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progressive rap artists

15 published progressive rap artists, led by Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar and OutKast.

At a glance

15 published progressive rap artists; 254 studio albums have verified cover art.

Published artists4 tier 1 · 1 tier 2 · 10 tier 3
15
Release groups
1,206
Studio albums
274
Albums with cover artverified Cover Art Archive
254
Timeline events
337
Monthly listenerssum across artists
167.4M
Claimed salessum of stored claims; implausible values excluded
160M
Average career spanfirst to last dated release
24.1 years
Full biographies
15
Biography words
67,505

When they started

Debut decade from each artist's earliest dated release. Most debuts fell in the 1990s (5 artists).

Artists by debut decade
DecadeArtists
1980s1
1990s5
2000s5
2010s2
2 artists have no dated release or formation year and are not plotted.

Where they come from

Countries with the most progressive rap artists. United States leads with 13.

Often paired with

Genres that share artists with progressive rap. The most shared is alternative hip-hop, with 9 artists in both.

Covers from progressive rap

254 studio albums have verified cover art. The 12 shown come from the most famous artists.

Leaders

Kanye West has the most release groups (306); Public Enemy the longest career (39 years); Kendrick Lamar the most awards (42).

Most prolific

Most prolific, by number of release groups
Artistrelease groups
Kanye West306
Kendrick Lamar154
Busta Rhymes150
Young Thug147
Public Enemy92

Longest careers

first to last dated release

Longest careers, by number of years
Artistyears
Public Enemy39
OutKast32
Busta Rhymes30
Kanye West29
Yasiin Bey29

Most decorated

Most decorated, by number of awards
Artistawards
Kendrick Lamar42
Kanye West28
Public Enemy4
Busta Rhymes2
M.I.A.2

Most famous progressive rap artists

Kanye West

Kanye West

United States · Person · born 1977

pop music, contemporary R&B, soul, gospel music, hip-hop, electro, progressive rap, art pop, pop rap, hip-hop soul, chipmunk soul

7.5M listeners · 110 wikis

Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar

United States · Person · born 1987

pop music, jazz, hardcore hip-hop, progressive rap, gangsta rap, alternative hip-hop, West Coast hip-hop, conscious hip-hop, jazz rap

71.1M listeners · 75 wikis

OutKast

OutKast

United States · Group · 1992–2007

funk, jazz, progressive rap, Southern hip-hop, dirty south, alternative hip-hop, jazz rap, psychedelic rap, psychedelic hip-hop, Atlanta hip-hop

28.2M listeners · 43 wikis

Young Thug

Young Thug

United States · Person · born 1991

trap music, progressive rap, new jack swing, Southern hip-hop, mumble rap, experimental music

29.2M listeners · 42 wikis

Busta Rhymes

Busta Rhymes

United States · Person · born 1972

hardcore hip-hop, progressive rap, East Coast hip-hop, alternative hip-hop

15.2M listeners · 54 wikis

M.I.A.

M.I.A.

Sri Lanka · Person · born 1975

pop music, dance music, alternative rock, progressive rap, pop rap, world music, alternative hip-hop, electronica, experimental hip-hop

9.6M listeners · 54 wikis

Joey Bada$$

Joey Bada$$

United States · Person · born 1995

progressive rap, East Coast hip-hop

6.5M listeners · 20 wikis

Public Enemy

Public Enemy

United States · Group · 1986–present

hardcore hip-hop, progressive rap, East Coast hip-hop, political hip-hop

54 wikis

Yasiin Bey

Yasiin Bey

United States · Person · born 1973

soul, progressive rap, hip-hop soul, East Coast hip-hop, alternative hip-hop, conscious hip-hop

44 wikis

André 3000

André 3000

United States · Person · born 1975

pop music, contemporary R&B, soul, funk, electronic music, jazz, progressive rap, pop rap, hip-hop soul, Southern hip-hop, dirty south, ambient music, alternative hip-hop, new age music, jazz rap, Atlanta hip-hop, soul jazz

31 wikis

Big Boi

Big Boi

United States · Person · born 1975

funk, progressive rap, Southern hip-hop, dirty south, alternative hip-hop, psychedelic rap, psychedelic hip-hop, Atlanta hip-hop

27 wikis

Danny Brown

Danny Brown

United States · Person · born 1981

hardcore hip-hop, progressive rap, alternative hip-hop, punk rap, psychedelic rap, experimental hip-hop

22 wikis

More progressive rap artists

Showing 1–3 of 3 artists

Busdriver

Busdriver

United States · Person · born 1978

hip-hop, progressive rap, alternative hip-hop, underground hip-hop, experimental hip-hop, grime, abstract hip-hop

9 wikis · Tier 3

Ka

United States · Person · born 1972

hip-hop, progressive rap, East Coast hip-hop, underground hip-hop

6 wikis · Tier 3

Kojey Radical

Kojey Radical

United Kingdom · Person · born 1993

progressive rap, spoken word, UK rap

5 wikis · Tier 3

See this genre sorted by monthly listeners →