The five best Ohio rappers of all time
Oh, Ohio. Somewhere in the depths of the American Midwest, the ‘Buckeye State’ is neither West Coast nor East Coast affiliated.
It does not belong to Southern hip hop, nor is it geographically close enough to the Pittsburgh rap scene. It is where the television show Glee was set, and where The Simpsons might be from.
And yet dismiss the state of Ohio from hip hop discourse at your own ignorance. The state has seriously punched above its weight in representing itself, predominantly its cities; this is the state of Cleveland, after all.
From Grammy winners to zeitgeist definers, here are the five best rappers from Ohio of all time.
The five best Ohio rappers ever:
Kid Cudi
Kid Cudi isn’t just one of the best rappers out of Ohio, but one of the most iconic musicians of his generation. Hailing from the suburbs of Cleveland, Cudi first appeared on the scene in the late 2000s with his trademark fusion of traditional hip hop with slower melodies: his breakout single, ‘Day N’ Nite’, encapsulates this by providing a track that sounded like a timeless party classic, all while pressing introspective lyrics inspired by his uncle’s passing.
Cudi then went on to release the generational anthem ‘Pursuit of Happiness’ and, quickly after, was invited to collaborate with Kanye West on his 808s & Heartbreak album. Throughout his career, which includes acting, producing, and designing credits, Cudi has won two Grammy Awards and worked with the likes of Drake, Jay-Z, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and more.
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
Discovered by Eazy-E in the early 1990s, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony are celebrated by hip hop enthusiasts for being one of the greatest rap groups of their time. Not only have they sold over 16million records in their two and a half decades of activity, but they have also significantly impacted the scene in their own right, through introducing the chopper rap style of the Midwest to the rest of the world.
Their second album E. 1999 Eternal featured ‘Tha Crossroads’, which was a tribute to Eazy-E, who had recently passed, and won them their first Grammy Award. The group of five’s influence is still felt in hip hop today, in the fusion of gospel, R&B, and hip hop sounds across harmonious and at times spiritual lyricism.
Trippie Redd
A protégée of the 2010s Soundcloud online scene, the Canton-raised rapper is a prominent committee member of the next generation of hip hop artists. He collaborates with the likes of Juice WRLD, XXXTentacion and Lil Uzi Vert, but also Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, signalling his cross-genre capability to make some seriously good rap music.
It’s not just his genre-crossing that proves his dedication to advancing the genre, but his delivery between rapping and singing, and his fluidity within gender expression, too. One thing that remains unshakeable, though, is his success. His debut mixtape A Love Letter to You went double platinum in 2017; since then, he has enjoyed multiple chart-topping singles, albums and mixtapes.
Bow Wow
Being discovered by Snoop Dogg at the age of six is not necessarily scientifically, but assumedly, the most random thing to happen to someone born in Columbus, Ohio. The kid rapper achieved great success under the tutelage of legendary producer Jermaine Dupri, who has worked with the likes of Mariah Carey, Usher, and Nelly. It was a fruitful partnership, with Bow Wow’s 2000 debut Beware of the Dog featuring hits ‘Bounce With Me’ and ‘Bow Wow (That’s My Name)’.
The rapper’s greatest legacy, arguably, isn’t his songs, or even his acting career (he had a role in films Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift, among others), but his status as a pioneer of teen rap stardom, bringing hip hop to younger audiences and their parents.
DaBaby
Born in Cleveland (although raised in Charlotte, North Carolina), DaBaby was kind of everywhere for a hot moment in the late 2010s. His single ‘Suge’ in 2019 climbed up to number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for two Grammys that year. His second and third studio albums, Kirk and Blame It on Baby peaked at number one, with music video and BET Awards performance of single ‘Rockstar’ featuring Roddy Ricch a tribute to his support for the Black Lives Matter movement during the summer of 2020.
His undoing came a year later, after he made homophobic comments while performing at a festival in Miami. Seemingly leaning into being ‘cancelled’, the rapper identifies as such in his verse on rapper Bia’s single ‘Whole Lotta Money’, DaBaby has since performed in Russia and supported Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.