Top 10 Best-Selling Rappers Of All Time

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Since their emergence in the 1970s, Rap and Hip Hop have established themselves in the global music business as one of the most popular and listened to music genres in the world. The 1990s especially proved to be the breakthrough period for rap. Today, in the 21st Century, rappers are among the most successful music artists in the world.

The following ranking lists the all-time best-selling rappers and Hip Hop artists by number of records sold.

Ranking Criteria / Methodology

The ranking of the ten best-selling rappers of all time is based on the number of album-equivalent units sold. The album-equivalent units are calculated based on the following formula: (Physical records sold) + (Number of digital downloads/10) + 1.7*(Number of audio streams/1500) + 1.1*(Number of video streams/3750). Audio and video streams are based on Spotify and YouTube numbers, respectively. The ranking includes featured acts. Only rappers and Hip Hop artists are eligible for the ranking.

Note: This ranking lists the best-selling rappers of all time. For the ranking of the top ten best-selling solo music artists of all time, click here.

The 10 Best-Selling Rappers of All Time:

1. Eminem

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~ 236 million album-equivalent units sold in totalPhysical Albums sold: ~ 126 millionPhysical Singles sold: ~ 14 millionEquivalent Digital sales: ~ 21 millionEquivalent Streams: ~ 75 millionReal name: Marshall MathersBorn: October 17, 1972 in St. Joseph, Missouri, USANationality: AmericanActive years: 1988 – presentBest-selling album: The Eminem Show (2002)Best-selling song: Lose Yourself (2002)

2. Drake

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~ 172 million album-equivalent units sold in totalPhysical Albums sold: ~ 16 millionPhysical Singles sold: ~ 40,000Equivalent Digital sales: ~ 18 millionEquivalent Streams: ~ 138 millionReal name: Aubrey GrahamBorn: October 24, 1986 in Toronto, Ontario, CanadaNationality: CanadianActive years: 2006 – presentBest-selling album: Views (2016)Best-selling song: One Dance (2016)

3. Bad Bunny

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~ 132 million album-equivalent units sold in totalPhysical Albums sold: ~ 500,000Physical Singles sold: <10,000Equivalent Digital sales: ~ 500,000Equivalent Streams: ~ 131 millionReal name: Benito OcasioBorn: March 10, 1994 in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, USANationality: Puerto Rican / AmericanActive years: 2013 – presentBest-selling album: Un Verano Sin Ti (2022)Best-selling song: Dakiti (2020)

4. Ye

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~ 112 million album-equivalent units sold in totalPhysical Albums sold: ~ 28 millionPhysical Singles sold: ~ 1 millionEquivalent Digital sales: ~ 17 millionEquivalent Streams: ~ 66 millionReal name: Kanye WestBorn: June 8, 1977 in Atlanta, Georgia, USANationality: AmericanActive years: 2002 – presentBest-selling album: Graduation (2007)Best-selling song: Gold Digger (2005)

5. Jay-Z

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~ 109 million album-equivalent units sold in totalPhysical Albums sold: ~ 54 millionPhysical Singles sold: ~ 12 millionEquivalent Digital sales: ~ 17 millionEquivalent Streams: ~ 26 millionReal name: Shawn CarterBorn: December 4, 1969 in New York City, New York, USANationality: AmericanActive years: 1988 – presentBest-selling album: The Blueprint 3 (2009)Best-selling song: Numb/Encore (2004)

6. 2Pac

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~ 94 million album-equivalent units sold in totalPhysical Albums sold: ~ 63 millionPhysical Singles sold: ~ 12 millionEquivalent Digital sales: ~ 4 millionEquivalent Streams: ~ 15 millionReal name: Tupac ShakurBorn: June 16, 1971 in New York City, New York, USADied: September 13, 1996 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USANationality: AmericanActive years: 1989 – 1996Best-selling album: All Eyez on Me (1996)Best-selling song: California Love (1995)

