When you think about hip-hop, one thing that comes to mind is the regional origins concerning certain sounds. How Los Angeles curated gangster rap, Chicago invented drill music, and the East Coast created boom-bap rap. But make no mistake hip-hop has become a global entity. Here’s a look at some of the best hip-hop artists to come from outside the United States, who have made waves in the genre.
Shyne
Following the Death of Biggie Smalls in 1997, Diddy was looking for the next big artist to take Bad Boy Records to the top. And Shyne did just that. Despite being from Belize, Shyne embodied the same characteristics as Biggie. The deep voice and New York-type accent, the swagger, and everything else in between made him a hot commodity. Songs like Bad Boyz, Commission, and More or Less. Unfortunately, a 1999 nightclub shooting landed Shyne in prison for 10 years. As a condition of his release, he was deported back to Belize. However, things worked out for him as he is the current Leader of the Opposition in the Belize House of Representatives, and the leader of the Belize United Democratic Party.
Nicki Minaj
Many people know Nicki Minaj as one of the legendary rappers from Queens, New York along with 50 Cent and Nas. But the Queen Barb was born in Trinidad and Tobago to her parents Robert and Paris Maraj. Minaj’s elite lyricism and story-telling paralleled the female emcees who came before her such as Foxy Brown and Lil Kim. However, her versatile flow allowed her to step outside of the parameters of hip-hop and work with artists such as Ariana Grande, Usher, and Beyonce, thus bringing the female hip-hop genre mainstream. She has sold over $100 million records globally, making her the highest-selling female artist ever.
21 Savage
The revelation of 21 Savage not being an American artist was a whirlwind. When he first came on the scene during the 2010s, many people thought that the “Bank Account” artist was from Atlanta. But after being detained by ICE in 2019 it was revealed that Savage was originally from London. But it makes sense, you can hear the hints of UK Drill in his rap. Savage has made countless hits throughout his career including Creepin, Shoulda Wore a Bonnet, and A Lot. To date, he has sold over 3 million albums globally. He was also granted United States Citizenship in October 2023.
Drake
What can you say about Drake that hasn’t already been said? Before he was Drizzy Drake, the world was introduced to the megastar when he was, Aubrey Graham, a cast member on the famed tween show Degrassi: The Next Generation. But despite having a successful acting career things really took off when Drake met Lil Wayne and they collaborated on his song Ransom, which debuted on his 2009 So Far Gone mixtape. From there Lil Wayne signed Drake to his rap group Young Money, and his career took off from there and hasn’t gone down since. To date, he has sold 170 million records globally. He is also the most-streamed artist in the history of Spotify.