Posted by Coi Leray is giving a few fellow rhymers their flowers while they can still smell them. The 24-year-old 2021 XXL Freshman admits it's hard to come up with a list of her five favorite rappers, but she's up for the challenge. When it comes to the artists she either listens to often or finds inspiration from, the platinum-selling dynamo highlights a wide range of respected peers.
An artist who also appears on Coi's picks for her favorite hip-hop albums is at the top of this list. "Of course, you have Drake," she begins, kicking off her top five rappers with Toronto's rap behemoth. "He's the No. 1 of the No. 1. He actually just won artist of the decade. I've never heard of that shit a day in my life…" Coi is referring to Drizzy's recent Artist of the Decade honor at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards.
Straight out of the Bronx comes her No. 2 pick. "A Boogie I think is so fire," she shares. "I feel like he's always been a star. His pen game is super fire. His name is Artist." He chose the creative moniker as the title of his first mixtape, 2016's Artist.
Down in Florida is where another one of Coi's favored artists rests his head. "Number three would be Kodak Black," she expresses. "He don't care. He really says what he feels and he really paints a story for you." Listen to Bill Capri's Haitian Boy Kodak album to picture the visual.
Over in Chicago, two revered rappers get props from Coi. "G Herbo is also gonna be on that list, too," she says. "G Herbo is somebody that like I really enjoy listening to. You know, It makes me feel like I grew up with him sometimes just listening to his music or just understanding more about Chicago."
"Lil Durk for sure," Coi continues. "Lil Durk is hard. Lil Durk's been hard. I'm glad he's getting his flowers and I'm glad like he's really gonna be one of the biggest artists in the world."
Get familiar with Coi Leray's picks for her top five favorite rappers below.