7. Lil Wayne

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~ 88 million album-equivalent units sold in totalPhysical Albums sold: ~ 26 millionPhysical Singles sold: ~ 1 millionEquivalent Digital sales: ~ 18 millionEquivalent Streams: ~ 43 millionReal name: Dwayne CarterBorn: September 27, 1982 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USANationality: AmericanActive years: 1995 – presentBest-selling album: Tha Carter III (2008)Best-selling song: Lollipop (2008)

8. Travis Scott

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~ 73 million album-equivalent units sold in totalPhysical Albums sold: ~ 3 millionPhysical Singles sold: ~ 100,000Equivalent Digital sales: ~ 1 millionEquivalent Streams: ~ 69 millionReal name: Jacques WebsterBorn: April 30, 1991 in Houston, Texas, USANationality: AmericanActive years: 2008 – presentBest-selling album: Astroworld (2018)Best-selling song: Goosebumps (2016)

9. Flo Rida

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~ 70 million album-equivalent units sold in totalPhysical Albums sold: ~ 600,000Physical Singles sold: ~ 100,000Equivalent Digital sales: ~ 52 millionEquivalent Streams: ~ 17 millionReal name: Tramar DillardBorn: September 17, 1979 in Miami Gardens, Florida, USANationality: AmericanActive years: 2000 – presentBest-selling album: Wild Ones (2012)Best-selling song: Right Round (2009)

10. Nicki Minaj

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~ 68 million album-equivalent units sold in totalPhysical Albums sold: ~ 7 millionPhysical Singles sold: ~ 100,000Equivalent Digital sales: ~ 13 millionEquivalent Streams: ~ 48 millionReal name: Onika Maraj-PettyBorn: December 8, 1982 in Port of Spain, Trinidad & TobagoNationality: Trinidadian & AmericanActive years: 2004 – presentBest-selling album: Pink Friday (2010)Best-selling song: Super Bass (2011)

Top 10 Best-Selling Rappers of All Time: Overview

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Active years:	Best-Selling Album/Single:	Album-equivalent Units sold:
1. Eminem	1988 – present	Best-selling album: The Eminem Show (2002)Best-selling song: Lose Yourself (2002)	~ 236 million
2. Drake	2006 – present	Best-selling album: Views (2016)Best-selling song: God’s Plan (2018)	~ 172 million
3. Bad Bunny	2013 – present	Best-selling album: Un Verano Sin Ti (2022)Best-selling song: Dakiti (2020)	~ 132 million
4. Ye	2002 – present	Best-selling album: Graduation (2007)Best-selling song: Gold Digger (2005	~ 112 million
5. Jay-Z	1988 – present	Best-selling album: The Blueprint 3 (2009)Best-selling song: Numb/Encore (2004)	~ 109 million
6. 2Pac	1989 – 1996	Best-selling album: All Eyez on Me (1996)Best-selling single: California Love (1995)	~ 94 million
7. Lil Wayne	1995 – present	Best-selling album: Tha Carter III (2008)Best-selling single: Lollipop (2008)	~ 88 million
8. Travis Scott	2008 – present	Best-selling album: Astroworld (2018)Best-selling single: Goosebumps (2016)	~ 73 million
9. Flo Rida	2000 – present	Best-selling album: Wild Ones (2012)Best-selling single: Right Round (2009)	~ 70 million
10. Nicki Minaj	2004 – present	Best-selling album: Pink Friday (2010)Best-selling single: Super Bass (2011)	~ 68 million

Top 10 Best-Selling Rappers of All Time: Summary

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Eminem is the best-selling rapper in history with close to 230 million album-equivalent record units sold. Growing up in Detroit, Marshall Mathers aka Eminem started his rap career at the age of 16. But it took almost a decade until rap mogul Dr. Dre finally discovered Eminem and gave him his first recording contract. It was the starting point for a legendary and unprecedented Hip Hop career. Despite his many controversial lyrics and constant censorship in mainstream media, Eminem like no other rapper managed to establish Hip-Hop in the mainstream.

For his song ‘Lose Yourself’, the main song for the soundtrack to his 2002 movie “8 Mile”, Eminem 2003 also became the first-ever Hip Hop artist to win an Oscar. He is also credited as the first white rapper who has managed to succeed in the rap genre.

