Key Takeaways
- The new Throwback collection traces Selena Gomez’s evolution from Barney & Friends and Wizards of Waverly Place to her breakout film role in Spring Breakers, framing her journey from child star to boundary‑pushing actor.
- The drop includes Barney & Friends-inspired hoodies, sweatpants, tees, and tanks, Wizards of Waverly Place hoodies, joggers, and ringer tees, plus an exclusive Spring Breakers tee, all available to shop exclusively via Complex and the Complex App starting Thursday, Sept. 18.
- Complex is also carrying Selena Gomez’s new album I SaId I Love You First with Benny Blanco on multiple vinyl variants, plus crop tanks, socks, posters, and more merch.
It’s never been more difficult to be a successful rapper.
The field is crowded, attention spans are dwindling, financial support is scarce, and industry infrastructure appears less stable than ever. Which is why working rappers tend to have only one mode: Drop a lot of shit, drop often, and let the algorithmic gods sort ’em out.
This makes determining the 100 hottest rappers right now a tricky prospect. How do you compare a rapper who consistently puts out music that serves their base but can't break through to superstardom to a rapper who has one recent impactful moment?
So, let’s start with our methodology. This is a list of the hottest rappers not the best. (We have other lists for that.) So skill isn’t the determining factor. This is a temperature check on a given rapper’s impact on the scene; we’re judging rappers on the music they put out and its impact, while also considering how anticipated pending new releases are. (We locked the list on March 24th, 2026.)
Eligibility was simple: You need to have released a song or been featured on a track within the last six months, been actively touring and performing or are actively teasing new music to be considered. This is also a list of individual artists, not rap acts. This means no rap groups are included, though members of a group could qualify if they’ve established a strong solo presence.
For example, if this was centered around rap acts, $uicideboy$ would be in as a group, but it's harder to make individual cases for Scrim or Ruby da Cherry.
Lastly, we decided that the list will only feature rappers who are living, which means no Juice WRLD or Mac Miller, despite any posthumous activity.
Our ranking criteria weigh empirical evidence (album sales and streams) alongside intangible factors (headlines, viral moments, and how much conversation they spark).
Here are the 100 hottest rappers right now.
(This story was originally published in 2024. It was last updated on April 22, 2026.)
