The 20 best rappers in Africa right now (list and photos)

Rap is one of the popular music genres in Africa. Although Afrobeat is the continent's biggest sound export, the best rappers in Africa continue to get global recognition. Popular record labels such as Sony and Def Jam are increasingly making inroads in the continent, searching for more rap talents. So, who is the biggest rapper from Africa right now?

Who is the best Africa rapper in 2022? Unlike other music genres, rappers are diverse and differently skilled. Therefore, it is hard to pinpoint the best rapper at any given point as many are pretty talented and are producing great music.

20 best rappers from Africa you should listen to

Who is the best Africa Rapper 2022?Africa has a lot to offer to those who love hip hop and rap music. If you are a fan, these are the best in the continent to listen to right now. You will love their flow and style.

1. Nasty C

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• Date of birth: February 11, 1997
• Age: 24 years old
• Country: South Africa
• Popular tracks: Phases (2016), Allow (2016), Legendary (2018), SMA (2018), Black and White ft. Ari Lennox (2020), All in (2020)
• Active since: 2013

Nsikayesizwe David Junior Ngcobo, commonly known as Nasty C, is arguably the best in South Africa and the best rapper in Africa 2022. Nasty C is also the first rapper from the continent under Def Jam and Universal Music Group.

The Durban-born rapper has a diverse discography. Nasty C's four albums and one mixtape are a testament to his versatility as a wordsmith. However, his 2020 release, Zulu Man with Some Power, is critically acclaimed.

Besides his global recognition, Nasty C is a skilled rapper. For example, 2018's freestyle on Tim Westwood TV is arguably one of the channel's best sessions.

2. Khaligraph Jones

• Date of birth: June 12, 1990
• Age: 31 years old
• Country: Kenya
• Popular tracks: Testimony (2018), Juu Ya Ngori (2018), Yes Bana ft. Bien (2020), Wavy ft. Sarkodie (2021)
• Active since: 2013

Khaligraph Jones joins the list of the best rappers of 2022 because of his talent. Although the rapper has been in the industry for the past decade, he became a continental superstar in 2016. Since then, Khaligraph has proved his writing prowess, especially when scouting for African talents.

Besides his vast following, Khaligraph is one of the best African rappers, thanks to his wordplay and writing style. In addition, the Kenyan rapper has an intelligent way of retelling stories.

3. Cassper Nyovest

• Date of birth: December 16, 1990
• Age: 31 years old
• Country: South Africa
• Popular tracks: Tsholofelo (2014), Refileo (2015), Thuto (2017), Sweet and Short (2018) , Any Minute Now (2020)
• Active since: 2013

Cassper Nyovest is a South African record producer and rapper. Although he does not rap in English like most artists, he has managed to keep his continental fans glued to his songs.

His song Doc Shebeleza is considered a blueprint for African rap. Since his 2014 hit release, Cassper Nyovest has consistently put out music that resonates with millions of fans. In addition, Cassper’s work has been a testimony of his growth as a musician.

In addition to millions of followers from social media, Cassper Nyovest is the first rapper in Africa to fill a stadium. For most hip-hop lovers, this was a sign that he is one of the best rappers in Africa.

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4. Sho Madjozi

• Date of birth: May 9, 1992
• Age: 29 years old
• Country: South Africa
• Popular tracks: Kona (2018), John Cena (2019), Wakanda Forever (2018), Di Hawks (2020), I Like It ft. Darassa (2020)
• Active since: Unspecified

Sho Madjozi is one of the most famous rappers from South Africa. Thanks to the internet and her biggest song yet, John Cena, Sho has gained immense recognition. The hit song opened doors for the young artist to tour the world and launch her career.

Sho Madjozi's work ethic is unmatched, especially considering she has been in the commercial music space for less than five years.

Apart from her skills as a rapper, Sho is famous for her fusion of Swahili and English. Also, her bubble-gum lyrics make her songs comical and memorable.

5. Sarkodie

• Date of birth: July 10, 1988
• Age: 33 years old
• Country: Ghana
• Popular tracks: Makye (2009), Rapperholic (2012), Sarkology (2014), Mary (2014), Highest (2017), Alpha (2019), Black Love (2019)
• Active since: 2005

Born Michael Owusu Addo, Sarkodie is a rapper and entrepreneur from Ghana. Although Afrobeat dominates West Africa's music scene, the rapper has defined all norms to become a key entertainer in the region. Thanks to his consistency, Vodafone Ghana Music Award gave him the Artiste of the Decade award.

