This is a list of hip hop musicians from Canada.
The Nitwitz
Wesley "Wes" Williams is a Canadian rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and author. He is known professionally by his stage names Maestro Fresh Wes or Maestro as a musician, and is credited by his birth name as an actor. One of the earliest Canadian rappers to achieve mainstream success, he is credited as the "Godfather of Canadian hip hop". His debut album, Symphony in Effect (1989), was the first certified platinum album by a Black Canadian artist, and his 2023 induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame was the first for any hip-hop artist.
The Canadian hip hop scene was established in the 1980s. Through a variety of factors, it developed much slower than Canada's popular rock music scene, and apart from a short-lived burst of mainstream popularity from 1989 to 1991, it remained largely an underground phenomenon until the early 2000s.
The Hip Hop Honors is an annual event that airs on VH1. The television special honors old school and golden age hip hop rappers and contributors for their long-term influence and importance in the history of hip hop culture. It features live performances by most of the honorees along with new artists who have been influenced by them in tribute. The show is taped at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan, New York City.
Tone Mason is a Canadian hip-hop and R&B production team from Toronto, Ontario, composed of Mellenius, Don D, and formerly, Aloysius Brown. They have contributed their music to MuchMusic & MuchVibe, Barbershop: The Next Cut, BET, EA Sports, Russell Peters' Red, White and Brown and many more.
Ahmad Balshe, known professionally as Belly, is a Palestinian-Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born in Jenin, Balshe was raised in Ottawa. His debut mixtape, Death Before Dishonor: Vol. 1 (2005) was followed eight additional projects until the release of his debut studio album, The Revolution (2007). After an eight-year hiatus in favor of songwriting for fellow Canadian singer the Weeknd, Balshe signed with his record label, XO, as a recording artist in 2015.
Ritchie Acheampong, better known as Rich Kidd, is a Canadian hip hop recording artist, record producer and film/video director from Toronto, Ontario. He is a two-time nominee for the Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year as a solo artist, garnering nominations at the Juno Awards of 2013 for The Closers and at the Juno Awards of 2014 for In My Opinion. In 2013, he formed the project Naturally Born Strangers with collaborators Tona and Adam Bomb. That group's debut release, The Legends League Presents: Naturally Born Strangers, won the Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2015.
Brandon George Dickinson, better known by his stage name Lil Bibby, is an American rapper and record executive from Chicago, Illinois. Beginning his career in 2011, Bibby released his debut mixtape, Free Crack in 2013. The project was followed by Free Crack 2 (2014) and Free Crack 3 (2015) before he signed with Dr. Luke's Kemosabe Records, an imprint of RCA Records. However, he released no studio albums under the label. He then shifted focus onto expanding his record label—Grade A Productions—in 2017, through which he has signed commercially successful acts including fellow Chicago native, rapper and singer Juice Wrld, as well as Australian rapper and singer the Kid Laroi.
JD Era is a Canadian rapper and lyricist. He has worked with artists such as Nas, Gza, Kardinal Offishall, The Clipse, and has also cut several tracks with longtime friend Drake. In 2008 he won Best Rap at the Toronto Independent Music Awards, and also won the TAG Records’ Survival of The Freshest competition. He has also released a number of mixtapes and singles, and in the Juno Awards of 2013 his album No Handouts was nominated for Rap Recording of the Year.
Dimitri Leslie Roger, known professionally as Rich the Kid, is an American rapper. After a number of independent mixtapes, he signed with Interscope Records in 2017 to release his debut studio album, The World Is Yours (2018). The album, supported by the singles "New Freezer" and "Plug Walk", peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. His second and third studio albums, The World Is Yours 2 (2019) and Boss Man (2020) peaked at numbers four and 24 on the chart, respectively. He has also released the collaborative mixtapes Nobody Safe (2020) with YoungBoy Never Broke Again, and Trust Fund Babies (2021) with Lil Wayne. Furthermore, he founded the record label Rich Forever Music in 2016, and has signed rappers Famous Dex and Jay Critch.
Adam King Feeney, better known as Ging and by his former stage name Frank Dukes, is a Canadian musician, record producer, and songwriter. A prolific producer, he has worked with artists including Lorde for Melodrama, Camila Cabello, Post Malone and The Weeknd. Following a two decade production career, he retired as Frank Dukes in 2021 to pursue his own music and art as Ging; he released his debut solo album We're Here, My Dear in 2022.
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.
The 2016 iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards were held on June 19, 2016 outside 299 Queen Street West in Toronto, Ontario, and hosted by Chloe Wilde, Jus Reign and Jillea.
Brittany Talia Hazzard, professionally known as Starrah, is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper from Delaware. Best known as a prolific songwriter for music industry artists, Starrah has co-written three singles which have peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100: "Havana" for Camila Cabello in 2017, "Girls Like You" for Maroon 5 the following year, and "Savage Remix" for Megan Thee Stallion in 2020; the latter won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song. In addition, she has co-written multiple songs that have peaked within the top 20 on the chart, including Rihanna's "Needed Me," Normani's "Wild Side", Halsey's "Now or Never," Kevin Gates' "2 Phones," Nicki Minaj, Drake and Lil Wayne's "No Frauds," and Drake's "Fake Love."
Shane Lee Lindstrom, known professionally as Murda Beatz, is a Canadian record producer. Born and raised in Ontario, he has produced commercially successful singles for various artists since 2011, predominantly in hip hop and trap music. His credits include the hit singles "Butterfly Effect" by Travis Scott, "Back on Road" by Gucci Mane, "Nice for What" by Drake, and "Motorsport" by Migos. He is best known for his guest feature alongside Nicki Minaj on 6ix9ine's 2018 single "Fefe", which peaked at number three on both the Canadian Hot 100 and US Billboard Hot 100.
The 2017 iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards were held on June 18, 2017, outside 299 Queen Street West in Toronto, Canada. It was hosted by Joe Jonas and Alessia Cara. Initial announcements were made on April 26, 2017. This is the final ceremony to be held in June and on Father's Day.
The discography of American rapper BlocBoy JB includes two studio albums, ten mixtapes, one EP, 31 singles, and numerous music videos.
Quinton Armani Gardner, professionally known as Pressa, is a rapper and singer from Toronto.
Livingston Allen, better known as DJ Akademiks, is a Jamaican-American podcaster, internet personality and live streamer. DJ Akademiks rose to fame for his YouTube channel which covered recent news in the music industry—particularly hip hop. He later became the co-host of Everyday Struggle, a daily show by Complex Networks. He also hosts his own podcast, Off the Record with DJ Akademiks, on Spotify.
