Top 10 Modern Rappers (2016 Edition)

Back in September 2013, I decided to weigh in on the ongoing debate of who is the best rapper alive right now with my picks for the 10 best modern rappers. Recently, I looked back at the list and let's just say that it needed to be updated. A lot has changed in the hip-hop world in the past two and a half years and it's about time that I made a list that reflected those changes.

Before I get into my updated list of the 10 best modern rappers, I need to lay down the stipulations and ground rules for the list:
-All of these artists are currently alive, making music and are 35 years old or younger.
-All of these artists have had a record deal and/or professionally recorded music (basically anything that wasn't self-released) for 10 years or less.
-If the previous items on this list didn't make it clear, people like Nas, Kanye West, Killer Mike, El-P, Eminem, Jay- Z, every living member of the Wu-Tang Clan and any other iconic veteran rapper that's still alive and putting out music aren't eligible for this list. I apologize for the repetition, but I guarantee If I didn't explicitly write this out, some jabroni would comment on this post or tweet at me complaining about the absence of one or more of these artists from the list.

With all of the introductory garbage out of the way, I proudly present to you my updated picks for the 10 best rappers in the game right now.

10.J.Cole:
Genre: Conscious Hip-Hop/Pop Rap
Best Release: 2014 Forest Hills Drive (2014)
Best Song: "G.O.M.D" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHU6ZRQJ50Q
This was a pick that I mulled over for a really long time. I had ScHoolboy Q, A$AP Rocky, Joey Bada$$ and Freddie Gibbs penciled into the 10 spot at various points of the list compilation process. However, I ultimately had to give J. Cole the nod due to his more impressive overall body of work. The inconsistency and sometimes disingenuous attitude he's demonstrated from his inception continues to frustrate me, but his exceptional storytelling ability and dedication to continuously improving his songwriting was still more than enough for him to land a spot on this list.

9.Meechy Darko (Flatbush Zombies):
Genre: Experimental Hip-Hop/Cloud Rap
Best Release: 3001: A Laced Odyssey (2016)
Best Verse: "R.I.P.C.D."http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDIbHBefyrM
The success of drug-fueled experimental hip-hop group Flatbush Zombies lies almost squarely on the shoulders of Meechy Darko. Darko's twisted humor and psychotic flow makes him an incredibly entertaining and attention-grabbing presence every single time he gets on the mic.

8.Chance the Rapper:
Genre: Abstract Hip-Hop/Pop Rap/R&B
Best Release: Acid Rap (2013)
Best Song: "NaNa" (feat. Action Bronson) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLWv91Tljhw
Chance hasn't put out a straight-up solo hip-hop release since his excellent 2013 mixtape Acid Rap, but his show-stopping guest verses on Kanye West's "Ultralight Beam" and Action Bronson's "Baby Blue" proves he hasn't lost any of the quirk and razor-sharp wit that made him an instant hip-hop nerd sensation following Acid Rap's release. His long-awaited follow-up to Acid Rap is allegedly being released sometime this month and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if that caused his red-hot stock to rise even further. 


7.Mac Miller:
Genre:Abstract Hip-Hop/Cloud Rap
Best Release: GO:OD AM(2015)
Best Song: "Brand Name" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjgEtCuqGM0
If you had told me when Blue Slide Park was released in 2010 that Mac Miller would become one of the best rappers in the game five years later, I would've assumed you had just broken out of an insane asylum. Ever since Miller transitioned from making god awful, fratboy-friendly pop rap to atmospheric abstract/cloud rap, he's released some of the most forward-thinking and introspective hip-hop to come out in a long-ass time. If Miller continues to put out material that's as impressive as 2014's Faces and last year's GO:OD AM, he'll be in the top five or higher in no time at all. 

6.Quavo (Migos):
Genre: Trap Rap 
Best Release: No Label II (2014)
Best Verse: "Add It Up" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nwAGo7XVZ0
For my money, no rapper is more unfairly slept on because of the content of their music than Quavo, the unofficial leader of Atlanta-based trap rap trio Migos. While the legions of Migos haters out there would beg to differ, Quavo is a sneaky clever lyricist with immense technical proficiency and a level of charisma so high that it makes Jay-Z look droll by comparison. 

5.Big K.R.I.T.: 
Genre: Southern/Conscious Hip-Hop
Best Release: K.R.I.T. Wuz Here (2010)
Best Song: "Mt. Olympus" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s-w-zSbTu8
At a time where it seems like every rapper from the Georgia/Florida/Alabama/Mississippi area is pumping out trap rap, Big K.R.I.T. remains the torchbearer for traditional southern hip-hop. His last project It's Better This Way was pretty underwhelming, but the strength of the rest of his discography paired with his highly unheralded lyricism and mic skills is enough to keep him firmly in the upper echelon of modern rappers.

