Best Rappers of the 2010s

Tyler, The Creator

Tyler first stepped onto the scene in 2007, where he was the leader of the group Odd Future alongside other members such as Frank Ocean. During his time in Odd Future, he then created his own album called Bastard in 2009, where he received recognition from online music critics as a growing artist from the indie music scene. He then released Goblin in 2011, which ended up getting him recognition from the mainstream media. This was helped due to the popularity of his single, Yonkers. After releasing his 3rd album, Wolf, he then decided to incorporate fusions of jazz, R and B, and soul into his songs. He then released his next album, Cherry Bomb, which featured lots of popular artists such as now controversial rapper Kanye West and Lil Wayne. However, retrospectively, many critics consider Cherry Bomb Tyler’s worst album. After that, Tyler released Flower Boy, which was his first album to receive critical acclaim. One of the singles from this album, See You Again, is Tyler’s most streamed song on Spotify, with over 1.9 billion streams. After releasing an EP (extended play) for the Grinch movie in 2018, Tyler then released his next album, Igor, in 2019. The album is widely considered by critics and fans alike as Tyler’s best album, and won Tyler his first ever Grammy for Best Rap Album. While this album may have gotten him into beef with DJ Khaled as it gained more popularity than Khaled’s album, Tyler managed to win the beef, but reconciled with Khaled later. In 2021, Tyler then released Call Me If You Get Lost. This album also received widespread acclaim from critics, and is commonly compared to Igor. Many fans to this day argue about whether Igor or Call Me is the better album (I personally prefer Igor). This album also scored Tyler another Grammy for Best Rap Album. Most recently, in 2024, Tyler released his newest album, Chromakopia. Again, this album received widespread acclaim from critics and fans, though it was considered a bit more messy than previous albums, however, that was considered a positive of the album. Tyler today is currently considered one of the greatest rappers of the current generation, specifically for his lyricism, themes in his songs, and quality of albums in general. 

Travis Scott

Travis Scott first started rapping in 2008. While this isn’t his actual name, as his name is inspired by rapper Kid Cudi, whose actual name is Scott Mescudi, and is combined with the name of Scott’s actual name, Travis is widely considered to be an influential and popular rapper, with multiple bestselling songs and albums. Scott first started by signing a deal with Epic Records, as well as a publishing deal with Kanye West’s GOOD Music. His debut mixtape, Days Before Rodeo, released in 2014, before releasing his first studio album, Rodeo, in 2015. The album was a critical and commercial success, and many still consider it Scott’s best album to this day. One of Rodeo’s tracks, Nightcrawler, became a sleeper hit in early 2024 when it became popular as a sound for TikTok videos.He then released Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight in 2016, which also received positive reviews, though not as much as Rodeo. However the album contains Travis’s most popular song, Goosebumps, featuring fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar, with over 2.6 billion streams. Scott broke a record for most consecutive performances of a song during a show, as he performed ‘Goosebumps’ 15 times in a row. This song is used in many tv shows and movies, and is Scott’s most streamed song on Spotify. Travis then released Astroworld in 2018, which received widespread critical acclaim from critics and albums, and contains one of Scott’s most popular songs, Sicko Mode, featuring Drake. Following many controversies, including the deaths of ten people at Scott’s Astroworld Festival concert, and Scott’s apology for the deaths, he finally released his next album in 2023, Utopia. While this album divided critics, it was a massive commercial success. One of the singles from the album, FE!N, became incredibly popular in late 2023, as a general song, but also as a meme, being parodied by multiple people on TikTok. 

