41 Best Rappers Over 40

Ghostface Killah

Born: May 9, 1970 (age 53)

Ghostface Killah is yet another member of the Wu-Tang Clan. As with its other members, Ghostface Killah launched into a solo career after the success of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).

In 1996, he released Ironman, and the ensuing years have mostly been marked by success, especially with Supreme Clientele and Fishscale. Ghostface Killah has been praised especially for his storytelling abilities.

Ghostface has remained steady with his release schedule, releasing 13 albums between 1996 and 2019.

Black Thought

Born: October 3, 1973 (age 50)

As the lead MC and co-founder of The Roots, Black Thought is considered one of the most skilled rappers in existence.

His solo career initially had some false starts. He would release The Prestige mixtape in 2011, which he intended to follow with a full-length album. Ultimately, his next release would be an EP titled Streams of Thought, Vol. 1 in 2018.

Following the release of Streams of Thought, Vol. 1, Black Thought finally seems to have found his stride as a solo artist, but of course, his work with The Roots is nothing to sneeze at either.

Royce da 5’9”

Born: June 6, 1977 (age 46)

Royce da 5’9” is best known for his work with Eminem in Bad Meets Evil. “Lighters” featuring Bruno Mars reached number four on the charts in 2011, and the duo would follow it up with the EP Hell: The Sequel. These are still among Royce da 5’9” most successful recordings.

His solo career would get its start in 2002, and his releases have been met with critical acclaim. He’s even been nominated for a Grammy Award. His commercial success, on the other hand, remains somewhat humble.

Royce da 5’9” has released eight studio albums between the years of 2002 and 2020.

Nicki Minaj

Born: December 8, 1982 (age 40)

Nicki “Queen of Rap” Minaj blazed her way into the hip-hop scene with three mixtapes released between 2007 and 2009. Her 2010 debut album, Pink Friday, topped the charts and spawned the hit “Super Bass.”

Minaj took a detour into dance-pop with Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, but she would return to hip-hop with The Pinkprint. Minaj is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, one of the greatest rappers ever to live, and is highly decorated too.

Minaj doesn’t show any signs of stopping yet, and her latest release is 2023’s Pink Friday 2.

Lupe Fiasco

Born: February 16, 1982 (age 41)

Lupe Fiasco’s 2006 debut album, Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor would become an instant success. He would go on to score his first top 40 hit with “Superstar” in 2007. Lupe has released a total of eight studio albums between 2006 and 2022.

Besides being an accomplished rapper, Lupe also sings in a rock band called Japanese Cartoon. He’s also pursued various business ventures.

Big Boi

Born: February 1, 1975 (age 48)

Big Boi rose to fame as one-half of Outkast. You might remember “Roses,” “So Fresh, So Clean,” and “Ms. Jackson,” among other hits. “The Way You Move” from Speakerboxxx/The Love Below became the 22nd most successful song of the 2000s.

Big Boi was quick to get his solo career underway after Outkast disbanded, and he’s released three solo albums to date. His latest was Boomiverse from 2017.

El-P

Born: March 2, 1975 (age 48)

El-P got his start with Company Flow. He gained notoriety as a producer of alternative hip-hop, as a member of The Weathermen, and co-founder of the Definitive Jux record label.

El-P released four solo albums between 2002 and 2012, which were critically praised. He would eventually find mainstream success after forming Run the Jewels with Killer Mike.

Run the Jewels has had four releases to date, with their latest being RTJ4 from 2020.

Will Smith

Born: September 25, 1968 (age 55)

Despite the Will Smith-Chris Rock debacle, Will Smith (aka The Fresh Prince) deserves a place on this list. It might be better to call him an “entertainer” than a rapper, but his accomplishments as the latter are still noteworthy.

For instance, you couldn’t turn the radio on in the late 90s without hearing “Getting’ Jiggy Wit It.”

From the late 80s to the early 90s, he would also play a significant role in establishing the sound of the 80s and 90s with DJ Jazzy Jeff, and with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, he helped black culture become more accessible to a wider audience.

Smith has not been active as a rapper since the mid-2000s but he’s been more prolific as an actor and film producer in recent years.

Mike D

Born: November 20, 1965 (age 57)

Founding member of the Beastie Boys Mike D was originally part of a hardcore punk band. As some of its members began leaving, Mike D brought in MCA and Ad-Rock to replace the missing pieces. The band would then be renamed Beastie Boys.

The group made the transition to hip-hop in 1983, toured with Madonna in 1985, and released their debut album, Licensed to Ill, in 1986. Licensed to Ill became the first rap album to top the charts.

Beastie Boys continued to release new albums until the death of Adam “MCA” Yauch in 2012. Mike D and Ad-Rock have stated publicly that they do not intend to release anything new under the moniker of Beastie Boys, but they did release a memoir, the Beastie Boys Book.

MCA

Born: August 5, 1964 (died aged 47)

The smoky-voiced bass player of the Beastie Boys, MCA was a Buddhist and organizer of the Tibetan Freedom Concert. After he died in 2012 from parotid cancer, the Beastie Boys disbanded. But his contributions to hip-hop and the world won’t be forgotten.

Something that is sometimes overlooked is just how good a bass player MCA was. Go back and listen to Beastie Boys’ instrumentals (always a treasure), and you’ll see what I mean.

Ad-Rock

Born: October 31, 1966 (age 57)

Best known as rapper and guitarist of hip-hop group Beastie Boys, Ad-Rock is the voice of some of the hip-hop group’s seminal hits, like “Sabotage” and “Gratitude.” He also had a side project called BS 2000, which ran concurrently with the Beastie Boys.

Post-Beastie Boys, Ad-Rock has remained active as a guest musician, remixer, and producer. He’s also appeared in several films.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, you never know when an artist is going to experience breakthrough success. Some take years if not decades to rise to the top. You never know who might emerge as the next top rapper over 40, but one thing’s for sure – it’s worth having an ear to the ground.

We hope you enjoyed this guide. Make sure to give all the above rappers a listen!