The rapper's significant hits are collaborations with other artists. For example, Adonai featuring Castro is his biggest song yet.

Apart from being a skilled rapper, Sarkodie is one of the wealthiest rappers in Africa. He often shares pictures of his cars and houses on his official Instagram page.

6. AKA

• Date of birth: January 28, 1988
• Age: 33 years old
• Country: South Africa
• Popular tracks: Alter Ego (2011), Levels (2014), Be Careful What You Wish For (collaboration with Antii in 2017), Touch my Blood, Bhovamania (2020)
• Active since: 2002

Kiernan Jarryd, alias AKA, is a record producer and one of the best African Hip hop artists. While the South African rap star has created many controversies on Twitter in the past few years, his 2020 EP, Bhovamania, has received impressive reviews.

His 2014 album — Alter Ego — is one of the best rap albums by an African rap artist. The singles from the album are culture shapers, especially in a continent that has a young rap industry.

Besides being one of the top African rappers in terms of influence, AKA has been nominated in different global awards. He was one of the nominees for the Best international act in the 2019 BET Awards.

7. Falz

• Date of birth: October 27, 1990
• Age: 31 years old
• Country: Nigeria
• Popular tracks: Soldier ft. Simi (2015), Foreign ft. Simi (2016), Ello Bae (2015), Wehdone Sir (2017), Marry Me (2018), Bop Daddy (2020), One Trouser (2020), Squander (2021)
• Active since: 2009

Falz, born Folarin Falana, is a versatile rapper from Nigeria. Unlike most rappers in Africa, he is not afraid to use indigenous sounds in his work. While this approach to creating music has worked against some talented rappers, Falz has completed an alternative rap sound.

Even though Falz has been an active musician for decades, his eureka moment happened when he recreated This Is America by the American rapper Childish Gambino. This is Nigeria was not only entertaining but an essential piece of activism.

Since then, Falz has worked with prominent artists in Nigeria and outside his country. His biggest single yet is Soldier, in which he featured SIMI.

8. Phyno

• Date of birth: October 9, 1986
• Age: 35 years old
• Country: Nigeria
• Popular tracks: N.W.A (2014), Never, Link Up ft. Burna Boy and M.I (2016), Connect (2016), Ojimo (2019), God’s Willing (2019), For the Money ft. Peruzzi (2020)
• Active since: 2003

Phyno is a Nigerian rap artist who started recording music in 2003. After gaining a massive following in his country, the artist became a continental star in 2014.

Phyno is one of the few African rap artists that consistently use African language in his raps. For example, his biggest song yet, “Fada Fada featuring Olamide, is purely in Igbo. His use of language makes him a unique rap artist.

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9. Octopizzo

• Date of birth: October 30, 1984
• Age: 37 years old
• Country: Kenya
• Popular tracks: On Top (2014), Something for You (2015), Tergat Gang (2017), Noma Ni (2018), Nu Afrika (2018), Kanya (2019), Babylon (2019), Plus One (2020), Nikupate (2020), Ringa (2021)
• Active since: Unknown

Octopizzo is one of the best rappers from East Africa. Born Henry Ohanga, the rapper, is a product of Nairobi's vibrant rap battles. However, he has evolved from an MC to one of East Africa's rap icons.

While most rappers are reluctant to experiment with different sounds, such as Trap, the Kenyan artist has used trends in the hip-hop scene to sharpen his skills. As a result, all his albums are different in terms of sounds and subject matter. His 2020 album — Jungle Fever — fuses Benga with rap.

10. Roma Mkatoliki

• Date of birth: 1989
• Age: 32 years old
• Country: Tanzania
• Popular tracks: Kijiwe Nongwa ft. Nay Wa Mitego (2019), Hivi ama Vile (2017), Parapanda (2018), Kaka Tuchati, Itoke remix ft. Mauasama (2020), Zimbabwe (2017)
• Active since: 2010

Ibrahim Mussa, alias Roma Mkatoliki is a Tanzanian rap artist. He is part of ROSTAM, which is a duo rap group. However, in the last two years, they have been doing a lot of solo projects.

