Artists like Ace Hood

Jay Wayne Jenkins, known by his stage name Jeezy, is an American rapper. He is credited, alongside fellow Georgia-based rappers T.I. and Gucci Mane, with pioneering the hip hop subgenre trap music for mainstream audiences. Jenkins began his career in 2001, releasing two independent albums until signing with Def Jam Recordings to release his major label debut, Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 (2005). The album peaked at number two on the Billboard 200, sold 172,000 copies in its first week, and received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA); its lead single, "Soul Survivor", peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains his highest-charting song.

Robert Rihmeek Williams, known professionally as Meek Mill, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he embarked on his career as a battle rapper, and later formed the short-lived rap group the Bloodhoundz. He signed with T.I.'s Grand Hustle Records as a solo act in 2008, but parted ways with the label in 2011 without any releases. He then signed with Rick Ross's Maybach Music Group (MMG) later that year, and rose to further recognition following his appearances on the label's Self Made Vol. 1 (2011) compilation album; his song "Tupac Back" served as the album's lead single, while its follow-up, "Ima Boss", became his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100.

Jasiel Amon Robinson, better known by his stage name Yung Joc, is an American rapper known for his 2006 single "It's Goin' Down", which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Prior to its release, he signed with Puff Daddy's Bad Boy South, an imprint of Atlantic Records, in a joint venture with Block Entertainment; the song served as lead single for his debut studio album, New Joc City (2006). The album and its sequel, Hustlenomics (2007), both peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 despite mixed critical responses. He is also known for his guest appearance on T-Pain's 2007 single "Buy U a Drank ", which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100.

Christopher Brian Bridges, known professionally as Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he first began rapping. Starting out with a brief stint as a DJ, he formed the record label Disturbing tha Peace in the late 1990s to release his debut studio album Incognegro (1999). After its single, "What's Your Fantasy", became a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, the album was re-released by Def Jam Recordings as his major label debut, Back for the First Time (2000). The latter album peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 and spawned his second top 40 single, "Southern Hospitality".

John David Jackson, known professionally as Fabolous, is an American rapper. Raised in Brooklyn, he first gained recognition for his ability upon performing live on DJ Clue's Hot 97 radio show. Jackson then signed to Clue's record label Desert Storm Records, in a joint venture with Elektra Records. He rose to further prominence with his debut studio album Ghetto Fabolous (2001), which spawned the hit singles "Can't Deny It" and "Young'n ." Adopting a further commercially-oriented approach, his second album, Street Dreams (2003), was supported by the singles "Can't Let You Go" and "Into You" —both of which peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100.

David Darnell Brown, better known by his stage name Young Buck, is an American rapper. He was affiliated with Birdman's Cash Money Records in 1997, formed the hip hop collective UTP with Juvenile and Soulja Slim in 2000, and joined 50 Cent's group, G-Unit by 2003. In 2003, he signed with 50 Cent's G-Unit Records, an imprint of Interscope Records to release his debut studio album Straight Outta Cashville (2004) and its follow-up Buck the World (2007), both of which peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and were met with critical praise.

Micheal Ray Stevenson, known professionally as Tyga, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. After several independent releases, he signed a recording contract with Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment, an imprint of Cash Money Records and Republic Records in 2008. His second album and major label debut, Careless World: Rise of the Last King (2012), peaked at number four on the Billboard 200, received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and was met with critical praise. It spawned the Billboard Hot 100-top ten single "Rack City", as well as the top 40 single "Faded". His third album, Hotel California (2013), was met with trailing critical and commercial response, along with his collaborative album with singer Chris Brown, Fan of a Fan: The Album (2015).

Karim Kharbouch, known professionally as French Montana, is a Moroccan and American rapper. Born and raised in Morocco, he immigrated to New York City with his family at the age of 13 and began his career as a battle rapper in the early 2000s — under the name Young French. He first gained recognition hosting the locally-tailored DVD series Cocaine City during the 2000s, which centered around interviews of hip hop figures. He pursued a recording career while doing so, releasing several underground projects before signing with Sean Combs's Bad Boy Records and Rick Ross's Maybach Music Group, in a triple-joint venture with Interscope Records in 2012.

David Lawrence Brewster Jr., known professionally as Dave East, is an American rapper. East began his career in 2010, and gained attention in 2014 for his eighth mixtape, Black Rose. Its release caught the attention of fellow New York rapper Nas, who signed East to a recording contract with his label Mass Appeal Records in 2014, which entered a joint venture with Def Jam Recordings two years later.

