The 17 Best Detroit Rappers

Detroiters have always felt the music scene died when Berry Gordy moved his Motown Records franchise to the Golden State back in 1972. That remained true until the 1980s, when music artists like Merciless Ameer, Jack Frost, Motsi-Ski, and Smiley helped lead the first wave of Detroit’s hip-hop culture. Their hardcore sound was built on hardships of the crack era and Reaganomics.

J Dilla, Slum Village, Eminem, Supa Emee, Street Lordz, Chedda Boyz, and Royce da 5’9" were next up and achieved well-deserved commercial success during the mid-‘90s, ultimately becoming the era that illustrated the diversity of Detroit hip-hop to a national audience.

The mid-2000s featured more individual approaches to music as Big Sean, Dej Loaf, and Danny Brown all carried their own unique forms of hip-hop expression.

Currently, Detroit rap is being defined by a new wave of artists, and the spotlight has never been brighter. Detroit street artists like Cash Kidd and Tay B are blazing off the arpeggiated keys and stuttered drums of producer Helluva’s “basement sound,” while producer Apollo Brown has kept boom-bap alive with artists like Nolan and Ty Farris.

Detroit remains a city of multi-talented, all-star emcees who are still climbing to superstar levels. But there are some who should be considered among the city’s best. Some are veterans who you probably won’t be surprised are on here, while others are newcomers who’ve already made a notable impact that has extended beyond the Motor City. They’ve all shown that Detroit deserves to be acknowledged among other hip-hop cities across the country, having made an impact nationally and locally, and stitching their names to Detroit's great hip-hop tradition. These are the 17 best Detroit rappers.

Pretty Brayah visits SiriusXM Studios on June 20, 2023 in New York City.

Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images.

​Before Sexyy Red dog-walked a couple of dudes at Rolling Loud Miami, Pretty Brayah had been doing it on stages all across Detroit since 2020.

Brayah’s music and notoriety picked up steam over the last 10 months with singles “What These Niggas Want,” “It’s Over” and, more recently, “Midwest.”

Like her peers, Brayah's content is sexually explicit and a bit ratchet, but also fun and heartfelt. What makes Brayah stand out the most is she writes her own lyrics, pays attention to wordplay and metaphor, and has a willingness to freestyle on any given beat at any given time, as was the case with her very memorable Detroit 107.5 freestyle from 2022.

“Suck his dick 'til his stomach cave-in like a Capri Sun / Baby mamma drama get the condom I can't be one,” she raps. “He rub my ass in circles like he washing the dishes / I’m watching Power or some porn I ain’t watching you bitches.”

Currently, hip-hop is embracing more female rappers than ever. Look out for Brayah to make a strong surge to be up next.

Zelooperz attends the Amazon Music Live Concert Series on December 08, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.

Photo by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Amazon Music.

​There are emcees who claim they’re creative and then there’s Zelooperz, a rapper you may see high-stepping fully clothed on a beach in one video, or eating deep-fried piranha in the next. He was a founding member of Danny Brown’s Bruiser Brigade and encompasses a psychedelic, erratic flow that at any given time can cover all areas of the sound spectrum.

One of the most admirable things about Zelooperz is that he could serve up cool, slick and digestible songs like “So Excited” all the time if he wanted to. But he'd rather push his talents beyond today’s hip-hop norms both lyrically and sonically. Songs like “ISBD” and “Bash Bandicoon” speak to this, with the former being the perfect mosh pit banger, while the latter sounds like the lead single of a Donkey Kong mixtape.

Tee Grizzley performs during the WJBL Big Show at Little Caesars Arena on December 27, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan.

Photo by Scott Legato/Getty Images.

Tee Grizzley’s 2016 hit “First Day Out'' was the viral sensation that hip-hop lore is made of. Recorded at the fabled United Sound studio with producer Helluva the day after being released from prison, the 80-bar classic went platinum and led to Tee signing with 300 Entertainment. But more importantly, it put the spotlight on Detroit’s street sound.

Tee’s always been known for his lyrical ferocity accompanied with the right amount of imagery. “Money make your whole team vanish / That's a paper trick, Origami. I be dolo, don't need a posse / If you got the wave, I got the tsunami,” he raps in “God’s Warrior.” Tee has released close to a dozen projects and recently partnered with fellow Detroiter Skilla Baby on the album Controversy this past spring. The latest single “Gorgeous,” which features the City Girls, has turned into a TikTok gem, with Megan The Stallion even joining in on the fun.

Payroll Giovanni performs onstage at The Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre on August 26, 2022 in Detroit, Michigan.

Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images

Payroll and his group Doughboyz Cashout are one of the most legendary hip-hop groups in Detroit history. They galvanized Detroit’s hip-hop fanbase as they proved to be the ideal muse for Helluva’s new “basement sound.” At one point, they were signed to Jeezy’s CTE imprint, and have influenced the next generation of Detroit emcees.

