Hip-hop music, or rap, as it is commonly known, had never found its way with the Indian audience till the late 2000s. Indians had a liking for more melodically soothing and classical-based music. The pop industry had also cemented its base with many hits being released every month. So there were no top rappers in India at that time. But in the late 2000s, the rap scene in India started to grow with the emergence of a few artists who upheld the Indian hip-hop industry by producing electrifying albums. The Indian youth took a liking to this type of music. From then onwards India had produced numerous best rappers throughout the years.
During the pandemic and post-pandemic time, the rap music scene exploded in India with many top rappers, they were bursting onto the scene every year or less. With the young generation, rap music expand a lot because most people like this music, and the artists have found it easier to touch the hearts of the audience. Rap music essentially brings out the struggles and past traumas of the writer with a relatable context for everyone. The best rappers in India have done a wonderful job in creating many top-level tracks over the years.
List of Best Rappers in India
Listed below are some of the best rappers in India, not arranged in any ranking. They are listed randomly and their position in the list doesn’t represent the quality of their music.
1- Raftaar
Currently, one of the best rappers in India, Raftaar gained popularity fast, justifying his name, which literally means ‘speed’. His journey started as a child. In his school days, he sold MP3s of foreign singers and hip-hop stars to earn money. He also taught dancing to students. This may come as a surprise as he is one of the top rappers in the country, but he started by teaching dance. When he started learning about YouTube, he created a medley with a few songs which started his musical journey. He is currently signed under the Sony music label and has his own label Kalamkaar.
2- Emiway Bantai
Bilal Shaikh, popularly known as the favorite artist Emiway Bantai, has cemented his position as one of the best rappers in India. Ironically, he rose to fame by dissing another celebrity rapper, Raftaar. He confessed that he got his stage name by merging two internationally acclaimed hip-hop artists- Eminem and Lil Wayne. After leaving studies after completing higher secondary, he struggled to reach fame with one of his videos “ maal waali aunty” getting deleted from YouTube. One of his most hit songs is “Machayenge”
3- Divine
He is famous as the gully boy. A known face among rap lovers, Divine is hailed as one of the best rappers in India. With a story similar to other rappers of modern times, he writes his music related to events in his life. Many say he is the best rapper in India currently. He is nicknamed “the voice of the street.“ He wanted to bring his mother back. One of his most popular singles is “meri gully mein.”
4- Dino James
In India, every parent wants their child to pursue a mainstream career. It is nearly impossible to pursue a career in rap without the support of parents. Dino James, one of the best rappers in the country, did not think of becoming a rapper until he wrote his song “ girlfriend “ which paved the way. He also got a shout-out from Being Indian which helped him gain popularity. He failed as an artist in Mumbai when he first tried. So he returned to his family business. Later he argued with his father and returned to Mumbai. This time he clicked and has become one of the best rappers in India at the moment.
5- Sonia Ashraf
Sonia Ashraf makes raps and melodies. She hails from Chennai.
She writes songs on social wrongdoings and injustices that occur in day-to-day life. This makes her one of the best rappers in the country.
Her song ‘Don’t Work for Dow’ released in 2008, downsides the Bhopal gas tragedy that killed so many in 1984.
She is also one of the few girls that made it big in the industry, which further cements her position as one of the best rappers in India.
6- Pardhaan
Pardhaan is a rapper from Haryana. His hit ‘Haryana Roadways’ was released in 2017. He has sung many hit tracks like Meri Bandook, Raataan, Kacha Ghar, Mere Bhole Baba, and Joint Jaley.
He became a sensation among many people for his unique Haryanvi style of rapping. This makes him of the best rappers in the country.
He has the ability to create serious as well as light lyrics, which makes him a top rapper.
7- Swadeshi
They are a group of a few of the best rappers in India. Inclined more towards the political landscape of modern society, they have a multilingual approach and rap in different Indian languages. They unite listeners from all over the country with the creative use of dialects. With their engaging albums, they are rightfully accepted as the best rapper group in India.
8- Seedhe Maut
They gained popularity in 2019 when they debuted with the album “ Bayaan “ which was well received by the audience. They created the song ‘Shaktiman’ which was written to express the frustrations faced by the youth in our country. They are known as one of the best rappers in India due to their intellectual and moving lyrics.
9- Deane Sequeira
She was born in goa, to a catholic family. She recorded her first hip-hop song called “random” in a studio. It was her first studio experience. Along with random, two of her other tracks ‘ time flies’ and ‘nobody cares’ also made it big. She has become one of the best rappers in the country at a very early age. For her age, she is definitely the best rapper there is. She has worked with musical maestros like Pritam.
10- Yo Yo Honey Singh
To conclude the list with the man who made rap mainstream in India. He has been active in the music industry since 2003. He held his crown as the best rapper in India for many years before he had to take a break from the music industry to take care of his cognitive health. With his recent comeback, he has already topped the charts in many parts of the country. His influence on the crowds back in the day made it clear that he was the best rapper in India. He wrote party songs with a melody that hooked the audience at a time when rap was not even popular in the country. He revolutionized the hip-hop industry to a level where every music system in the country had played his song at some point in time.
We can see that in recent times, the rap music industry has developed quite a bit and many artists have emerged. Music labels want to hire rappers to make the content as a major part of the audience would like to hear rap songs. This growth has benefitted many artists and keeps on inspiring future generations. A positive impact has been noted which should keep growing with time.