Drake comes second among the best-selling rappers in the world. At the same time, he is the most commercially successful non-American rapper. Drake Graham (his surname) was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and was first known as a child actor in the Canadian teen drama series ‘Degrassi: The Next Generation‘. Ultimately, Drake decided to leave the acting world in favor of the world of music. And he took it by storm. Drake has been one of the overall worldwide best-selling musicians of the 2010s and he’s also the “Rap King of Spotify“, as his songs are the most audio-streamed rap songs in the world, even surpassing Eminem in that regard.

Bad Bunny now also belongs to the best-selling rappers of all time. At the same time, he is the by far best-selling rapper who doesn’t rap in English. The Puerto Rican Spanish-language rapper has conquered the modern rap world and established himself among the all-time best-selling rappers in record time. In fact, Bad Bunny has also established himself as one of the biggest stars in music, period. His album “Un Verano Sin Ti” is the most streamed album in Spotify history, beating out even other audio streaming greats like Ed Sheeran.

Ye, formerly known under his real name Kanye West, follows as the fourth best-selling rapper of all time. West first started in the music business as a songwriter and record producer. But in 2002 the Atlanta-born and Chicago-raised multi-talent turned into a Hip-Hop artist and rapper himself. Since then, Ye has become one of the most critically acclaimed as well as commercially successful rappers in the entire world, with some of the biggest rap hits of the 21st Century.

Jay-Z stands as the fifth best-selling rapper of all time. Born and raised in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, Shawn Carter a.k.a. Jay-Z started his rap career as a teenager in rap battles. Since none of the major record labels were willing to sign him, he simply went on to found his own record label, Roc-A-Fella Records. Today, Jay-Z has become a successful billionaire businessman and the richest rapper in the world, with many business ventures outside the Hip-Hop industry. But he is still also among the best-selling rappers of all time.

2Pac follows as the sixth best-selling rapper of all time, but he may also be the most iconic rapper in history. Tupac Shakur, 2Pac’s legal name, had a unique storytelling ability and used compelling lyrics in his rap, all of which contributed to 2Pac emerging as one of the best-selling rappers of all time despite having been active only for seven years until his life got cut short when he was killed in 1996. Despite his untimely death, the New York City-born and raised rapper continues to influence a lot of younger rappers to this day, leaving a powerful legacy behind him in the world of rap.

Lil Wayne wrote his first rap song at the age of eight. His rap career then started in 1995 when he recorded his first commercial songs at 12 years old. Previously an A+ honors student, Lil Wayne decided to drop out of high school in his hometown of New Orleans and focus entirely on his Hip-Hop career instead. And in this case, it paid off. Today, Lil Wayne is now also among the best-selling rappers of all time worldwide, while also gaining mainstream recognition over the years.

Travis Scott comes eighth among the ten best-selling rappers of all time. The Houston native, whose real name is Jacques Webster, has been rapping since he was 16 and found success in the mid-2010s with his breakout mixtape “Days Before Rodeo” in 2014. This was followed by his first album “Rodeo” which became a huge commercial success. His third album “Astroworld” is considered one of the best rap albums of the 2010s.

Known for his catchy hooks and vibrant beats, Flo Rida has a knack for creating hits that top the charts and even reach many listeners who aren’t usually into rap music. He was born and raised in Miami Gardens, Florida, and his chosen rap name expresses his status as a proud Floridian and one of the most successful all-time music artists to come out of the Sunshine State in general. As far as 21st-century mainstream rappers go, Flo Rida is certainly a legend in the genre.

Nicki Minaj is the best-selling female rapper of all time, completing the overall top ten of the best-selling rappers of all time. Born in Trinidad & Tobago, Nicki Minaj (real name Onika Maraj-Petty) moved to the U.S. with her mother when she was five and grew up in New York City. While initially trying to become an actress, she eventually turned to her rap talents and had her big breakthrough in 2010 with her hit single “Pink Friday”, followed by many other successful hits and albums, which established her as one of the few successful women in the otherwise male-dominated rap industry.

Sources for Ranking:

Kworb (for streaming numbers), RIAA + official press releases of record labels (for pure sales numbers)

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