Outside of the group's accomplishments, Payroll has put together a solid solo career for himself with over 15 album and mixtape releases. In 2018, he partnered with producer Cardo for Big Bossin, Vol. 1, which was released on a joint venture with Def Jam.

As an emcee, Payroll has always been the coolest guy in the room and his music reflects that. His street and trap narratives like “Move Different,” “Rosary,” and “Real Work” have always been conveyed with the right amount of reflective swagger.

Rapper Baby Money performs during "Lil Baby & Friends Birthday Celebration Concert" at State Farm Arena on December 9, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Photo by Prince Williams/Wireimage.

​Detroit’s 12th St. is famously known as the starting point for the 1967 rebellion, and the home of NBA great Derrick Coleman. But if you’ve seen the diamond-crusted “12th” emblem on Baby Money’s chain, then you know he’s 12th St.’s brightest star.

After dropping Sosa World and Baby Brothers in 2017, Baby Money followed up with standout verses on Dej Loaf's "RAT" and 42 Dugg's "Light This Bitch Up" in 2020. He then closed out the year with two more projects, Impatient and Blank Checc, and opened 2021 with his biggest hit to date, “Moncler Bubble,” off his Young Nigga Old Soul album.

Along with fiery bars, much of what has made Baby Money successful has been his very commanding tone of voice. You feel his energy behind the lyrics just as clearly as you see the picture he's painting.

Inductee Eminem performs on stage during the 37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Microsoft Theater on November 05, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.

Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic.

Even though Eminem’s years of being the primary face of Detroit hip-hop are in the past, he still remains relevant in his mildly reclusive, elder statesman role. He’s not content living off 8-Mile reruns and “Lose Yourself” streams. Over the last 14 months, he’s appeared on “Parables” with Cordae, and “From The D 2 The LBC” with Snoop Dog.

In 2022, Em dropped a hot verse on “The King and I” with Atlanta’s favorite crooner CeeLo Green, with the rapper offering this great bar: “I roll up like the bottom of a toothpaste tube / Blue suede shoes, one missing a shoelace to it. Two new chains, you can call me 2 Chainz / Rope hang like Husseins’ noose.”

Even with an AARP card, Em is definitely still one of the best in the game. Hopefully, more collaborations with Detroit artists are in the future.

Kash Doll performs at "I Am Woman: A Celebration of Women in Hip Hop" at The Kennedy Center on June 04, 2023 in Washington, DC.

Photo by Shannon Finney/Getty Images.

​Over the past seven years, Detroit has watched its reigning queen of hip-hop evolve from artist to celebrity. In fact, outside of fellow female rapper Dej Loaf, no other woman has impacted Detroit hip-hop the way Kash Doll has.

Her first full-length mixtape, Keisha vs. Kash Doll, showed she was serious, while follow-up singles “For Everybody” and “Ice Me Out” proved she was a force. Then came her debut album Stacked, which debuted at No. 14 on Billboard's rap chart in 2019. Kash has always been as musically bold and brash as her Detroit male counterparts, but also transparent and insightful in a way that separates her from everyone else. Take a song like “KD Diary” for example:

“Ever since I was a seed, I ain't got nothin' free / Pops died on my b-day 'fore I knew how to speak. I'm the oldest of six and they countin' on me / Had to get in these streets, just to eat for a week.”

Earlier this year she tapped back into her gangsta on the raucous “Oh Boy.” Appearing alongside Cash Kidd, RiskTaker, D-Boy, Skilla Baby and DJBJ 3525, Doll rounded the track, making it the best Detroit posse cut of the year.

Veeze performs during the opening night of the "Courtesy of the Mob" tour at Ace of Spades on April 06, 2023 in Sacramento, California.

Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images.

Veeze has evolved into everybody’s favorite “anti-rap star” rap star since he debuted with 2019’s Navy Wave. His stock shot up during the pandemic with the release of his single “Law N Order,” in which Veeze effortlessly raps over the ubiquitous Law & Order theme song. He followed that up in 2021 with another heater in “A&W.” Veeze has the perfect lackadaisical and unbothered persona that translates flawlessly into his music. His raspy, nasally flow is cool but humorous and concise but clever, captured most notably on tracks like “GOMD.”

“Got Bloods in Bomptom, Crips on Slauson gon' make sure I'm safe / Thottie breakin', glory gang, slimey, I should be ashamed / He done dropped a hunnid tapes, made no noise like Pootie Tang / Think my heart so icy, I'm like Shiesty, I'm like Gucci Mane,” he raps.

Photo by Kahn Davison.

