Did you know that Dr. Dre was once a rapper too? Or that Tupac was around during the 2000s? Or that Eminem is still famous to this day? Find out all the info you could ever want about these and other great rappers who made waves in the last decade with this list of 25 best rappers of the 2000s.
1. Nelly
Nelly, whose real name is Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., was born in 1974. He is an American rapper, musician, businessman, and actor. Currently, he resides in Los Angeles, California. His musical career began in 1993 with the hip-hop group St. Lunatics, and in 1999, he signed with Universal Records. In 2000, Nelly launched his solo career under Universal with the release of Country Grammar, the album’s lead song “Ride wit Me,” a top 10 success, and the album’s featured title track.
2. Beanie Sigel
Dwight Equal Grant, a rapper from South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, better known by his stage name Beanie Sigel, was born in 1974. In February 2000, he released his debut studio album, The Truth, on Roc-A-Fella Records, with critical acclaim and commercial success. This is how he first came to be recognized.
3. 50 Cent
In 1975, Curtis James Jackson III, also known as 50 Cent, was born. He is an American rapper, businessman, and actor. He is a well-known figure in the hip-hop scene and has been dubbed a “master of the delicate art of lyrical brevity” Jackson, raised in Queens’ South Jamaica community, started dealing narcotics at 12 during the 1980s crack epidemic.
4. Jay-Z
American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and creator of the Manhattan-based multinational talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation, Shawn Corey Carter, better known by his stage name Jay-Z, was born in 1969. one of the most significant hip-hop artists, in the opinion of many. He served as the C.E.O. of Def Jam Recordings and was crucial to musicians’ artistic and financial success, including J. Cole, Rihanna, and Kanye West.
5. Cameron
Born in Harlem, New York City, in 1976, Cameron Ezike Giles is an American rapper, record executive, and actor better known by his stage name Cameron. Giles began his career as Killa Cam in the mid-1990s. In 1998 and 2000, he released his first two studio albums, Confessions of Fire and S.D.E. (Sports Drugs & Entertainment), the former of which was awarded gold status by the R.I.A.A. Giles then signed to Lance “Un” Rivera’s Entertainment through Epic.
6. Nas
Born in 1973, Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones is best known by his stage name, Nas. He is a rapper who is American. He is recognized as one of the best rappers of all time and is a product of East Coast hip-hop. Jones, a jazz musician and the son of Olu Dara, began his musical career in 1989 when he made recordings for Large Professor under the alias “Nasty Nas.” Later, he appeared on Main Source’s 1991 hit “Live at the Barbeque.”
7. Fat Joe
Joseph Antonio Cartagena was born in 1970, better known by his stage name Fat Joe, & is a New York City-based American rapper. As a member of the hip-hop ensemble Diggin’ in the Crates Crew, he began his musical career (D.I.T.C. ). Later, he went solo and established his record label, Terror Squad, where he signed artists like Big Pun, Remy Ma, Tony Sunshine, Cuban Link, Armageddon, Prospect, Triple Seis, and the then-unknown DJ Khaled. He also discovered producers Cool & Dre through this label.
8. Lil’ Wayne
Lil Wayne is the stage name for Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He was born in 1982. He is the middle way one of the best emcees and is thought to be among the most important hip-hop musicians. His career began in 1995 when, at the age of 12, rapper Birdman signed him to Cash Money Records, becoming him the label’s youngest artist.
9. D.M.X.
D.M.X., Earl Simmons’ well-known stage moniker (short for “Dark Man X”), was an American rapper and actor who lived from 1970 until he died in 2021. Early in the 1990s, he started rapping, and in 1998, to both critical acclaim and financial success, he released his debut album, It’s Dark, and Hell Is Hot, which went on to sell 251,000 copies in its first week. In 1999, D.M.X. put out his best-selling album,… And Then There Was X, which had the number-one song “Party Up (Up in Here)”.
10. Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III, better known as Eminem, was born in 1972. He is a record producer and rapper from America. He is hailed by critics as one of the best rappers of all time and is credited with introducing hip-hop to middle America. The acceptability of white rappers in mainstream music is often credited to Eminem’s widespread popularity and renowned works, which broke down racial barriers.
11. Ludacris
Ludacris, whose real name is Christopher Brian Bridges, was born in 1977. He is an American record executive, actor, and rapper. Ludacris, born in Champaign, Illinois, relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, at nine, when he started rapping for the first time. He established his own record company, Disturbing the Peace, in the late 1990s, and after becoming and emerging as one of the first rappers from the Dirty South to find global success with a slew of album releases, he signed with Def Jam South.
