Rappers these days burst onto the scene with little warning, garnering millions of followers online in a matter of months. But some older rappers are still out there, making music and putting on shows to delight their fans.
Even though they might not be as popular as they once were, these old-school Rappers should still be appreciated for their contributions to the genre. Whether it’s their lyrical prowess or their showmanship, there’s something special about these veterans that keeps them going strong. So let’s take a moment to appreciate some of the best old Rappers in the world.
Most of the old rappers on our list are alive, but a few of them died from several causes. You would not believe that a rapper in this article was 100+ years old. Want to know who is the oldest rapper? Let’s see.
Table of Contents
Greta Segerson:
You may have heard the name of this old rapper, but there is a high chance that you have not. Because she is not widely known for her rapping skills but for her political career.
She was born on 20th December 1914 in Gothenburg, Sweden, and she died on 15th January 2016 in Sweden. She was around 101 years old at the time of her death.
One can imagine how much she has seen during her lifetime. World War 1 started at the time of her birth and ended when she was around 4 to 5 years old.
Some other special events that occurred during her lifetime were World War 2, Cold War, Spanish Civil War, The Great Depression, 9/11, Iraq War, and the list goes on and on and on.
Greta was not the kind of rapper that you may be thinking of. She was not a certified rapper. It is said that people kept requesting her to sing at several parties, and she was just fed up with all this.
So, she suggested instead of singing, she would prefer rapping, and she asked the people for their opinions. The crowd nodded yes, and thus when she was 93 years old, she rapped for the first time.
Segerson’s famous rap is “Jolly Bob” by Lasse Dahlquist. She went on with this whole rapping thing for some time, but there is a limit to everyone and everything, right?
This old rapper died at the age of 101, and she is considered to be the oldest rapper in the hip-hop industry now. As you can imagine, she was pretty old school, so she did not have official accounts on any of the social media apps. No Instagram, Spotify, or SoundCloud.
Grandmaster Flash:
This old rapper was born on 1st January (New Year’s Day/Eve) 1958 in Bridgetown, Barbados. His actual name is Joseph Saddler. He is also a songwriter and DJ, besides being a rapper.
He has been doing this since 1978, and he is still at it. He is 64 years old (2022). There was a time when New York wasn’t as expensive as it is today.
For that reason, his parents came to New York, and he grew up there. Flash’s parents supported him a lot in pursuing his career in hip-hop.
Saddler, after four years of officially starting his musical career, released his very first album, named “The Message,” which came out in 1982.
Some of his other most notable releases are “Greatest Messages,” “They Said It Couldn’t Be Done,” “The Source,” “Ba-Dop-Boom-Bang,” “On the Strength,” “Salsoul Jam 2000,” and many others.
Grandmaster has more than 119,000 followers on Instagram at @djflash4eva, more than 392,000 monthly listeners on Spotify at Grandmaster Flash, and around 3,400+ followers on SoundCloud at Grandmaster Flash.
Ice-T:
Ice-T officially began his career in 1982 and has been active and among the top artists in the hip-hop industry. This old rapper is around 64 years as of 2022.
His actual name is Tracy Lauren Marrow. He came into this world on 16th February 1958 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. He is also a producer, an actor, and, yes, a rapper.
At the age of sixteen, Ice-T lost both of his parents, and unfortunately, both of them died of a heart attack. His childhood was primarily spent in some “not-so-good” activities.
He even joined the U.S. military to support the finances of his family after his daughter was born. After five years of starting his musical career, in 1987, his first studio album came out, named “Rhyme Pays.”
Tracy also has released many other great albums/songs since his debut, like “Mind Over Matter,” “Colors,” “G Style,” “99 Problems,” “The Tower,” “Midnight,” “Squeeze The Trigger,” and some others.
Marrow has more than 1 million people following him on Instagram at @icet, more than 413,000 people listen to his songs monthly on Spotify at ICE-T, and his SoundCloud account has 1,500+ people following him at Ice T.
Kwayzar:
This old rapper landed on this earth on 11th February 1928 in California, USA. Kwayzar began his hip-hop career in 1957, and he was active for some time; then again, he restarted his career in 2011.