​Skilla Baby went from walking to the studio from his fast food job at Captain Jays, to being one of the hottest rappers out of Detroit. Under the tutelage of fellow emcee Sada Baby and Detroit gatekeepers East Side Juan and Certified Nique, Skilla has become one of the main faces of Detroit hip-hop. His short catalog is full of game winners like “Leave it in the Streets,” “Duck Yo Taco,” and “Tay B Style.” Skilla’s content ranges from street to playerlistic, but sometimes there are conceptually autobiographical standouts, too. This is the case with his 2022 single, “Icky Vicky Vibes.”

“Every time they see me elevatin’, they get teary eyed / Could’ve lost my life a couple times, it was clearly God,” he raps. “Niggas fear the guys, only thing I fеar is God / Only thing I hear is God when I’m in my Fear of Gods.”

Part of what makes Skilla a force is his heavy lyrical tool belt. He can put pen to pad and write an entire song, or punch one in verse by verse. If all else fails, he’ll just freestyle.

BabyTron performs during the Summer Smash at SeatGeek Stadium on June 25, 2023 in Bridgeview, Illinois.

Photo by Barry Brecheisen/Getty Images.

If Anthony Michael Hall and IIan Mitchell-Smith were trying to create an emcee in Weird Science instead of Kelly LeBrock, that damn computer would have spit out Babytron. Tron is another worldly type of emcee in which there is no template. He can rap his ass off but his pitch doesn’t have that backpack, boom-bap flow, or that typical Detroit trap cadence. However, there is some dark humor, retro synth beats, and a ton of clever sports references.

“Star player now, that's probably why yo bitch bent over / Ball like AI, you're Tyronn, don't get stepped over,” he raps on the Shitty Boyz’s “The Last Dragon.”

Photo courtesy of the El Club.

​For well over a decade, Black Milk has made a name for himself as one of the most viable beatmakers and reliable emcees to emerge from Detroit. He’s dropped well over a dozen collaborative and solo projects, and has produced tracks for Kendrick Lamar, Mick Jenkins, and Danny Brown. He owns a rare space in the tradition of Detroit hip-hop, as some consider him sonically to be the torch-bearer to the late, great J Dilla.

As an emcee he’s always been top tier. On songs like “Sunday’s Best,” “Story and Her”, and “Relate (Want 2 Know),” he bridges boom-bap soul with head nodding lyrics that speak to the human spirit. On “Could It be” he speaks to inner city dreams of prosperity and grind and traumas that accompany them.

“Black kid with dreams by any means to see himself foldin' keys to a black Porsche and / that American pie he just wants a portion / product of that environment that he was forced in,” he raps.

Black Milk is Detroit’s Phonte: a proprietor of mature hip-hop full of refined topics and stratified beats. In 10 years they might even create college courses on his work.

42 Dugg performs at Lil Baby & Friends in Concert at State Farm Arena on December 12, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Photo by Prince Williams/Wireimage.

​42 Dugg was a star on the streets of Detroit’s eastside years before he ever touched a mic. His 2018 mixtape, 11241 Wayburn, was led by 808 bass-infused singles like “Free Mines,” and catapulted him to the front of Detroit’s hip-hop scene. That next year, he signed to Yo Gotti's Collective Music Group in a joint venture with Lil Baby's 4PF. From there, singles “Maybach” and “4 Da Gang,” as well as his feature on Lil Baby’s “We Paid,” made him Detroit’s next mainstream artist. Dugg’s presence on the mic is undeniable and it's hard to not like any song he’s rapping on, his crackled, slurred flow having a unique magnetism to it that reels listeners in.

Peezy performs during the WJLB Big Holiday Show at Little Caesars Arena on December 17, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan.

Photo by Scott Legato/WireImage.

Peezy is known by Detroiters as one of the founding members of Team Eastside, with the group taking the streets by storm with the release of We Here in 2010. Peezy's content has always been truculent, but his cadence and flow is relatable. Many times his music replicates his lifestyle and the listener is invited to ball with him or against him. Other times he lets the listener ride shotgun with him as he travels through trap narratives like on “2 Million Up.”

“Catch his ass at the light like Tupac and hit him up/Ain't no life after death, nigga, you ain't big enough/Know them youngins mean business when they in that rental truck/They gon' spin 'til they dizzy or the police pick 'em up,” he raps.

Over the last few years, a national audience has finally gotten a glimpse of why Detroiters love Peezy so much, and he’s sure to build off that support with his future releases.

Sada Baby performs during the WJLB Big Holiday Show at Little Caesars Arena on December 17, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan.

Photo by Scott Legato/WireImage.

Sada Baby is easily Detroit’s most versatile and entertaining rapper. When he dropped “Bloxk Party” in 2018, it felt like an M-80 went off in a library.

