Washington DC Rappers

List of the top 15 DMV Rappers

Rappers from Washington DC may not have the popularity as artists in other cities, but there are still numerous talented artists within the lineup and roster of DMV rappers. Despite rap music’s popularity, some of the locals may prefer Go-Go music, a live vibrant sound that dates back to the 1960s and 1970s, a combination of multiple genres of music, but primarily bands performing funk music intertwined with Afro/Caribbean drums.

Even the streets have been embracing Go-Go music over the years, whether it is rap artists mixing the Go-Go sound and rhythm with their music or it is Go-Go bands singing and harmonizing representing for D.C.’s street culture. With the Go-Go tradition not being as strong as previous generations, the streets of today seem have steered away from the Go-Go sound, even though some still embrace the genre, and gravitated towards DMV’s music scene of rappers from Washington DC and surrounding areas.

Being a large metropolitan area that consists of numerous communities from Northwest Washington DC to Southeast Washington DC to PG County, Maryland to Northern Virginia, there is no shortage of talent in the DMV. The region has already produced top artists like one of the biggest names in hip-hop during the 2010s in Wale, one of hip-hop’s top rising female artists in Rico Nasty, top street rappers and artist that bring the reality of the urban environment into hip-hop like Shy Glizzy, Q Da Fool, and Fat Trel, the soulful rhymes of Goldlink, and rising stars in the rap game like Yung Manny and Xanman, all proving that there is much potential within this untapped rap market.

A city that has always had an unique culture, nicknamed Chocolate City, has a hidden gem of hip hop and rap music. Though gentrification has been rapidly changing the urban landscape, by demolishing entire neighborhoods and relocating residents into other parts of the DMV, the culture and lifestyle of D.C. is still embedded in the heart of the regions music scene. A list of the Top 20 rappers from Washington DC, with some honorable mention DMV rappers, gives a better insight on the DMV rap movement coming out of Washington DC and the surrounding communities of Maryland’s PG County and northern Virginia.