The Best Dressed Rappers Of 2023, Ranked

What a year it has been for hip-hop style. As hip-hop turned 50 this year, our favorite rappers only proved that this genre is still pushing the needle and defining what contemporary fashion is today. Whether it’s through music videos, Instagram fit pics, or paparazzi shots, these rappers are not only shaping the look of this era of hip-hop, but influencing how plenty of people get dressed every day.

There was a lot of music to be excited about this year. Travis Scott finally released Utopia, and Lil Yachty shifted gears with his genre-bending album Let’s Start Here. While we certainly appreciate these great hip-hop albums, that’s for another list. What we’re here to speak about is who was truly the best-dressed rapper this year. 

The rappers on this list have all found ways to separate themselves from the pack. They’re not just blindly following trends or showing up in whatever the hottest brands of the moment are. To be clear, there are many stylish rappers who aren’t highlighted here. That doesn’t necessarily mean we don’t think they’re stylish. These individuals just did it a bit better.

Here’s our ranking of the best-dressed rappers of 2023.

Travis Scott perfectly blends high fashion with casual streetwear styling. And with the release of his long-anticipated album Utopia this year, he maintained his own unique style while leaning into gothic designers for subdued-yet-classy fits. This year, La Flame seemingly only wore Rick Owens cargo pants alongside pieces by Balenciaga, Greg Ross, or Courtney MC. Scott hasn’t leaned into these dystopic labels to the point of becoming a designer vampire like Playboi Carti—note, just because Carti isn’t on this list doesn’t mean we don’t love King Vamp. Instead, Scott has stuck to a wardrobe that’s still casual enough that the masses can continue following his stylistic choices while also sourcing clothes that fit Utopia’s brooding atmosphere. What that makes is two Scotts. One’s still dressing calm enough to continue being America’s most approachable hip-hop pitchman—pedaling everything from Nike Mac Attacks to Audemars Piguet–embellished streetwear. The other Scott is found onstage, wearing custom Inuit shades in Mad Max-esque fits that look like they were pulled off raiders in Fallout video games. If Travis leaned more into these distinctive tour looks, perhaps he would be bumped higher on this list. Yet his style is still setting trends, and he hasn’t lost his Midas touch with selling nearly anything he cosigns. That alone continues to make him one of the best-dressed rappers today. —Lei Takanashi

Dressing like Michael Jackson without looking like you’re wearing a costume is no easy feat, but Offset pulls it off. Throughout 2023, he’s taken inspiration from the King of Pop, wearing close copies of his uniform: gloves, slim trousers or jeans, structured military jackets, socks, and loafers. Somehow, Offset makes the looks feel current and new. That’s probably because he’s established his own sense of style that aligns with the MJ outfits. Offset understands silhouettes well. He can pull off more slim-fitting outfits, like a black moto jacket, jeans, and moto boots. He has no problem wearing baggier looks, like a T-shirt with Chrome Hearts jeans. He’s also good with color, like mixing different shades of green, or rocking this full hot pink look. And we have to mention his Denim Tears collaboration (Offset Tears), which became a strong uniform during the press run for his solo album Set It Off. Offset also got more adventurous with his hair in 2023 by playing with different clips, barrettes, and accessories. He understands what looks good on him and puts together outfits that feel cool and fresh, but are still classic.—Aria Hughes 

Smino has fun with his looks. He understands color, shape, and pairing pieces together in an unconventional way without looking clownish, which is a skill. That came through during his Paris tour stop, when he wore a colorblocked satin jacket, polka dot scarf tied around his head, and baggy cargo jeans. Or how about when he donned a multicolored striped sweater with a pair of jeans covered in colorful patches? But even when he’s not playing with color and going for something more subdued, the looks still hit. Like when he wore a striped T-shirt, leather jacket, and baggy jeans with a studded belt and green scrunchie as a bracelet, or when he put on a basic black shirt and olive green shorts but amped it up with a furry newsboy cap.There is something very Midwestern about his sensibilities (he hails from St. Louis) that feels reminiscent of St. Lunatics' style from the 2000s. But Smino makes every look his own, not relying on luxury designers to make a statement. We’d be remiss to not mention his best accessory—his hair. He styles it in a variety of ways (twistouts, Afro, braids) and usually accentuates it with barettes and accessories. Some even say he influenced Drake and Rocky, who have both leaned into hair accessories more in 2023. Smino’s name might not be as widely recognized as others on this list, but he deserves a spot for his dedication to interesting looks that feel distinctly him. —Aria Hughes

