8 Hottest Rappers In The World Right Now

6. Kendrick Lamar

Possibly the wild-card of this list, Kendrick Lamar was almost unheard of just a couple of years ago. He made a name for himself among his peers over time, but made his grand entrance quickly and certainly not quietly with his single 'Swimming Pools (Drank)' in 2012. He's now beloved both inside and outside the hip-hop community by both fans and critics of the genre. His impressive début 'Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City' has been extremely well-received, some even calling it a game-changer, and has earned him a spot among the ranks of the most promising new rappers around right now. You could easily argue that Kendrick is the most hotly-tipped name in hip-hop in 2013 - if only because he was solely responsible for one of the most startlingly ferocious verses of the year. On Big Sean's 'Control', Kendrick's fiery 64-bar verse asserted his dominance in the scene and even went so far as to inflate his ego to the size of New York, which he claimed somewhat nonchalantly to be the 'king' of. Arguably this year's answer to Nicki Minaj's jaw-droppingly brilliant verse on Kanye West's 'Monster', Kendrick's 'Control' verse shot him straight into the hip-hop limelight and secured him his own star in this year's rap hall of fame. It's proof that Kendrick Lamar is more than just a one-album wonder, and that his future looks to be seriously bright.