Brian Todd Collins, known professionally as Kid Ink, is an American rapper and singer from Los Angeles, California. His debut studio album, Up & Away (2012), was released independently and peaked at number 20 on the Billboard 200. He then signed with RCA Records to release his debut extended play (EP) Almost Home (2013), followed by his second album and major label debut, My Own Lane, the following year. The latter peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and was led by the single "Show Me", which peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received quadruple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album spawned two additional singles: "Iz U Down" and "Main Chick". His third album, Full Speed (2015), peaked at number 14 on the Billboard 200 and spawned the singles "Body Language" and "Be Real", both of which received platinum certifications by the RIAA.

LaRon Louis James Sr., better known by his stage name Juelz Santana, is an American rapper. A member of now-defunct hip-hop group the Diplomats, he is best known for his appearances on Cam'ron's 2002 singles "Oh Boy" and "Hey Ma", both of which peaked within the top five of the Billboard Hot 100. He later guest appeared on Chris Brown's 2005 single, "Run It!", which peaked atop the chart for five weeks and received triple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). As a lead artist, he is also known for his 2005 single "There It Go ", which peaked at number six on the chart and received platinum certification by the RIAA.

Bernard James Freeman, known professionally as Bun B is an American rapper. He is best known as one half of the Southern rap duo UGK, which he formed in 1987 alongside Pimp C. Aside from his work with UGK, Bun B has released five solo albums, including 2010's Trill OG, which received the rare 5-mic rating from The Source.

Paul Michael Slayton, better known by his stage name Paul Wall, is an American rapper and DJ. He was an early signee of the Houston-based record label Swishahouse in the late 1990s, through which he met labelmate Chamillionaire and released several albums, including the collaborative Get Ya Mind Correct (2002). By 2005, he signed with Atlantic Records to release his second album and major label debut, The Peoples Champ (2005), which debuted atop the Billboard 200. His third album, Get Money, Stay True (2007), peaked within the chart's top ten. His guest appearance on Nelly's 2005 single "Grillz" yielded his greatest commercial success, peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was also nominated for Best Rap Performance as a Duo or Group at the 2007 Grammy Awards.

Joseph Anthony Budden II is an American broadcaster and former rapper. He first gained recognition with his 2003 single "Pump It Up", which peaked in the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and preceded the release of his eponymous debut studio album (2003). A critical and commercial success, the album peaked in the top ten of the Billboard 200, although it was his only major label release for Def Jam Recordings. He released seven more independent albums to continued critical praise. While doing so, he performed as a member of the hip-hop supergroup Slaughterhouse, who signed with Eminem's Shady Records in 2012; the group released two studio albums. In 2014, he was made fun of in episode nine, "Tombstone," of Loiter Squad's third season, with his beard divorcing him, played by rapper Earl Sweatshirt.

Kristopher Thomas Campbell, known professionally as K Camp is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Born in Milwaukee and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Campbell began his recording career in 2009. He first garnered attention for his 2013 single "Money Baby", which led him to sign with Interscope Records. Released in December of that year, his single "Cut Her Off" became his first and highest-charting entry—at number 49—on the Billboard Hot 100. Both songs received platinum certifications by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and preceded the release of his debut extended play (EP), In Due Time (2014).

YoungBloodZ is an American Southern hip-hop duo from Atlanta, Georgia composed of J-Bo and Sean Paul formed in 1997. The duo were discovered by Kawan Prather and signed with his company Ghet-O-Vision, an imprint of LaFace Records to release their debut studio album, Against Da Grain (1999). Their second album, Drankin' Patnaz (2003), peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 and spawned the single "Damn!", which peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. The duo's third album, Ev'rybody Know Me (2005), was released by LaFace and Zomba. YoungBloodZ are one of many commercially successful Atlanta-based hip hop acts.

Wesley Eric Weston Jr., better known by his stage name Lil' Flip, is an American rapper. Raised in Houston, Texas, he began his musical career as a freestyle and battle rapper before signing with the local record label Sucka Free Records in 1999. Three years later, he secured a joint venture with Columbia Records, achieving mainstream recognition for his 2004 singles "Game Over" and "Sunshine", which peaked at numbers 15 and two on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively.