Back Quote by R-Truth

The hip-hop that I really connected with was Public Enemy, KRS-One, Ice Cube, and N.W.A. That late '80s and early '90s era. The beginning…

— Jess Row

Nas, Big L, Rakim, Jay-Z, Eminem, those was all my influences, but I didn't start recording until I was 16.

— Cordae

I listened to a lot of old school, golden era music. It gave me a lot of insight on how to rap and give…

— Big K.R.I.T

I grew up listening to a lot of rap music. My dad's a DJ from Brooklyn, and he's a very soulful guy, so he…

— Chanel West Coast

My biggest influence is Tupac. He was a poet, and listening to Tupac is what inspired me to start rapping.

— Chanel West Coast

I'm influenced by like, 50 Cent and Chief Keef 'cause they were rapping about the same things I was living.

— Fivio Foreign

As far as rap goes, I grew up in Hollis, Queens, so early influences were people like Run DMC and LL Cool J.

— Ja Rule

My dad used to be a rapper, he had a rap group. They did proper old school, boom-bap music. He had a high top…

— AJ Tracey

My entryway into hip-hop was - my biggest introduction was obviously like, you know, the Def Jam, Run D.M.C., Beastie Boys, like, that conglomerate.

— Neal Brennan

Rap music came along and saved my life. I started to tell the stories of the streets and that was my way out.

— Ice T

Most of my influences aren't rap. I love Coldplay.

— Lil Yachty

I think my genre is more 'reality rap'; I talk about my life and the struggles that I've been through.

— Tee Grizzley