After one year, in 2012, he retired from the rapping industry. He was 90 years old when he left this world. He was also a realtor and singer.
His actual name is Stanley Hoffman. This old rapper died on 11th March 2018 in Downey, California. Before all this, before he started his rap career, he was in the U.S. Navy.
Kwayzar served as a U.S. Navy personnel during the 6-year World War 2. After retiring from his post, he thought of making big in the entertainment industry, and he wanted to be an actor and also a comedian.
But, he could do the same as an actor and comedian as he did as a rapper. This old rapper’s first song, named “Satellite Baby,” came out in 1957.
His other famous releases are “I Can Still Do It,” “Cyberhood,” “Alt. Sex,” “Sex With Though Waves 2020,” “Tech Support,” “Cybernation,” “Kwayzar,” and many others.
Kwayzar does not have an official Instagram account, but he has a Spotify account which has around 25+ monthly listeners at Kwayzar, and his SoundCloud account has only one follower at kwayzar.
Tupac Shakur:
However, Tupac was just 25 years old at the time of his death, but he has left a significant impact on the hip-hop music/industry with his extraordinary talent.
Shakur’s real name is Lesane Parish Crooks, and he is also known as Tupac Amaru Shakur. This old rapper’s birth date is 16th June 1971, and his birthplace is New York City.
Lesane officially started his career in 1989, and he was active for around seven years until his body gave up on this world. On 13th September 1996, Shakur left this world as a result of a drive-by homicide.
His 7-year-long career was pretty extravagant. Many people consider him one of the best and most influential rappers of all time. Shakur even made it to the “100 Greatest Artists Of All Time” magazine.
Tupac tied the knot to Keisha Morris in 1995, and after one year, in 1996, their short-lived marriage ended with Tupac Shakur’s life. He was also an actor.
Crooks’ first studio album was released in 1991, named “2Pacalypse Now,” two years after he stepped into the hip-hop industry. This old rapper’s other famous releases are “Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z…,” “Hit Em Up,” “California Love,” “Changes,” “Keep Ya Head Up,” and many others.
Around 6.6 million+ people follow Tupac on Instagram at @2pac, more than 19.1 million listeners listen to his songs monthly on Spotify at 2Pac, and he has more than 409,000 followers on SoundCloud at 2Pac.
Ice Cube:
Ice Cube has been in the hip-hop industry since 1986, and this old rapper has remained among the top rappers of his time. He is 53 years old (2022).
His actual name is O’Shea Jackson Sr. He landed in this world on the 15th of June 1969 in California, USA. He went to William Howard Taft Charter High School.
Cube tied the knot with Kimberley Woodruff in 1992, and they both are still together; and he has four kids. He became a member of C.I.A. (a hip-hop trio) when he was around 16 years old.
Four years after stepping into the industry, this old rapper’s first musical project was “AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted,” released in 1990.
Some of his other famous musical projects are “You Can Do It,” “No Vaseline,” “Big Subwoofer,” “Check Yo Self,” “You Know How We Do It,” and several others.
Around 22.9 milllion+ people follow him on Instagram at @icecube, his Spotify account holds more than 11.7 million monthly listeners at Ice Cube, and around 124,000+ people follow him on his SoundCloud account at Ice Cube.
Missy Elliott:
This old rapper is around 51 years of age as of 2022. Her real name is Melissa Arnette Elliott. She is also a songwriter, music producer, and singer, besides being a rapper.
Missy’s birth date falls on 1st July 1971, and his birthplace happens to be Portsmouth, Virginia, USA. Elliott started his musical career in 1991 and has been active and shining in the industry since then.
Her mother used to work in a company, and Elliott’s dad used to work in U.S. Military. She was interested in singing from her childhood (when she was only four years old, to be precise).
Missy released his first solo studio album, named “Supa Dupa Fly,” which came out in 1997, six years after his debut in the hip-hop industry.
Her other notable releases are “Da Real World,” “Miss E… So Addictive,” “Work It,” “Hot Boyz,” “Gossip Folks,” “One Minute Man,” “The Cookbook,” and several others.
