Once, rap was almost exclusively an English language genre. These days, however, it has spread around the world. These Mexican rappers combine their hip hop skills with traditional Mexican music in something totally unique.
1. Natanael Cano
Natanael Cano is considered the founder of the new corridos tumbados genre, which combines American hip hop with traditional Mexican music known as corridos. This unique fusion brought Cano to widespread attention while he was still in his teens.
Also a guitarist, Cano started out by uploading song covers to YouTube before dropping his first self-composed track, El De Los Lentos Gucci, in 2017.
2. La Santa Grifa
La Santa Grifa is a hardcore rap group that rose to fame through social media platforms throughout the 2010s. They perform a distinctly gritty street style of rap, featuring many references to gang warfare, drugs, and other elements of street life.
La Santa Grifa became widely known mainly through online streaming, though they have also released several albums through independent labels.
3. Santa RM
Like many modern-day rappers, Santa RM got his start on social media, uploading songs on MySpace in the 2000s.
In 2008, his track Me Gustas went viral. Three years later, he won a contest to travel to Spain to record a demo at LuBuque Studios in Barcelona.
Since then, Santa RM has released three studio albums and has come to be considered one of the most influential Mexican rappers of all time.
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4. Lefty SM
Lefty SM has become one of the most successful and famous Mexican rappers of the 2020s, yet fascinatingly, not much is known about where he came from. He began sharing music on social media platforms in 2020 and since then has enjoyed a growing fanbase thanks to his velvety voice and one-of-a-kind instrumentals.
5. Dharius
The rapper, professionally known as Dharius, came to the rap scene in 1999 as part of the hip hop group Cartel de Santa. He performed with them until 2013, releasing five studio albums during that time.
After leaving the group, Dharius set out on his solo career. He has since recorded three studio albums: Directo Hasta Arriba, Mala Fama, Buena Vidha, and 2022’s Cuando Todo Acaba.
6. Remik González
Remik González is one of the most popular and successful Mexican rappers in history. He got his start in the 2010s while still in his early 20s and had particular success on his YouTube page before being signed to Rap Trap Records. González is best known for songs such as Verde, Amarillo Y Rojo and Mañanero.
7. Zimple
The rapper Zimple was born in Guadalajara and released his first studio album, Sin Corte, in 2015. Fueled by his successful following on social media, he has become one of the biggest rappers in Mexico. He is best known for hits such as Alguien Más and Por Toda Mi Gente, as well as his 2016 studio album Zigo Sońando, which made waves throughout the Mexican hip hop industry.
8. Aczino
Aczino is a Mexican rapper who became famous for his freestyling ability. While still in his teens, Aczino began competing in rap battles, eventually winning the international finals for the Batalla de Gallos in Colombia in 2022. This made him the first rapper to win the competition outside of their native country. Aczino later released several studio albums and returned to rap competitions as a judge.
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9. MC Davo
MC Davo came to attention in 2012 with the digital release of his demo Psicosis. His success continued throughout the 2010s, and he released his first studio album, El Dominio, in 2014.
His distinctive style, combining elements of hip hop, trap music, and reggaeton, earned him widespread success; he signed onto Warner Music Mexico in 2016 and has won two Ritmo Urbano awards for Best Record of The Year. He is best known for hits such as Mis Defectos and La Propusta.
10. Santa Fe Klan
Santa Fe Klan is a rapper who has made an immediate impression despite his youth. Beginning as a group, he soon embarked on a solo career that has produced hit after hit. Santa Fe Klan (who took his stage name from his hometown) is known for his unique style, which fuses classic hip hop with genres such as cumbia and Mexican el rap.
The transition into the 2020s marked a series of hits for him, starting with the 2019 album, Bendecido.
11. Cartel De Santa
Formed in 1996, Cartel De Santa is one of Mexico’s oldest and most successful gangsta rap groups. Their first album, released in 2003, was a swift success thanks to hits such as Perros and Todas Mueren Por Mi. Their style can be described alternately as metal rap, gangsta rap, or trap, a combination that has kept them going strong for two decades.
12. Charles Ans
Charles Ans started his earliest efforts as a rapper in the mid-2000s when he was only 15, visiting open mic nights to share his craft. Shortly afterward, he moved to Guadalajara, where he founded the group Anestesia.
Since then, he has released four albums and appeared on many reality television shows. He is known for his distinctive musical style, which incorporates heavy Latin influences as well as electronic elements such as synthesizers.
13. Pinche Mara
Pinche Mara has become one of the most well-known and successful Mexican rappers of all time. After a childhood heavily influenced by his involvement in a street gang and subsequent prison time, he turned his sights to music and moved to Guadalajara in 2015.
The following year he released two albums, Mas Locos Que Simpaticos and Tumbando Coronas, both of which were successful. Mara frequently draws on his experiences in prison and gang life to express in his music.
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14. Toser One
Toser One is a rapper from Guadalajara. Like many modern hip hop artists, he jumpstarted his career through social media, gaining an impressive following. His success has been further spurred on by his music videos, which have garnered millions of views. Toser One is best known for singles such as Yo Seguiré and Me Gusta El Vicio.