 4.Action Bronson:
Genre: Abstract/Experimental Hip-Hop
Best Release: Blue Chips 2 (2013)
Best Song: "Silverado" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JWr5fLQTFQ
His bizarre style has earned him a fair share of pointed criticism over the past several years, but I strongly believe that the world needs more rappers like Action Bronson. His lyrics are hilarious, he doesn't take himself remotely seriously, his production choices are consistently diverse and excellent and above all, he has a completely original sound that simply can't be copied.

3.Vince Staples: 
Genre: Hardcore/Conscious Hip-Hop
Best Release: Summertime '06 (2015)
Best Song: "Blue Suede" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv8j6pvyvcQ
I've been praising the hell out of Vince Staples since his breakout guest verse on Earl Sweatshirt's Hive back in the summer of 2013 and he's only managed to get significantly better since then. It's remarkable that a 22-year old kid with just three mixtapes, an EP and an studio album under his belt is creating music that's so dense, intelligent and powerful. Given his youth and tremendous talent, Staples has the potential to become the best rapper on the planet within the next five years or so if he remains on his current path.

2.Danny Brown:
Genre: Hardcore/Abstract/Conscious Hip-Hop/Trap Rap
Best Release: Old (2013)
Best Song: "XXX" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYG0t2oIfC4
The current heir to Detroit's hip-hop throne has been relatively quiet since he released his second LP old in October 2013, but that doesn't mean Brown still isn't one of the brightest talents in the modern hip-hap landscape. Brown has a versatility, uniqueness and larger-than-life personality that no rapper on the planet right now can come anywhere close to matching.   

1.Kendrick Lamar:
Genre: Conscious Hip-Hop
Best Release: good kid m.A.A.d city (2012)
Best Song: "Wesley's Theory" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0QtdISwioc
Shocker right? It may seem like a safe, boring choice in the eyes of many due to the overwhelming amount of praise that's been heaped upon since good kid m.A.A.d city was released in October 2012, I just happen to feel like Lamar has a stranglehold on the hip-hop community right now. The artistic vision, ambition and lyrical depth Lamar displays in his music not only places him at the top of the current hip-hop hierarchy, but firmly places him in the greatest rapper of all-time conversation.

Honorable Mentions:
ScHoolboy Q
Freddie Gibbs
Joey Bada$$
A$AP Rocky
Takeoff (Migos) 

Top 10 Modern Rappers

Who's the best rapper alive? Who's the king of hip-hop? Who can spit more hot fire than Dylan? These are all hotly contested issues in the world of hip-hop and today, I'm going to share my views on this matter.

There is a bit of a twist to this piece, I'm only focusing on modern rappers (a.k.a people who've started releasing music in the past decade or so.) This means that I'll be purposely leaving out some of my favorite hip-hop old-school icons that are still active (Nas, MF Doom, Wu-Tang and its the various members solo projects,) veterans who've only recently found a lot of success (Killer Mike, El-P, Atmosphere) and of course, Yeezus Christ himself (Kanye West.) Now that the ground rules have been set, here are my picks for the 10 best modern rappers.
Note: Lil B is disqualified because he has the unfair advantage of being a god, thus rendering the list of human-rappers I chose useless if he was included.

10.Action Bronson
Action Bronson has the old-school east-coast aura to his music. If he was born a decade earlier, he'd probably be collaborating with Wu-Tang on the regular. Bronson's unusual approach to hip-hop with a ton of food references in his lyrics (this can attributed to his days as a professional chef before getting into the music industry) and his tendency to collaborate with top-rate producers like The Alchemist and Harry Fraud make him one of the most exciting up-and-comers in the game right now.
Standout Release: Rare Chandeliers (w/The Alchemist)
Best Track: "The Symbol" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2AHvZWojSc

9.Macklemore
His lyrics might not be flashy and he has had three megahit singles in the past year, but don't get it twisted, Macklemore is a legit hip-hop star that needs to be taken seriously. You'll be hard-pressed to find many artists that pour as much genuine emotion into their music as Macklemore does. Not to mention, his in-house producer Ryan Lewis has a knack for creating beautiful, subtle beats that perfectly suit his powerful and poignant rapping style and take his material to the next level.
Standout Release: The Vs. EP
Best Track: "Otherside" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWhx-CtPmBU

8.Tyler, the Creator
Don't get wrong, Tyler, the Creator is pretty inconsistent and doesn't always live up to his grand potential. That being said, when he's on his game, he's one of the most intriguing and witty rappers around at the moment. He has slowed down a bit after the release of his standout record Bastard in 2009, but his most recent release Wolf was a pretty consistently solid release after his wildly hit-or-miss breakout release Goblin. Here's to hoping that Tyler makes another record that makes another record that fully shows off his talent in the near future.
Standout Release: Bastard
Best Track: "Bastard" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFTLouiUFjI

7. Vince Staples
Vince Staples came out of obscurity this year with a few behemoth verses on Earl Sweatshirt's new record Doris and a solo tape that was produced by Mac Miller. High-profile collaborations (and his ability to match whoever he's rapping on a track with) like this show just how impressive this 20-year old is. Staples has consistently sharp lyrics and the supreme confidence to match. For someone so young and with so little material out, the future is looking very bright for Vince Staples.
Standout Release: Stolen Youth LP (w/Larry Fisherman a.k.a Mac Miller)
Best Track: "Stuck In My Ways" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgag34NOk-c

