Best 2010s rappers
The 2010s reshaped hip-hop, birthing new subgenres, streaming-fueled stardom, and a wave of MCs who redefined lyricism, flow, and cultural influence. From trap innovators to conscious lyricists, the decade sparked endless debates about who truly reigned supreme on the mic. Now it's your turn to settle the score — cast your vote for the best rapper of the 2010s.
What counts: Seeded with approximate figures where shown — the crowd's votes decide the order.
Drake▲ Rising
The decade's dominant chart force, Drake turned melodic rap-singing hybrids into the default sound of pop radio, racking up more Hot 100 hits than seemed physically possible while albums like Take Care and Nothing Was the Same set the emotional template — vulnerable, petty, luxurious — that a thousand rappers copied. Critics loved to dunk on him for ghostwriting scandals and chart-farming, but the argument for his spot is simple: he didn't just rank in the 2010s, he basically built its commercial architecture.
Debut Album Year: 2010Studio Albums (2010s): 6Grammy Awards Won: 5Billboard Hot 100 #1s: 4Lyricism: 7/10Commercial Success: 10/10Singer-Rapper Hybrid: ✓
added by IJRin 5 rankingsDrake
124
Kendrick Lamar▲ Rising
Kendrick spent the decade making rap albums that doubled as cultural events — good kid, m.A.A.d city's cinematic autobiography, To Pimp a Butterfly's jazz-funk reckoning with Blackness in America, and DAMN.'s Pulitzer-winning victory lap. 'Alright' became a movement anthem sung at protests, and 'Control' single-handedly reignited competitive rap discourse by naming names. No one paired technical virtuosity with capital-I importance like Kendrick, which is why he's the decade's consensus GOAT conversation piece.
Debut Album Year: 2011Studio Albums (2010s): 4Grammy Awards Won: 12Billboard Hot 100 #1s: 1Lyricism: 10/10Commercial Success: 8/10Singer-Rapper Hybrid: —
added by IJRin 6 rankingsKendrick Lamar
52
J. Cole▼ Falling
Cole built a fanbase on gold-without-features flexes and diaristic honesty, turning 2014 Forest Hills Drive into a slow-burn phenomenon that went multi-platinum with zero guest verses and an ethos of introspective realness over flash. He became the patron saint of the underdog rap fan, the guy who rapped about depression, fatherhood, and self-doubt while everyone else chased turn-up records, and KOD proved he could still innovate sonically while staying true to that lane. His place here comes from consistency and connection — Cole's albums felt like conversations, not just product.
Debut Album Year: 2011Studio Albums (2010s): 5Grammy Awards Won: 0Billboard Hot 100 #1s: 0Lyricism: 9/10Commercial Success: 7/10Singer-Rapper Hybrid: —
added by IJRin 4 rankings
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Post Malone▼ Falling
Post Malone blurred rap, rock, and country into a mumbly, tattoo-faced genre stew that dominated streaming numbers with 'Congratulations' and 'rockstar,' proving hip-hop's aesthetic could be worn by a guy who sounds like he's crying into a Bud Light. Stoney and beerbongs & bentleys turned him into a streaming-era anomaly, racking up historic Billboard longevity while purists argued whether he even counted as a rapper. His inclusion is the decade's referendum on genre itself — Post didn't rap like anyone else, but commercially and culturally, he rapped louder than almost everybody.
Debut Album Year: 2016Studio Albums (2010s): 3Grammy Awards Won: 0Billboard Hot 100 #1s: 2Lyricism: 4/10Commercial Success: 9/10Singer-Rapper Hybrid: ✓
added by IJRin 3 rankingsPost Malone
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Comments (7)
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Voted — and the gap between #1 and #2 should be bigger.
This order is closer to right than any editor would've gotten.
- PPriya NovakJul 28, 2026
Exactly the kind of argument the internet was built for.
- CCaleb ReyesJul 27, 2026
The crowd is sleeping on the bottom half of this list.