22 best 80s rappers: the greatest artists of the decade

Music in the 80s was fascinating, especially pop music. During the decade, many rappers emerged with timeless songs that have stood the test of time. Some of the 80s rappers are still big names today.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Many factors have been considered in creating this list, such as chart-topping albums and songs, commercial success and music awards. We have used data from music charts such as Billboards and any other publicly available data. Note that this list is not all-encompassing and doesn’t follow any particular order.

Best 80s rappers

The 80s played a significant role in writing hip-hop’s history. Many big names in the Hip-hop scene emerged during this era. While choosing the best among them is challenging, some rappers remain relevant until now.

	Rappers
1	Ice Cube
2	Ice-T
3	LL Cool J
4	Big Daddy Kane
5	KRS-One
6	Eazy-E
7	Queen Latifah
8	Slick Rick
9	Doug E. Fresh
10	Eric B & Rakim
11	MC Lyte
12	MC Shan
13	Kool Moe Dee
14	Roxanne Shante
15	Chuck D
16	Kool G Rap
17	Positive K
18	Dana Dane
19	DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
20	Heavy D
21	Tone Loc
22	Chubb Rock

Ice Cube

• Real name: Jackson O’Shea Sr.
• Date of birth: 15 June 1969
• Age: 54 years old (as of April 2024)
• Place of birth: Los Angeles, California, USA

Ice is an American rapper, actor, record producer, filmmaker, and entrepreneur. He is one of the greatest rappers of all time. His fame skyrocketed in the late 1980s as a member of the rap group N.W.A. before enjoying success as a solo artist. Ice Cube has released hit tracks such as You Can Do It, No Vaseline, and You Know How We Do It.

Ice-T

• Real name: Tracy Laureen Marrow
• Date of birth: 16 February 1958
• Age: 66 years old (as of 2024)
• Place of birth: Newark, New Jersey, USA

Ice-T started his music journey in the early 1980s, and in 1987, he signed with Sire Records. He is known as one of the 80s gangster rappers. In 1991, he released an album, O.G. Original Gangster, which was one of the critical factors in developing the genre of gangster rap. His hit songs include Midnight and Institutionalized.

LL Cool J

• Real name: James Todd Smith
• Date of birth: 14 January 1968
• Age: 56 years old (as of 2024)
• Place of birth: Bay Shore, New York, USA

LL Cool J is a rapper and actor. He is also on the 80s rappers list. He started gaining fame in the 1980s and is still popular. His debut album, Radio, went platinum in 1985. Other popular albums he has released include Bigger And Deffer and Mama Said Knock You Out.

Big Daddy Kane

• Real name: Antonio Hardy
• Date of birth: 10 September 1968
• Age: 55 years old (as of April 2024)
• Place of birth: Brooklyn, New York, USA

Big Daddy was originally a member of a music group, the Juice Crew. He left the band in 1987 and began releasing his solo songs. He has released several albums, including Taste Of Chocolate, Looks Like a Job, and Veteranz Day. The rapper won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 1991.

KRS-One

• Real name: Lawrence Kris Parker
• Date of birth: 20 August 1965
• Age: 58 years old (as of April 2024)
• Place of birth: South Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

KRS-One is an American rapper, producer, philosopher, and activist. In 1984, KRS-One and two other rappers became Scott La Rock & the Celebrity Three. They released a song called Advance. He has released over 20 albums with hit tracks such as Stop the Violence, The Bridge Is Over, and The Beginning.

Eazy-E

• Real name: Eric Lynn Wright
• Date of birth: 7 September 1964
• Died: 26 March 1995 (at the age of 31)
• Place of birth: Compton, California, USA

Eazy-E was a member of the hip-hop group N.W.A. and made significant achievements individually and with the band. The rapper released his debut album, Eazy-Duz-It, in September 1988. Eric Lynn Wright released hit tracks such as Real Niggaz, Alwayz Into Somethin’, and Appetite for Destruction.

Queen Latifah

• Real name: Dana Elaine Owens
• Date of birth: 18 March 1970
• Age: 54 years old (as of 2024)
• Place of birth: Newark, New Jersey, USA

Queen Latifah is a rapper, record producer, and actress. She is among the 80s rappers female who dominate the previously masculine hip-hop scene. Queen Latifah began her musical journey in the 1980s. In 1989, she released her hit debut album, All Hail to the Queen. Some of her hit tracks include Bananas [ Who You Gonna Call?], Dance For Me, and What’Cha Gonna Do?

