'Lil' Rappers Have Dominated The Urban Music Scene In 2018: Here's The Best Of The Bunch

In 2018 'Lil' rappers dominate the urban music scene. Indeed, Spotify lately revealed its Top 200 most streamed Lil artists. 

Of course, not all the Lils are rappers. (Lil Louis is a Chicago house legend.) 

Still, the Lil prefix has a long history in rap, occasionally simply denoting size or age. The '90s ushered in Brooklyn's Lil' Kim, The Notorious BIG's protege. (She was joined in Junior MAFIA by Lil' Cease). Then there's Lil Wayne – #1 on the Spotify list. Lil Jon is a rapper, producer and DJ (and sometime reality TV star). The Southerner pioneered crunk, but is now famed for his EDM mega-hit with DJ Snake, Turn Down For What. Australia produced a Lil, too, in Melbourne's Little G – the Indigenous MC active on the battle circuit.

The Lil is popular with kiddy rappers. Snoop Dogg gave Lil Bow Wow his handle. In 2002, MTV reported that the then 15-year-old was shedding the 'Lil'. "I changed my name because I'm getting older now and it's too many Lils," Bow Wow protested. "All these Lil rappers – I'm just kind of getting real irritated by it." Ironically, he'd now be on-trend. 

Today, the Lil is associated with the SoundCloud (or cloud) rap phenom. The new individualistic rappers are viral – and streaming – sensations. The Lil is like a cipher. Drake and Kanye West, circa 808s & Heartbreak, opened the way for a wave of emo (or 'mumble') rappers. This coincided weirdly with America's prescription drug epidemic, especially the ubiquity of Xanax – which is used to treat anxiety disorders. These angsty rappers are influenced by goth, grunge and emo. Increasingly, some of the Lils don't even perceive themselves as 'rappers' – switching between MCing and singing and harnessing Auto-Tune. Favouring lo-fi production, they write less about street life than feelings. The (post-)rappers are either nihilistic or carefree, but nearly always irreverent – demonstrating negligible interest in preserving hip hop traditions. In a punk turn, Lil Xan described 2Pac as "boring". But the millennial acts are savvy – being aware of brands, image and performativity.

Inevitably, the rise of the Lils has intensified hip hop's generational divide. The old school gatekeepers deem mumblers as 'wack'. In 2016 J Cole critiqued hip hop archetypes on everybody dies, snarking, "Lil whatever – just another short bus rapper." Yet, in 2018, he and the Lils happily co-exist. So who is the Lil of the Lils? OG Flavas ranks the most zeitgeist.

1. lil b

If there is a godfather for the Lil cloud rapper, it's Lil B – aka The BasedGod (aka Brandon McCartney). The Bay Area eccentric emerged as a hipster MC – being embraced by hip hop and indie audiences. Inherently independent, McCartney is among contemporary hip hop's most prolific acts. However, 2010's LP Rain In England stands as his key work. Here, McCartney flipped PM Dawn's New Age hip hop, while paralleling Flying Lotus' glitch-hop. Post-genre is the aesthetic.

Establishing himself as a philosopher well before Kanye, McCartney fosters empowered transformation – using the word "based" positively. He has published a self-help book and speaks on the college circuit. Like other cloud rappers, he's paradoxically woke and problematic. The heterosexual McCartney dropped the mixtape I'm Gay (I'm Happy) partly to support the LGBTQIA+ community. But he's deployed the F-word. And, though McCartney endorsed Bernie Sanders in 2016's US Presidential campaign, he's defended Yeezy's recent pro-Trump pronouncements as free speech. "I definitely think I'm a revolutionary with the human rights, the love, the progression of the human race as a whole," McCartney flossed to OG in 2013. "I changed rap. I changed rap music. America after Lil B will be a great place. The United States after Lil B will be great."

2. lil uzi vert

Of the Lil acolytes here, Lil Uzi Vert (Symere Woods) is the most obvious 'star' – but he's also street. Notably, the Philadelphian is #2 on the Spotify list. Woods adopted the 'Uzi' part of his monicker because his flow was compared to "a little Uzi". Following Travis Scott, he brings a rock dynamic to trap. Woods savoured his first major hit as guest on Migos' Bad And Boujee. He likewise joined the posse-cut Go Off with Quavo and Scott himself for the blockbuster The Fate Of The Furious soundtrack. Yet Woods' defining moment is his 2017 anti-smash XO TOUR Llif3 with its bleakly emo lyrics (and arty Virgil Abloh video). In August he stealth-released his long-delayed official album Luv Is Rage 2 – a reference to an earlier mixtape – and topped the US charts. The Weeknd croons on UnFazed. (Alas, Woods is yet to collaborate with his hero, Marilyn Manson.) Woods is infamous, too, for his IDGAF red carpet interviews – one with E! at the Grammys going viral.

3. lil yachty

The most polarising of today's Lil mumble rappers is surely Lil Yachty (aka Miles McCollum) – who blew up with the hooky One Night from 2016's Lil Boat mixtape. He's instantly recognisable (and meme-able) with his brightly-coloured hair and nautical attire. The blithe post-rapper promotes positivity (he blessed Chance The Rapper's Coloring Book). Abstaining from alcohol and recreational drugs, McCollum is almost straight-edge. Mind, he does have a rebellious streak. The Atlantan met with indignation in hip hop on admitting that he was unfamiliar with classics by 2Pac and The Notorious BIG. 

