This list of the real names of rappers will inform and enlighten you, because who even knew some of the best rappers in history used a stage name? "Snoop" wasn't his mother's idea? Get out. Kanye West and Wyclef Jean use their given name to record their music, but most rappers use a stage name. Some rappers use nicknames that they have had their whole life, while other MCs create an entirely new persona and give themselves unique rapper names. Some rappers have even changed their name multiple times.
Who is the most famous rapper that uses a stage name? Jay Z has to be at the top of the list. Jay Z was born Shawn Corey Carter on December 4, 1969. He has had such hit songs as "Empire State of Mind" and "99 Problems." He was known as “Jazzy” growing up and eventually that merged into Jay Z. 50 Cent was born Curtis James Jackson III on July 6, 1975. He has released such songs as "In da Club" and "Candy Shop."
A couple of famous rappers have gone by multiple stage names. Snoop Dogg was born Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. on October 20, 1971. He has released such songs as "Drop It Like It's Hot" and "Gin and Juice." After a recent trip to Jamaica, Snoop changed his name to Snoop Lion. P. Diddy was born Sean Combs on November 4, 1969. He has had such hit singles as "Bad Boy for Life" and "Last Night." He has also been known as Puff Daddy and Diddy.
Would you use a stage name if you were a rapper? Would it be something bada** or something fun and really crazy?!
Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, film producer, and actor. He is consistently cited as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time and was labeled the "King of Hip Hop" by Rolling Stone magazine. In addition to his solo career, Eminem was a member of the hip hop group D12. He is also known for his collaborations with fellow Detroit-based rapper Royce da 5'9"; the two are collectively known as Bad Meets Evil.
After his debut album Infinite (1996) and the extended play Slim Shady EP (1997), Eminem signed with Dr. Dre's Aftermath ...more
Albums: The Marshall Mathers LP, The Slim Shady LP, The Eminem Show, Infinite, Recovery
O'Shea Jackson (born June 15, 1969), known professionally as Ice Cube, is an American rapper, actor, producer, director and writer.
Ice Cube initially gained recognition in 1984 as a member of the hip hop group C.I.A., which gained limited commercial success prior to disbanding three years later. Ice Cube, alongside Dr. Dre and Eazy E, then formed the group N.W.A, where he gained extreme notoriety as the group's primary songwriter and performer, noted for becoming one of the founding artists of gangsta rap, and pushing the boundaries of lyrical content in mainstream popular music, as well as visual imagery in music videos.After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, Ice Cube embarked on a ...more
Albums: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, The Predator, Death Certificate, Lethal Injection, Laugh Now
Genres (Music): Hip hop music, Alternative hip hop, Political hip hop, Hardcore hip hop, Gangsta rap
Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer and entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and was previously co-owner of Death Row Records. Dr. Dre began his career as a member of the World Class Wreckin' Cru and found fame with the influential gangsta rap group N.W.A, which popularized explicit lyrics in rap to detail the violence of street life. He is credited as a key figure in the crafting and popularization of West Coast G-funk, a hip hop subgenre characterized as synthesizer-based with slow, heavy beats. As of 2018, he is the third richest figure in hip hop, with a ...more
Albums: The Chronic, 2001, Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang / Let Me Ride, California Love, The Chronicle: The Best of the Works...
Genres (Music): Hip hop music, Rap music, Gangsta rap, G-funk, West Coast hip hop
Jarad Anthony Higgins (December 2, 1998 – December 8, 2019), known professionally as Juice WRLD, was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Born in Chicago, Illinois, he was best known for his hit singles "All Girls Are the Same" and "Lucid Dreams" which helped him gain a recording contract with Lil Bibby's Grade A Productions and Interscope Records. "All Girls Are the Same" and "Lucid Dreams" acted as singles for Juice WRLD's debut studio album Goodbye & Good Riddance (2018) which became certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album enjoyed positive critical reception, and contained three other singles: "Armed and Dangerous", "Lean wit Me" and ...more
Jermaine Lamarr Cole (born January 28, 1985) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born on a military base in Germany but raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Cole initially gained recognition as a rapper following the release of his debut mixtape, The Come Up, in early 2007. Intent on further pursuing a solo career as a rapper, he went on to release two additional mixtapes, The Warm Up and Friday Night Lights after signing to Jay-Z's Roc Nation imprint in 2009.
Cole released his debut studio album, Cole World: The Sideline Story, in 2011. It debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, and was soon certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of ...more
Albums: Born Sinner, The Warm Up, Friday Night Lights, Cole World: The Sideline Story, The Come Up
Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, television producer, entrepreneur and investor. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of the borough of Queens, Jackson began selling drugs at age twelve during the 1980s crack epidemic. He later began pursuing a musical career and in 2000 he produced Power of the Dollar for Columbia Records, but days before the planned release he was shot and the album was never released. In 2002, after Jackson released the compilation album Guess Who's Back?, he was discovered by Eminem and signed to Shady Records, under the aegis of Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and ...more
Albums: Get Rich or Die Tryin', Get Rich or Die Tryin' / The Massacre, Street King Immortal, Power of the Dollar, Before I Self Destruct
1129 VOTESMarshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, film producer, and actor. He is consistently cited as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time and was labeled the "King of Hip Hop" by Rolling Stone magazine. In addition to his solo career, Eminem was a member of the hip hop group D12. He is also known for his collaborations with fellow Detroit-based rapper Royce da 5'9"; the two are collectively known as Bad Meets Evil. After his debut album Infinite (1996) and the extended play Slim Shady EP (1997), Eminem signed with Dr. Dre's Aftermath ...more
2118 VOTESO'Shea Jackson (born June 15, 1969), known professionally as Ice Cube, is an American rapper, actor, producer, director and writer. Ice Cube initially gained recognition in 1984 as a member of the hip hop group C.I.A., which gained limited commercial success prior to disbanding three years later. Ice Cube, alongside Dr. Dre and Eazy E, then formed the group N.W.A, where he gained extreme notoriety as the group's primary songwriter and performer, noted for becoming one of the founding artists of gangsta rap, and pushing the boundaries of lyrical content in mainstream popular music, as well as visual imagery in music videos.After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, Ice Cube embarked on a ...more
3116 VOTESAndre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer and entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and was previously co-owner of Death Row Records. Dr. Dre began his career as a member of the World Class Wreckin' Cru and found fame with the influential gangsta rap group N.W.A, which popularized explicit lyrics in rap to detail the violence of street life. He is credited as a key figure in the crafting and popularization of West Coast G-funk, a hip hop subgenre characterized as synthesizer-based with slow, heavy beats. As of 2018, he is the third richest figure in hip hop, with a ...more
