The Best New Rappers Of 2022

Jared Baly
Updated March 15, 2022 2.6K votes 503 voters

From the 2022 Grammy nominee for Best New Artist Baby Keem to 2021 XXL Freshman classmates Coi Leray and Pooh Shiesty, this year's roster of best new rappers contains unparalleled talent across hip-hop. Los Angeles based duo Paris Texas continue riding high from their EP Red Hand Akimbo, and trailblazing female rappers Baby Tate, Rubi Rose, Bree Runway, and Flo Milli just dropped new singles (with more potential records in the works). 

Which trending new hip hop artists are you most excited to see live, and whose albums or mixtapes are you currently listening to? Vote below for the best new rappers of 2022, and be sure to also check out this year's top new rap songs here.

Ranked by
  • Baby Keem
    1

    Baby Keem

    303 votes
    Hykeem Jamaal Carter Jr. (born October 22, 2000), known professionally as Baby Keem, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer from Las Vegas, Nevada. He initially gained major recognition following the release of his single "Orange Soda", from his second mixtape Die for My B*tch (2019), which peaked at number 98 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. He would later go on to collaborate with prominent artists such as Travis Scott, Kanye West, and his cousin Kendrick Lamar, on the songs "Durag Activity," "Praise God," "Range Brothers," and "Family Ties" respectively, with "Family Ties" and "Praise God" reaching the top 20 on the Hot 100. His debut studio album The Melodic Blue, which was preceded by the aforementioned singles, was issued in September 2021 by Columbia Records and pgLang.
  • Nardo Wick
    2

    Nardo Wick

    243 votes
    Horace Bernard Walls III (born December 30, 2001), better known by his stage name Nardo Wick, is an American rapper from Jacksonville, Florida. He is signed to Flawless Entertainment and RCA Records. He is best known for his 2021 single "Who Want Smoke?". Another version of the song, which features fellow rappers G Herbo, Lil Durk, and 21 Savage, propelled it to debut at number 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and earn platinum certification by the RIAA. Wick released his debut studio album, Who Is Nardo Wick?, that same year.
  • Yeat
    3

    Yeat

    255 votes
    Noah Oliver Smith (born February 26, 2000), known professionally as Yeat, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer from Portland, Oregon. Yeat rose to popularity in 2021 after the release of his album 4L, which included tracks like "Sorry Bout That" and "Money Twërk", which gained popularity on TikTok. He gained further recognition after his single "Gët Busy" released in late 2021.
  • EST Gee
    4

    EST Gee

    150 votes
    George Albert Stone III (born May 11, 1994), known professionally as EST Gee, is an American rapper and songwriter. He is signed to Yo Gotti's Collective Music Group (CMG), Interscope Records and Warlike. He is perhaps best known for his feature on the 2021 single "Real as It Gets" by rapper Lil Baby. His fifth mixtape, Bigger Than Life or Death, released on July 21, 2021, and peaked at number 7 on the Billboard 200. It spawned the Billboard Hot 100-charting songs "5500 Degrees" and "Lick Back". A deluxe edition of the mixtape was released on December 3, 2021.
  • Mike Dimes
    5

    Mike Dimes

    123 votes
    Mike Dimes is an American rapper from San Antonio, Texas, currently signed to Encore Recordings and CAMP BILLY. Dimes released his debut studio album Dlog on May 8, 2021.
  • Morray
    6

    Morray

    151 votes
    Morae Ebony Ruffin (born November 10, 1992), known professionally as Morray, is an American rapper and singer from Fayetteville, North Carolina. He received widespread recognition in 2020 with his debut single "Quicksand", and released his debut mixtape Street Sermons in 2021.