It was in the 1980s that Canadian hip hop was born. Due to several factors, it developed much slower than Canada’s famous rock music scene, and it remained largely an underground phenomenon until the early 2000s.
In this era, Canadian rap has gained wider international recognition thanks to the efforts of big-name artists like Weeknd, Choclair, and Roy Woods.
Now without any further delay, let’s take a look at some of the best rappers from Canada with a brief look at their careers and social media presence.
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Abdominal (Andrew Bernstein)
Andrew Bernstein, known professionally as Abdominal, is a rapper from Canada who started his career in the late 90s.
He released his first solo album, titled “Escape from the Pigeon Hole,” in May 2007 in England via Antidote Records and this album also features collaborations with D.J. Format, Cut Chemist, D.J. Fase, DJ Serious, Notes to Self, Circle Research, Young Einstein from hip-hop group Ugly Duckling and jazz musician Elizabeth Shepherd.
- Instagram Account: @mcabdominal
- YouTube Account: Abdominal
- Spotify Account: Abdominal
Chuckie Akenz
Chuckie Nguyen, known professionally as C-A and formerly as Chuckie Akenz, is a Canadian rapper who rose to stardom by filming a rap video called “You Got Beef?” in 2004.
The music video gained thousands of views on the internet, praised and criticized. He used his music to express youth and teenagers’ problems and issues. However, he didn’t pursue music as his professional career and left the industry in 2009.
- Instagram Account: @chuckieakenz
- YouTube Account: Paul Nguyen
Langdon Auger
Scott Langejan, known professionally as Langdon Auger, is a Canadian rapper and producer from Victoria, British Columbia. To date, he has recorded six albums and a mixtape.
His song “Island Nights” from the Crisp Living album, which he recorded in his basement, gained mainstream attention. Auger released his 4th full-length album in 2011, “The Illuminaugi,” on 11/11/11.
In the same year, Langdon was nominated as one of the best artists in Victoria in the “Times Colonist Music Awards.”
- Instagram Account: @augerlangdon
- YouTube Account: langdon01
- Spotify Account: Langdon Auger
Backxwash
Female rapper Ashanti Mutinta, better known by the stage name of Backxwash, is a Zambian-Canadian rapper. She gained mainstream attention by releasing her album in 2020; God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It, which won the 2020 Polaris Music Prize.
After gaining confidence from her success, she released another album titled I Lie Here Buried with My Rings and My Dresses in 2021.
- Instagram Account: @backxwash
- YouTube Account: BACKXWASH
- Spotify Account: Backxwash
Bbno$
Alexander Leon Gumuchian, known to the world as bbno$, is a Canadian rapper, musician, and composer. Before singing, he was an excellent swimmer, but his back injury shifted his interest in rap music.
In 2019, he released a single, “Lalala” with producer Y2K, played over 800 million times on Spotify.
Belly
Known to the music world as Belly, Ahmad Balshe is a Palestinian-Canadian rapper who expressed his passion for rap by releasing his first mixtape, “Death Before Dishonor: Vol. 1”.
During the next six years, he released eight additional projects, including his debut studio album, The Revolution (2007), two collaborative mixtapes, The Lost Tapes and The Greatest Dream I Never Had with D.J. Drama and Kurupt, respectively.
Belly was awarded as Songwriter of the Year in 2016 by SOCAN (Society of Composers, Authors, and Music Publishers of Canada). This award was given to him due to his influential and exceptional contributions to popular music over the past years.
Big Lean
Known professionally as Big Lean, Lorenzo Lee-Jae Wright is another Canadian rapper and musician from Canada. After his friend and fellow rapper, Blits was killed in 2008, Lean decided to enter the music industry to continue his friend’s legacy.
In 2011 he gained mainstream attention after appearing on the hit single “Reality” by DJ Charlie Brown. He is signed to the label Da Degrees. Big Lean also featured on 6ixBuzz’s compilation album 6ixUpsideDown, which ranked 87th on the Canadian Albums Chart.
Birdapres
Dane Goulet, better known as Birdapres, is a rapper from Canada. He has been declared as “Vancouver’s most underrated rapper”. He released his first solo single, “Egocide,” in 1996 and the public acclaimed his thoughtful rhymes and lyrics in his music.
- Instagram Account: @birdapres
- YouTube Account: Birdapres
- Spotify Account: Birdapres
Cadence Weapon
Roland “Rollie” Pemberton, better known by his stage name Cadence Weapon, is a Canadian-American rapper based in Toronto, Ontario. Pemberton released his first album, Breaking Kayfabe, in 2005, which was well-received by the public.
After the first album’s success, he signed with ANTI-, and released the albums Afterparty Babies in 2008 and Hope in Dirt City in 2012.
