Top Cleveland Rappers:

List of the Best Rappers from Cleveland

Hip-hop fans have always viewed and complemented Cleveland rappers with the legendary hip-hop group Bone Thugs N Harmony. While Bone Thugs’ legacy is unmatchable, the city has had numerous rappers from Cleveland to rise to the occasion, especially from the era of the 2000s to the current rap and hip hop scene.

Following Bone Thugs N Harmony’s rise in hip-hop, the city of Cleveland became lifeless in hip-hop, or at least to the outside world. Many were unaware of the intuition and vision of two artists, Kid Cudi and Machine Gun Kelly. Kid Cudi made his introduction in 2008 with “Day ‘n’ Nite” and the classic album Man on the Moon, before linking with Kanye West and GOOD Music. Machine Gun Kelly made his debut long before transitioning into rock music, in 2011 with the hit song “Wild Boy.” Throughout the 2010s, both Kid Cudi and Machine Gun Kelly became superstars in hip-hop.

As mentioned, following Bone Thugs N Harmony’s success, during the 2000s a number of Cleveland rappers began to appear on the scene. Rappers from Cleveland like Ray Cash, Chip Tha Ripper, Ray Jr, Dub-O, Al Fatz, or Corey Bapes helped transition rap and hip hop music in Cleveland into a new era. Now, a new generation of rappers has arisen.

Today’s Top Cleveland Rappers

Linked with one of the biggest names in hip-hop, Future, the East Cleveland native Doe Boy reached multiple levels of success. Doe Boy’s success was not overnight, the Freebandz member had been grinding since the start of the 2010s with releasing over a dozen mixtapes, only persisting and staying consistent until he gained the proper recognition.

Alongside Doe Boy, the early 2010s saw the rise of multiple Cleveland rappers, like EC Marv, Ripp Flamez, Pooh Gutta, RootaBang, Lil Cray, Preme Dibiasi, Will The General, and of course Q Money. Destined to not only become the next star from Cleveland, but the momentum that Q Money was gaining was leading him on the verge of becoming hip-hop’s next megastar. Unfortunately, tragic events derailed the once rising star.

The roster of 2023’s top rappers from Cleveland includes some new faces and many familiar faces. Newcomers like YSN Flow, one of the rap game’s current hottest young stars, has been making an impact since his hit song “What’s Beef?” (2019). YFL Kelvin, who surfaced in 2018 with songs like “Front Street” featuring Machine Gun Kelly and “Nasdaq”. Foreign Jay, who has constructed his own lane of music in the city. Ty Bri, who took over the city in 2020 with “Wake Up” featuring Latto and “Gimmie Sum Money.” And 55Bagz, a street representative that has been showcasing an authentic side of the city.

Top 15 Cleveland Rappers

Baebae Savo

Debut: 2008

Top Songs: “Scared To Book,” “Famous,” “Street Demon,” “Spin,” “Anxiety,” “Purple Heart,” and more

Albums: Savo Season (2018), Simon Baby (2020), Tired Of Grieving (2020), Squeaky Son (2022), Purple Heart (2022), Broken Goat (2022), Home Sick (2024), White Ashes (2024), Can’t Explain My Life Right Now (2024)

Follow on Instagram: @BaeBae Savo and watch on Youtube: BaeBae Savo

Chip Tha Ripper

Debut: 2008

Top Songs: “Interior Crocodile Alligator,” “Ain’t No Love Here,” “Don’t You See I’m On the Phone,” and more

Albums: Gift Raps (2011), Bonfire (2022),

Follow on Instagram: @King Chip and watch on Youtube: King Chip

Doe Boy

Debut: 2016

Top Songs: “Shmurda Talk,” “100 Shooters,” “Shmurda Gang,” “Real Recognize Real,” “Bussin,” “Mini Vans,” “Don’t Play That,” and more

Albums: Streetz Need Me (2016), Boyz N Da Hood 2 (2017), In Freebandz We Trust (2017), Codeine Confessions (2017), In Freebandz We Trust 2 (2017), No Worries (2018), 88 Birdz (2018), The Bandrint (2018), Streetz Need Me 2 (2019), 56 Birdz (2020), Demons R Us (2020), ….

Follow on Instagram: @Doe Boy and watch on Youtube: Doe Boy

EC Marv

Debut: 2015

Top Songs: “That’s My Bestfriend,” “Bestfriend Part 2,” “Bestfriend Part 3,” “Nah FR,” and more.

Albums: It’s Forever Up (2022), Left the City EP (2019), Before the Fame (2016)

Follow on Instagram: @EC Marv and watch on Youtube: EC Marv

Foreign Jay

Debut: 2017

Top Songs: “Anonymous,” “Road Runnin,” “One Take Shawty,” “Panic Music,” “BackFrmDaCut,” and more.