Aminé isn’t just one of the most underrated rappers in the game. He’s also a bit slept on when it comes to his personal style. What makes the Portland native’s style so great is how true it feels to him. Some artists, as good as the results may be, feel like they’re just wearing what their stylist put on a rack for them. Aminé is wearing what he genuinely likes. Sometimes that’s a clean Arc’teryx jacket to fend off the rainy conditions (anyone from the Pacific Northwest knows you need to keep a rain jacket in the rotation). Sometimes he’s repping under the radar brands like Clints. The biggest flex of all—sometimes it’s his own brand, Club Banana. Aminé isn’t just dressing well. He’s designing pieces so that all of his fans can too. And don’t forget about the two amazing New Balance projects that he got to release in 2023. With the backing of a big brand like that (and designers like Jacquemus making sure he’s front row for every show), Aminé’s profile in the style world will only continue to rise. And he deserves the praise. —Mike DeStefano

Ever since Kendrick Lamar crowned himself “best dressed” on “The Hillbillies,” he’s been doing his best to live up to the title. A lot of the time, that means he’s draped in the latest wares from Martine Rose and Wales Bonner. Kendrick was basically an unofficial model for the former designer throughout 2023. Who could forget the custom look from Rose’s Fall 2023 collection that he wore to the Grammys? The partnership’s most recent wrinkle was an official merch collab that debuted at Camp Flog Gnaw. And when he isn’t rocking Martine Rose from head to toe, he’s even making fake Air Jordan 12s look good or hitting the streets of Paris in elegant Chanel looks. While we don’t necessarily agree with K-Dot’s “best dressed” proclamation, there’s no denying that he’s leveled up his style and deserves his flowers. But when he’s channeling a style icon like Taz Arnold, I guess we shouldn’t have expected anything less. –Mike DeStefano

Pharrell’s style has probably influenced everyone on this list, and while he could easily rest on his laurels—at 50 years old his title as a style icon is more than solidified—but he continues to express himself through fashion and wear clothes really well. The year started with his surprising appointment as the creative director at Louis Vuitton Men’s. From there, he wore touches of Louis Vuitton like an LV logo newsboy hat designed by Nigo, a monogram motorcycle jacket, and slightly flared jeans that perfectly hugged his bulky LV Trainer Snow Boots. Pharrell understands what works for him, but still tries out new things. For his Something In The Water music festival in Virginia Beach, he gave more hints at his Louis Vuitton era like a bold multicolored moto jacket covered in crystallized logos. And the bandage he was rocking on his chin for a few weeks best represented Pharrell’s way with garments and accessories. On someone else, you would have guessed they had a scar that needed covering up. But on Pharrell, it looked like a fashion statement, even if it wasn’t. After debuting his first collection for Louis Vuitton in June, he spent the remainder of men’s Fashion Week in Paris attending other shows and acting as a walking billboard for his designs, whether he was toting the collapsible yellow Speedy bag or sipping from an LV coffee cup. We appreciate that Pharrell still maintains a touch of novelty with his looks. And we can always sense his true love for clothes. Right now, he’s really into a pair of black aviators with an orange lens. Some might argue he should be number one on this list based on his impact and years in the game, but his predecessors like Rocky, Yachty, and Tyler have more influence on the younger generation right now. —Aria Hughes

There’s a fearlessness to Lil Uzi Vert’s style that is unmatched in comparison to their contemporaries. Uzi still upholds the tenets of hip-hop flyness by wearing designer clothes from head to toe with a ridiculous amount of jewelry—of course they hit Eliantte to ice out their flash drive. But their personal style truly flourishes when they lean into their outlandish personality. That Balenciaga look they wore in the Gibson Hazard–directed trailer for the release of Pink Tape this year could have slid into any rapper’s wardrobe. But how Uzi wears it with a mullet while sparring with ancient samurais gives the look a sense of identity that’s more aligned with anime or Japanese RPGs than hip-hop music videos. It’s these quirky choices that makes Uzi a style icon. That Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards red carpet fit? A master class in tastefully riffing off the nerd and punk archetypes one would find in those same Nicktoons. And on the red carpet of the MTV VMAs this year, Uzi showed they might be the only rapper who could cheekily make Balenciaga look like an elevated pajama set they rolled off a tour bus with. 

