List of political hip-hop artists

In hip hop music, political hip hop, or political rap, is a form developed in the 1980s, inspired by 1970s political preachers such as The Last Poets and Gil Scott-Heron. Public Enemy were the first political hip hop group to gain commercial success.^[1] Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five released the first sociopolitical rap song in 1982, named “The Message”, which inspired many rappers to address social and political topics.^[2]

List

Name	Years active	Continent	Country	Origin (city, state)	Language	Main concerns
99 Posse	1991–2005, 2009–present	Europe	Italy	Naples, Campania	Italian	Left-wing activism, antifascism
A Tribe Called Quest	1985–1998, 2006–2013, 2015–2017	North America	US	Queens, New York	English	Systemic racism, education
Ab-Soul	2003–present	North America	US	Los Angeles, California	English
Ace Hood	2006–present	North America	US	Deerfield Beach, Florida	English
Aesop Rock	1996–present	North America	US	Northport, New York	English
Akala	2004–present	Europe	UK	Archway, London, Greater London	English
Akir	2003–present	North America	US	Buffalo, New York	English
Advanced Chemistry	1987–present	Europe	Germany	Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg	German
Assassin	1991–2011	Europe	France	Paris, Île-de-France	French
Atmosphere	1989–present	North America	US	Minneapolis, Minnesota	English
Balen	2012-present	Asia	Nepal	Kathmandu, Nepal	Nepali
B. Dolan	1999–present	North America	US	Providence, Rhode Island	English
B.o.B	2006–present	North America	US	Decatur, Georgia	English
Beogradski Sindikat	1999–present	Europe	Serbia	Belgrade, Belgrade	Serbian
Big K.R.I.T.	2005–present	North America	US	Meridian, Mississippi	English
Binary Star	1998–present	North America	US	Pontiac, Michigan	English
BLKD	2010–present	Asia	Philippines	Naic, Cavite	Filipino
Blood of Abraham	1993–2000	North America	US	Los Angeles, California	English
Blue Scholars	2002–present	North America	US	Seattle, Washington	English
Boogie Down Productions	1985–1992	North America	US	South Bronx, New York	English
Braintax	1990–2008	Europe	UK	Leeds, West Yorkshire	English
Brother Ali	1998–present	North America	US	Minneapolis, Minnesota	English
Bryson Gray	2019–present	North America	US	High Point, North Carolina	English
Corporate Avenger	1998–2005	North America	US	Huntington Beach, California	English	Politics, knowledge, spirituality
Chance the Rapper	2012–present	North America	US	Chicago, Illinois	English
Common	1991–present	North America	US	Chicago, Illinois	English
Common Market	2005–2009	North America	US	Seattle, Washington	English
Cupcakke	2012–present	North America	US	Chicago, Illinois	English	Racism, LGBT, sexism, feminism
The Coup^[3]	1991–Present	North America	US	Oakland, California	English
Capital STEEZ	2009–2012	North America	US	Brooklyn, New York City, New York	English
Da Lench Mob	1989–1995	North America	US	Los Angeles, California	English
Dälek	1998–2011, 2015–present	North America	US	Newark, New Jersey	English
DAM	1999–present	Asia	Palestine	Lod	Arabic, English, Hebrew	Israeli-Palestinian conflict, poverty
Dave	2016–present	Europe	UK	Streatham, London	English
David Banner	1994–present	North America	US	Jackson, Mississippi	English
Dead Prez^[4]	1996–present	North America	US	New York, New York	English	Systemic racism, misogyny, prison industry, poverty, crime, education, health
Deep Dickollective	2000–2008	North America	US	San Francisco, California	English	LGBT Hip Hop
Denzel Curry	2011–present	North America	US	Carol City, Florida	English
Diabolic^[5]^{[failed verification]}	2003–present	North America	US	Huntington Station, New York	English
