North Carolina may not receive the same recognition as rap hotbeds such as Texas, Georgia, or New York, but the state has quietly produced some of the most influential artists in hip-hop over the past three decades.
From the lyrical excellence of J. Cole and Rapsody to the cultural impact of Petey Pablo and the groundbreaking work of Little Brother, North Carolina's rap scene has left a lasting mark on the genre.
These rankings take into account lyricism, influence, longevity, commercial success, cultural impact, and overall contributions to North Carolina hip-hop.
From J. Cole and Rapsody to Petey Pablo and DaBaby, these artists helped put North Carolina hip-hop on the map
Other notable North Carolina native rappers who just missed the list include Charlotte native up-and-comer Mavi, Little Brother member Rapper Big Pooh, and Dreamville's Lute. Here's the list of the top five North Carolina native rappers of all time.
5. DaBaby
In terms of the modern hip-hop music scene coming out of North Carolina, Charlotte native DaBaby is the leading voice of the new movement. DaBaby became one of the defining mainstream rap stars of the late 2010s and early 2020s, helping bring Charlotte's hip-hop scene unprecedented national attention.
DaBaby broke onto the scene in the mid-to-late 2010s with platinum charting hits like Suge, ROCKSTAR with Roddy Ricch, and BOP.
While his mainstream peak was shorter than some of the other artists on this list, DaBaby's commercial success helped bring Charlotte's rap scene to a national audience.
He also featured on a Dreamville anthem with fellow North Carolina native great rapper J. Cole, with a well-known and respected verse on the song Under the Sun.
Some of his biggest features are still well-known and regularly played tracks globally to this day, highlighted by the collaboration with Dua Lipa, Levitating, and the Pop Smoke collab "For the Night."
4. Phonte
Greensboro native Phonte helped to innovate the alternative hip hop scene coming out of the south, and specifically North Carolina, starting in the 2000s.
Phonte blended some of the inspirations and dominant characteristics that defined the Southern hip-hop subgenre in the mid-2000s and combined that with more traditional storytelling, soulful production and beats, and introspective bars that appealed to more traditional hip-hop and boom-bap fans.
As one-third of Little Brother, Phonte helped redefine what Southern hip-hop could sound like, proving that introspective lyricism and soulful production could thrive alongside the region's more commercially dominant sounds.
Had it not been for Phonte, underground hip hop would not be in the place it is today in North Carolina. Phonte, 9th Wonder, and Rapper Big Pooh helped pave the way for dozens of North Carolina artists who followed, including Charlotte's Mavi, Snow Hill's Rapsody, and Charlotte's Lute.
Little Brother had a huge and lasting impact on the experimental and underground rap scenes.
3. Rapsody
Hailing from a small town in eastern North Carolina, just outside of Greenville called Snow Hill, Rapsody has helped to elevate the stature of lyrical and conscious hip hop across the country and the globe from the state.
Few rappers of her generation have earned the level of respect from critics, peers, and hip-hop purists that Rapsody has accumulated throughout her career. Her critically acclaimed albums helped establish North Carolina as a breeding ground for elite lyricists and conscious hip-hop artists.
The Grammy-award-winning rapper and songwriter has garnered co-signs and features from prominent names in the industry, including Erykah Badu, Kendrick Lamar, and Talib Kweli, among many others.
There aren’t many other female rappers who can match the consistency and quality of Rapsody’s bars and depth of her discography over this past decade.
2. Petey Pablo
There would not be the same North Carolina hip-hop scene today without the groundwork Petey Pablo laid in the early 2000s. Before North Carolina became associated with artists such as J. Cole and Rapsody, Petey Pablo was the rapper who introduced the state's hip-hop scene to a national audience.
Not only did Petey Pablo put up big numbers on the Billboard hip-hop charts in the 2000s with his songs like "Raise Up" and "Freek-a-Leek," but he also became one of the first rappers to put North Carolina hip-hop on the national map.
Petey Pablo's top tracks have become iconic in the state. "Raise Up" has become a North Carolina anthem after the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes adopted the hit song to play after each time the team scores a goal on the ice.
1. J. Cole
It's too easy to put J. Cole at No. 1 on this list. The Fayetteville, NC, native has become synonymous not just with North Carolina hip hop but a large part of the entire conscious and lyrical hip hop movement in the past decade.
Widely regarded as one of the defining rappers of his generation, J. Cole has spent more than a decade at the forefront of mainstream hip-hop. Albums such as 2014 Forest Hills Drive, KOD, and The Off-Season helped cement his place among the most accomplished rappers of the modern era.
J. Cole has built a career based on elite pen game, conscious and thoughtful bars, and detailed storytelling that also appeals to mainstream audiences globally.
It’s not just the impact that J. Cole’s music had on North Carolina hip-hop in the past couple of decades. He’s also helped to develop and assemble rap careers on the Dreamville label and host the Dreamville Festival in Raleigh, NC.
Through his music, Dreamville Records, and the Dreamville Festival, J. Cole's impact on North Carolina hip-hop extends far beyond his own catalog, cementing his place as the greatest rapper the state has ever produced.
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