More than 4.6 million users follow her on Instagram at @missymisdemeanorelliott, around eight million+ users listen to her songs monthly on Spotify at Missy Elliott, and more than 19,700 users follow her on SoundCloud at Missy Elliott.
Queen Latifah:
Queen Latifah has been in the hip-hop industry since 1989, and she has released some of the best albums/songs for the music/hip-hop industry. She has one kid.
Her birth date falls on 18th March 1970 in New Jersey. Dana Elaine Owens is her birth name.
She is also a singer, actress, producer, and T. V. host. Many reliable sources have called Queen Latifah the “Queen of Rap.”
Latifah released her first studio album in the same year she debuted in the industry, 1989, named “All Hail The Queen.” At first, she was pretty good at beat-boxing.
Her other notable albums/songs are “You Can’t Stop The Beat,” “When You’re Good To Mama,” “Higher Medley,” “Just Another Day,” “He’s Everything,” and many others.
Around 6.3 million+ people follow her on Instagram at @queenlatifah, more than 1.1 million people listen to her songs on Spotify at Queen Latifah, and around 2,700+ people follow her on SoundCloud at Queen Latifah.
Dr. Dre:
Dr. Dre’s birth date is 18th February 1965, and his birthplace is Compton, California, USA. His actual name is Andre Romelle Young. His age is around 57 years as of 2022. He has been active since 1985.
Some of Dr. Dre’s ALIASES are Brickhard and The Mechanic. This old rapper was married to Nicole Plotzker from 1996 to 2021 until the time of their divorce. The former couple has eight kids.
Young is also a songwriter, record executive, music producer, actor, and entrepreneur, besides being a rapper. He went to the John C. Fremont High School.
You can call it a coincidence that, just like him, his parent also got separated and then divorced. The Junior High School that he attended at first was not a safe place to be at that time, so he changed school.
His very first album came out in 1992, named “The Chronic,” seven years after his industry debut. His other notable releases are “2001,” “Compton,” “The Wash,” and many others.
Romelle’s Instagram account has more than 6.8 million followers at @drdre, his Spotify account more than 23.3 million monthly listeners at Dr. Dre, and his SoundCloud account has around 94,400+ followers at Dr. Dre.
Master P:
This old rapper is around 54 years old as of 2021. He was born on 29th April 1967 in Central City, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. His ALIASES are The Ice Cream Man and The Ghetto Bill.
His real name is Percy Robert Miller Sr. He stepped into the industry in 1989, and he is still rapping. He has nine kids.
Master was married to Sonya C. Miller from 1989 to 2014 until their divorce. This old rapper is also an actor, music producer, songwriter, and record executive, besides being a rapper.
Miller Sr. released his very first studio album in 1991, named “Get Away Clean,” two years after his debut. His other notable releases are “Mama’s Bad Boy,” “99 Ways to Die,” and many others.
Percy has around 3.3 million+ followers on Instagram at @masterp, more than 769,000 monthly listeners on Spotify at Master P, and around 4,100+ followers on SoundCloud at Master P.
Lil’ Kim:
Kim has been in the hip-hop industry since 1994 and has given out some of the best albums/songs since her debut. Her age is around 48 years as of 2022.
Her real name is Kimberly Denise Jones. This old rapper landed in this world on 11th July 1974 in New York City, New York, USA. Lil’ Kim has one kid named “Royal Reign.”
Besides being a rapper, she is also a songwriter, model, T. V. personality. She started dating Mr. Papers in 2012, and they got separated in 2014.
Then again, in 2020, they started dating again and are still together. Her first studio album was “Hard Core,” which came out in 1996, two years after her debut.
Some of her other notable releases are “The Notorious K.I.M.,” “La Bella Mafia,” “The Naked Truth,” “9,” “Magic Stick,” “Not Tonight,” “I’ll Be Missing You,” and many others.
Jones’ Instagram account has more than 3.2 million followers at @lilkimthequeenbee, more than 4.5 million people listen to her Spotify account monthly at Lil’ Kim, and her SoundCloud account has 10,400+ followers at Lil’ Kim.