Albums: GRAVE STAR (2019), All Graved Up (2020), Bipolar Ways (2021), Forever Gang (2022)

Follow on Instagram: @Foreign Jay and watch on Youtube: Foreign Jay

Kid Cudi

Debut: 2009

Top Songs: “Day N Nite,” “Pursuit Of Happiness,” “Just What I Am,” “Erase me,” and more

Albums: Man On The Moon (2009), Man On The Moon II (2010), Indicud (2013), Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven (2015), Passion, Pain, & Deomn Slayin (2016), KIDS SEE GHOSTS (2018), Man On The Moon III (2020), The Boy Who Flew To The Moon (2022), A Kid Named Cudi (2022), Insano (2024)

Follow on Instagram: @Kid Cudi and watch on YouTube: Kid Cudi

Machine Gun Kelly

Debut: 2009

Top Songs: “Wild Boy,” “Rap Devil,” “Lonley Road,” “Bad Things,” “Mind of a Stoner,” “Bloody Valentine,”

Albums: Lace Up (2012), General Admission (2015), Bloom (2017), Binge (2018), Hotel Diablo (2019), Tickets to My Downfall (2020), mainstream sellout (2022),

Follow on Instagram: @MGK and watch on Youtube: MGK

NoLuvv

Debut: 2019

Top Songs: “My Shh Back,” “Oh Really,” “Rock and Roll,” “Veteran,” “Going Through Changes,” and more.

Albums: Voice of the Streets (2019), Babies 2 Felons (2019), Ask The Streetz (2020), Inner G (2021), No Luvv Lost (2021), The Voice of Cleveland (2022), Now or Never (2023), Voice of the Streets 2 (2023), Flee World (2025),

Follow on Instagram: @NoLuvv and watch on Youtube: NoLuvv

Ray Jr.

Debut: 2006

Top Songs: “Same Crew,” “Nosebleez,” “Biggie,” “Floatin’,” “Like Whoa,” “Sloppy,” and more.

Albums: Vote or Die (2016), Elected (2012), Gold Packs (2016), Lyrics Playlist (2017), Legit Paper (2018), Old to the City, New to the World (2019), Goat Packs (2021), The Candle Room (2022), and more.

Follow on Instagram: @Ray Jr and watch on Youtube: Ray Jr

Ripp Flamez

Debut: 2014

Top Songs: “Mention,” “Wavez,” “Pay Back,” “Lebron Flamez,” “Neva Be The Same,” and more.

Albums: WaveForever (2016), Day One Forever (2016), Project Melodies (2017), Project Melodies II (2017), Project Melodies III (2018), Wave Ave (2019)

Follow on Instagram: @Ripp Flamez and watch on Youtube: Ripp Flamez

Rosee Camp

Debut: 2022

Top Songs: “Nunna Dat,” “Ouuu Shit,” “Kill Nothing,” “John Madden,” “C’s,” “Yappin,” “Hate To Lose,” and more.

Albums: This My Shit (2022), Gen 3 (2022), Nights In The Stu (2022), Back Again (2023), Free Jb (2023), Free Bu (2023), LongLiveJa (2024), 30Blocka (2024)

Follow on Instagram: @Rosee Camp and Youtube: Rosee Camp

YFL Kelvin

Debut: 2018

Top Songs: “Front Street,” “Nasdaq,” “Blessing,” “Still Wit It,” and more.

Albums: Flashy Roadrunners (2018), Outta Here (2018), Neva Lookin Back (2019), Don’t Call It A Comeback (2023), Dedicated (2023),

Follow on Instagram: @YFL Kelvin and watch on Youtube: YFL Kelvin

YSN Flow

Debut: 2019

Top Songs: “What Beef,” “What Beef 2.0,” “Illegal Guns,” “OH Okay,” “Shoes Tied,” “Hotbox,” and more.

Albums: Flow $ZN (2020), Long Story Short (2020),

Follow on Instagram: @YSN Flow and watch on YouTube: YSN Flow

Honorable Mention Rappers from Cleveland

– YFL Pooh Instagram: @YFL Pooh and Youtube: YFL Pooh

– Big Flame Instagram: @Big Flame and Watch on Youtube: Big Flame

– 55bagz Instagram: @55bagz and Youtube: 55bagz

– Preme Dibiasi Instagram: @Preme Dibiasi and Youtube: Preme Dibiasi

– Lil Cray Instagram: @Lil Cray and Youtube: Lil Cray

– Will The General Instagram: @Will The General and Youtube: Will The General

– Pooh Gutta Instagram: @Pooh Gutta and Youtube: Pooh Gutta

– RootaBang Instagram: @RootaBang and Youtube: Rootabang

– Young Cap Instagram: @Young Cap and Youtube: Young Cap

– EJ Roze Instagram: @EJ Roze and Youtube: EJ Roze

– Marlo79 Instagram: @Marlo79 and Youtube: Marlo79

– Caine Instagram: @Caine and Youtube: Caine

*If any artists are missing from the list leave a commrnt

Top 15 Cleveland Rappers: 2025’s Best Rappers from Cleveland