Slick Rick

• Real name: Richard Martin Lloyd Walters
• Date of birth: 14 January 1965
• Age: 59 years old (as of 2024)
• Place of birth: London, England

He is an English-American rapper and record producer. He started his music career in the early 80s by joining The Get Fresh Crew band after high school. The group released their first single, The Show, in 1985. In 1988, he released his solo debut album, The Adventures of Slick Rick. Some of his top songs are Behind Bars, Teenage Love, and The Show.

Doug E. Fresh

• Real name: Douglas Davis
• Date of birth: 17 September 1966
• Age: 57 years old (as of April 2024)
• Place of birth: Christ Church, Bridgetown, USA

Doug E. Fresh is an American rapper, record producer, and beatboxer. He is one of the early 80s rappers. He released several singles with his then-partner, Slick Rick, in the early and mid-1980s. Some of these hit songs they released include The Show and La-Di-Da-Di. His solo hit songs from the 1980s are Play This Only at Night and Spirit.

Eric B & Rakim

• Origin: Long Island, New York, United States
• Active from: 1986–1992
• Genres: Dance/Electronic, Hip-Hop/Rap
• Labels: 4th & B’way; Uni; MCA

Eric B & Rakim is an American hip-hop duo formed on Long Island, New York, USA. The band consisted of DJ Eric B, rapper, and MC Rakim. They released their hit debut album, Paid in Full, in 1987. The duo released four albums before they split in 1992. They were also recognised as the best DJ and MC duo.

MC Lyte

• Real name: Lana Michelle Moorer
• Date of birth: 11 October 1971
• Age: 52 years old (as of April 2024)
• Place of birth: Queens, New York, USA

MC Lyte is an American actress, songwriter, DJ, rapper, and entrepreneur. She is one of the pioneers of the female rap scene, who gained fame in the 1980s. She released her debut single, I Cram to Understand U (Sam), in 1987. Some of her album’s hits are Legend, Seven & Seven, and Bad As I Wanna B.

MC Shan

• Real name: Shawn Moltke
• Date of birth: 6 September 1965
• Age: 58 years old (as of April 2024)
• Place of birth: Queens, New York, USA

MC Shan began his music journey in 1985 in MCA Records with his first and only major single, Feed The World, with the label. He released his debut album, Down By Law, in 1987. Some of his hit tracks of the decade are The Bridge, Jane, Stop This Crazy Thing, and I Pioneered This.

Kool Moe Dee

• Real name: Mohandas DeWese
• Date of birth: 8 August 1962
• Age: 61 years old (as of April 2024)
• Place of birth: Manhattan, New York City, USA

Kool is among the 80s old school rappers prominent in the late 1980s and early 90s. He and his two friends, Special K and DJ Easy Lee, formed the influential old-school hip-hop group The Treacherous Three in the late 1970s. In 1986, Kool signed to Jive Records and released his debut studio album, Kool Moe Dee. His famous songs are Wild Wild West, Let’s Go, and I Go to Work.

Roxanne Shante

• Real name: L*lita Shante Gooden
• Date of birth: 9 November 1969
• Age: 54 years old (as of April 2024)
• Place of birth: Queens, New York City, USA

Roxanne is one of the earliest American female hip-hop rappers who revolutionised the face of the industry in the 1980s male-dominated field. She rose to fame at the age of 14 when her neighbour, producer Marley Marl, asked her to rhyme over a track he was making using the beats from an early hip-hop record, Roxanne Roxanne by U.T.E.O.

Chuck D

• Real name: Carlton Douglas Ridenhour
• Date of birth: 1 August 1960
• Age: 63 years old (as of April 2024)
• Place of birth: Long Island, New York, USA

Chuck D is an American rapper, author, and producer popularly known as the leader and co-founder of the legendary rap group Public Enemy. The group released their debut album, Yo! Bum Bush the Show in 1987. The rapper released his first solo album, The Autobiography of Mistachuck, in 1996. His hit tracks include He Got Game, Shut Em Up, and Living on the 110.

