Top 10 Famous Louisiana Rappers To Add To Your Playlist
We list some of the best Louisiana rappers you can add to your playlist. Many of them are known for their brash and street-smart style which was influenced by the early No Limit and Cash Money releases that were creeping out of New Orleans. Artists like Juvenile popularized the sub-genre ‘Bounce’ while younger artists like NBA YoungBoy popularized trap music.
1. Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne is regarded as one of the best Louisiana rappers of his generation. When he was 11, he met the owner of Cash Money Records, Birdman. Wayne left freestyle raps on Birdman’s answer machine and the label boss eventually became his mentor and included him on Cash Money-distributed tracks. When he was 12 years old, Carter accidentally shot himself in the chest with a .44 caliber. Two years later, he dropped out of school, though he did later earn his GED. Eventually, he got signed to Cash Money and started to quickly gain prominence. He and his group went on recording their notable debut album “Get It How You Live” (1997) followed by “Guerilla Warfare” (1999), both albums earned them mild fame throughout the South and Midwest. Despite the fact that the group was considerably successful, Lil Wayne and his friends officially went on their separate ways in 2001. In June 2004, Wayne released his most recognized album yet, “Tha Carter” that peaked at number five on Billboard 200, and also collaborated with T.I. for the noteworthy Destiny’s Child’s song “Soldier”. He then released “Tha Carter II” (2005) that debuted at number two on Billboard’s album chart while its lead single “Fireman” became a hit peaking at number 32 on Billboard Hot 100. He gained more fans by releasing a series of mixtapes, “Dedication” (2006) and “Dedication 2” (2006), whereas in 2007, he recorded another Carter-titled album “Tha Carter III”, released in 2008. Tha Carter III features several successful singles, including the No. 1 hits “A Milli” and “Lollipop”. The project netted the Grammy Award for best rap album. He also won the Grammy for best rap song for “Lollipop,” earned another Grammy for best rap solo performance for “A Milli” and shared the award for best rap performance by a duo or group with Jay-Z, T.I. and Kanye West, for “Swagga Like Us.” He’s now won five Grammy Awards.
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Read more:
- Lil Wayne Is Still Going Bar For Bar With the Generation He Inspired
- Top 10 Reasons Why Lil Wayne Is The G.O.A.T.
- Rap legend Ice Cube says Lil Wayne is the best rapper alive: “It’s hard to beat Lil Wayne”
- Inside The World Of Lil Wayne’s Influence
2. YoungBoy Never Broke Again
In 2016 YoungBoy released the mixtape 38 Baby which would give him spotlight in the rap game. He released a mixtape that year. Around November 2016 YoungBoy was involved in a shooting with Never broke again which was revenge for Boozilla’s murder which was set up by Dusa. A month later he was arrested at a Texas show for a warrant and was incarcerated for months until 2017. When he was released he released a song named untouchable which blew him up more and released no smoke and features with Lil Durk and Kodak Black. He’s best known for having multiple children.
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3. Kevin Gates
Kevin Gates became hugely popular after the release of his debut studio album Islah. It would also feature a total of four singles including, “Kno One”, “Time for That”, “Really Really” and “2 Phones”. Both “Really Really” and “2 Phones” received commercial success. The album sold 112,000 copies in the first week of its release and it also peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 chart. The album had almost no guest appearances with the exception of Trey Songz, Ty Dolla Sign, and Jamie Foxx who are all featured on the bonus track, “Jam”. Islah received largely positive reviews with Inverse calling it the “Best Album of 2016 So Far.” Pitchfork noted that it was “by far the best single release of his career.”
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Read more:
- Kevin Gates Reveals He Planned To Kill Himself In 2020, Fan Changed His Mind
- Kevin Gates Speaks Against Bragging About Death In Rap: “They Never Did That”
- Kevin Gates reveals he started rapping as “an escape” after being molested
4. Juvenile
Juvenile is regarded as one of the best Louisiana rappers of his generation. At the age of 19, he began recording raps, releasing his debut album Being Myself in 1995. The album gave name to the southern rap style known as “bounce”. The album was followed by Solja Rags in 1997; its underground popularity led to the major-label release of 400 Degreez in 1998. After releasing Tha G-Code in 1999 and Project English in 2001, Juvenile left Cash Money Records. As he was signing a new contract with Asylum his Slidell, Louisiana home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The hurricane and its grim aftermath were hot topics on his 2006 album Reality Check.
