Being awarded Rapper of the 12 months is among the many highest of honors that may be bestowed upon an MC. And with rap being one of many fastest-evolving genres of music, particularly since new sounds and developments sprout up each day, incomes the coveted finest rapper title means not solely has the winner recognized new sounds and developments earlier than they hit the lots, however they’ve excelled in honing their craft.
In 2023, followers noticed the resurgence of quite a lot of artists who helped pioneer an enormous portion of right now’s rap, whereas the celebrities who constantly sit on the high of Hip Hop continued to show their dominance.
A sober Danny Brown closed the door on his darkest days with the highly-anticipated Quaranta, J. Cole stepped out from the shadows and discarded his typical low profile to go on a loopy options run, and Killer Mike centered inward with an autobiographical soundtrack that known as again to his Atlanta roots. Then there was Lil Wayne, who via a sequence of mind-melting visitor verses reminded the world why he’s one of many best dwelling MCs, whereas Nas continued his spectacular rebirth due to the rejuvenating manufacturing of Hit-Boy.
No matter whoever wins HipHopDX’s Greatest Rapper of 2023, it’s been one hell of a 12 months for lyricists regardless of what the mainstream may need been pushing.
Evaluate all of our Hip Hop Award classes and nominees and take a look at our nominations for Greatest Rappers of 2023 under.
Editor’s Observe: Nominees are listed in alphabetical order.
Greatest Rappers Of 2023 NOMINATIONS
Danny Brown
Lots has modified for Danny Brown over the previous 4 years. Having battled with habit for a while, the Detroit MC checked himself into rehab earlier this 12 months, and upon his launch created arguably his finest album up to now. Whereas recognized for his cartoony supply and fever-dream imagery in his lyrics, Danny plunged into the darkness of habit on Quaranta, confronting his demons head-on and popping out the otherside a greater man.
Danny’s breakout 2011 album XXX is a venture that delves right into a world of medicine and the need for fame which regularly plagues an individual greater than it heals. Quaranta picks up the place that album left off, however as a substitute of continuous the social gathering, it opts for therapeutic and alter. His unbridled honesty and admittance of habit, its path of destruction, and the closure to one of many darkest intervals in his life positions Danny Brown as one of many frontrunners for Greatest Rapper of 2023.
J. Cole
Whereas J. Cole may not have launched an album in 2023, his impactful visitor verses — of which there have been lots — impressed followers the world over and set the scene for his extremely anticipated new album, which, judging by the standard of the Dreamville boss’ latest options, sounds prefer it might have magnum opus potential.
On “The Secret Recipe,” Cole joins Lil Yachty, who enters the world of looped samples and bars. However whereas Yachty surprises some together with his stable pen sport, J. Cole exhibits the younger rapper the benefit at which he can carry out excessive degree lyricism, seemingly at dwelling on the Rawbone, 98K and Yachty manufacturing. One other pair of stellar Cole verses come alongside Drake on the OVO mogul’s “First Individual Shooter” and “Evil Methods,” each of which show an uncanny kinship between the 2 blog-era pillars.
Killer Mike
Having not launched a solo album in over a decade, 2023 marked the welcome return of Michael Render, higher often called Killer Mike — or one half of rap duo Run The Jewels with El-P. Nevertheless, setting his collaborative endeavors to at least one aspect, Killa Kill from the Ville went solo this 12 months, delivering his autobiographical blockbuster MICHAEL.
Simply his most private album up to now, the follow-up to 2012’s R.A.P. Music faucets into Mike’s struggles as a teen rising up in Atlanta as he tried to determine his place on this planet, in addition to the come-to-Jesus moments he had at completely different junctures in his life. However most significantly, it celebrates the ladies in his life who helped form, educate and love him as he walked the trail to stardom.
Proving what true rap followers knew already, MICHAEL — which incorporates manufacturing from EL-P, DJ Paul and No ID, in addition to options from André 3000, Future, Younger Thug, Ty Dolla $ign, CeeLo Inexperienced, 2 Chainz and extra — exemplifies what it means to be an higher echelon MC. It’s the right car for Killer Mike to correctly introduce himself to the lots in the identical approach Nas did with Illmatic, JAY-Z with Affordable Doubt, and Biggie with Prepared To Die — and rap followers in 2023 are grateful.
Lil Wayne
It’s exhausting to think about Hip Hop with out Lil Wayne. With nearly three a long time within the sport, Weezy has remained not solely constant however related throughout each period of his profession. In 2023, the unique Scorching Boy laid down quite a lot of top-tier visitor verses that blew the minds of so many and had them evaluating the standard of his output to a few of the materials he put out throughout his unstoppable mid-2000s run.
Sounding hungrier than ever, Lil Wayne’s look on Benny The Butcher’s “Massive Canine,” the place he flips the completely different breeds of canines for some enjoyable wordplay, is an apparent standout, as is his verse on Nas’ “By no means Die.” One other spotlight consists of his lengthy overdue second collaboration album with 2 Chainz, the sequel to 2016’s ColleGrove.
Nas
Regularly delivering at a high-level and sounding like he’s been baptized within the Lazarus Pit, there’s no query that Nas’ present run is amongst his best. Like a fantastic wine, every new launch he drops will get richer and extra flavorsome, whereas he himself sounds meaner, extra exact, and his lyrical capabilities appear to develop tenfold — if that’s even doable.
Coming off the success of Magic and Kings Illness III, 2023 noticed Nas launch one other two installments of his Magic sequence — once more produced by Hit-Boy — each of which got here as a shock to followers and had been helped on by visitor verses from Hip Hop heavyweights 50 Cent and Lil Wayne. Anybody denying Nas’ G.O.A.T. standing at this level clearly simply doesn’t know Hip Hop.
Return to our Hip Hop Awards nominations web page for extra classes or try the nominees for Greatest R&B Songs, Largest Comebacks and Greatest Rookies.
Take a look at our earlier Rapper Of The 12 months award winners.
Paintings and Graphic Design by JR Martinez.
Paragraphs written by Anthony Malone.
