We know about all of the aspiring artists coming from NYC, but we tend to forget the scene that exists above the concrete jungle. Particularly, Buffalo’s scene has brought up many new artists as well as rappers who have already established themselves in the hip-hop game. Check out these 10 rappers from Buffalo who are putting their city on the map.
Buffalo, New York Rappers
Duffelbag Hottie
Duffelbag Hottie is one of the many upcoming artists from Buffalo, working with some of the biggest names in the city, like Benny the Butcher, Westside Gunn, and Conway the Machine. He is the extended member of the Griselda crew and has that perfect balance of East Coast toughness with some West Coast influence, great for the street rap scene.
Kenny Runaways
Kenny Runaways reps the East and West side of Buffalo, and takes a different avenue with his rap style. Most of the music that comes from Buffalo has more of a 90s feel, which is why he may be overlooked. The hip-hop style is held to a generic standard, and Kenny has been bending that bar with his style. He has a relaxed, laid-back flow, which you can hear on his single “Infinity.” In his music, he captures certain feelings and emotions that resonate well with the audience. He hasn’t released any music since 2020, but there is new music on the way!
Armani Caesar
Armani is the first woman rapper picked up by Griselda Records, and is taking a turn with their label by extending to the modernized, auto-tuned sound. Growing up on the East side of Buffalo, Armani got her start with her debut album The Liz, which she recorded at a studio called Buff City. Although born and raised in Buffalo, Armani claims she is an adopted North Carolina native since her aunt moved to Charlotte in 2000. She has been influenced by New York native Lil Kim, and takes on that role of the tough, rap girl trying to navigate the male-oriented industry. Brought into the industry by the late DJ Shay, she’s placed her music career in Charlotte, while continuing to integrate that Buffalo grit.
YNX 716
Growing up on the gritty, harsh streets of Buffalo, YNX 716 is one of the leading lyricists from his hometown. Taking inspiration from Nas, Scarface (from the Geto Boys), Lloyd Banks and other rappers alike, YNX’s delivery takes you back to the early 1990s, which many will argue is the essence of hip-hop. Not only this, but it is refreshing to hear in the modernized sound of hip-hop today. Like many rappers, it started as a hobby and a way to vent his struggles and experiences. Now, he is working on his new album release, Hennessy Memories.
Mad Dukez
Mad Dukez takes a lot of his influence from the early hip-hop days. Rappers like Big Daddy Kane, Kool Herc, Super Cat, and other rappers alike fine-tuned his music to bring sounds from that era alive again. He and his producer Fresh Kils are deemed one of the best underground duos in Buffalo today, almost like today’s era of Murs and 9th Wonder.
Fire n IIce
Fire n IIce are a sister-rapper duo that are from the East side of Buffalo, but relocated to Atlanta for better opportunities. In Buffalo, there aren’t any real promoters or big shows to get your name out, and you have to rely heavily on the internet. After moving to Atlanta in 2018, their career has been on a constant rise. They have a few singles out on YouTube, their song “GTL” being the most popular. Their latest single is called “Stuntin” which was released in August of 2021.
Jrey Cash
Jrey Cash is a rapper originally from the Bronx, and moved to Buffalo when he was around 14. Back in the city, Cash was rapping, but his main focus was on playing basketball. He continued the basketball career when moving to Buffalo, and went to college at Tompkins Cortland Community College. But since he got into a lot of fights, they didn’t let him play and kicked him off the team.
After Jrey had to leave college, he moved back to his hometown and really focused on music. In 2019, he wrote the song “Chips” which blew his music up. With the support of other DJs like DJ Wire, the song hit around 7,000 views in one night. At this time, it has around half a million views. His latest release “Respectfully” has almost a million views, sitting at roughly 800,000 views.
Benny The Butcher
Benny the Butcher is a rapper from Buffalo’s East side and one of the three rappers part of Griselda. He works with frequent collaborator’s Westside Gunn and Conway the Machine, Benny’s first-cousins. In 2017, they all signed a deal with Shady Records, and Benny released his debut album Tana Talk 3. The album has production credits from the Alchemist and Daringer as well as collaborators like Royce Da 5’9 and Melanie Rutherford. He released this album on March 10, 2022, with production credits also to Daringer and Beat Butcha.
Westside Gunn
Westside Gunn is the founder of the Griselda collective, with brother Conway the Machine and cousin Benny the Butcher. Started in 2012, they have been running the Buffalo rap scene since. The Griselda collective were the first group from Buffalo to sign to a major label, joining Shady Records in 2017. Eventually, Gunn fulfilled his contractual obligations in 2020 and has been an independent artist since. He has an album out called Vial Caps that dropped this year under the Griselda Records name.
Conway The Machine
Another rapper on this list to be a part of Griselda, Conway The Machine is related to Westside Gunn and Benny the Butcher. At a young age, Conway spent some time in jail, which is the motivation behind his music career and leaving the street life. Due to a shooting that took place in 2012, Conway’s left half of his face is paralyzed, leaving him with a signature slur that you can hear in his flow. He announced his separation from Griselda Records on February 21, 2022, but still collaborates with his family. His newest album God Don’t Make Mistakes released on February 25th of this year under Shady Records.
We hope you enjoyed our list of rappers from Buffalo, New York. It is clear that this area has tons of talent so if you’re reading this and thinking to yourself, why am I not on this list, please be sure to reach out.
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