His biggest song, Zimbabwe, was heavily played in continental music channels such as MTV and Channel O. Since then, Roma has released some solo projects and collaborations with Khaligraph and Lady Jay Dee.

11. Olamide

• Date of birth: March 15, 1989
• Age: 32 years old
• Country: Nigeria
• Popular tracks: Goons Mi (2014), Don’t Stop (2015), Motigbana (2018), Kana ft. Wizkid (2018), Pawon (2019), Infinity ft. Omah Lay (2020)
• Active since: 2010

Olamide is a Nigerian recording artist born on March 15, 1989. He is one of the best rappers in Nigeria, and most of his records are in Yoruba and English. The rapper released his first album in 2011 titled Rapsodi and later released a second one under the label imprint YBNL Nation.

Olamide made history in Nigeria as the first artist to sign an endorsement deal with Ciroc. The artist is married to Adebekunmi Aisha Suleiman and has two boys.

READ ALSO: List of 10 best Chicago rappers you should watch in 2021

12. Ladipoe

• Date of birth: April 29, 1992
• Age: 29 years
• Country: Nigeria
• Popular tracks: Know You ft. Simi (2020), Rap Messiah (2021), Feeling ft. Buju (2021)
• Active since: 2014

Ladipoe is one of the most prominent African Hip Hop artists because of his impressive works in the industry. The rapper started his music career in 2014 and established himself in the industry with his unique music pattern.

He has been giving fans non-stop back-to-back hists ever since, as he has released numerous albums and singles over the years.

13. Vector

• Date of birth: August 7, 1984
• Age: 37 years old
• Country: Nigeria
• Popular tracks: Get Down (2010), King Kong (2015), Adurah (2016), The Purge (2018), Judas The Rat (2019), No Peace (2020)
• Active since: 2008

Vector, whose real name is Olanrewaju David Ogunmenfun, is a famous Nigerian artist, songwriter, stage performer and recording artist. The talented rapper was born on August 7, 1985, in Ogun State in the southwestern part of Nigeria.

Vector started his professional music career in 2008 after completing his university education. He officially signed to YSG Entertainment and, in February 2010, released his first official single, Kilode. Today, he is one of the wealthiest and most influential rappers from Africa with a high net worth.

READ ALSO: List of all rappers who died in 2021: From DMX to Biz Markie

14. Ice Prince

• Date of birth: October 30, 1984
• Age: 37 years old
• Country: Nigeria
• Popular tracks: Oleku (2011), Juju (2011), Olofofo ft. Wizkid (2011), I Swear ft. French Montana (2013), Feel Good ft. Phyno & Falz (2020), KOLO (2021)
• Active since: 2004

Ice Prince has been dominating the airwaves for a long time and counts as one of the most influential rappers to ever grace the stage. Some of the rappers' most popular tracks include Oleku, Aboki, I Swear, among others.

The rapper’s real name is Panshak Henry Zamani, and he was born on October 30, 1984. Today, Ice Prince is one of the most successful rappers in Nigeria and one of the most followed on Twitter.

15. Kwesi Arthur

• Date of birth: December 18, 1994
• Age: 26 years old
• Country: Ghana
• Popular tracks: Grind Day (2017), Don’t Keep Me Waiting ft. Kidi (2018), Anthem (2018), Zombi (2019), Nobody ft. Mr. Eazi (2019), Baajo (2020), Walk ft. Nasty C (2021)
• Active since: 2017

Kwesi Arthur's notable works in the rap industry make him one of the top rappers on the continent. Also, he is considered one of the biggest names in Ghana’s entertainment industry. His remarkable rapping prowess even got him a nomination to the BET Hip Hop Awards Cypher, becoming the second ever to get the nomination in the country.

16. Jovi

• Date of birth: October 24, 1983
• Age: 38 years old
• Country: Cameroon
• Popular tracks: Pitie (2013), Bush Faller (2013), MBOKO (2014), Devil no Di Sleep (2017), Pissam (2019), Mentality (2020)
• Active since: 2011

Jovi is one of the biggest rappers in Cameroon, a French-speaking country. He was born on October 24, 1983, as Ndukong Godlove Nfor. So far, the rapper has gained an immense following of English-speaking fans in various countries across Africa.

