Update: Dive into the best new hip hop with our list of 2020's top rap songs.
Hardcore hip hop is a subgenre of rap music that developed at the beginning of the 1980s. The genre's lyrics tackled the harsh conditions of the urban experience and have resonated with many rap fans. The tenacious beats of hard rap songs add to the intensity. Hardcore rappers are recognized as the precursor to gangsta rap due to its unapologetic stances on anger and aggression towards violence, police brutality, crime, poverty, drugs and rebellion. Many hardcore rap songs take on these issues head on. Hardcore rap has become one of the most important subgenres of rap and has also played an important role in shaping conscious rap and political hip hop.
So, who are the best hardcore rappers? Any list of hardcore rappers has to include names like the Geto Boys, DMX, Necro, Big L, Immortal Technique and Notorious B.I.G. These hardcore rap artists are widely known as the most famous faces and important voices in hardcore rap. When you think of hardcore rap, you generally think of the hardcore rappers on this list. Even though some of the biggest names are widely known, that doesn't mean the lesser known groups are any less important. It's dark and gritty nature has won hardcore rap many admirers over the years.
That said, it's up to you to determine what are the best hardcore rappers. If you like hardcore hip hop, then feel free to vote on this list. If you notice someone isn't on this list, and should be, feel free to add them. This list answers the questions "who are the best hardcore hip hop bands of all time?" and "who is the greatest hardcore hip hop 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 hardcore hip hop bands that you might've heard of.
1
1,479545Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often... more
2
1,140356Earl Simmons (born December 18, 1970), known professionally as DMX, is an American rapper and... more3
940319N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip hop group from Compton,... more4
661195TrakDiamondRecord.com
Trish Best, known by her stage name Feloni, is an African-American rapper from Detroit,... more5
808282Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), known professionally as The... more6
566192Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, better known as Nas, is an American rapper, songwriter, record... more7
534167Russell Tyrone Jones (November 15, 1968 – November 13, 2004), better known by his stage name... more8
628235Mobb Deep was an American hip hop duo from Queensbridge, Queens, New York. The group consisted... more9
483202Method Man & Redman, are an American hip hop duo, composed of East Coast rappers Method Man... more10
351160William Michael Griffin Jr. (born January 28, 1968), better known by his stage name Rakim, is... more11
331178Christian Anthony Mathis (born June 28, 1973), better known by his stage name Trick-Trick, is... more12
291174Slaughterhouse is a hip hop supergroup consisting of rappers Crooked I, Joe Budden, Joell... more13
332186Rufus Arthur Johnson (born July 5, 1976), better known by his stage name Bizarre, is an... more14
346208Lamont Coleman (May 30, 1974 – February 15, 1999), known professionally as Big L, was an... more15
446330D12, an initialism for the Dirty Dozen, was an American hip hop group from Detroit, Michigan.... more16
203103Albert Johnson (November 2, 1974 – June 20, 2017), better known by his stage name Prodigy, was... more17
304184Christopher Lee Rios (November 10, 1971 – February 7, 2000), better known by his stage name... more18
243164DeShaun Dupree Holton (October 2, 1973 – April 11, 2006), known professionally as Proof, was... more19
358265Alvin Nathaniel Joiner (born September 18, 1974), better known by the stage name Xzibit... more20
347227Onyx is an American hardcore hip hop group from South Jamaica, Queens, New York City,... more21
262164Geto Boys is a rap group from Houston, Texas, currently consisting of Scarface, Willie D, and... more22
364278Bad Meets Evil is an American hip hop duo consisting of rappers Royce da 5'9" and Eminem. Bad... more23
14978Louis Eric Barrier (born November 8, 1965 in East Elmhurst, Queens, New York) is the former... more24
272203Reginald Noble (born April 17, 1970), better known by his stage name Redman, is an American... more25
170105Nathaniel Thomas Wilson (born July 20, 1968), better known by his stage name Kool G Rap (or... more
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25