10 African Rappers You Need To Know 2023

Since it’s always a joy to check out new discoveries. From Lagos to Johannesburg, Accra to Lusaka, Impulse Africa Magazine is here to give a nod to 10 African Rappers You Need To Know and you should have on your playlists.  

We’ve taken a look at who’s innovating in terms of style and sound, as well as who is exploring new genres and paving the way for the next generation, to come up with our list of rappers:

•  Cleo Ice Queen

Zambian award winning rapper Cleo Ice Queen’s star has been on the rise for some time. Cleo Ice Queen whose real name is Clementina Mulenga recently became the first Zambian artist to sign with Def Jam Africa. She has also penned a brand partnership deal with Johnnie Walker.

Being signed under Def Jam is a great achievement not only for Cleo Ice Queen but for the growth of Zambian music industry at large.

The talented rapper is no stranger in the African music scene having won Best Best Female Artiste in Southern Africa at the Afrimma in 2021.

• Kweku Smoke

Paul Amankwa, better known by his stage name Kweku Smoke, is a Ghanaian rapper and songwriter.

Kweku Smoke rose to fame in Ghana when a song, “Yedin“, he featured Sarkodie on became an instant hit.

The Ghanaian rapper then delivered his debut album, dedicated to his late brother. A cold journey through the West African ghettos, told by one of the fiercest lyricists of his time.

The 49 minutes project houses 16 songs with features from high rated acts like Sarkodie, Kwesi Arthur, Nigeria’s Dammy Krane and Emtee to mention a few.

Kweku Smoke’s story from the ghettos of Ghana is layered into his discography, making for a heartfelt listen every time.

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• A-Q

Multi-award winning rapper Gilbert Bani known as A-Q rapper in the music circles has been one of the most prolific rappers in Africa under the radar.

His discography has a total of 12 projects so far, including a joint album with one of Africa’s foremost rapper M I Abaga.

With multiple awards wins for his music like Lyricist on the Roll and Rap Album of the Year, A-Q is currently charting a new course, managing a music incubator program for African artistes that aims to be an enabling part of the next crop of music success stories across the African continent.

He is constantly looking to raise the bar with his music and creative direction which comes across seamlessly on his recent hit single Breathe.

• A-Reece

Swiftly becoming one of the biggest figures in South Africa’s hip-hop scene, Pretoria-born rapper A-Reece built his career from a young age, releasing his debut mixtape, Forever King, at the age of just 16.

While the rapper swerved between styles throughout his career, his vocal dexterity and complex rhyme patterns carried him through hip-hop’s ever-shifting sonics

Dubbed by many as Africa’s best rapper currently, there’s a certain freedom that comes with his lyrics emphasising that the artist is in control.

His consistency over the years has helped him in building a fan base that stretches beyond South Africa and the continent.

• Fik Fameica

Blending rap with a mix of dancehall and Afro-pop, Uganda’s Fik Fameica broke into the African mainstream in the latter part of the 2010s with club hits like “Byenyenya” and “My Property” as well as the Patoranking collaboration “Omu Bwati.” He later started his own record label and issued a steady stream of tracks throughout 2020.

After netting a trio of HiPipo Awards in 2018, including Breakthrough Award and Best in Hip-Hop, Fameica enjoyed a banner year delivering several popular singles along with three full-length albums, Kutama, Skonto, and My Journey. 2019 was marked by a series of collaborations with artists like Patoranking, Rayvanny, Wembley Mo, and Natacha, most of which appeared on his own label, Fresh Gang Records. Fameica’s prolific stream continued into the next year with tracks like “Muko” and the Sheebah collaboration “Tevunya.” ~ Timothy Monger.

Fik Fameica is breaking divisions and connecting with many young people through his music.

• 25k

Talented Pretoria rapper 25k delivered his much awaited debut album in 2021 to the delights of his fans.

Curated by the talented Zoocci Coke Dope, the album lived up to expectations. Becoming a very prominent moment for SA Hip hop.

25k has carved a lane for himself with soul bearing lyricism that touches on deep subjects like pain and overcoming hardships.

With impressive lineup of the tracks and highly acclaimed list of features including SA hip hop heavyweights A-Reece and Emtee.

• Loose Kaynon

Kaynon has taken the stairs to reach his high point. Since he released his impressive debut album on Chocolate City, he has co-founded 100 Crowns with his friend and partner-in-crime, AQ and they have launched the now successful career of Blaqbonez.

 Kaynon’s multi-dimensional grasp of genres and different worlds has seen him gain critical attention across the Nigerian rap scene.

With his latest project, Survivors Remorse marking him as one of Africa’s most thrilling hip hop voices.

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• Octopizzo

Henry Ohanga, commonly referred to by his stage name Octopizzo is an award winning, recording and perfoming artist, humanitarian and an entrepreneur.

Born in the sprawling slums of Kibera, Nairobi (considered one of the largest slums in the world), he purposed to earnestly pursue his career in music.

Octopizzo has performed in major events globally and has been endorsed as a brand ambassador by several renowned companies like Coca-Cola, Safaricom and Guinness.

Equally, he has remained an active performing artist for the past 8 years and has consistently released hit songs every year while gracing some of the biggest festivals like Sauti za Busara, Safaricom Live and Shambala Fest in Manchester just to name a few.

• Medikal

Medikal was born on the 5th of April 1994. He is a talented versatile musician who comes from Ghana, West Africa. He is the found of the AMG BEYOND CONTROL POOF GANG.

Medikal adopted the name ‘Medikal’ because he was fascinated with rapping at a very young age. He took interest in rapping about doctors, surgeons, medical practitioners, and hospitals in general.  He referred to his raps as ‘sick’ not because they were unhealthy but are very creative, good, and ‘dope’.

Medikal has made a name for himself in the music industry through hard work and his numerous collaborations with successful artists.

In 2017, he was one of the highest nominated artists alongside Sarkodie in the Ghana Music Awards.

He also won IARA best African music artist in 2018. Apart from his nominations in 2017, he won the best discovery video in the MTN 4Syte Music Video Awards in 2016.

• Nadia Nakai

Nadia Nakai is a South African Hip Hop recording artist who grew up in Johannesburg. After attending high school in Kenya, she completed a degree in marketing communications and media studies at Monash University.

Her family and heritage dates back in Zimbabwe where her origins lie.

After signing with Family Tree Media, Nadia released her debut single with the label “Money Back”.

This single was well received and went on to aid as a soundtrack for numerous shows/ adverts such MTV Base and S.A’s ETV soap-Rhythm City.

Nadia’s efforts earned her a Best Female nomination at the SA Hip Hop Awards (2017) and Best Collaboration nominations at both the SA Hip Hop Awards (2017) and Metro FM Awards (2017) for featuring on Gemini Major’s “Ragga Ragga”, the pair performed the single at both award ceremonies.

In 2018 Nadia collaborated with The Fashion Group who houses Sportscene and released the NadiaNakaixRedbat collection.

The clothes sold out in one month country wide. Typical to her relentless drive and winning spirit, Nadia

Nakai is determined to break new boundaries locally and internationally.