Uzi’s natural ability to make any look pop is likely why Pharrell sent him a full fit from Louis Vuitton’s Spring/Summer 2024 collection—22 hours after it hit the runway—so that Uzi could wear it to the BET Awards. At times, it does feel like Uzi really just puts on the most expensive luxury garments money could buy without really thinking about the overall look. But it’s clear that when Uzi taps into his weirdness, his style is untouchable. —Lei Takanashi

A pastel-colored knit sweater or cardigan. A perfectly pressed pair of chinos that sits just above the ankle. A crispy white pair of socks. Some tasseled loafers. A New Era fitted. This is Tyler, the Creator’s uniform. And the 32-year-old has perfected it, so much so that he’s designing it himself now. Remember those amazing looks we saw in the videos for “Wharf Talk” and “Heaven to Me”? His wardrobe is rooted in classic preppy style, but he makes it his own through his expert use of color. It’s something he’s been good at since the early days of his career when he was exclusively wearing vibrant striped T-shirts and ripped jean shorts. Now he’s just recontextualized it for a new aesthetic. As traditional as his wardrobe is, Tyler still makes sure to flex a statement piece every now and then. He was the first person we saw toting the red Speedy bag from Pharrell’s debut collection with Louis Vuitton. And his work with Alex Moss, like a pearl belt buckle and bell hop chain, is some of the best custom jewelry we’ve seen since Pharrell and Jacob the Jeweler’s linkups in the 2000s. 

Tyler, the Creator has made it known that he’s meticulous when it comes to his creative process. He’s waxed poetic about being nerdy about the things you truly love. With a mindset like that, his excellent personal style and the attention to detail he exhibits really shouldn’t be so surprising. —Mike DeStefano

ASAP Rocky’s style has always felt intentional, yet effortless. He’s a rapper who’s fly enough to continue being an ambassador for a luxury house like Gucci or release an F1-inspired collaboration with Puma. Yet he’s still able to build outfits that aren’t crutched by luxury logos. While Rocky is committed to certain looks or brands like his contemporaries, it never feels like he’s trying too hard to wear anything he puts on (no wonder his kids are so fly). Whether it’s Boro pieces from the emerging Japanese label Proleta Re Art or his many Bottega Veneta fits this year, Rocky just naturally knows how to put an outfit together without prescribing to a uniform. Although it was recently revealed that Rocky was wearing a lot of Bottega this year so that paparazzi could capture him in the label’s Pre-Spring 2024 collection for an official campaign, it never looked like Rocky was forced to wear the label’s clothes for an ad. Instead, he turned the luxury label’s apparel into statement pieces, effortlessly stepping out with Bottega’s boxy suits and leather Intrecciato bags with a swagger that only he has. This is likely the reason Bottega opted to use paparazzi shots of Rocky instead of a traditional stylized campaign. 

Truthfully, a lot of garments look good on Pretty Flacko because he lives up to his nickname. But what’s distinguishable about Rocky’s style is that it still feels true to his own tastes, even when his outfits are referential. For example, his looks in the “Riot (Rowdy Pipe’n)” music video paid homage to the kilt-clad WWE wrestler “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. But Rocky didn’t cosplay him. Instead, he used Piper’s style as the foundation, wearing a plaid kilt with archival Issey Miyake bomber jackets and grenade-shaped chains by Alex Moss. What’s also admirable about Rocky’s style is that he has a clear reverence for hip-hop fashion of the past, but brings it back in a tasteful way. In “Riot” he channels Juelz Santana’s American flag “Dipset Anthem” outfit through an air-brushed leather piece by the British designer Gerrit Jacob—and don’t forget that beautiful Pelle Pelle he pulled out earlier this year. Granted that a Puma collaboration isn’t as hot as Nike, there’s a reason why Rocky was picked to bridge F1 with fashion. It’s because he’s a rapper whose personal style is formulated to make you pay attention. —Lei Takanashi

Has any rapper had as great of a 2023 as Lil Yachty has? Not only did he step out of his comfort zone to drop the experimental album Let’s Start Here and rack up production credits with Drake on For All the Dogs, he also cemented himself as the best-dressed rapper in the game right now. Just look at the “Tesla” video if you need further proof. What makes Yachty’s style so great isn’t just his versatility, it’s that it’s not hard to replicate. If one of his outfits inspired you enough to recreate it, you certainly can. Some people on TikTok have already tried. 

In 2023, Yachty’s go-to was vintage sports gear (if you follow him, you know he always asks his followers the best vintage spots to check out whenever he pulls up to a new city) from retro hockey jerseys to rare Starter jackets. He also mixed in his fair share of designer pieces like Bode crochet shirts or Balenciaga coats covered in paint splatters. More notable than all of the designer pieces are all of the items from up-and-coming brands that we see him pull out. He’s clearly staying on the pulse of what’s new and exciting in fashion, and isn’t afraid to give it a platform. Aris Tatalovich and The Filthy Project are just a few of the many young brands he’s championed in the last calendar year. As easy as most of Yachty’s outfits are to riff on, he makes sure to add that extra detail to set them apart, like $1 million diamond teeth or a pair of Cactus Plant Flea Market’s Nike Air Flea 2s before they’ve even been released to the public. But most importantly, no matter what he puts on, he wears it well. That’s not something everyone can say. Considering the various aesthetics that Yachty’s outfits pull from, his ability to pull off whatever he throws on is that much more impressive. –Mike DeStefano