Originally by Ranker MusicList RulesVote up and add all of your favorite gangsta rappers & groups—political rappers don't necessarily constitute gangsta rap.
Update: Dive into the best new hip hop with our list of 2020's top rap songs.
If you were a fan of West Coast rap at the end of the 1980s and early 1990s, the odds are pretty high that you're familiar with gangsta rap, one of the most popular rap subgenres. The lyrics focus on thug and gangster life and has elements of hardcore hip hop weaved in. Many gangsta rappers were affiliated with gangs and they weren't afraid to boast of their involvement and what activities that their respective gangs were involved in. Gangsta rappers were among the most feared rappers of the time, yet, achieved widespread commercial success due to the harsh realities that were expressed in their lyrics and unmistakable beats that were as catchy as they were innovative. Over time, gangsta rap has come to incorporate rappers from the East Coast as well, but for the most part, those formative years were where the West Coast was closely associated with the genre.
So, who are the best gangsta rappers? Any list of gangsta rappers has to include the likes of Tupac Shakur, Ice T, Snoop Dogg, DMX, 50 Cent and N.W.A. When you think of gangsta rap, you generally will consider the rappers on this list to be the most important voices in the genre. If not for the gangsta rap artists on this list, rap music as as whole may not have expanded in the way it has and the lyrics certainly wouldn't have been as revolutionary if not for gangsta rap.
That said, it's up to you to determine who are the best gangsta rappers. If you think a rap artist is missing from this and should be on it, feel free to add them. This list answers the questions "who are the best gangsta rap bands of all time?" and "who is the greatest gangsta rap musician ever?" If you know enough about the genre, please vote based on the quality of the band's music instead of just voting for the most popular gangsta rap bands that you might've heard of.
1
4,274864N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip hop group from Compton,... more
2
4,512911O'Shea Jackson (born June 15, 1969), known professionally as Ice Cube, is an American rapper,... more3
4,518926Eric Lynn Wright (September 7, 1964 – March 26, 1995), known professionally as Eazy-E, was an... more4
5,8411,220Tupac Amaru Shakur ( TOO-pahk shə-KOOR; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September... more5
3,535855Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), known professionally as The... more6
3,240927Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American... more7
3,213997Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg, is an... more8
2,185916Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in the New York City borough of Staten Island... more9
2,7131,193Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American... more10
2,144847Earl Simmons (born December 18, 1970), known professionally as DMX, is an American rapper and... more11
1,859870Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, better known as Nas, is an American rapper, songwriter, record... more12
1,632718Nathaniel Dwayne Hale (August 19, 1969 – March 15, 2011), known professionally as Nate Dogg,... more13
1,017462Clifford M. Smith Jr. (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man, is an... more14
1,088480Westside Connection was an American West coast hip hop and gangsta rap supergroup formed by... more15
1,306625Tracy Lauren Marrow (born February 16, 1958), better known by his stage name Ice-T, is an... more16
1,274598Jayceon Terrell Taylor (born November 29, 1979), better known by his stage name The Game (or... more17
1,391680Mobb Deep was an American hip hop duo from Queensbridge, Queens, New York. The group consisted... more18
1,368695Brad Terrence Jordan (born November 9, 1970), better known by his stage name Scarface, is an... more19
1,313680Lorenzo Jerald Patterson (born June 16, 1969), better known by his stage name MC Ren, is an... more20
1,048508Geto Boys is a rap group from Houston, Texas, currently consisting of Scarface, Willie D, and... more21
831437Todd Anthony Shaw (born April 28, 1966), better known by the stage name Too Short (stylized as... more22
1,011580Warren Griffin III (born November 10, 1970), known by his stage name Warren G, is an American... more23
1,154670Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, songwriter, and record... more24
688400Earl T. Stevens (born November 15, 1967), better known by his stage name E-40, is an American... more25
714422Tha Dogg Pound is an American hip hop duo formed in 1992, made up of West Coast rappers Kurupt... more
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25