- Instagram Account: @cadenceweapon
- YouTube Account: Cadence Weapon
- Spotify Account: Cadence Weapon
Jazz Cartier
Born on March 19, 1993, Jazz Cartier’s real name is Jahmarie Wishart Adams. He is a famous Canadian rapper, musician, and composer.
Two of his mixtapes, “Marauding in Paradise” in 2015 and “Hotel Paranoia” in 2016, have received long list nominations for the Polaris Music Prize. He won “Rap Recording of the Year” at the 2017 Juno Awards for his mixtape “Hotel Paranoia.”
- Instagram Account: @jazzcartier
- YouTube Account: Jazz Cartier
- Spotify Account: Jazz Cartier
Choclair
Born on March 27, 1975, Kareem Blake, known to the world as Choclair, is one of the most successful Canadian rappers in the late 90s and 20s era. Inspired by his older brother, he pursued his dream of becoming a rapper at the age of 11.
Choclair signed a contract with Priority Records in 1999, and in the same year, he released his first album, “Ice Cold,” which was produced by Saukrates. The album was a hit and was certified gold in Canada (50,000 copies).
This album also contained the hit number “Let’s Ride,” produced by Kardinal Offishall. Let’s Ride ranked #38 on the Canadian RPM Singles Chart. Choclair has been nominated for six “Juno Awards,” out of which he won four.
- Instagram Account: @choclairofficial
- YouTube Account: ChoclairOfficial
- Spotify Account: Choclair
Clairmont The Second
Clairmont II Humphrey, known professionally as Clairmont The Second, is an emerging Canadian rapper. His hit album “Lil Mont,” which he released in 2017, was nominated for Rap Recording of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2018.
Clairmont also got the 2019 Prism Prize Hi-Fidelity Award for his music. Starting his career in 2013, he released the mixtapes “Becoming a GentlemIIn, Project II” [6] and “A Mixtape by Clairmont The Second.” His hit single “Grip” was shortlisted for the 2020 SOCAN Song writing Prize and was nominated for the same award in 2021.
- Instagram Account: @ctsecond
- YouTube Account: Clairmont the Second
- Spotify Account: Clairmont the Second
D-Sisive
D-Sisive is the stage name of Derek Christoff, a Canadian rapper. He got mainstream attention on his hit single “Nobody with a Notepad” (D-Sisive and collaborator Muneshine won the 2009 annual SOCAN Song writing Prize).
D-Sisive started his career in the late 1990s by releasing several popular singles in the local hip-hop scene. D-Sisive took six years break from his music career because of his parent’s death.
After fighting depression, he came with a bang and signed to URBNET Records and released his first album on June 3, 2008, “The Book,” and another album, “Let the Children Die,” on May 3, 2009. In both albums, he paid tribute to his parents and childhood memories. “Let the Children Die” was nominated for the 2009 Polaris Music Prize.
- Instagram Account: @derekchristoff
- YouTube Account: D-Sisive
- Spotify Account: D-Sisive
D.O. Gibson
D.O., whose real name is Duane Gibson, is a Canadian rapper. Besides rapping, he is also a motivational speaker and author. D.O. released his first album, “The Norhtstarr,” in 2007, which was nominated for the Ontario Independent Music Awards.
In 2009, D.O.’s sophomore album “Stay Driven” ranked number 7 on the Canadian College Charts. His biggest achievement was setting the Guinness World Record for the longest freestyle rap in 2003.
- Instagram Account: @iamdogibson
- YouTube Account: D.O. Gibson
- Spotify Account: D.O. Gibson
Dax (Daniel Nwosu Jr)
Born on March 22, 1994, Daniel Nwosu Jr., better known to the world as Dax, is a Nigerian-based Canadian rapper. Besides rapping, Dax spends his time writing music and acting.
In 2017, he released a mixtape called 2pac Reincarnation Vol 2: By Dax on his SoundCloud account. Dax has gained also recognition for the official music video of his song “Cash Me Outside,” featuring Danielle Bregol. He is famous for producing sensational remixes of popular rap songs.
- Instagram Account: @daxrapperofficiall
- YouTube Account: Dax
- Spotify Account: Dax
Dillan Ponders
Dillan Ponders is the stage name of Dillan Alexander Richard King. He is one of the emerging Canadian hip-hop recording artists and rappers.
Dillan Ponders started his journey of writing and recording songs in 2011, and he released his first album titled Dopamine, an 18-tracks album released on June 10, 2012.
His work received positive public reviews and was mentioned in some of the genre’s top publications, like Complex, Noisey, XXL, and has featured in Spotify’s Northern Bars and Hip Hop Central playlists.