6.Grieves
Signed to Atmosphere's Rhymesayers Entertainment label, Grieves makes a brand of poignant jazz-rap that is very reminiscent to the music the head of his label makes. His style makes distinct use of piano and horns, which is pretty uncommon in the hip-hop world and his lyrics hold a lot of emotional clout with themes of addiction, bad relationships and eventual redemption. Out of all the rappers on this list, he is the most criminally underrated in my eyes.
Standout Release: Irreversible
Best Track: "Fly Away" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tTPKZ17gNw
  
5.Big K.R.I.T. 
Not since Outkast has a southern rapper made such an impression on me. Mississippi native Big K.R.I.T. embodies everything southern hip-hip is supposed to offer: a combination of soulful and trunk-pounding bass beats, a willingness to experiment and a flow that can either be easygoing and intense depending on the mood of the song. K.R.I.T. is also an example of a hip-hop workhorse as he does almost all of his production himself and has put out an insane number of releases in a short period of time (He's put out 4 mixtapes and and a full-length record since 2010.) In an era where most rappers from the area are putting out the same recycled, half-baked (no pun intended) trap rap, Big K.R.I.T. keeps the proud tradition of classic southern hip-hop alive.
Standout Release:  4 eva N A Day
Best Track: "Boobie Miles" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ac55q0VMoY0

4.Earl Sweatshirt
At only 19, Earl Sweatshirt has taken the hip-hop world by storm with his intensity, lyrical chops and distinct flow. His two releases so far, Earl and Doris, could not be any more different, but they both show how talented of an artist this kid is.  Doris had a very mixed reception overall, but I think it shows tremendous progression for Sweatshirt as an artist and paves the waves for an incredibly bright, long future in the hip-hop game.
Standout Release: Doris
Best Track: "ePAR" (from Earl) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx-PEi42d7A
  
3.Death Grips
They might be one of hip-hop's resident assholes, but the music that Death Grips makes is too special that I can overlook how shitty they are as people (Sorry if I sound bitter, but they've canceled the last 3 shows they were supposed to do in Massachusetts and the act they pulled in Chicago in August that led to a crowd having a mini-riot was just unacceptable.) I can say with no hesitation there is no act in hip-hop that is more abrasive, polarizing or just flat-out bizarre than Death Grips and that's a big reason why they are so special. Their production is amongst the best i've ever heard thanks to use of live-instrumentation from drummer Zach Hill and synth/sample work of Andy "Flatliner" Morin. The insanity of the production paired with the rabid-dog, yelling insanity of the scariest rapper on the planet Stefan "MC Ride" Burnett is industrial hip-hop bliss. Death Grips are the most mentally unstable, experimental, mad geniuses in the hip-hop community and even though they are complete douches, their music is undeniably special.
Standout Release: The Money Store
Best Track: "The Fever (Aye Aye)" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn3vMyopjXI

2.Danny Brown
Danny Brown is an artist that took a bit to grow on me, but once the music clicked, I became a big fan almost immediately. He is without a doubt one of the most original artists in the history of hip-hop with his almost endless amount of different flows, ability to create material that ranges from comical to profound and moving and work with a variety of different beats. Brown is written off due to his frequent use of sexual and drug references in lyrics, but if you delve beneath the surface, you will discover that Brown is one of the most clever and intelligent lyricists in the game. His style may be too weird for some to grasp, but for me Brown is a special talent that has put some of the best material I've heard in years.
Standout Release: Old
Best Track: "XXX" (from XXX) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYG0t2oIfC4

1.Kendrick Lamar
Shocking right? Pretty much every one and their brother lists Kendrick Lamar as the best rapper around right now and for good reason, the dude can spit. Between his intelligent lyrics, barrage of flows, complex narratives and ability to rap with incendiary fury or soothing calmness depending on what the song calls for, Lamar is an all-around hip-hop star. His major-label debut, good kid, m.A.A.d city, is arguably the best hip-hop release in at least a decade and exposed his talent to the masses. After the triumph of good kid, m.A.A.d city,  Lamar has spent 2013 defending his reputation as rap's MVP with monstrous guest verses on "Collard Greens" by ScHoolboy Q,  "Solo Dolo: Part II" by Kid Cudi and of course, "Control" by Big Sean, where he called out half of hip-hop to step their game up. Kendrick Lamar is the torchbearer for modern hip-hop who incites memories of the glory days of the 1990's.   

Standout Release: good kid, m.A.A.d city
Best Track: "m.A.A.d city"  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10yrPDf92hY 

Just missed the cut:
Mac Miller
Chance the Rapper
Hodgy Beats
Snow Tha Product
Freddie Gibbs
mr muthafuckin' eXquire