No limit: 20 rappers who crossed over into other genres

When Nelly first came onto the scene in 2000 with his debut album Country Grammar, he really helped usher in the rap sound of the Midwest. In 2004, Nelly continued to keep his rap sound while venturing into other genres like R&B and country. He teamed up with country legend Tim McGraw on his single “Over and Over.” Not only did the track peak at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, but in 2023, Nelly performed the track as a tribute to McGraw at the Academy of Country Music Honors. In addition to the McGraw track, Nelly has also worked with other country stars like Florida Georgia Line. 

Snoop Dogg first built his career as a gangsta rapper in the ‘90s who truly helped pioneer the West Coast hip-hop sound. One of the cool things about Snoop is how he never boxes himself in and chooses to reinvent himself over time. In 2013, the rapper moved into the reggae genre with his album Reincarnated, and then five years later he dropped a gospel album titled Bible of Love. 

Unlike other rappers on the list, who typically ventured into other genres for a song or an album, the Black Eyed Peas completely changed their sound. When they first formed in the ‘90s, they were known as an alternative and conscious rap group. However, in 2003 when they released their third album Elephunk, they added Fergie as their newest singer, and the sound transitioned into more pop and EDM. Some of their hit pop songs include “My Humps,” “Let’s Get It Started,” and “I Gotta Feeling.”

Queen Latifah might have started her career as a rapper and moved into being a successful actress, but she also dabbled in singing. After a six-year hiatus since her 1998 album Order in the Court, Latifah returned with her fifth album The Dana Owens Album. Instead of showing off her usual MC skills, Latifah used the album to showcase her love for jazz and R&B. 

Outkast came onto the scene in the mid-'90s and helped put a stamp on the Atlanta rap scene. Their last album Idlewild was released in 2006, and since then, both members André 3000 and Big Boi have ventured into other projects. Over the years, André has been known to galavant across different cities and play his flute. In 2023, he took his love for the wind instrument and released his album  New Blue Sun, with a sound that was catered more towards new-age and jazz.

Drake has always been the type of rapper who knew how to mesh his love for hip-hop and R&B very well. However, that has never stopped him from moving into other genres and collaborating with artists outside of the hip-hop realm. In 2022, Drake released his seventh album Honestly, Nevermind which showcased his love for dance and house music. 

Childish Gambino is the type of entertainer who does it all—he raps, sings, and acts. Three years after releasing his sophomore album Because the Internet, Gambino decided to move into the realms of R&B on his follow-up, Awaken My Love! The album was inspired by more of the ‘70s soul and psychedelic funk sound, which is evident in his songs like “Terrified” and the Grammy Award winning-single “Redbone.” 

Pitbull’s music was quite different when he first signed with TVT Records. On his debut album M.I.A.M.I., executive produced by Lil Jon, Pitbull’s sound was a mixture of Latin hip-hop and reggaeton. By the time he released his fourth album Pitbull Starring in Rebelution in 2009, he started to venture more into the pop and EDM realms. The change in his music has been very lucrative for his career. 

In 1995, Cee-Lo Green came onto the scene as a member of the Southern hip-hop group Goodie Mob. By the time he ventured into his time as a member of Gnarls Barkley, as well as his solo albums, Cee-Lo’s sound still had hip-hop elements, but it also had more R&B and neo-soul as its base. Some of his hit solo songs were singles like “Fool for You” and “Bright Lights Bigger City.” 

Lil Wayne might have started his career as a member of the Hot Boys, but his career really took off when he went solo, particularly with his Tha Carter album series. However, in 2010, he decided to go a different route and tap into his rock side on his album Rebirth. The album’s first single “Prom Queen” showcased how Wayne mixed rap with rock, and the song became a top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 2015, Post Malone took the Billboard charts by storm with his breakthrough single “White Iverson.” Although his first album Stoney had a hip-hop sound, over time, Malone started marking music for pop and country fans. In 2024, he released his country album F-1 Trillion, which featured hit songs like “I Had Some Help” and “Pour Me a Drink.” 

Flo Rida first came onto the scene in 2007 with his hit single “Low,” and then followed up with the Timbaland-produced track “Elevator.” By the time he released his sophomore album R.O.O.T.S., he kept some hip-hop essence, but ventured into more of the pop wave, which was evident in his singles like “Right Round” and “Be On You.” 

Kanye West started his career as a producer for other MCs, but his career changed in 2004 when he dropped his debut album The College Dropout. But in 2008, his fourth album 808s & Heartbreak was quite the deviation from his previous sounds. This time around, the album found West exploring more of an electro-pop sound and the use of auto-tune. Some of the album’s hit songs include “Love Lockdown,” “Heartless,” and “Paranoid.” 

Jelly Roll started as a rapper before becoming one of country music’s brightest stars. In the early 2010s, he would release mixtapes and was inspired by the likes of Three 6 Mafia and UGK. Although he built a fan base with his rap music, his career had an even more successful turnaround once he switched to country music. Since 2023, he's received his first Grammy Award nominations and won several CMT Music Awards. 

In 2007, Kid Cudi came onto the scene as one of the blog era’s most influential rappers in emo hip-hop with his debut single “Day ‘n’ Nite.” Although most of his music centered around alternative hip-hop, he ventured into the alternative rock scene with his albums WZRD and Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven. 

If you listen to early mixtapes of Nicki Minaj, she sticks with rap. Once Minaj hit mainstream success, Minaj made sure to keep hip-hop at her roots while also implementing more dance-pop music into her sound. Her love for the different genres is evident on tracks like “High School” and “Starships.” 

Future may be known as an artist who helped elevate trap music to new heights. But that didn’t stop him from moving into more of an R&B sound on his 2017 album Hndrxx. Some of the album’s hit singles included “Incredible” and the Rihanna-assisted track “Selfish.” 

In 2017, Lil Yachty came onto the scene with his debut album Teenage Emotions, which was more centered around trap music and mumble rap. However, in 2023, he surprised many fans with his fifth album Let’s Start Here, which focuses more on a psychedelic rock and pop sound. 

Lil Jon rose to fame in the early 2000s when he helped pioneer the crunk sub-genre. Although hip-hop has always been at Jon's core, he gathered an even wider fan base when he ventured into the pop and EDM worlds. In 2009, he worked with electronic dance duo LMFAO on their hit song "Shots," and in 2013, he teamed up with producer DJ Snake on the smash hit "Turn Down for What."

In 2012, Machine Gun Kelly released his debut album Lace Up, which featured collaborations with artists like Lil Jon, DMX, Twista, and Waka Flocka Flame. By the time he released his fourth album Hotel Diablo in 2019, Kelly started infusing more rock and punk-pop into his sound.