fbpx

15 Best Drill Rappers To Listen To

Drill rappers have become very popular ever since drill rap was founded in the early 2010s. The genre is a blend of both gangsta rap and trap music, and we’re going to tell you the 15 best drill rappers to listen to if you’re curious about this genre.

1. Chief Keef 

Chief Keef - I Don't Like ft. Lil Reese

First on our list is Chief Keef, also known as Keith Farrelle Cozart, who is considered to be the founder of drill rap and is both a producer and rapper. Chief Keef lived on the south side of Chicago with his grandma, and as a teenager, his music started to spread quickly across the high schools in the area.

Keef’s breakout song was I Don’t Like, which was remixed in 2012 by Kanye West, and that’s when he gained national attention. This debut single reached 73 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 15 on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart.

Recommended: Greatest rappers from Chicago

2. Pop Smoke 

POP SMOKE - WELCOME TO THE PARTY [SHOT BY GoddyGoddy]

Next is Bashar Barakah, known in the music world as Pop Smoke, who released his hit Welcome To The Party in 2019. Pop Smoke didn’t break out until 2018, but he quickly became the embodiment of drill rap in Brooklyn since he was born and raised there. Pop Smoke was different from the Chicago drill rappers since he used both aggressive and minimal instruments.

Recommended: Best New York Rappers

3. Polo G

Taurus Tremani Bartlett, also known as Polo G, is likely the most notable name in drill rapping after Keef. Polo G uses softer piano styles and is an incredibly disciplined drill rapper. He released a song on YouTube in 2018 called O.D.A, then released Gang With Me on SoundCloud, which helped him quickly become a hit along with Finer Things.

It wasn’t until 2019, when Pop Out was released with Lil Tjay, that he gained national attention. That song helped him get a contract with Columbia Records after it reached 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Recommended: Top drill rap songs of all time

4. Kay Flock 

Kay Flock - Shake It feat. Cardi B, Dougie B & Bory300 (Official Video)

Our next drill rapper might be in legal trouble, but Kay Flock is considered to be one of the top drill rappers because of his amazing energy. This Brooklyn drill rapper has a vocal style that is more gravely and raw than the other drill rappers. Is Ya Ready, which was released in 2021, is his signature breakout song, but he released Shake It with Dougie B, Bory300, and Cardi B, which instantly became a hit.

Even though he is incarcerated, his team has still been releasing his music.

Recommended: Top rap fight songs

5. Shady 

Shady is a Chicago drill rapper that was around before Chief Keef, and her hit song from 2011 Go In helped drill rap become even more popular on the streets. The music video for this song helped her gain attention as it featured a director holding the camera to film her and a bunch of women in the streets just in the middle of craziness.

Women like Shady deserve to be on our list, as she helped bring drill music to the streets while it was still underground.

Recommended: Top underground rappers of all time

6. King Von 

King Von - Took Her To The O (Official Video)

Next up is Dayvon Daquan Bennett, who is known as King Von, and he is a Chicago drill rapper that is best known for his hit song Crazy Story which was a single he released in December 2018. He is friends with Lil Durk, and it didn’t take long for him to be signed to Only The Family and Empire Distribution, the record label Lil Durk created. 

Took Her To The O, released in 2020, made it to 14 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart. 

7. Lil Durk 

Lil Durk - What Happened to Virgil ft. Gunna (Directed by Cole Bennett)

Only The Family is a record label you may have heard about, the label Lil Durk created. Durk Derrick Banks is his real name, and he is a Chicago drill rapper that has been around since 2011 when he got serious about his music career.

He has released several hit songs through the years, including his first two major hits, I’m a Hitta and Sneak Dissin’ which were both well-received. 

8. Stickz

Stickz - Blockstar [Music Video] | GRM Daily

Next on our list is Stickz, a drill rapper from South London that often goes after the Chicago style of including loud instruments in his songs. Stickz is likely the biggest and earliest drill rapper out of the U.K.; his rhymes are considered revolutionary. He has had many hit rap songs, including I Used To, We Don’t Dance, and Back To Rap.

