31 Best Memphis Rappers, From Tennessee & Others

#22 Playa Fly

Playa Fly is the son of Memphis musician Mr. Bill Chill and was also born and raised in the city. He was a founding member of Three 6 Mafia but only recorded one album with the group before he left due to disputes about money and song direction.

After leaving Three 6 Mafia, Playa Fly managed a solid rap career, as he released six studio albums over nine years in the industry.

#23 Big Boogie

Big Boogie is a Louisiana-born rapper who grew up in Memphis, where he also started his rap career. The rapper hasn't released any studio albums yet, but his singles have caught a lot of attention in 2022.

Big Boogie got over 50M views on YouTube in 2022 from his music and was signed to fellow Memphis rapper Yo Gotti's record label, Collective Music Group, in the middle of 2022. The rapper's first studio album release will likely drop in early 2023.

#24 Indo G

Indo G is another Memphis rapper that blew up in the mid-1990s along with Three 6 Mafia. Indo G started his career as a duo with fellow Memphis rapper Lil' Blunt, as they released two collaborative albums together.

Indo G became a solo rapper around 1996 and was no longer in a duo, but he joined Three 6 Mafia in 1998. The rapper worked with the most prominent Memphis rap group for several years before leaving for personal reasons.

#25 Cities Aviv

Cities Aviv is a super interesting artist within the space of Memphis rap due to his unique style of music. After dropping out of the University of Memphis at the age of 20, Cities Aviv joined a Punk band where he was the lead singer. However, after spending a couple of years with the punk band, Cities Aviv left the group and started his journey into hip-hop.

When Cities Aviv started his rap career, he produced and rapped for his records. The artist became known around the area for his different style of music in the early 2010s. He clearly had punk influences on his rap records, but also electronic influences. He was considered highly experimental at the time but proved to be ahead of the curve with his music.

#26 8Ball

8Ball is best known for being part of a duo with fellow Memphis rapper MJG. 8Ball met MJG in middle school in Memphis, and the two rappers started their careers together. The duo released four albums together before they started to venture into their own solo rap careers.

8Ball released his first solo studio album in 1998, Lost, and it did very well for a debut album. The Memphis rapper released eight albums as a duo with MJG, and he also released eight solo rap albums, totaling 16 albums over 14 years in the industry.

#27 MJG

MJG is a prominent rapper out of Memphis, most notable for his partnership with 8Ball. MJG's music featured heavy Memphis influence, as it often had synths and heavy bass behind the lyrics. Like many other Memphis rappers, the duo's lyrics aren't meant to tell a story or be that meaningful, but they serve as an instrument and a flow to dance.

Unlike many other rappers at the time, MJG and other Memphis rappers were the first to focus on a party atmosphere within the music. The style of music in Memphis spread throughout the rest of the country as the entire rap industry moved in that direction in the early 2000s.

#28 Lil Wyte

Lil Wyte, or Patrick Lanshaw, is a Memphis-born rapper born in 1982. The rapper's style could best be described as a machine of words or a rapid lyricist.

The rapper was signed to Three 6 Mafia's label in 2000, giving him a verified mark of approval within the city. Lil Wyte was featured on Project Pat's “Crash da Club” in 2002 before releasing his debut studio album, Doubt Me Now, in 2003.

#29 Drumma Boy

Drumma Boy is one of the most prolific producers to ever come out of Memphis and was one of the most popular producers in the rap industry for a while. Drumma Boy comes from a highly educated household that wanted him to pursue higher education, so he started attending the University of Memphis in 2001, studying music.

Even by the time he graduated high school, Drumma Boy was a known producer in Tennesee and was selling beats to some of the state's most prominent rappers. He eventually dropped out of college once he made over $200k per year as a producer, and his career skyrocketed after he dropped out.

By 2008, he was one of the rap game's most sought-after producers and had worked with many of the industry's biggest names.

#30 iLoveMemphis

iLoveMemphis is what many would call a “one-hit wonder,” but his one hit is one of the biggest songs ever made in Memphis, “Hit the Quan.”

The hit song was one of the most prominent beats in the US in 2015 due to the viral dances that accompanied the music. The rapper was invited onto national talk shows, such as the Ellen DeGeneres Show, to perform his hit song.

#31 Jucee Froot

Jucee Froot is a new Memphis rapper who was born and raised in the city and is just recently climbing in popularity. She's best known for her contributions to soundtracks of films and shows such as Birds of Prey (2020), Insecure, and P-Valley.

She got signed to Atlantic Records in 2020 and released her debut studio album, Black Sheep, later that year. Many fans think that the female rapper is “up next” for the city of Memphis.

Top Memphis Rappers, Final Thoughts

The amount of rap talent that one city produced over the last 30 years is truly remarkable. Memphis grew to be known as a hotspot of the rap scene as early as the 1990s, and it's only grown more prominent and impressive since. In recent years, young rappers from Memphis like Pooh Shiesty and NLE Choppa have had more success than any of their predecessors from the city.