Diamondog	1998–present	Africa	Angola	Luanda, Luanda	Portuguese
The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy^[6]	1990–1993	North America	US	San Francisco, California	English
Dizzy Wright	2010–present	North America	US	Las Vegas, Nevada	English
The Dope Poet Society^[7]	1995–present	North America	Canada	Toronto, Ontario	English	Criticism of right-wing politics, war, and racism.
Eminem	1988–present	North America	US	Detroit, Michigan	English
Eyedea	1993–2010	North America	US	Saint Paul, Minnesota	English
Flobots	2005–present	North America	US	Denver, Colorado	English
Fyütch	2005–present	North America	US	Nashville, Tennessee	English
Gil Scott-Heron	1969–2011	North America	US	Chicago, Illinois	English
The Goats^[5]^{[failed verification]}
Greydon Square^[8]
Hasan Salaam
The Herd	2001–present	Australia	Australia	Sydney, New South Wales	English
Hichkas^[9]^[10]^[11]		Asia	Iran	Tehran	Persian
Hi-Rez	2001-present	North America	US	Florida	English	Anti-woke, patriotism, freedom of speech, anti political correctness, conspiracy theories
Hopsin		North America	US	Los Angeles, California	English
Hostyle Gospel
Ice Cube	1984–present	North America	US	Compton, California	English
Ice-T^[12]	1982–present	North America	US	Los Angeles, California	English	Especially on the albums The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You Say!, OG Original Gangster and Home Invasion. His single LP Killers (1984) was amongst the earliest political raps.
Ill Bill	1986–present	North America	US	Glenwood Houses, Brooklyn, New York	English
Immortal Technique^[13]	2000–present	North America	US	Harlem, New York, New York	English
J. Cole	2007–present	North America	US	Fayetteville, North Carolina	English
Jay Electronica	1995–present	North America	US	New Orleans, Louisiana	English
Jay Rock	2003–present	North America	US	Los Angeles, California	English
Jedi Mind Tricks	1993–present	North America	US	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	English
Jehst	1998–present	Europe	UK	London, Greater London	English
Joey Badass	2010–present	North America	US	New York, New York	English	Systemic racism, slavery, health
JPEGMafia	2016–present	North America	US	Baltimore , Maryland	English
Juba Kalamka	1988–present	North America	US	Chicago, Illinois	English	LGBT Hip Hop
Kendrick Lamar	2004–present	North America	US	Compton, California	English	Systemic Racism
Kanye West	1996–present	North America	US	Chicago, Illinois	English	See Views of Kanye West
Keny Arkana	1996–present	Europe	France	Marseille	French
Killer Mike	1995–present	North America	US	Atlanta, Georgia	English
K.I.Z	2000–present	Europe	Germany	Berlin	German	Criticism of capitalism, Antifascism
Kolateral	2019–present	Asia	Philippines	Manila, Metro Manila	Filipino, English	Drug War, Fascism, Poverty
KRS-One^[14]	1985–present	North America	US	South Bronx, New York City, New York	English	Systemic racism, education, police brutality
Kutt Calhoun	1993–present	North America	US	Kansas City, Missouri	Lenguage
La Familia	1996–2011, 2017–present	Europe	Romania	Sălăjan, Bucharest	Romanian
Lauryn Hill	1989–present	North America	US	East Orange, New Jersey	English	Systemic racism, integrity
Lecrae	2004–present	South America	US	Houston, Texas	English
Little Simz	2010–present	Europe	UK	Islington, London, Greater London	English
Logic	2010–2020, 2021–present	North America	US	Gaithersburg, Maryland	English	Suicide Awareness and prevention
Looptroop Rockers		Europe	Sweden		English
The Lost Children of Babylon^[15]^[16]
Lowkey	2001–2012, 2016–present	Europe	UK	London, Greater London	English
Lupe Fiasco	2000–present	North America	US	Chicago, Illinois	English
Macklemore	2000–present	North America	US	Seattle, Washington	English