A$AP Rocky

A$AP Rocky, husband to Rihanna, first started rapping as a part of the group called ASAP Mob in 2011, and soon released his first mixtape, “Live. Long. A$AP”, in 2012, which was met with critical acclaim and commercial success. His single later released in 2012, ‘F**kin Problems’, featuring Drake, 2 Chainz and Kendrick Lamar, managed to chart the Billboard Hot 100 at number 8. He then released his 2nd album in 2013, “Long. Live. A$AP”, which just like his 2012 album, was met with critical and commercial success, debuting atop the Billboard 200. He then released his second album, “At. Long. Last. A$AP” in 2015, which received a similar amount of critical praise. His single from the album, “L$D”, earned a nomination at the Grammys for Best Music Video. His most recent album, “Testing”, released in 2018,  peaked at the top 5 of the Billboard 200, and contains his most popular song, “Praise The Lord”, which has over 1.3 billion streams on Spotify. His 4th album, “Don’t be Dumb”, is currently set to release in fall 2024, however, many fans are skeptical of this release date, as the album was delayed from an August 30th release, and doesn’t have a concrete date. While he has had several controversies throughout his career, including aggravated assault in 2019, and a shooting incident in 2022, Rocky has remained a rapper of consistent quality not only to his family but his friends as well. 

Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar, (likely the most famous rapper on this list), started releasing music under the name K.Dot while he was still in high school. In 2005, he co-founded the group Black Hippy, and then released his first solo album in 2011, entitled “Section.80”. It proved to be successful. Lamar then secured a contract with Dr Dre’s production studio, after he saw potential with Lamar’s unique songwriting, his artistry and his rapping style. Lamar then released his second album “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City” in 2012, garnering acclaim for its themes, lyrics, and Lamar’s performance. The album has multiple successful songs, including “The Recipe” (featuring Dr Dre), “Swimming Pool (Drank)”, “Backseat Freestyle”, “Poetic Justice” (Featuring Drake), “B**ch, "Don't Kill My Vibe”, and “M.A.A.D City”, all charting on the Billboard Top 100. Many critics consider this album to be one of the greatest of all time. However, the album became part of a controversy at the Grammy Awards, as it didn’t win any of its 4 nominations, including Best Rap Album, causing many fans to criticise the Grammys for their choice of Macklemore’s “The Heist” as the winner over Good Kid. Kendrick’s third album, “To Pimp A Butterfly”, which was released in 2015, received even more praise than Lamar’s previous album. Praise came from its messages of racial inequality and discrimination, its scope, Lamar’s lyrics, its incorporation of jazz, funk, soul, and the social relevance and commentary found in the songs. It was commercially successful, won multiple Grammys, and is considered one of the best albums of the 2010s and of all time. After Lamar’s work with Taylor Swift on the remix of “Bad Blood”, Lamar released his fourth album, “Damn”, in 2017, receiving similar amounts of acclaim to Lamar’s other albums, which praise heading towards Lamar’s performance, lyricism, themes and it’s execution. The song contains many of Lamar’s most popular songs, including “Humble”, which is his most streamed song on Spotify at over 2.3 billion streams, “DNA”, “Love (featuring Zacari), “Loyalty” (featuring Rihanna), “Element”, and “Pride”. It won many awards, including the Grammy for Best Rap Album and the Grammy for Best Rap Song (for Humble). In 2018, Lamar then released his first soundtrack album for Marvel’s Black Panther movie in 2018, similarly receiving praise from critics, though it was considered weaker than Lamar’s previous outings. However, the album managed to hit the top of the Billboard 200, and won a Grammy for one of its songs, “King’s Dead”. 4 years later, Lamar released his 4th album “Mr Morale and the Big Steppers”. The album similarly received lots of praise for its themes, the album’s general scope, and Lamar’s lyricism, though the appearance of fellow rapper Kodak Black was considered controversial. However, similarly to his other albums, it won many awards including Best Rap Album at the Grammys. It also spawned Lamar’s Big Steppers Tour, where he went around the world to perform concerts based on songs from his new album. Grossing nearly $111 million across every concert, it was the highest grossing rap concert at the time. After having a beef with Drake throughout 2024 (and winning the beef), Kendrick then released his 5th album, GNX in November 2024. Just like his other albums, the album received praise from critics and fans. Kendrick is currently considered one of the greatest rappers of all time, alongside over legends like Nas, Eminem and Andre 3000.