1,083 articles
Wegz
Wegz (ويجز), born Ahmed Ali in 1998 in Alexandria, is an Egyptian rapper and singer from Al Wardian whose 2020 hit "Dorak Gai" made him Egypt's most-streamed Spotify artist 2020-2022 and the first Arab artist to perform at a World Cup.
Werenoi
Werenoi (Jérémy Bana Owona, 1994-2025), French rapper from Montreuil; France's No. 1 album seller in 2023 and 2024 (Carré, Pyramide); died in Paris at 31, five weeks after releasing Diamant Noir.
West Coast hip hop
West Coast hip hop is a regional hip hop scene centered on Los Angeles, dating to the early 1980s and known for gangsta rap and G-funk.
Westside Gunn
Westside Gunn (Alvin Lamar Worthy, b. 1982), also the Flygod, is a Buffalo rapper and Griselda Records co-founder known for the Hitler Wears Hermes mixtape series, Flygod (2016), Pray for Paris (2020), and reviving 1990s New York hardcore rap.
Wiley (musician)
Wiley (Richard Kylea Cowie, born 1979), also Eskiboy, the Godfather of Grime: East London producer-MC who created Eskibeat, founded Roll Deep and Eskimo Dance, and scored UK hits including Wearing My Rolex and Heatwave.
Will.i.am
Will.i.am (William James Adams Jr., born 1975, Los Angeles) is a Black Eyed Peas founder, solo artist, producer for Fergie and Usher, Beats Electronics stakeholder, FYI.AI CEO, and STEAM philanthropist.
Willie D
Willie D (William James Dennis, born 1966, Houston) is a rapper, former Golden Gloves boxer, and member of the Geto Boys, featured on We Can't Be Stopped and "Mind Playing Tricks on Me," later a solo artist.
Wireless Festival
Wireless Festival is a London rap, hip-hop, and Afrobeats day festival at Finsbury Park, run by Festival Republic and Live Nation since 2005; Drake headlined all three 2025 days, and the 2026 edition was cancelled after Ye's UK entry was blocked.
Wiz Khalifa
Wiz Khalifa (Cameron Jibril Thomaz, b. 1987), Pittsburgh rapper behind "Black and Yellow" and "See You Again," Rostrum/Atlantic artist, founder of Taylor Gang Entertainment and Khalifa Kush.
Wonwoo (전원우)
Wonwoo (전원우), born Jeon Won-woo in 1996, is the lead rapper of SEVENTEEN's hip-hop team, half of the JxW subunit, and a solo artist whose birthday releases include GOGAE and Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter; he has served as a social service worker since April 2025.
Wretch 32
Wretch 32 (Jermaine Scott Sinclair), Tottenham-born English rapper and former grime MC; 2011 hits Traktor (No. 5), Unorthodox (No. 2), Don't Go (No. 1); Black and White topped UK R&B chart; 2025 album HOME?; Creative Director at 0207 Def Jam.
Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber
Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber is the farewell tour of the American hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, announced February 24, 2025, and extended through 2026 with international legs.
Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean (Nelust Wyclef Jean), Haitian-American rapper, singer, guitarist, and producer; Fugees member behind The Score (1996); solo hits The Carnival, Gone till November, Hips Don't Lie; founded Yele Haiti; 2010 Haitian presidential bid; 2026 Quantum Leap seven-album project.
X-Raided
X-Raided, the stage name of Anerae Veshaughn Brown, is an American gangsta rapper from Sacramento, California, who recorded 12 albums from prison and was paroled in 2018 after 26 years for murder.
XXX (Kendrick Lamar song)
"XXX." is a 2017 Kendrick Lamar song featuring U2, track 11 on the album DAMN. Produced by Mike WiLL Made-It, Sounwave, DJ Dahi, Bekon, and Anthony Tiffith, it is a two-part track moving from a revenge narrative to political sermon, with Bono's vocal in the second half.
XXXTentacion
XXXTentacion (Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy), American SoundCloud rapper born 1998 in Plantation, Florida, killed June 18, 2018 in Deerfield Beach at 20; known for 'Look at Me,' albums 17 and ?, abuse charges, and 2023 murder convictions.