Manny Phesto	2010–present	North America	US	Minneapolis, Minnesota	English
Manu Militari
Marlon Craft	2015–present	North America	US	New York, New York	English
M.I.A.	2000–present	Europe	UK	Hounslow, London, Greater London	English
Michael Franti	1986–present	North America	US	San Francisco, California	English
Mr. Lif^[17]
Mos Def^[18]	1994–present	North America	US	Brooklyn, New York	English	Systemic racism, police brutality, corporate greed, violence, Islamophobia, torture, sexual violence, murder, slavery, education, integrity
Narcy
Nas	1991–present	North America	US	Queens, NYC, New York	English	Systemic racism, education
Nipsey Hussle	2005–2019	North America	US	Los Angeles, California	English	Anti-Trump
Noname		North America	US	Chicago, Illinois	English
Olmeca		North America	US	Los Angeles, California	English, Spanish
Paraziții	1995–present	Europe	Romania		Romanian	political humor
Paris^[19]	1989–present	North America	US	Oakland, California	English
The Perceptionists^[20]
Poor Righteous Teachers						Systemic racism, crime and violence, education, integrity
Promoe		Europe	Sweden		English, Swedish
Psycho Realm
Public Enemy^[21]	1982–present	North America	US	Long Island, New York	English	Systemic racism, slavery
Rage Against the Machine (rap metal)	1991–2000, 2007–2011	North America	US	Los Angeles, California	English	Systemic racism, white supremacy, racism, hate crimes, murder, corporate and political greed, wealth inequality, poverty, antifascist
Ra Scion		North America	US		English
R.A. the Rugged Man		North America	US	Lawrence, Massachusetts	English
Ras Kass	1994–present	North America	US	Los Angeles, California	English
Rebel Diaz^[22]
Reconcile
Rockin' Squat	1985–present	Europe	France	Paris, Île-de-France	French
The Roots	1987–present	North America	US	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	English
Run The Jewels	2013–present	North America	US	ATL, GA / NYC, NY	English
Sabac Red		North America	US		English
Sage Francis	1996–present	North America	US	Providence, Rhode Island	English
Scarface	1988–present	South America	US	Houston, Texas	English
Shahin Najafi^[23]^[24]
slowthai	2015–present	Europe	UK	Abington, Northamptonshire	English
Sole		North America	US	Portland, Maine	English
Street Academics	2009–present	Asia	India	Kerala	Malayalam, English, Tamil
Street Sweeper Social Club					English
Talib Kweli	1996–present	North America	US	Brooklyn, NYC, New York	English	Systemic racism, white supremacy, misogyny, women's rights, sexual violence, Islamophobia, antisemitism, xenophobia, police brutality, hate crimes, gun violence, war, oil industry, reparations, education, integrity, antifascist, anti-bigotry
Terminator X	1986–1988		US		English
Toomaj Salehi	2006-2022	Asia & Europe	Iran	Gerd Bisheh, Chaharmaha and Bakhtiari, Iran	Persian
Tragedy Khadafi	1985–present	North America	US	Queens, NYC, New York	English
Tupac Shakur	1987–1996	North America	US	Harlem, NYC, New York	English	Racism, police brutality, misogyny, women's rights
The Visionaries
Saul Williams^[25]
Urthboy	1998–present	Australia	Australia	Sydney	English
Valete	1997–present	Europe	Portugal	Benfica, Lisbon	Portuguese
Vic Mensa	2009–present	North America	US	Chicago, Illinois	English
Vince Staples	2008–present	North America	US	Long Beach	English
Vinnie Paz	1993–present	North America	US	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	English
X Clan	1989–1995, 2006–present	North America	US	Harlem, NYC, New York	English
Yama Buddha	2011-2017	Asia & Europe	Nepal & UK	Ghattekulo-32, Kathmandu & Ruislip, London	English, Nepali
Name	Years active	Continent	Country	Origin (city, state)	Language	Main concerns

