23 Best Canadian Rappers From Toronto & More

13. Merkules

Merkules was interested in music from a young age and he got his start at making his career dreams come true when he was 15.

Merkules began his career by collaborating and making music together in 2011, giving the young artist a foot in the door. Merkules' life changed forever one year later when he was attacked and left scarred while walking home one night.

Though he had produced several songs before the accident, Merkules drew on the experience for his album Scars. Scars helped showcase Merkules’ talents to a new audience and he steadily gained a larger following.

Today, the rapper is signed with Death Row Records and continues to put out new music. One of Surrey, British Columbia’s most famous sons is its most famous rapper too.

14. The Weeknd

Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, or as everybody knows him, The Weeknd, is the only artist who can challenge Drake as the most famous resident of Toronto. Since his career has taken off, the Weeknd has been at the forefront of popular music in Canada and America.

Despite his young age, Abel has already created several smash hit records and performed at the biggest stage of them all: the Super Bowl. The only reason he is not as high on this list is he often sings more than he raps.

The Weeknd began his career by releasing songs anonymously. Nobody knew who the artist was, and the mystique added to his mythos. The singer eventually revealed his identity and reached new heights by releasing albums with varied sounds and styles.

The Weeknd has explored many genres, including trap, dream pop, and dark wave. Always pushing boundaries, the Weeknd remains a popular artist, bolstered by several memes starring him.

15. Preme

Prime has gone by several names during his career, including P Reign, The King, and King of Da North. Of course, he also went by Raynford Avery Humphrey while growing up in Montreal, Quebec.

No matter what name you know him by, Preme is one of Canada’s best rappers and a close friend of Drake. The two rappers started a friendship when Preme moved to Toronto and became one of the best Toronto rappers overnight.

Preme got his start at the tail end of the 2000s, producing the mixtape The Canadian Dream in 2008 and When It Reigns It Pours in 2010. Despite his somewhat lengthy career, Preme only has one studio album, Light of Day from 2018. His most recent work is an extended play in 2020 titled Link Up.

16. K’naan

K’naan grew up in Mogadishu and had a hard life growing up during the Somali Civil War.

He almost died when he accidentally picked up a grenade thinking it was food. K’naan left Somalia when he was 13, and his family briefly relocated to New York before making permanent residence in Toronto.

K’naan was interested in music from a young age and listening to classic hip-hop assisted him in learning English after relocating to Canada. The rapper has attempted to bring elements of Somali music into his creations since he got his start in the rap game in 2000.

K’naan made his biggest splash in 2010 with the song “Wavin’ Flag.” Sports fans may remember this song as the anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Since his breakout, K’naan has been consistent in advocating for the Somali people and the situation in the country.

17. Dax

Dax spent many of his formative years on the move. Newfoundland and Labrador were the rapper’s birthplace, but he spent many of his childhood years in Ottawa, Wichita, and Detroit. Dax’s family moved to Los Angeles and he attended college in the city.

While living in LA, Dax hatched the idea to become a rapper thanks to his love of writing poetry. He impressed his basketball teammates with a poem and decided to try and create a mixtape.

Dax’s first mixtape came out in 2017, which he titled 2pac Reincarnation Vol 2: As Told By Dax. Plenty of plays on SoundCloud and a popular music video for the song “Cash Me Outside” assisted Dax on his way to stardom.

Since his debut, Dax has released two extended play records and one full-length studio album. Dax was involved with two high-profile feuds in his career, one with KSI and another with Tory Lanez.

18. Classified

Classified has been one of the best Canadian rappers since his debut in 1995, and he is one of the most prolific artists in the scene.

Classified did things the difficult way, instead of networking with established names  the young rapper decided to create his record label and release his debut album Times Up, Kid. However, this was not an instant smash, and Classified began grinding out on the indie scene.

After eight of his studio albums failed to break him into the mainstream, Classified released Trial & Error, the album that changed everything for him. The prolific rapper finally got his big break and became a nationwide sensation.

Since then, Classified has continued to put out music at a breathtaking pace, releasing full-length albums every few years. As one of the longest-tenured rappers in Canada, Classified demands respect for his contributions to the scene.

19. Ramriddlz

Ramriddlz is another artist who owes much of his initial success to a promotion from Drake. Ramriddlz grew up in Mississauga, Ontario, and his career had a shot in the arm thanks to the promotion of his single “Sweeterman” from the most famous Toronto rapper.

Ramriddlz has not had an incredibly prolific career, with just a few records to his name. His debut EP was P2P which he released in 2015. He released another EP, Venis, the next year. Ramriddlz’s debut album was Sweeter Dreams in 2017.

20. Tommy Genesis

Tommy Genesis is one of the most rebellious and controversial underground rappers in Canada. The Vancouver rapper often addresses topics some may find taboo, especially sex.

Genesis proclaims herself a “fetish rapper” and has a more artsy bend to her music than many other artists. Genesis also participates in fashion shows and has showcased her talents as a visual artist in addition to being a rapper.

Genesis began her career in 2013 and released her debut mixtape in 2015, titled World Vision. Three years later, Genesis released her self-titled debut album to rave reviews from hip-hop heads in Canada. Her second album, Goldilocks X, followed three years later.

21. Jon Lajoie

Jon Lajoie is something of a renaissance man thanks to his multimedia work. Lajoie rose to fame thanks to his comedic YouTube videos where he rapped as different characters.

The videos were smashing hits in the early days of YouTube, and they helped Lajoie break into new avenues. He has acted on television and film, and he releases folk music under a pseudonym.

Lajoie’s music often takes a comedic bend about the typical life in Canada and the characters one might meet there. Lajoie showed his versatility by rapping several distinct characters over his career.

22. Madchild

Madchild is another rapper from Surrey, British Columbia, though he spent most of his formative years in North Vancouver. Madchild had a brief stint living in San Francisco before returning to British Columbia on a more permanent basis.

Madchild first broke out as a member of Swollen Members, though he has several solo albums to his name.

Madchild’s first full-length album was Dope Sick in 2012, and it was a smash hit in Canada. The album peaked at number three on the charts and set up a long series of successful albums for the artist.

23. Cadence Weapon

Cadence Weapon has been active in the rap scene in Toronto since 2005. Weapon was interested in music from a young age, as his father was a renowned DJ for a local radio station.

At 19, Weapon released his debut mixtape Cadence Weapon Is the Black Hand and his debut album Breaking Kayfabe. The latter album title references the wrestling term for pulling back the curtain and revealing things are fake.

Breaking Kayfabe helped put Weapon on the map, and from there he released four more albums and two more mixtapes.

Top Canadian Rappers, Final Thoughts

Canada has some of the best rappers in the game today, if you don’t know all of the ones we listed, we encourage you to give them a listen and check for yourself the quality from the maple leaf rappers.

From famous artists like Drake to underground wizards like Tommy Genesis, there is no shortage of excellent Canadian rappers.

Who is your favorite artist? Let us know if we missed anyone!