Post Malone was born in Syracuse, New York before he relocated to Texas with his family at ten years old. Although he only spent his younger years there, he still counts in our eyes. Many other great hip-hop artists came from Upstate New York as well; check out our list of seven emerging Upstate NY rappers.
Rappers From Upstate New York
Toosii: Syracuse, NY
Toosii, a 2021 XXL Freshman, grew up in Syracuse, NY but relocated to Raleigh, NC, when he was 13. He started to take music seriously at the age of 16 when he first started recording his music. Inspired by both his brother and father, Toosii overcame the hardships of homelessness before his career began to develop. After releasing Red Lights, he dropped a few mixtapes, including the “Platinum Heart.” The song currently has 20 million views, and the mixtape reached number one on the Billboard Heatseekers.
Subsequently, he dropped his debut project, “Poetic Pain,” with Capitol Records. As a result, it reached number 17 on the Billboard 200 chart. Currently, he has an RIAA-certified gold record with artist Summer Walker on the single called Love Cycle.
Scorey: Syracuse, NY
Scorey grew up in Syracuse, New York. He was first spotted by Chicago rapper Polo G, after Instagram stories of Scorey’s debut single “Freddie Krueger” started surfacing on Polo G’s friend’s account. Later, Polo G invited Scorey out to perform at Webster Hall in New York, where he released “Dior You” in March of 2021. Additionally, Polo G asked Scorey to sign to his label and featured him in his third studio album, Hall of Fame, in June 2021. Subsequently, Scorey dropped “Girls Love Rod Wave” on February 18th, 2022.
Conway The Machine: Buffalo, NY
Conway the Machine, from Buffalo, New York, is part of the Griselda team with brother Westside Gunn and first-cousin Benny the Butcher. He spent much of his youth in the streets and had spent some time behind bars. However, this motivated him to write bars to avoid that path.
He’s a distinct voice due to a shooting in 2012 when a bullet hit his neck and shoulder. As a result, his face became partially paralyzed, and his voice became known in the rap scene. Currently, he has features with Eminem, Dave East, JID, and many more legends of today throughout his discography.
Benny The Butcher: Buffalo, NY
Benny the Butcher is a rapper from Buffalo, New York. He is also a part of the rap group Griselda and works with other Upstate rappers and first-cousins Westside Gunn and Conway the Machine. He released his debut album back in 2018 called “Tana Talk 3,” produced by Griselda producer Daringer and legend producer The Alchemist. Benny was recently featured on Kenny Beats’ “The Cave” and dropped his “Johnny P’s Caddy” with J Cole. He will be releasing it on his new album “Tana Talk 4,” which will release under Def Jam Recordings.
Westside Gunn: Buffalo, NY
Westside Gunn from Buffalo, New York, is part of the Griselda team and first cousins with Benny the Butcher and brothers with Conway the Machine. He’s known for his tonality and unique flow and storytelling and feeds the new era of hip hop fans a blast to the 90s. Benny the Butcher signed a deal with Eminem and became part of Shady Records in 2017. Subsequently, he released his third studio album “Pray for Paris” in April. This album had features from huge artists like Tyler the Creator, Wale, Joey Bada$$, and Freddie Gibbs.
Furthermore, he appeared on Kanye’s album “Donda” on Keep My Spirit Alive alongside his brother Conway The Machine. His latest single, Julia Lang, was produced by The Alchemist, Jay Versace, and Daringer.
Baddnews: Syracuse, NY
Baddnews from Syracuse, New York, initially started releasing freestyle videos under “Kris B.” As a result, his content took off on all social media platforms. Subsequently, he began releasing freestyle challenges in his car. His content reached pages like Worldstar Hip Hop. They started reposting his freestyles, and eventually, rappers like Casanova and Swae Lee knew his name.
Appearing on Rhythm and Flow, he released songs with big producers like CashMoney AP and caught the likings of legend Eric B. Who allowed Badnews to perform with him during his tour with Rakim. His latest release, Out the Rental, dropped in December.
38 Spesh: Rochester, NY
38 Spesh from Rochester, New York, is known for his music released in the early 2000s. He was featured in XXL Magazine in 2009and in the same year, he was incarcerated and paroled in Atlanta. It was also in 2009 when he started pursuing rap full-time.
His flow and bars are unique; his style matches rappers like Jadakiss, and he has worked with The Alchemist and DJ Premier. Spesh’s “partner in rhyme,” Benny the Butcher, had mentioned 38 Spesh would quit rapping back in 2014. Here in 2022, Spesh is still working and releasing music. Check out “Dark Night” here!
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