Top New Orleans Rappers

List of Top 20 Best Rappers from New Orleans

Once the mecca for southern rap as New Orleans rappers from within No Limit Records, the likes of Master P, Mystikal, Soulja Slim, and dozens of others, and within Cash Money Records, which included Lil Wayne, Juvenile and B.G., had a firm grip on the rap game and the music industry, especially from the late 1990s to the beginning of the 2010s.

While outsiders may recognize rappers from New Orleans who achieved widespread success and recognition, many are not aware to some of the local hip-hop and rap artists that may have not reached mainstream and nationwide success, but were well known regionally, throughout the Gulf Coast.

A few of the pioneering New Orleans rappers were the likes of UNLV, Tim Smooth, Daddy Yo, Pimp Daddy, Sporty T, Partners N Crime, Juvenile, Magnolia Slim, Fila Phil, Most Wanted Posse, Ruthless Juveniles, Dog House Posse, Lil Slim, Lokee, 6 Shot, Dolamite Hustlas, 39 Posse, Ricky B, Joe Blakk, and Prime Time.

The rap scene of New Orleans has also been historically known for leading female artists, holding their own in a male dominated industry, whether it was New Orleans bounce music or gangster rap. This has included artists like Magnolia Shorty, the Ghetto Twinz, Ms. Tee, Lady Red, Cheeky Black, and No Limit’s own Mia X.

The New Orleans rap scene has always been shaped by the presence of bounce music, which is of great significance. Artists like Pimp Daddy, DJ Jubilee, or DJ Jimi were some of the true leaders of the bounce music.

By the mid-2000s, only Soulja Slim’s Cut Throat Committee and B.G.’s Chopper City Records, as well a presence from Juvenile’s UTP Records and C-Murder’s Tru Records, were representing New Orleans through rap music.

While Lil Wayne has been viewed as the GOAT and one of the most artists in the music industry, from the Sqad Up mixtapes to Tha Carter series to the Dedication mixtapes, his presence was so enlarged that it expanded well beyond the city of New Orleans, unlike many other artists that had a local, regional, or core following.

Today’s Top New Orleans Rappers

As we enter the 2020s, New Orleans rappers have been making a comeback and generating a new era of New Orleans music. Despite Baton Rouge receiving the most attention, the talent, and the roster of gifted rappers from New Orleans is at a level where the city deserves a spotlight. As the city has changed since the 1990s, viewers should not expect the music that the past New Orleans rap scene produced but expect music representing modern day New Orleans.

The legedary Spitta, Curren$y transformed his time with the new No Limit Records into building his own brand and gaining thousands of fans. Rob49 breaking into the hip-hop spotlight as one of the future faces of hip-hop. Supah Badd bringing the New Orleans culture to the masses. New Orleans rappers like Yung Ro and Stone Cold Jizzle establishing a name for themselves outside of the city, becoming regionally known in parts of the South and Midwest.

While rappers like members of Jet Life, BTY Young’n, Neno Calvin, Tokyo Vanity, Kidd Kidd, and Dee-1 helped bring the city’s rap scene into a new era, as they are currently continuing their legacy in hip-hop, the fresh faces of New Orleans hip-hop, like CeeFineAss, T10, Treety, and AiA Litt, are helping to bring the spotlight back to the city.