If you’re not into regular or drill rap, Stickz might be the best to check out because it’s unique, given he’s British. 

Next: Greatest British rappers

9. B-Lovee

B-Lovee - SHOTTAS (Official Video)

If you’ve heard of Kay Flock and Dougie B, then you might have heard about B-Lovee, who is also one of the biggest drill rappers out there. All three came up around the same time, and B-Lovee, whose real name is Qwayshawn Cannon, first started his career in 2015 but took a hiatus until 2020 because he wasn’t motivated to continue.

What made him interesting was that he used samples from other artists, so he was a breakout sample drill rapper. B-Lovee released CourtlandtBaby in 2020, his hit debut EP with the single No Hook, and has since released several hits such as My Everything and Shottas

10. Lola Brooke 

Lola Brooke feat. Billy B - Don't Play With It (Official Video)

Calling all fans of women rappers, next on our list is Lola Brooke, one of the best in the business coming out of the Brooklyn scene. She has confidence and hits hard in her lyrics, full of raging energy. Her biggest song was Don’t Play With It, which was released in 2021; recent hits of hers include Dummy Ummy

11. G Herbo 

G Herbo - Me, Myself & I ft. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie (Official Music Video)

G Herbo is one of the most well-known Chicago drill rappers whose real name is Herbert Randall Wright II. He was influenced by some of the most famous rappers, including Lil Wayne, Gucci Mane, and Meek Mill. He released several mixtapes at the beginning of his career, including the 2014 tape Welcome To Fazoland, which was followed up with Pistol P Project. Other mixtapes include Ballin Like I’m Kobe and Strictly 4 My Fans. Lil Bibby is one of his close friends, and G Herbo has collaborated and released several songs featuring Lil Bibby. 

12. Dougie B

Dougie B - Keep it 100 (Shot by Launch Team)

We’ve already mentioned his name since he’s connected to other drill rappers, so our list has to include Dougie B. B-Lovee, Kay Flock, and Dougie B are all together in the Brooklyn and Bronx drill rap scene, and all three had a hit song with the collaboration Brotherly Love which dropped in 2021. Dougie B has a more smooth sound and calm demeanor compared to the other rappers and signed with Republic Records. Shake It, a collaboration with Bory300 and Cardi B, remains one of his biggest hits to date.

13. YoungBoy Never Broke Again 

YoungBoy Never Broke Again - Genie [Official Music Video]

YoungBoy Never Broke Again, also goes by NBA YoungBoy, whose real name is Kentrell DeSean Gaulden, is one of the top drill rappers out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He started gaining attention in 2015 when he had a rap beef with Scotty Cain.

Through 2017 he released more than eight mixtapes which led to him being signed by Atlantic Records. His first mixtape was Life Before Fame, then he released Mind Of A MenaceMind of A Menace 2, and Before I Go. Until Death Call My Name was his debut studio album that dropped in 2018, with the song Outside Today hitting 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

14. Eli Fross 

Attention fans of more high-energy and less serious rap because we want to tell you about Eli Fross, a Brooklyn drill rapper known for more lighthearted lyrics. Bounce and the rhythm of the songs are more what Fross focuses on, and he has a raw voice. You can tell he is just out there enjoying his career without taking himself too seriously.

Some of his hit songs include his 2018 breakout hit Situations, and he followed that up with hits such as Growing Up Gangsta

15. Bizzy Banks

Bizzy Banks - "Don't Start" (Music Video) | 🎬 @MeetTheConnectTv Prod By Samnu Beatz x JonyBeats

Bizzy Banks is one of the Brooklyn rappers that really stood out, and he started in 2019 with the hit song Don’t Start and helped expand the Brooklyn drill rap scene. He was different from other drill rappers because he focused more on the lyrics than the instruments. Other notable hits he released include Don’t Start Pt. 2. He’s one of the rappers that has maintained to rack up views on YouTube and continues to gain popularity even though he got into legal trouble, which led to his incarceration. 

Leave a Comment