Some of the names of rappers are so ridiculous that they are clearly pseudonyms, but you might think that Travis Scott is actually Travis Scott by birth. This is not the case! The rapper – who is also Kylie Jenner`s boo at the moment – was actually born Jacques Berman Webster II. He`s one of today`s most sought-after rappers, and Post Malone`s stage name is very similar to his real life. The rapper, born Austin Post, has obviously just moved his last name to his stage name. But how did he get Malone? According to the man himself, Post Malone uploaded it from a rap name generator. This is new! Born Onika Tanya Maraj in Trinidad and Tobago, Nicki Minaj entered the pantheon of famous rappers with a pseudonym she grew up growing up growing up in Southside Jamaica, Queens. John Legend`s real name is John Roger Stephens. His real name, in fact, is still his official name, which is why his children adopted the surname “Stephens”. His stage name was given to him by the poet J. Ivy, who said he had an “old-school sound”. (Image: Getty) We`ll give you three here for the price of one. Migos is arguably the most popular hip-hop group of the past decade, and the trio raps under the stage names Offset, Quavo and Takeoff. Off stage are Offset`s cousins (Kiari Cephus) and Takeoff (Kirsnick Ball) and Quavo (Qavious Marshall) is his uncle.
It`s unclear how they each came up with their own name, but the band`s name, Migos, is both an abbreviation of the Spanish word “amigos” and a reference to drug activity in their native Georgia. Behind most rappers is a fascinating stage name: some of hip-hop`s heavyweights have looked for inspiration behind their nicknames. Rappers like Waka Flocka Flame and Snoop Dogg have been inspired by their favorite TV characters. T.I. and Gucci Mane took the nicknames of their family members, while others like 50 Cent, Rick Ross and French Montana took their fascination with street legends to another level. While a handful of famous rap and hip-hop artists have chosen to use their real names on stage – Talib Kweli and Kendrick Lamar, to name just two – it is much more common for them to use a stage name. Since the early days of hip-hop culture, street artists have used made-up nicknames, first to escape identification with graffiti, but also to create a bespoke character during the performance. Although many modern artists of the genre lack deep roots in urban street culture, the use of stage names is here to stay. (Here are 25 of the strangest band names and where they come from.) Weezy`s real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. The Cash Money King also goes by the names “Weezy” and “Tunchi”. (Image: Getty) Antwan Patton was known by many names throughout his career – including Sir Lucious Left Foot, Daddy Fat Sacks and General Patton – but Big Boi is his most enduring call sign.
Ironically, Big Boi is not too big. It is only 5 feet 6 inches tall. Perhaps its name comes more from its larger-than-life personality and the enormous size of its vocabulary, which has been seen with Outkast since its debut in the 1990s. There have been a few notable rappers who have performed under their birth names — like Tupac Shakur, Kanye West, and Missy Elliott — but they`re much more the exception than the rule. We`ve tracked down the real names of some of the most popular rappers in history, and you might be shocked at how unique some of them are — while in other cases, you`ll fully understand why they chose a stage name. Rapper and actor Mos Def was known by a few names throughout his acclaimed career, but he was born Dante Smith and changed his official name to Yasiin Bey after retiring his stage name in 2011. About his stage name, Bey told Rolling Stone, “It`s a name the streets taught me, a phrase that was given to me by the culture and by my environment.” The name Mos Def is an abbreviation for “definitely”. It`s haunted that one of the game`s most famous rappers is named after the famous Scarface frontman, but where does the Frenchman come from? French Montana learned French fluently when he was still known as Karim Kharbouch. Busta Rhymes and Flavor Flav have something unique in common: Chuck D gave both their stage names.
Chuck mentored young Travis Smith early in his career and suggested calling himself Busta Rhymes. The nickname was inspired by Minnesota Vikings wide receiver George “Buster” Rhymes, who was a star player at the time. At first, Busta said he hated the name, but soon came to like it, saying Chuck D was “like my dad.” Rappers tend to stick to short rap nicknames when their names aren`t short. This was initially the case with Eminem. Eminem originally bore his initials M&M (for Marshall Matthers), but later changed them to Eminem. It was probably a good idea, as we doubt the candy company Mars would have left the Detroit rapper alive if he had stayed with the former. Snoop Dogg, born Cordozar Calvin Broadus, was called Snoopy by his mother when he was a child. Later, he added inspiration to Charlie Brown by adding “Doggy Dogg” as he began his rapping career through Death Row Records. From Belcalis Almánzar to Lonnie Lynn, how many real names of these rappers do you know? Let us satisfy your curiosity. Read the stories behind 20 of the most interesting rapper stage names.
Click here to discover the birth names of 40 rap and hip-hop artists The rappers mentioned are not alone and you will find many more rappers with strange names in the gallery above, including Tupac`s birth names. Try. If you do some research, you will find that some rappers have very unique real names. Although most of them are only known to the public by their stage names, friends and family address these celebrities with completely different titles. Whether the name is derived from their nationality or entirely based on a parent`s creativity, some rappers have names that fans absolutely don`t see coming. In the early days of rap music, stage names were a big part of their culture. Even many of the most popular rappers who have ever held a mic in their hands have kept their real name a secret, preferring to use a name that usually sounds much cooler than the one they were given at birth. Once you`ve found the meaning of a rapper`s name, you can`t resist learning more. Let us satisfy your curiosity. Read the stories behind 20 of the most interesting rapper stage names. Lil Pump is one of the few people on our list of rappers who could keep his real name while sounding cool as hell.
Born in Miami, he was born Gazzy Garcia. Most rappers don`t have their first name when they go on stage, and often for good reason. In a way, it doesn`t seem fair that the performance sings Trevor Smith instead of Busta Rhymes. A$AP Rocky and the rest of the crowd have the stylized acronym A$AP in front of their full stage names. For them, ASAP stands for Always Strive And Prosper. Rocky is a nickname his mother gave him growing up; he plays with his government name Rakim Mayers. Rocky`s real name has its own hip-hop story: it was named after legendary rapper Rakm. We just revealed the real names of your favorite hip-hop and R&B artist – because it turns out that most of them have always lied to us. Let`s face it, Carlton Ridenhour doesn`t look exactly like the guy who would set fire to a scene with his rhymes. But Chuck D is exactly that guy. The Public Enemy singer takes his stage name simply from his own nickname and the initial of his middle name. Before Chuck D became one of the toughest rappers in the world, he studied graphic design in college and hosted a late-night college radio show in which he first used his later stage name as his DJ name.
But even some of the most loyal hip-hop fans don`t know the real names behind the rappers whose music they love. Some of these names you may already know, while others might surprise you. Here`s our list of the 25 most surprising name revelations, but for the final list of real rappers` names, click on the slideshow below.
