20 rappers who can also play an instrument

Most people know André 3000 as one-half of hip-hop duo Outkast and in recent years, he only does features few and far in between. However, over the years, many fans have caught André walking around parks and neighborhoods playing the flute. In late 2023, André released his first album in 17 years titled New Blue Sun. The album doesn’t have André rapping at all, but rather shows his flute skills. 

Flavor Flav is most prominently known as a member of hip-hop group Public Enemy or a reality TV star, but he’s also a musician who plays over 15 instruments. At an early age, he learned how to play the piano, drums, bass, and guitar. He even had the chance to show off his musicianship when he played the piano on Public Enemy’s “I Don’t Wanna Be Called Your N.” 

In 2022, Dr. Dre headlined the Super Bowl Halftime show along with Snoop Dogg and several other guests. Although Dre is known as a rapper and producer who helped usher in the West Coast hip-hop sound, many fans of the Super Bowl were surprised to see he actually plays the piano. During the performance, Dre showed off his piano skills on “Still D.R.E.” 

The late Mac Miller was always the type of artist who appreciated the craft of hip-hop, but also how instrumentation can transcend onto a stage. In addition to his lyrical ability, Miller was a self-taught musician with skills on drums, guitar, bass, and piano. When he didn’t recruit other producers to work on his music, Miller had no problems taking the reigns of producing some of his own songs.

Tyler, the Creator plays the piano and drums. For fans who’ve seen Tyler in concert, there are times in the show when he’ll show his skills on the keys. During Tyler’s Coachella set in 2024, he brought out Charlie Wilson as a special guest to perform “Earthquake” as the rapper and the veteran soulful singer sat at the piano. 

Wyclef Jean is known as a member of the hip-hop group The Fugees, but he’s also written and produced songs for other artists. Typically, when people see Jean in music videos or live performances, he can be seen playing the guitar. 

Whether it’s a concert, festival, or an award show, if Roddy Ricch is on the lineup, he’s going to make sure he shows off his piano skills. In 2021, Ricch performed his songs “Heartless” and “The Box” at the 63rd Grammy Awards, and there’s nothing like hearing a rap performance with a live band, it always brings an extra essence to the performance. 

Pharrell Williams may be known as one of the most prolific producers in hip-hop history, who just so happens to rap from time to time, but he’s also a musician. The main instruments Pharrell plays are piano, drums, and bass guitar. These are the types of instruments that Pharrell contributed to hit songs like Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” and his own single “Happy.” 

Anderson .Paak is a multitalented musician who raps, sings, produces, and plays the drums. During his live performances, he’s known to rock out on a drum set. He was even a special guest during the 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show when he was backing up Eminem during the performance of “Lose Yourself.” 

Logic has been releasing music since 2009 and throughout his career, he produces a lot of his own music if he’s not working with producers like 6ix and No I.D. At his concerts, Logic has been known to gift fans with performances of him playing the piano and even singing at times. 

Scarface may be known as one of the members of the rap group Geto Boys who helped usher in Southern rap, but he’s never shied away from his fandom of rock music. The rapper grew up idolizing the likes of KISS, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, and Jimi Hendrix. In past interviews, Scarface has mentioned that he learned to play by watching some of his family members who were in a band. Not only has he shown off his guitar skills by playing on songs like the Geto Boys “Get Boys and Girls,” but he can also be seen playing during live shows, such as NPR Tiny Desk performance. 

D Smoke comes from a musical family, his mother Jackie Gouche-Farris was a professional singer and musician who sang backup for the likes of Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, and Chaka Khan. His brothers SiR and Davion Farris are also singers-songwriters, along with his cousin Tiffany Gouche. D Smoke is the rapper of the family who also plays piano, and he was introduced to the world in 2019 when he won the talent competition show, Netflix’s Rhythm + Flow. He showcased his piano skills along with his lyrical ability in his performance on the show’s finale. 

In addition to being a member of hip-hop group The Fugees, Lauryn Hill only released one solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Despite having a limited catalog, Hill is still an in-demand touring artist. When fans witness Hill in concert, she’s sure to bring out her acoustic guitar to play a few songs. 

Learning to play instruments at a young age can have long-lasting effect for artists as they look to pursue a career professionally. Juice WRLD was only four years old when he learned how to play the piano and then learned how to play the guitar, drums, and trumpet. 

Kid Cudi hit mainstream status in 2009 with his hit singles “Day N Nite” and “Pursuit of Happiness.” The following year he appeared on The David Letterman Show and displayed his guitar skills as he performed “Erase Me.” 

B.o.B. started playing the trumpet while he was elementary school. As he got older, he wanted to pursue a career in music. However, his parents didn’t always approve of it, but soon realized it was an outlet for him. His parents eventually got him a keyboard and recording equipment so he could take the craft seriously. 

Rapper, actor, producer—Yasiin Bey a.k.a. Mos Def is a man of many talents. However, he also plays several instruments such as drums, percussion, bass, and keyboards. In fact, he played a number of instruments on his 1999 debut album Black On Both Sides. 

Rakim is easily recognized as one of hip-hop’s most prestigious and respected MCs as one-half of the duo Eric B. & Rakim. In addition to his lyrical prowess and production skills, many fans don’t know that he also plays instruments. Rakim played drums on their hit song “Juice (Know the Ledge).” 

Little Simz has been releasing music since 2015, but it was her fourth album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert which helped her receive critical acclaim and award nominations. For fans who’ve witnessed Simz in a live concert, they’re well aware that she shows off her guitar skills while on stage. 

Childish Gambino has always set himself apart from the rest, he raps, sings, acts, and plays instruments. For fans who have seen Gambino on tour, they’ve had the chance to witness the rapper show off his piano skills.