“As fans of reggae, we are spoiled with some of the best rappers blended perfectly into our scene. Some are legends, some are still making their mark, but all of them are true MC’s. These are just a few of my favorites.”
What makes a rapper/MC great? It’s the sum of many qualities; from style and flow, delivery, authenticity and originality, stage presence, storytelling and improv abilities, timing, lyrics and wordplay, to technical things like structure and production. The rappers listed below have most of these attributes, and all of them are nice boys. Remember, a rapper is always so much more than the sum of their parts!
Read on to hear firsthand what The Reggae Plug has to say about everyone on the list.
1. Kevin Shields (Little Stranger)
“He’s the best rapper in our scene, the way he dances around those syllables is effortless”
courtesy of MB Photo
2. Jared Watson and Dustin “Duddy B” Bushnell (Dirty Heads)
“When it comes to hip-hop living in the reggae world, they are the epitome of the GOATs, no one comes close. Watson is easily one of the best rappers on earth and Duddy is no slouch himself.
Courtesy of Michelle A. Photography
3. Protoje
“He is a true Jamaican-born reggae artist who tightropes singing and rapping with ease”
Courtesy of HIND$
4. Andy J . Chaves (Katastro)
“This one means a lot to me… what do I even say about Andy? Tragic situation aside, he’d be on this list no matter what. A student of Watson and superfan of Anthony Keidis, Andy kinda perfected melodic rapping in our scene with his unique vocals and powerful stage presence”
Courtesy of Chris Colclasure
5. James Begin (Tropidelic)
“Find the fastest rapper you know and James is faster”
Courtesy of Jake Rothwell
6. S.A. (311)
“The original rapper in our scene. This list wouldn’t be complete without him.”
Courtesy of Phil DeSimone
7. Shwayze
“We’re lucky to have a legit legend from the early 2010’s MTV era bless our little scene”
Courtesy of Lauren DeLuca
8. Damn Skippy
“Damn Skippy is the man, he’s like the little brother of Little Stranger. His voice cuts through every beat with insane precision and he makes you laugh while he’s doing it”
Courtesy of Chance Rajkowski
9. Chali 2na
“Another legend we are lucky to have adopted. We have Slightly Stoopid to thank for bringing him into the fold”
Courtesy of Pitline Media/Christopher Greer
10. JARV
“Maybe the only person that can compete with James in terms of speed and accuracy.”
Courtesy of Zoe’s Photography