Rap Power Rankings April 2025

April 2025

Rank

Artist

Last month

Ken Carson

Ken Carson tops this month’s Power Rankings with the release of his fourth studio album, More Chaos, which dropped on April 11. The project serves as a direct sequel to his October 2023 album A Great Chaos with appearances from fellow Opium labelmates Playboi Carti and Destroy Lonely, adding to the momentum behind the release. The album was a commercial success, marking a new high for Carson: it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart (the first one in his career), moving 59,000 equivalent album units in its first week and earning the rapper a significant milestone in his artistic journey. To celebrate, Carson announced on April 29 his biggest tour yet, the Lord of Chaos arena tour, starting this July.

Young Thug

Young Thug has been making headlines this month with new music and updates about his highly anticipated album UY SCUTI, which is now confirmed to drop on May 9, thanks to his girlfriend Mariah the Scientist . The rapper also released a new single, “Money on Money,” featuring Future on April 25. However, the track quickly stirred up some controversy online. Fans have been speculating that some of the lyrics are aimed at Gunna, adding to the ongoing drama surrounding their fallout. When Thugga sat down for an interview with GQ this month as well, he kept it brief when it came to his former collaborator and the trial that took him out of the game for so long. Despite the tension, fans are eagerly awaiting what’s next.

Playboi Carti

Playboi Carti is continuing his reign at the top of the Billboard charts, as his album MUSIC has claimed the number one spot on the Billboard 200 for a third week in a row. The album’s success comes amid Carti teasing the next phase of his career, which he’s dubbing the “BABY BOI era.” The rapper’s influence is also being felt across streaming platforms, as he’s surpassed 20 billion streams across all credits on Spotify.

His newest album is breaking records beyond just its chart performance. It’s also now become the fourth fastest rap album in history to pass one billion streams on Spotify, further cementing Carti’s impact on the streaming era. Time will tell if we really have more music on the way, but at least the Vamp Rapper’s tour with The Weeknd starts very soon on May 9th.

Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar is still doing victory laps. His collaboration with SZA, “luther” has now held the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 consecutive weeks, making it the longest-running number one of both artists’ careers. The duo also dropped the official visuals for the track on April 11, adding even more momentum.

They kicked off their Grand National Tour on April 19, and the opening night already made history, breaking revenue records as the first rapper in history to gross more than $9 million from a single show as either a headliner or co-headliner and setting the tone for a potential landmark run. With other songs from GNX still going strong and the tour gaining steam, Lamar is proving once again that he’s operating on a different level.

Drake

Drizzy continues to dominate both music and lifestyle headlines. He dropped the visuals for his hit track “NOKIA” on March 31 (currently has 15 million views and counting), fueling even more buzz around the record. The song has been breaking records across platforms, hitting number one on Apple Music’s global chart and climbing high on the Billboard Hot 100, showing that Drake’s chart power is still in full force.

On top of the music, Drake just announced his first-ever fragrance, Summer Mink, on April 28 and got back into his acting bag. The scent marks the debut product from his new luxury fragrance brand, Better World Fragrance House, adding another lane to his brand beyond music.

Travis Scott

La Flame made a massive impact at Coachella this year, taking over the desert with (literal) explosive headline sets on April 12 and April 19 that included floating backup dancers, marching bands, and, of course, plenty of raging. He also launched the Cactus Jack Village, an immersive fan experience that included exclusive merch and collaborations, turning the festival grounds into a full-blown Scott-branded UTOPIA.

During his sets, he previewed unreleased tracks and fueled excitement by teasing the arrival of JACKBOYS 2, the long-awaited follow-up to his 2019 tape, including Sheck Wes, Don Toliver, and more. The project could apparently be dropping any day now, so there’s more to come from the Houston native.

Lil Durk

Lil Durk returned to the spotlight with the release of Deep Thoughts on March 28, which debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, moving 64,000 equivalent album units in its first week. The project also marked a major career milestone, becoming his 10th Top 10 entry on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

Behind the scenes, Durk’s team is actively working on his release, with new legal updates offering a possible path forward. He was also recently granted a new bond hearing, signaling a potential turning point in his legal situation. With the album performing strongly and his legal progress underway, Durk’s next chapter may be coming sooner than expected.

Wiz Khalifa

Wiz Khalifa has been flooding social media with a steady stream of freestyles (like his take on 310babii’s “Soak City”) and showing he’s not slowing down anytime soon. On April 18, he dropped Kush and Orange Juice 2, the long-awaited sequel to his iconic 2010 breakout mixtape. The album features appearances from Gunna, Ty Dolla $ign, Don Toliver, and more rap superstars.

Khalifa also made headlines for reasons beyond music this month. He recently revealed his flat-Earth beliefs and shared the going rate for both his features and performances (does anybody have $250K to blow?) Whether he’s spitting bars or speaking his mind, Khalifa is keeping fans entertained on all fronts.

BigXThaPlug

BigXThaPlug has been making moves beyond gifting late-night host Jimmy Kimmel a $100K custom diamond Texas chain. On the music side, he teamed up with Bailey Zimmerman for the rap and country smoothie of a single “All the Way.” The song had been teased for weeks before its official drop on April 4th. The track can even be heard in the background of his music video for the track “Therapy Sessions” (which dropped a week before the single).

The collaboration paid off big. “All the Way” debuted in the top five of the Billboard Hot 100, marking a major career milestone for both artists. The rapper has also revealed that a full-on country project is in the works, with features including Shaboozey and Morgan Wallen, so time to get your cowboy boots on.

Yeat

Yeat celebrated his first Coachella by finally dropping his long-teased single “THE BELL” on April 18, complete with visuals that match his usual off-the-wall aesthetic. He first teased the track back on April 8 and brought it to life onstage at Coachella, performing it on top a literal giant bell (and copping a huge bell chain during weekend one).

In a surprising twist, Yeat also delivered a moody cover of Drake’s “Feel No Ways,” putting his own auto-tuned spin on the classic track. With “THE BELL” now officially out and Coachella in the rearview, the rapper is continuing to prove he’s one of the most unpredictable (and entertaining) voices in the game.