Xzibit
Xzibit (Alvin Nathaniel Joiner), Detroit-born West Coast rapper; albums At the Speed of Life (1996), Restless (2000), Man vs. Machine (2003); host of MTV's Pimp My Ride 2004–2007; 2025 album Kingmaker.
Yabujin
Yabujin (Rokas Tarulis per unconfirmed reports; also DJ GYROTTA ZAO) is an anonymous Lithuanian rapper and producer of cloud rap, hexD, bitcrushed ambient and jumpstyle, active since 2016, inspiration for the yabujincore TikTok trend.
Yama Buddha (अनिल अधिकारी)
Yama Buddha (अनिल अधिकारी) was a Nepalese rapper and songwriter who was a central figure in NepHop. He died in his London apartment in 2017.
Yamê
Yamê (Emmanuel Sow, born 1993, Cergy-Pontoise) is a French-Cameroonian singer-rapper blending R&B, rap, jazz, and trap; known for "Bécane" (COLORS, 2023), the EP Elowi, the 2025 album ÉBĒM, and the 2024 Victoires de la Musique male revelation award.
Yashraj
Yashraj, stage name of Yashraj Mehra, is a Mumbai-based Indian hip-hop rapper and composer known for Dhundhla, Ishq Nachawe, and EPs Azaad Hu Mein, 3P, and Meri Jaan Pehle Naach, with collaborations including KSHMR and Karan Kanchan.
YBN Nahmir
YBN Nahmir, born Nicholas Alexander Simmons in Birmingham, Alabama, 1999, rapper who founded the YBN gaming-collective and broke out in 2017 with the platinum "Rubbin Off the Paint".
Yeat
Yeat (Noah Olivier Smith, born 2000) is an American rage rapper from California known for static Auto-Tune vocals, TikTok hit "Gët Busy," and Billboard No. 1 album LYFESTYLE (2024).
Yelawolf
Yelawolf, born Michael Wayne Atha (1979, Gadsden, Alabama), is a Southern rapper blending hip hop, rock, and country; broke out with Trunk Muzik (2010), signed to Eminem's Shady Records 2011-2019, then independent on Slumerican.
YFN Lucci
YFN Lucci, born Rayshawn Lamar Bennett in 1991, is an Atlanta rapper and singer behind platinum hits "Key to the Streets," "Everyday We Lit," and "Wet." Indicted in 2021, he pleaded guilty to one gang count in 2024, was paroled in January 2025, and returned with the Billboard 200 top-15 album Already Legend., ending his Young Thug feud via mutual 2025 features.
YG (rapper)
YG (Keenon Daequan Ray Jackson, born 1990) is an American rapper from Compton, California, also called Young Gangsta, known for My Krazy Life (2014), Still Brazy (2016), the ratchet sound with DJ Mustard, and the 2026 Gentlemen's Club Tour.
YG Marley
YG Marley (Joshua Omaru Marley, born 2001), American reggae singer-rapper, son of Lauryn Hill and Rohan Marley, grandson of Bob Marley; debut single "Praise Jah in the Moonlight" (2023) samples "Crisis" and went Gold in the US.
Yhapojj
Yhapojj is an American rapper from Huntsville, Alabama, a leading figure of the SoundCloud-born underground who has released more than 20 projects since 2019 and signed to Simple Stupid Records in 2023.
YK Osiris
YK Osiris (Osiris Jahkail Williams, born 1998) is an R&B singer from Jacksonville, Florida; his 2019 hit "Worth It" and Def Jam debut album The Golden Child peaked at No. 90, and he later went independent with YK World and YKIZZY.
YKNiece
YKNiece (YK Niece), real name Shanice Cameron, born 2003, is an Atlanta rapper who went viral in March 2025 on Pluto's "WHIM WHAMIEE" (No. 51 Hot 100), became a 2026 XXL Freshman, and differs from namesakes as the Atlanta TikTok-born rapper, not any other YK artist.