12. Ice Cube
O’Shea Jackson Sr., also known as Ice Cube, was born in 1969. The rapper, actor, and director are American. His political rap solo albums AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted (1990), Death Certificate (1991), and The Predator (1992) were well received both critically and financially. His lyrics on N.W.A.’s 1988 album Straight Outta Compton helped to expand the popularity of gangsta rap.
13. Missy Elliott
In 1971, Melissa Arnette Elliott was born. She is a rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer from the United States. She began her musical career early to mid-1990s with the R&B female combo Sista. Later, she joined the Swing Mob collective with Timbaland, a childhood friend, and longstanding business partner, and they collaborated on songs for American R&B artists Aaliyah, 702, Total, and S.W.V.
14. Busta Rhymes
United States-based rapper and actor Trevor George Smith Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes, was born in 1972. After wide receiver George “Buster” Rhymes of the N.F.L. and C.F.L., Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the name Busta Rhymes. He is one of the most nominated musicians without winning a Grammy after receiving 12 nominations for his work.
15. Redman
Redman, a stage name used by American rapper, DJ, record producer, and actor Reginald Noble, was born in 1970. He became well-known in the early 1990s as a Def Jam label artist. He is best recognized for his work as one-half of the rap combo Method Man & Redman, including their leading roles in movies and comedy. Method Man is a close buddy of his. In the late 1990s, he was also a part of the Def Squad.
16. Method Man
Method Man, a stage name used by American rapper, composer, record producer, and actor Clifford Smith, Jr., was born in 1971. He is well-known for being a Wu-Tang Clan member, an East Coast hip-hop group. He is also a member of the hip-hop group Redman & Method Man. His stage moniker comes from the 1979 movie Method Man.
17. Twista
American rapper and record producer Carl Terrell Mitchell, best known by his stage name Twista (formerly Tung Twista), was born in 1973. He is well known for his chopper style of rapping and at once held the Guinness World Record for the quickest English-speaking rapper in 1992 after pronouncing 598 words in 55 seconds.
18. Xzibit
Alvin Nathaniel Joiner, best known by his stage as Xzibit, was born in 1974. He is a rapper, actor, T.V. host, and radio host from the United States. Following the 1996 publication of his first studio album, At the Speed of Life, Xzibit launched his musical career. The album had critical and financial success, reaching its Billboard 200 high at position 74.
19. Rick Ross
Rick Ross, real name William Leonard Roberts II, was born in 1976. He is a rapper who is American. Before he released his debut song, “Hustlin’,” in 2006, Ross was the target of a bidding war. Offers came from Irv Gotti’s Murder Inc. and Diddy’s Bad Boy Entertainment. Ultimately, Ross agreed to a lucrative deal with Jay-Z on Def Jam Recordings.
20. Jadakiss
Born in 1975, Jason Terrance Phillips is best known by his stage moniker, Jadakiss. He is a rapper from Yonkers, New York, and he is American. He started his career in the 1990s as a member of the Ruff Ryders-managed rap group The Lox, which signed with Bad Boy. They struck a joint venture agreement with Interscope and Ruff Ryders after leaving the label in 1999. He has contracts with Def Jam and D-Block right now.
21. Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre, also known as Andre Romelle Young, was born in 1965. He is a record producer and rapper from America. He is one of Beats Electronics’ co-founders. After co-founding and running Death Row Records, he is also the creator and C.E.O. of Aftermath Entertainment. When he joined the World Class Wreckin’ Cru in 1985, his professional career got underway; a year later, he joined the gangsta rap group N.W.A.
22. Ja Rule
Jeffrey Bruce Atkins, best known by his stage name Ja Rule, was born in 1976. Both an actor and rapper, he is American. He made his breakthrough in 1999 with the New York City-born and -raised album Venni Vetti Vecci and its main track “Holla Holla.” Irv Gotti’s Murder Inc. Records, originally The Inc., signed Ja Rule in the 2000s. Ja Rule had several top 20 songs in the U.S. from 1999 to 2005.
23. Eve
American rapper, singer, and actress Eve Jihan Cooper was born in 1978 and is better known by her stage name, Eve. She made history in 1999 when she released her debut album, Let There Be Eve Ruff Ryders’ First Lady, which became the third female rapper to ever reach the top spot on the Billboard 200.
24. Lil’ Kim
Kimberly Denise Jones, known by her stage as Lil’ Kim, was born in 1974. She is an American rapper and reality television star. She was raised in Brooklyn, New York City, where she was born and raised, and she was evicted from her home and spent a significant amount of her adolescent years living on the streets. Jones began freestyle rapping in her teens, drawing inspiration from other female hip-hop artists like MC Lyte and the Lady of Rage.