References

^ Political Rap. Allmusic. Accessed July 2, 2008.
^ Bogdanov et al. 2003, p. 563
^ "Artists Biography". Archived from the original on March 25, 2003.
^ "M1 of the Radical Hip Hop Duo Dead Prez Talks About Black Music and Politics". Democracy Now!.
^ ^a ^b "Rolling Stone reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 18, 2008.
^ "VH1 Artist Bio". Archived from the original on November 30, 2002.
^ Now Magazine, Hipolitics Review Archived 2007-09-26 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Greydon Square interview". Archived from the original on 2014-09-28. Retrieved 2013-08-23.
^ "Iran's underground music challenge". BBC News. 8 May 2006.
^ "Wamc: : HichKas (2008-10-14)".
^ "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah". Comedy Central. Archived from the original on August 18, 2015.
^ Ice-T blinks, Robert Christgau, Village Voice, 11 August 1992
^ Heinzelman, Bill. "Political Hip-Hop Artists". UGO. Archived from the original on 2012-07-03. Retrieved 2009-04-12.
^ . July 27, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110727140154/http://shop.mtv.com/viewcategory.htm?categoryId=421022&start=73&sortby=. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
^ "Hip Hop RnB Soul review". Archived from the original on 2016-01-28. Retrieved 2014-01-03.
^ Darlington, Andy. "MARXMAN". Hotpress.
^ "MTV Mr. Lif profile". MTV. Archived from the original on November 16, 2006.
^ "New Music Videos, Reality TV Shows, Celebrity News, Pop Culture". MTV. Archived from the original on February 17, 2012.
^ "New Music Videos, Reality TV Shows, Celebrity News, Pop Culture". MTV. Archived from the original on February 17, 2012.
^ "San Francisco Bay Guardian | Looking for a Guardian article?".
^ "100 Greatest Artists". Rolling Stone. December 3, 2010.
^ Diego Graglia (August 15, 2007). "Political Hip Hop at SOBSs". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
^ "HipHop show in Berlin, in solidarity with the protest movement in Iran". Payvand Iran News. NetNative. 18 July 2009. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
^ "Interview with Shahin Najafi about Illusion album". Deutsche Welle :International public broadcaster. Shahram Ahadi. 10 November 2009. Archived from the original on 11 July 2010. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
^ "Music News & Concert Reviews". JamBase. March 15, 2015.

[1] Political Rap. Allmusic. Accessed July 2, 2008.

[2] Bogdanov et al. 2003, p. 563

[3] "Artists Biography". Archived from the original on March 25, 2003.

[4] "M1 of the Radical Hip Hop Duo Dead Prez Talks About Black Music and Politics". Democracy Now!.

[Rolling_Stone_reviews-5] "Rolling Stone reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 18, 2008.

[6] "VH1 Artist Bio". Archived from the original on November 30, 2002.

[7] Now Magazine, Hipolitics Review Archived 2007-09-26 at the Wayback Machine

[8] "Greydon Square interview". Archived from the original on 2014-09-28. Retrieved 2013-08-23.

[9] "Iran's underground music challenge". BBC News. 8 May 2006.

[10] "Wamc: : HichKas (2008-10-14)".

[11] "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah". Comedy Central. Archived from the original on August 18, 2015.

[12] Ice-T blinks, Robert Christgau, Village Voice, 11 August 1992

[13] Heinzelman, Bill. "Political Hip-Hop Artists". UGO. Archived from the original on 2012-07-03. Retrieved 2009-04-12.

[14] . July 27, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110727140154/http://shop.mtv.com/viewcategory.htm?categoryId=421022&start=73&sortby=. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

[15] "Hip Hop RnB Soul review". Archived from the original on 2016-01-28. Retrieved 2014-01-03.

[16] Darlington, Andy. "MARXMAN". Hotpress.

[17] "MTV Mr. Lif profile". MTV. Archived from the original on November 16, 2006.

[18] "New Music Videos, Reality TV Shows, Celebrity News, Pop Culture". MTV. Archived from the original on February 17, 2012.

[19] "New Music Videos, Reality TV Shows, Celebrity News, Pop Culture". MTV. Archived from the original on February 17, 2012.

[20] "San Francisco Bay Guardian | Looking for a Guardian article?".

[21] "100 Greatest Artists". Rolling Stone. December 3, 2010.

[Graglia-22] Diego Graglia (August 15, 2007). "Political Hip Hop at SOBSs". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2008-12-21.

[Payvand-23] "HipHop show in Berlin, in solidarity with the protest movement in Iran". Payvand Iran News. NetNative. 18 July 2009. Retrieved 15 August 2009.

[Deutsche_Welle_(DW)-24] "Interview with Shahin Najafi about Illusion album". Deutsche Welle :International public broadcaster. Shahram Ahadi. 10 November 2009. Archived from the original on 11 July 2010. Retrieved 10 November 2009.

[25] "Music News & Concert Reviews". JamBase. March 15, 2015.

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See also

References