100 of my favorite rappers
This was sparked by a conversation I had with some friends a month or two ago, about how a lot of the bigger publications seem to focus on the same handful of artists to the point that they start to feel disingenous or robot. Or, if they do happen to stray from the "acceptable" pool of artists/albums to mention, often times it seems like they're doing so with the sole intention of stirring up controversy. A good example of this is the recent Pitchfork Top 100 Rap Albums list, where they put Duwop Kaine's 2018 mixtape "Underdog" exactly one spot higher than the exact album it's paying homage to, Doggystyle by Snoop Dogg. These conversations I had, which that strange list was kind of a catalyst for, led to me thinking about who my favorite rappers in 2025 actually were. This list is less about who has the highest number of classic records or is the most technically skilled and is mostly based on the following: 1) who do I actually listen to the most 2) who do I enjoy hearing rap, whether it's their own albums or features 3) who makes the music that resonates with me, currently 4) who had the greatest impact on me as a person or on my perception of what the artform could be You can also ignore the number ranking after the first 50. Also, if you want to drop a top 10 or 15 in the comments here, i'd be interested in seeing your picks, especially if it's based on the same criteria. Peace.
1. Aesop Rock 2. MF DOOM 3. billy woods 4. Ghostface Killah 5. Posdnuos 6. Black Thought 7. Ka 8. ELUCID 9. Myka 9 10. Pharoahe Monch 11. Breeze Brewin (Juggaknots) 12. Serengeti 13. Vordul Mega (Cannibal Ox) 14. André 3000 15. Mos Def 16. Mach-Hommy 17. Redman 18. Bigg Jus (Company Flow/Nephlim Modulation Systems) 19. Zeroh 20. Earl Sweatshirt 21. El-P 22. Ish Butler (Digable Planets / Shabazz Palaces 23. Prodigy 24. Roc Marciano 25. Moses Rockwell