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Read more:
- Rolling Stone: Juvenile – You Never Truly Leave Cash Money
- Juvenile’s 400 Degreez encapsulated Cash Money’s first wave of inventiveness
5. August Alsina
At the tender of age 21, August Alsina had faced the worst aspects of life, including death of siblings, living without a home and lack of family support. However, none of these obstacles could deter him from becoming the rising singer and songwriter of this generation. He started gaining prominence when the third single from his EP Downtown: Life Under the Gun, “Ghetto” featuring Rich Homie Quan, was serviced to urban contemporary radio and it was the most added song on urban radio the week ending December 12, 2013. On January 14, 2014, Alsina released “Make It Home” featuring Jeezy, as the lead single from his debut studio album. Along with the release, it was revealed that the album would be titled Testimony, which was released on April 15, 2014. He was named part of the 2014 XXL freshmen class.
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6. Boosie Badazz
Boosie made his debut on C-fifth Loc’s album, “It’s A Gamble.” That same year, he also contributed to Concentration Camp’s third studio album, “Camp III: Thug Brothas.” Boosie Badazz had the chance to assume the lead role in the group after Young Bleed left, and he quickly rose to prominence. Shortly afterwards, Boosie released his debut album, “Youngest of the Camp”, which sold over 10,000 units and featured fellow up and coming Baton Rouge rapper Max Minelli. However, in 2009, Boosie was sentenced to four years in prison on drug and gun charges. He was indicted on first-degree murder charges the following year, and was also sentenced to 10 years on multiple charges of drug possession with intent of distribution. He was released in 2014 after serving five years in prison. Boosie Badazz is widely regarded as one of the best Louisiana rappers out there. As one of the most prominent figures of Southern hip hop, he has released seven solo studio albums, four collaborative albums and over 40 mixtapes.
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- Boosie Badazz: 5 Things To Know About Rapper Who Performed For Police After Getting Pulled Over
- Boosie Badazz talks his influence on hip-hop: says he pioneered “real n**ga shit”
- Rapper Boosie Badazz under fire for anti-gay rant targeting Lil Nas X
7. Fredo Bang
Fredo Bang is a famous rapper, songwriter and music producer. He is known for his tracks like “Oouuh” and “Top.” His music genre includes southern hip hop and trap. His debut album Most Hated was released in 2020. His style of vocal delivery combines conventional aspects of trap music with loud, passionate singing and harmonizing. The content in his music reflects the tumultuous journey thus far in Fredo Bang’s life, speaking on issues like poverty, gun violence, death, and more. Despite Fredo Bang’s connection to the streets, he also has shown the ability to be vulnerable and dive deep into the pain he experiences.
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- Fredo Bang credits Kevin Gates with diversifying rap music in Louisiana
- Baton Rouge rappers Fredo Bang and Lit Yoshi arrested in Miami after feds, police search house
8. JayDaYoungan
JayDaYoungan released his mixtape Ruffwayy in June 2017 and went viral for the song “Taking Off.” His album Forever 23 debuted at #86 on the Billboard 200 in 2018. He gained more prominence over the song “Elimination,” which received million of plays Spotify. However, the young rapper from Louisiana, died at the age of 24 after being shot outside his home.
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- Rapper JayDaYoungan Shot and Killed In Louisiana at 24 Years Old
- JayDaYoungan: 5 Things To Know About The Rapper, 24, Shot & Killed Outside His Home
9. SSGKobe
SSGKobe started gaining popularity in the underground sphere of SoundCloud in 2018, after he posted his first track there. He is famous for his most popular tracks “Money Talk Remix” and “Nurse”. SSGKobe’s Night Before KO EP appeared in 2021, and he collaborated with $NOT on the single “Calabasas,” which became his most heavily streamed track yet, and was included as a bonus track on his EP Ko.
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Read more:
- XXL Mag: The Break Presents – SSGKobe
- On The Come Up: SSGKobe
- Louisiana Artist SSGkobe Filters His Emotions Through His Melodic Style Of Rap
- SSGKobe Lives By One Rule: “Don’t Miss” [Q&A]
10. Webbie
Webbie is a Southern Louisiana rapper best known for the songs “Bad B****” and “Swerve.” He came to prominence his hip hop hit ‘Gimme that’, which featured the famous star Bun B. His album Savage Life 3 also reached No. 17 on the US Billboard 200 in 2011.
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- Rapper Webbie Condition Revealed Following Terrifying Collapse During Live Performance
- What happened to rapper Webbie?
Honorable mentions
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