Rap is a young man's game. Hip-hop has always been consumed and created by young people. It's that youthful exuberance that leads the culture into exciting new directions. To put things in perspective, consider the fact that 2Pac was killed at 25 and Biggie at 24, Nas wrote Illmatic before he was old enough to order a drink, and Lil Wayne coined terms like "bling" and "drop it like it's hot" while still in his teens.
Sure, as hip-hop has gotten more established, some of its biggest stars (read: Young Hov) are still making hits by age 40. But at Complex we're forever in search of the next wave, that new sound coming from young upstarts. So it was only right that we put together this list of The 25 Best Rappers 25 And Under.
They range from Billboard chart-toppers to Internet sensations, but all have that special x-factor that tells us they're going to be in the game for the long haul. While a few of today's best young rappers narrowly missed the cut (J. Cole, Wale, and Waka Flocka are all over 25 now), this list represents the best and brightest rappers the genre has to offer.
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Written by Brian Josephs (@Bklyn_Rock) & Max Goldberg (@goopygold)
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