- Instagram Account: @dillanponders
- YouTube Account: DillanPonders
- Spotify Account: DillanPonders
Emay
Born on December 18, 1991, Mubarik Gyenne-Adams goes by the professional name Emay. He is an emerging star from the land of Canada who has a spark for music. Emay started his musical journey in 2008 by releasing mixtapes and collaborations.
In 2012 he released his first album, “Adam.” After two years, he released his second extended play, “Sinner, Song-writer.” In 2017, Emay hit the market with his first music video of “Bakkah: The History of Humankind.”
- Instagram Account: @_emay_999
- YouTube Account: Emay
- Spotify Account: Emay
J.D. Era
J.D. Era is a prominent Canadian rapper and musician. The Clipse, Nas, Gza, Kardinal Offishall, and Drake are just a few of the artists he has worked with. Because of his music and lyrics, he won Best Rap at the Toronto Independent Music Awards in 2008. Furthermore, J.D. also won the TAG Records’ Survival of The Freshest competition.
He has released several mixtapes and singles, which earned him the critical acclaim and popularity he deserved. In 2013 his album “No Handouts” was nominated for Rap Recording of the Year at the Juno Awards.
Famous (Ashton Bishop)
The real name of Canadian rapper Famous is Ashton Bishop. Studying music production at Trebas Institute, he was drawn to the music industry as a teenager. In 2008, he started his musical journey by releasing his first album, “I Rap Now”.
This album also contained the hit single “Fourth Biggest City.” This album was the reason he received the Juno Award nomination in 2009. He was the first black man to release a rap song in Chinese, making him more successful in Asia than in his own country.
- Instagram Account: @ashton_bishop
- YouTube Account: Famous
- Spotify Account: Famous (rapper)
Friyie
Known to the world as Friyie, David Afriyie Obeng is an emerging young rapper from Canada. His 2017 single “Money Team” was the soundtrack in Mayweather vs. McGregor press conferences.
His first extended play, “ANF: Ain’t Nothing Free,” which he released in 2019, received a 9/10 rating from various notable magazines.
Tommy Genesis
Genesis Yasmine Mohanraj, known professionally as Tommy Genesis, is a female Canadian rapper who is often described as “the internet’s most rebellious underground rap queen.”
She loves to incorporate different styles in her music and is famous for using sexual verses in lyrics. In 2015, Tommy signed a contract with Awful Records and released her first mixtape, “World Vision.”
In 2017 she signed a contract with another record-producing agency Downtown Records/Universal. She also collaborated with a famous American rapper JPEGMAFIA on his ep called E.P.! track ROUGH 7.
- Instagram Account: @tommygenesis
- YouTube Account: Tommy Genesis
- Spotify Account: Tommy Genesis
Killy
Khalil Tatem is a Filipino-Canadian rapper known professionally as Killy (stylized as KILLY). He got mainstream attention from his hit number “Killamonjaro” which was approved Platinum by Music Canada. Killy’s first album, “Surrender Your Soul” is certified Gold by Music Canada.
Drake
It’s impossible to talk about the famous rapper from Canada without mentioning Drake. He is one of the reasons, Canadian hip-hop is booming in the world. Drake started his career in music by releasing his first mixtape, “Room for Improvement,” in 2006.
Drake released his first studio album, “Thank Me Later” in 2010, which ranked number one on the U.S. Billboard 200. He is ranked by the RIAA as the highest-certified digital singles artist in the United States, with over 170 million records sold.
- Instagram Account: @champagnepapi
- YouTube Account: Drake
- Spotify Account: Drake
Weeknd
Hailing from Canada, Weeknd is one of the most famous rappers globally. The music of Tesfaye explores themes of escapism, romance, and melancholy and is often inspired by personal experiences.
Several awards have been bestowed upon him, including three Grammy Awards, nineteen Billboard Music Awards, fifteen Juno Awards, six American Music Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, and an Academy Award nomination.
Weeknd started his music career back in 2009 by releasing his own music videos on YouTube. He co-founded the X.O. record label and released mixtapes “House of Balloons”, “Thursday,” and “Echoes of Silence”. With over 75 million records sold worldwide, Tesfaye holds several streaming and Billboard chart records.
- Instagram Account: @theweeknd
- YouTube Account: Weeknd
- Spotify Account: Weeknd
Roy Woods
Denzel Spencer, known professionally as Roy Woods, is a Canadian singer, rapper, and songwriter. Woods is signed to OVO Sound. This record label was co-founded by Drake, record producer Noah “40” Shebib, and Oliver El-Khatib.
He is also the founder of the collective “Unlock The Underground”. On July 1, 2016, Woods released his first mixtape, Waking at Dawn, which Woods and other artists promoted via social media, including Drake and Wiz Khalifa.