15. Tren Lokote
Tren Lokote has become one of Mexico’s best-known and most successful gangsta rappers. His career began in 2008 and has remained a central figure on the Mexican hip hop scene ever since. He has released three studio albums and many other collections.
16. Neto Peña
Neto Peña hails from Guadalajara, widely considered one of the key cities in the Mexican hip hop industry. He began creating music when he was only 13 years old. He is best known for songs such as Nada Me Va a Importar, No Llegaré, and Sex No Love.
17. Bocafloja
Bocafloja came onto the hip hop scene in the 1990s, when English rap still reigned supreme and Spanish language rap was difficult to find. Nevertheless, he didn’t let this stop him, launching his hip hop career in 1995.
Since then, he has released eight studio albums to great acclaim. His first album was Lengua Insurrecta, released in 2002. He has become widely known for his poignant social and political commentary.
18. Snow Tha Product
Born Claudia Alexandra Madriz Meza, the rapper known professionally as Snow Tha Product was born in California to Mexican immigrant parents. She began her rap career at 19, choosing the stage name Snow Tha Product as a nod to Snow White.
She released her debut album, Unorthodox, in 2011 to widespread success. She didn’t drop another album for more than a decade until the release of her much-anticipated sophomore LP, Me Vale Madre, in early 2023.
19. C-Kan
C-Kan started rapping as a teenager, releasing several mixtapes throughout the 2000s. But it wasn’t until 2012, when he dropped his demo Voy Por El Sueño De Muchos, that he gained widespread popularity, signing on to a record label that same year.
Since then, C-Kan has released three albums and many collaborations with other rappers. His music is heavily influenced by his experiences of gang life as a teenager as well as pressing social issues.
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20. Gera MX
Gera MX is a record-breaking Mexican rapper known for his classic, punchy style. Throughout the 2010s, he has consistently produced wildly successful albums; in 2014, his album No Veo; No Siento received a nomination for Record of The Year from the magazine Ritmo Urbano. In 2021, his single Botella Tras Botella made history as the first single from a regional Mexican artist to debut on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
21. Alemán
Rapper Alemán started his career as a member of the group Doble Roma before setting off on a solo venture. Since then, he has enjoyed significant success, dropping singles such as La Doble Rimaldita, Por el Pacifico, and Rap Phenomenon.
Though many Spanish-language hip hop artists aren’t widely known outside Latin America, Alemán’s fame has spread far enough that he has come on the radar in English language music publications as well.
22. Yoss Bones
Yoss Bones is one of Mexico’s most promising up-and-coming young female rappers. Popularizing the subgenres of urban hip hop and pop rap, she signed onto her record label, Alzada, in 2018 and immediately gained attention for her debut single Con Eso Basto. In 2019, she became the most-streamed Mexican artist on Spotify.
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23. Neto Reyno
Neto Reyno’s career started as a battle rapper in the 1990s; he rose to prominence in 1998 with the release of his first single, Low Quarters. Throughout his career, Reyno was known for his hard-hitting rap, particularly his collaborations with other hip hop artists.
He gained attention for songs such as El Que No Quiere Perder and No Te Olvides, which featured Zimple. Reyno died in December 2022 at the age of 40, shortly after being diagnosed with cancer.
24. Mare Advertencia Lirika
Mare Advertencia Lirika is considered one of the most important female Mexican rappers in history. Born in Oaxaca, she is of Zapotecan descent. She began her rap career in 2003 when she joined the group OCG, working with them for six years.
When the group split in 2009, she embarked on a solo career. She made waves with the release of her first EP, Que Mujer!, in 2010. Since then, she has released two more solo albums and been featured as the subject of a documentary, Cuando Una Mujer Avanza, detailing her experiences as both an indigenous woman and a female hip hop artist.
25. MC Magic
The rapper known as MC Magic was born in Sonora, Mexico, but moved to the United States when he was five years old. This set him on the path to a rap career that included both English and Spanish music, helping him find a niche in many communities.
He rose to fame in the American Southwest, where he perfected his unique style, often referred to as Latino hip hop ballads. His velvety vocals and pristine delivery made him a great success, particularly with his third album, which climbed to No. 8 on the Heatseekers Albums chart.
26. Don Aero
Don Aero has been a fixture of Mexican hip hop since the early 2000s, releasing a string of independent albums during that time. But it wasn’t until 2014 that he gained widespread attention with his album De Boca en Boca. Since then, he has released a second studio album and is known for collaborating with some of the biggest names in Mexican hip hop.
27. King Lil G
The rapper known as King Lil G was born in Mexico City. He began rapping professionally in the early 2000s but didn’t see widespread success for a full decade with the release of 2014’s Hopeless Boy.
Since then, his career has blossomed, a lesson in perseverance. Though the rapper has been offered several recording contracts, he has refused them all, preferring to remain independent to maintain creative control over his work. He has an extremely large social media following and is best known for hits such as I’m Your Enemy, 90s Kid, and Paint The City Blue.
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As the Head Editor and Writer at Music Grotto, Liam helps write and edit content produced from professional music/media journalists and other contributing writers. He works closely with journalists and other staff to format and publish music content for the Music Grotto website. Liam is also the founding member of Music Grotto and is passionate in disseminating editorial content to its readers.
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