The 20 Best Rappers in Their 20s Right Now

From Lil Baby to Lil Durk to Cardi B to Lil Uzi Vert, rappers in their 20s are making some of hip-hop's best and most impactful songs. We ranked the best.

20 Best Rappers in Their 20s Right Now
Complex Original
20 Best Rappers in Their 20s Right Now

It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement around teenage rappers who pop up with viral songs, and there’s been a lot of discussion about how artists in their 30s and 40s are proving that rap is no longer just a young man’s game. That being said, rappers in their 20s still control the narrative in any given year. These are the artists who have the youthful exuberance to take big swings and push the genre forward, while also possessing enough experience to pull it all off. 

Every year, we take an extra close look at this age bracket, taking stock of the rappers in their 20s who are currently making the best music and resonating the most with fans. Intended to serve as a snapshot of the best hip-hop artists in their 20s over the past year, this list focuses on overall skill, quality, impact, and influence in the time since we published our previous rankings on Nov. 24, 2020. Artists who haven’t released much music in the past 12 months will have a harder time rising to the top of this list than others, but if the quality and impact of their carefully chosen releases has remained high, they’ll still be rewarded. As the genre has evolved, the traditional idea of a rapper has expanded as well, which is also taken into consideration. These are the hip-hop artists who are making the best songs and leaving the biggest mark at this moment in time.

As 2021 draws to a close, we took another look at the artists who currently qualify in this age bracket. These are the 20 best rappers in their 20s right now.

Previously: The 20 Best Rappers in Their 20s (2020)

20. 42 Dugg

42 Dugg: Best Rappers in Their 20s

19. Playboi Carti

Playboi Carti: Best Rappers in Their 20s

18. Megan Thee Stallion

Megan Thee Stallion: Best Rappers in Their 20s

17. G Herbo

G Herbo: Best Rappers in Their 20s

16. Pooh Shiesty

Pooh Shiesty: Best Rappers in Their 20s

15. EST Gee

EST Gee: Best Rappers in Their 20s

14. Gunna

Gunna: Best Rappers in Their 20s

13. Don Toliver

Don Toliver: Best Rappers in Their 20s

12. Roddy Ricch

Roddy Ricch

11. Cardi B

Cardi B: Best Rappers in Their 20s

10. Vince Staples

Vince Staples: Best Rappers in Their 20s

9. Baby Keem

Baby Keem: Best Rappers in Their 20s

8. Polo G

Polo G: Best Rappers in Their 20s

7. Doja Cat

Doja Cat: Best Rappers in Their 20s

6. YoungBoy Never Broke Again

NBA YoungBoy: Best Rappers in Their 20s

5. Jack Harlow

Jack Harlow: Best Rappers in Their 20s

4. Lil Uzi Vert

Lil Uzi Vert: Best Rappers in Their 20s

3. 21 Savage

21 Savage: Best Rappers in Their 20s

2. Lil Durk

Lil Durk: Best Rappers in Their 20s

1. Lil Baby

Lil Baby: Best Rappers in Their 20s

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