Also, Jovi has collaborated with international artists like Akon. As a result, most of his music has peaked No.1 charts in Africa and has even been featured on Trace TV as one of the best 15 African rappers.

17. M.Anifest

• Date of birth: November 20, 1983
• Age: 38 years old
• Country: Ghana
• Popular tracks: Makaa Maka (2016), Sugar ft. Brymo (2016), Be My Woman (2017), Rapper 101 (2019), Another Story (2019), Confusion (2021)
• Active since: 2005

M.Anifest was born on November 20, 1982 as Kwame Ametepee Tsikata. He is the son of a famous Ghanaian lawyer, academician Tsikata and Reverend Dr. Priscila Naana Nketia. The rapper started his career while in high school and released his first solo album, “Manifestations, in 2007.

Since then, M.Anifest has been releasing good music and winning the hearts of numerous fans in African and other parts of the world. That is why he is one of the best rappers in Africa 2022.

18. Nadia Nakai

• Date of birth: May 18, 1990
• Age: 31 years old
• Country: South Africa
• Popular tracks: MoneyBack (2016), Naa Meaan ft. Cassper Nyovest (2017), The Man ft. Cassper Nyovest (2017), Imma Boss (2019), Amai (2019), Kreature (2019), 40 Bars (2020)
• Active since: 2011

Nadia Nakai is a beautiful and immensely talented female rapper and songwriter from South Africa. The rapper was born to a South African father and a Zimbabwean mother. She developed a passion for music at age 16 and recorded her first studio song at 18.

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19. Medikal

• Date of birth: April 4, 1993
• Age: 28 years old
• Country: Ghana
• Popular tracks: Confirm ft. Sarkodie (2017), How Much ft. Kwesi Arthur & Ahtitude (2018), Odo ft. King Promise (2020), Street Code (2020), The Target (2021), Nyame (2021)
• Active since: 2014

Medikal is a talented rapper from Ghana, born on April 4, 1993. The rapper had the highest nominations at the 2017 Ghana Music Awards alongside Sarkodie. His impressive works have made him gain international recognition.

20. Black M

• Date of birth: December 27, 1984
• Age: 37 years old
• Country: Guinea
• Popular tracks: Les yeux plus gros que le monde (2014), Éternel insatisfait (2016), Il était une fois... (2019), Alpha... (2021)
• Active since: 2002

Black M is one of the most famous rappers from Guinea, Africa, with outstanding talent. On top of rapping, he is a songwriter and part of the Sexion d’Asaut group.

The rapper released his first solo album titled Les yeux plus gros que le monde, certified diamond. The album gained Black M international fame and launched him into the music industry.

Who is the best African rapper of all time?

Ranking one as the best African rapper of all time is quite hard considering all have different rapping styles and appeal to diverse audiences. However, some artists' consistency over the years and gaining recognition by getting awards have made them supreme.

Artists like Sarkodie, Manifest, Nasty C, Kaligraph Jones, all among the top five in Africa, have significantly impacted the African rapping industry.

Did rap originate in Africa?

Is Hip Hop from Africa? The most exciting thing about rapping is that it can be traced to its African roots. Centuries before Hip Hop existed, the griots of West Africa were delivering stories rhythmically using drums and sparse instruments.

While the debate of the most skilled Hip Hop artist is not ending soon, the best rappers from Africa continue to redefine the rap sound. Some rappers infuse African sounds in their raps, while others use different languages to create music. These factors make African rap one of the best forms of hip-hop to listen to in the 21 century.

READ ALSO: Who is the fastest rapper in the world? Top 10 list in 2021

Rap is more than just adding a verse to a song. As this art keeps evolving, one thing that is noticeable in every generation is the fastest rappers. As a result, Tuko.co.ke has curated a list of the top 10 fastest rappers globally.

Many fans differ in opinion when settling for the fastest rapper. However, the best way to rank fast rappers is by counting the syllables uttered per minute. Find out which rappers have been consistent at dropping more syllables per minute.

Source: TUKO.co.ke

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