He followed that up with two certified gold hits: the electric, spring break-ready megahit “Aktivated” in 2019, and the trap spring break anthem “Whole Lotta Choppas” (which featured Nikki Minaj on the remix) in 2020.

Sada’s image as a shirtless, dancing perc-rocker takes away from lyrical craftiness and a willingness to step outside the Detroit trap rap norm. He’s a chameleon who can pull out the Draco on one song, and then be on a song with Flo Rida the next. He switches his flow between a scratchy and shrilling voice, and sometimes even gives listeners an all-out lyrical temper tantrum like on his single “PLAYERATION.” In a city where artists seem to think they’re too cool to dance or have fun, Sada Baby's IDGAF attitude might be his best attribute.

Icewear Vezzo attend "Lil Baby & Friends Birthday Celebration Concert" at State Farm Arena on December 9, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Photo by Photo by Prince Williams/WireImage.

​If you could give out a Nipsey Hussle award for playing the long game, Vezzo would easily be the winner. Since 2012, the Drank God’s career has played out like a three-part Marvel movie. His first wave is defined by his The Clarity albums that gave us Detroit street Anthems “Money Phone” and “Moon Walking.” Then, he signed a deal with Motown in 2018 that birthed the Zaytoven-produced hit single “2 Sides,” but not much else came of it. After that, he went back indie and started cranking out the Rich Of Pints album series, and has been on the up since. Vezzo is the master of creating songs with snappy three-to-five syllable trap hooks like “Up the Score,” “Play for Keeps,” “Richer Than My Opps” and, most recently, “Raw ASL.” Vezzo has also established himself as Detroit’s most sought-after artist for guest features, having recorded songs with Lil Durk, Kodak Black, and Key Glock.

Photo by Kahn Davison.

There aren’t too many artists that can boast they have an unreleased project full of J Dilla beats, were once signed to Nas’ Mass Appeal records, and told by Jay-Z himself, “You have an incredible pen.” Boldy is a rapper’s rapper: an emcee that can make trap tales sound like a Francis Ford Coppola novel. He initially burst on the scene with the Trapper’s Alley: Pros And Cons (The Quikcrete Ready Mixtape) in 2011. His next few releases (including his first collaboration album with Alchemist, 2013’s My First Chemistry Set) were sporadic due to ongoing legal debacles, but he finally found his niche in 2020 when he reunited with producer Alchemist for another full-length — The Price of Tea in China. Since then, they’ve gone on to release two other well-received albums together: 2021’s Bo Jackson and Super Tecmo Bo.

“Wolfgang Grill with Jibril in that 850 / Brick of bull dagger, juggin' seals out in Bay City. Fuck chimin' in / Bo Jackson got that straight drizzy Clucks dialin' in / phone tapped, line stay busy,” he raps on Bo Jackson standout “Turpentine.” After bouncing back from a horrific car accident, Boldy showed that he was still one of the city’s best rappers with this year’s Indiana Jones.

Babyface Ray performs during Day one of Rolling Loud Miami at Hard Rock Stadium on July 21, 2023 in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Photo by Jason Koerner.

​Over the last four years, no other Detroit artist has been on a steady incline like Babyface Ray. The Team Eastside alum has been a mainstay on Detroit’s hip-hop scene since the mid-2000s. His proverbial breakout moment was the hit single “Paperwork Party” in 2020 with Jack Harlow. But it was “Real Niggas Don’t Rap” and “Family Over Money” off his Unfuckwitable and FACE albums, respectively, that enhanced his reputation even further.

Ray’s calling card has been his self-described “wavy” flow: a relaxed lyrical craftiness that sonically blends with his production rather than bends it. He speaks to aggressive topics with an ease and passiveness that engages the listener. “Donda Bag” showcases this perfectly:

“Better when it's out the mud, it's a 'vert, the top is up / I got shit on both my wrists for times they tried to lock me up / Noddin' off this codeine, burnt the seats and I just got the truck / If he spoke a word to them people, he is not with us.”

Lately, Ray has been stacking up wins like the 2004 Pistons. He was a part of the XXL 2022 freshman class, and even landed a song on Barack Obama’s summer playlist. With his current trajectory, Ray has the best chances to go from a hip-hop all-star to all-pro in little to no time.

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Kahn Santori Davison is from Detroit, Michigan. He's been a music journalist and photographer for the Detroit Metro Times since 2004 and is also an entertainment writer for Model D Media. He's been featured on the Boyce Watkins Show, Hip-Hop Uncovered, and Hip-Hop Evolution. He’s a Cave Canem fellow and the author of the poetry book Blaze (Willow Books). He is the recipient of the 2015 Kresge Literary Arts Fellowship and 2019 Documenting Detroit photography fellowship. He has a B.A. from Oakland University and is a proud husband and father of four.