Kool G Rap

• Real name: Nathaniel Thomas Wilson
• Date of birth: 20 July 1968
• Age: 55 years old (as of April 2024)
• Place of birth: Queens, New York, USA

Kool G started releasing songs with DJ Polo. They released their debut single in 1986 on Cold Chill Records. They also released several tracks, such as Rikers Island/Rhyme Thymer and Poison. Kool embarked on a solo career in 1995, releasing 4,5,6 still under Cold Chillin Records. His popular tracks include A Thugs Love Story, Da Heat, and For da Brothaz.

Positive K

• Real name: Darryl Gibson
• Date of birth: 9 August 1967
• Age: 56 years old (as of April 2024)
• Place of birth: The Bronx, New York, USA

Positive K is a rapper, singer, songwriter, and MC. He rose to fame in the late 1980s and early 1990s with his hit single I Got a Man. The song peaked at number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and #1 on the Hot Rap Singles chart. His notable pieces include Step Up Front, Carhoppers, and Make It Happen.

Dana Dane

• Real name: Dana MaLeese
• Date of birth: 6 September 1965
• Age: 58 years old (as of April 2024)
• Place of birth: Fort Greene, New York, USA

Dana is a rap artist known for humorous raps performed with an imitating British accent. He is also known for his fashion sense. In 1987, he released his debut album, Dana Dane with Fame, under Profile Records. His popular tracks include Cinderfella Dana Dane, A Little Bit of Dane Tonight, and Tales From the Dane Side.

DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince

• Origin: West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
• Active from: 1985–2011
• Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
• Labels: Jive Records

DJ Jazzy and The Fresh Prince were American hip-hop from West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. They got together in 1986 when they performed together at a house party. They released their hit debut album, Rock the House, in 1987. Their notable tracks in the 1980s include Brand New Funk, A Touch of Jazz, and The Groove.

Heavy D

• Real name: Dwight Arrington Myers
• Date of birth: 24 May 1967
• Died: 8 November 2011 (at the age of 43)
• Place of birth: Mandeville, Jamaica

Heavy D is a Jamaican-born American rapper, record producer, and actor. The rapper formed a group, Heavy D & the Boyz, with IG-Whiz, Trouble T Roy, and Eddie F in 1987. The same year, they released their debut album, Living Large, while signing to Andre Harrell Uptown Records. His songs in the 1980s are Somebody for Me, Don’t You Know, and More Bounce.

Tone Loc

• Real name: Anthony Terrell Smith
• Date of birth: 3 March 1966
• Age: 58 years old (as of 2024)
• Place of birth: Los Angeles, California, USA

Rapper Tone Loc achieved mainstream success in the late 80s and early 90s. He released his debut album in January 1989. The video for his first single, Wild Thing, became a staple on MTV in the United States. Some of his famous songs from that era are Funky Cold Medina and On Fire.

Chubb Rock

• Real name: Richard Anthony Simpson
• Date of birth: 28 May 1968
• Age: 55 years old (as of April 2024)
• Place of birth: Kingston, Jamaica

Chubb was a key rap artist of the late 80s and early 90s. He dropped out of Brown University to pursue a rapping career. He released his first album, Chubb Rock, featuring Hitman Howie Tee, in 1988. Some of Chubb’s famous hits are Ya Bad Chubbs, The Big Man, and East Vs. West.

Who were the famous rappers in the 80s?

The famous rappers in the 80s included LL Cool J, Queen Latifah, Doug E. Fresh and Roxanne Shante. Others included Kool G. Rap, Chubb Rock and Heavy D.

What was the big 80s rap group?

There were fantastic hip-hop bands during the era, and they are known for their hit music even today. These groups include Run-DMC, Utramagnetic MCs, N.W.A., the Jungle Brothers, Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, and Salt-N-Pepa.

Who is the father of gangster rap?

Eazy-E was called the godfather of gangsta rap. He was among the pioneers of a gangsta rap group, N.W.A., formed in 1987.

The hip-hop music of the 1980s is enjoyable regardless of your age. It was a significant period for many rap musicians as their careers peaked. The above 80s rappers are hip-hop artists who stood out during the decade. Some of them have lived to be the industry’s bigwigs.

Legit.ng recently published an article about popular 80s wrestlers. Wrestling is one of the most widely viewed forms of entertainment globally. The 1980s was a pivotal era in the world of professional wrestling, in which iconic wrestlers emerged.

Several 80s wrestlers revolutionised the field of professional wrestling. Their fascinating personas and complicated rivalries earned the sport billions of fans globally. However, many entertainers from this field died young from health complications.

Source: Legit.ng