The Notorious B.I.G.:
The Notorious B.I.G. was born on 21st May 1972 in New York City, New York, USA. He was just 24 years old when he died. This old rapper had two kids.
His real name/birth name is Christopher George Latore Wallace. His career lasted for only five years, from 1992 to 1997. He was also a songwriter and music producer.
Wallace was married to Faith Evans from 1994 to 1996 until the time of their separation. Then he started dating Charli Baltimore in 1996, and their relationship ended in 1997, after one year.
This old rapper died on 9th March 1997 in Los Angeles, California, as a result of a drive-by homicide. His ALIASES are Big Poppa and MC CWest.
Christopher gave out his first-ever album in 1994, after two years of his debut, named “Ready To Die.” His notable releases are “Life After Death,” “Conspiracy,” and many others.
More than 1 million people follow him on Instagram at @thenotoriousbig, more than 17.1 million people listen to him monthly on his Spotify account at The Notorious B.I.G., and around 144,000+ people follow him on SoundCloud at Notorious B.I.G.
E-40:
This old rapper’s real name is Earl Tywone Stevens Sr. He is 55 years old (2022). E-40 landed in this world on 15th November 1967, and his birthplace is Vallejo, California, USA.
E-40 has been rapping since 1986, and he is still at it. He is also an entrepreneur, actor, and music producer.
Stevens created the famous rap group “The Click.” He also created “Sick Wid It Records.” His childhood was not an easy one, as his mother used to work in different places to support the finances of their house after being divorced.
Earl released his debut album in 1993, named “Federal,” after seven years of his debut. His famous albums/songs are “Tha Hall of Game,” “The Element of Surprise,” and some others.
Tywone has around 2.1 million+ people following him on Instagram at @e40, more than 2.8 million are listening to him monthly on Spotify at E-40, and around 65,700+ people following him on SoundCloud at e40.
Chuck D:
Chuck came into this world on 1st August 1960 in Long Island, New York, USA. His age is around 62 years as of 2022. His real name is Carlton Douglas Ridenhour.
Some of his ALIASES are Chuck Dangerous, The Hard Rhymer, and The Rhyme Animal. He also does songwriting, besides rapping.
Carlton began his career in 1984 and has been active since then. However he has released many studio albums with several hip-hop groups, but this old rapper released his solo studio album in 1996, named “Autobiography of Mistachuck,” twelve years after his debut.
His other most notable releases are “Give We The Pride,” “Black Steel In the Hour of Chaos,” “Don’t Believe The Hype,” “Celebration of Ignorance,” and many others.
Ridenhour has more than 692,000 followers on Instagram at @mrchuckd_pe, more than 9,500 monthly listeners on Spotify at Chuck D., and by the looks of it, he doesn’t own a SoundCloud account.
Eazy-E:
And last but not least, we have Eazy-E, who actually is Eric Lynn Wright. He came into this world on 7th September 1964, and his birthplace is Compton, California, USA. He had eleven kids.
When he died, Eazy-E was around 30 years old. He had been at it since 1987, but things changed in 1995 when he left this world.
Yes! He said farewell to his fans on 26th March 1995; he was in Los Angeles, California, USA, as a result of AIDS-induced pneumonia. He married Tomica Woods in 1995, and he died the same year (12 days after his marriage, to be precise).
His first album was “Eazy-Duz-It,” which came out in 1988, after a year of his debut. This old rapper’s other notable releases are “Fuck Tha Police,” “No More ?’s,” “We Want Eazy,” “Express Yourself,” “Dope Man,” and many others.
Wright has more than 235,000 people following him on Instagram at @eazye, more than 4 million people listening to him on Spotify at Eazy-E, and around 56,600+ people are following him on SoundCloud at Eazy-e.
Conclusion:
Concluding the point with the question: Who is the oldest rapper among all these old rappers?
The Oldest Rapper on our list and in the world is Greta Segerson, who was 93 years old when she began rapping (unofficially) and lived up to 101 years.