Last year McCollum issued a much-hyped debut album, Teenage Emotions. He was praised for the cover art with its inclusive representation. But, ever-contradictory, McCollum was also called out for sexist lyrics (the Migos-featuring single Peek A Boo). The rapper was "devastated" by the muted commercial response to Teenage Emotions. In fact, it was underrated – few critics noting McCollum's experimentation beyond "bubblegum trap". (Bring It Back is still a bop!) Nonetheless, the "King of the Youth" has proven himself no one mixtape wonder, just unleashing Lil Boat 2. In-demand, he's cameoed on tracks by everyone from DRAM to Katy Perry to Calvin Harris. And, touring Australia with 2017's Splendour In The Grass, McCollum's energetic show impressed.

4. lil peep

After Lil B, Lil Peep (Gustav Ahr) is the most innovative of the Lils here. Influenced by Kurt Cobain, the late Long Island rapper created his own grunge-trap subgenre – albeit preferring pop hooks over guitar riffs. Last August, the industrious Ahr unveiled the album Come Over When You're Sober, Pt 1 – containing his biggest song,Awful Things, with Lil Tracy. A countercultural celebrity, Ahr – who identified as bisexual – dated actor Bella Thorne. Nevertheless, he was candid about his experiences with depression and drug use. Ahr died in November at 21 from an accidental overdose of fentanyl and Xanax while on tour. Posthumous songs have materialised, including Spotlight – a collab with contra-EDM-type Marshmello. Lil Peep will endure.

5. lil xan

The Mexican-American Lil Xan (aka Diego Leanos) is the cloud rapper most actively addressing mental health issues, self-medication and drug abuse. Indeed, he's currently the poster child for the sad rap movement. The emo rapper's name 'Xan' is short for 'Xanax'. In early songs, Leanos alluded to drugs. But he's since given up Xanax – and considers it his mission to discourage any abuse. In his break-out hit Betrayed, Leanos raps, "Xans don't make you…" This year the Cali kid released his debut, TOTAL XANARCHY, via Sony – and received poor reviews (Pitchfork rating it 4.7). Over the course of an album, Leanos' style can have a sedative effect. Still, he teamed with Charli XCX for the acoustica Moonlight, while Diplo helmed the ODESZA-ish Color Blind. Leanos caused furore when, probed by Revolt TV, he called 2Pac's music "boring". The rapper now avoids interviews. Next month Leanos' fans – or 'Xanarchy Gang' – can catch him at Splendour or his all-ages side-shows. 

6. lil skies

A 'next big thing', Lil Skies (aka Kimetrius Foose) has enjoyed a rapid ascendance. Hailing from "redneck" Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, the teen hustler was introduced to hip hop by his rapper dad, Dark Skies, as… Baby Skies. In January Foose released the mixtape Life Of A Dark Rose via Warner on the back of the singles Red Roses and Nowadays. Unusually, he has only one guest: the unknown singer/songwriter Landon Cube. Foose shows an affinity for alt-rock on Cloudy Skies, sampling Silversun Pickups' Lazy Eye. The project made the US Top 10. Come spring, he's hitting Listen Out with A$AP Rocky.

7. lil baby

Lil Baby (aka Dominique Jones) is this ranking's most G Lil. Growing up with Young Thug, the Atlantan committed to hip hop after serving time for drug-dealing. The fast-mover generated buzz with 2017's My Dawg – and his 'hard'-branded mixtapes. Last month his debut album, Harder Than Ever, went top three Stateside. But it's the single Yes Indeed which has brought him the greatest attention – thanks to Drake's presence.

8. little simz

This entry is a cheat – but a worthy one given the Lils gender imbalance. The London actor-cum-MC Little Simz (Simbi Ajikawo) broke out of the grime scene with the dark af Dead Body. Transcending grime, she's become an art-rap auteur. Ajikawo digs concept albums – presenting Stillness In Wonderland in late 2016. She wowed audiences when she played guitar on her last Australian tour. Little Simz should be bigger.

9. lil pump

Miami's Lil Pump (aka Gazzy Garcia) has already immortalised himself with 2017's hit, Gucci Gang – the video even has a tiger. Like Lil Yachty, the Colombian-American has a flamboyant image with candy-coloured dreads and tatts. At 16, Garcia inked a deal with Warner – only for it to be torn up because he was a minor (he's since re-signed). In October, he dropped his eponymous commercial mixtape – with endless sing-a-long minimalist anthems. Garcia cameos on Diplo's banger Welcome To The Party, alongside French Montana and singer Zhavia Ward, for the Deadpool 2 soundtrack.

10. lil dicky

The beardy Lil Dicky (David Burd) is a comedian as much as a rapper – but more than a novelty. Growing up in a Jewish fam in middle-class Pennsylvania, Burd initially gigged as a copywriter for a West Coast ad agency. He accrued a cult following with his satirical hip hop via the mixtape So Hard. In 2015 Burd presented the LP Professional Rapper – with Snoop Dogg featuring. He was declared one of XXL mag's 2016 Freshman Class contenders. Recently, Burd shared the single Freaky Friday with a surprisingly self-mocking Chris Brown. The subversively clever video boasts cameos from Ed Sheeran, DJ Khaled and Kendall Jenner. Burd isn't the only Lil comic rapper: Canada is home to the parody mumble star Lil Windex. Burd will hit Australia next month.