entertainment LLC, doing business as 300 Entertainment, is an American record label founded by Lyor Cohen, Kevin Liles, Todd Moscowitz, and Roger Gold. The label's roster includes acts across multiple genres such as hip hop, rock, pop, electronic, alternative, and country. Current artists include Young Thug, Fetty Wap, YNW Melly, No Savage, Rejjie Snow, Cheat Codes, Tee Grizzley, Famous Dex, Shy Glizzy, Cobi, Meg Mac, Dae Dae, The Hunna, Maggie Lindemann, Bailey Bryan, OMB Peezy, Ice Prince, $not, Des Rocs, Savage Gasp, TLE Cinco, and Mary J Blige. It is based in New York City. The label also acts as distributor for Young Thug's record label YSL Records, whose roster includes rappers Gunna and the late Lil Keed.
Durk Derrick Banks, known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper 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.
D'Anthony William Carlos, better known by his stage name GoldLink, is an American rapper and singer from Washington, D.C. He gained recognition following the release of his debut mixtape The God Complex (2014), which was met with critical acclaim. In 2015, he was chosen as part of the XXL Freshman Class and released his second mixtape, And After That, We Didn't Talk—supported by the singles "Dance on Me" and "Spectrum". He signed with RCA Records to release his 2016 single "Crew", which peaked at number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received sextuple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), as well as his first Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap/Sung Performance. It preceded the release of his debut studio album At What Cost (2017), which was met with continued positive reception despite trailing the single's commercial success. His second album, Diaspora (2019) reached number 77 on the Billboard 200.
"Crew" is a song by American hip hop recording artist GoldLink. It was released on December 16, 2016, as the lead single from his debut studio album, At What Cost (2017). The song, produced by Teddy Walton, features vocals from American singer Brent Faiyaz and American rapper Shy Glizzy. The song was a sleeper hit, receiving a nomination for Best Rap/Sung Performance at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. It contains additional background vocals from Zacari.
Kentrell DeSean Gaulden, known professionally as YoungBoy Never Broke Again or NBA YoungBoy, is an American rapper. 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.
Omar Jeffery Pineiro, known professionally as Smokepurpp, is an American rapper. He first became known in the SoundCloud rap scene for his 2017 single "Audi", which received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In March of that year, he signed with Alamo and Interscope Records to release the song and his debut mixtape for which it served as lead single, Deadstar (2017), the following September. It peaked at number 42 on the Billboard 200, while his debut studio album and the mixtape's sequel, Deadstar 2 (2019) narrowly entered the chart. His second album, Florida Jit (2020) failed to chart in any known territory and served as his final album on the label.
Nicholas Alexander Simmons, known professionally as YBN Nahmir, is an American rapper. As the de facto leader of the short-lived hip hop collective YBN, he is best known for his debut 2017 single "Rubbin Off the Paint", which peaked at number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100. His 2018 single, "Bounce Out with That" peaked atop the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles. His 2019 single, "Opp Stoppa" peaked at number 78 on the former chart and preceded the release of his debut studio album Visionland (2021), which was met with critical and commercial failure.
Sterling Leroy Pennix Jr., better known by his stage name Hoodrich Pablo Juan, is an American rapper. He is best known for his track "We Don't Luv Em".
Cordae Amari Dunston, known mononymously as Cordae, is an American rapper. He began his career as a member of the hip hop collective YBN.
YBN was an American hip-hop collective formed by Nick Simmons, who goes by the stage name YBN Nahmir. YBN was a collective of rappers, record producers, social media personalities and promoters. The collective included members from Alabama, Texas, Gothenburg, California, Maryland, Connecticut, and Narberth, Pennsylvania.
Sammie Marquez Benson, known professionally as Blac Youngsta, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He signed a recording contract with fellow Memphis-based rapper Yo Gotti's record label, Collective Music Group (CMG) in 2015, which entered a joint venture with Epic Records two years later. He is best known for his 2017 single "Hip Hopper" and its follow-up, "Booty", released the following year—the latter peaked at number 73 on the Billboard Hot 100. Both songs received gold certifications by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and preceded the release of his debut studio album 223 (2019), which peaked at number 42 on the Billboard 200.
Tyquian Terrel Bowman, professionally known by his stage name Quando Rondo, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is signed to Never Broke Again and Atlantic Records. He initially gained attention with the release of his song "I Remember" featuring Lil Baby in January 2018, leading to him dropping three mixtapes, Life B4 Fame (2018), Life After Fame (2018), and From the Neighborhood to the Stage (2019).
Darrell Wayne Caldwell, known professionally as Drakeo the Ruler, was an American rapper known for his flow, as well as his "oddly expressive, poetic word-choices", leading the Los Angeles Times to call him "the most original West Coast stylist in decades". His 2021 single, "Talk to Me" entered the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart and preceded his debut studio album, The Truth Hurts (2021).
Chandler A. Great, professionally known as Turbo, is an American record producer and songwriter. He is best known for his production with Young Thug, Travis Scott, Gunna, Nav, and Lil Baby.
Markeyvius LaShun Cathey, better known by his stage name Key Glock, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. The cousin of slain fellow Memphis rapper Young Dolph, Cathey signed with his record label, Paper Route Empire to release his commercial mixtape Glock Season (2017). His debut studio album, Yellow Tape (2020) peaked at number 14 on the Billboard 200 and received gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His second album, Yellow Tape 2 (2021) peaked at number seven on the chart and spawned the platinum-certified single "Ambition for Cash", as well as "Proud", which was released in the wake of Dolph's death and marked his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. His third album, Glockoma 2 (2023) spawned the sleeper hit single "Let's Go"—his second entry on the chart.
Kobe Vidal Crawford Jr., known professionally as NoCap, is an American rapper and singer. He signed with YoungBoy Never Broke Again's namesake record label, an imprint of Atlantic Records in 2019. His debut studio album, Mr. Crawford (2022), peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 and saw widespread critical praise. He is noted for his use of wordplay.
Tysen Jay Bolding, known professionally as Money Man, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. His Kobe Bryant-inspired 2020 single, "24" peaked at number 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 and preceded his eighteenth mixtape, Epidemic (2020). His mixtape, Red Eye (2023) marked his highest charting entry on the Billboard 200.
