10 Rappers Who Sound Like Other Rappers

As soon as the "If Young Metro don't trust you, I'ma shoot you" drop appeared in the middle of Kanye's MSG performance last week, an audible "Damn..." came from the crowd seated in the theater with me. 'A Ye and Future song?!', we all asked ourselves, struggling to calculate just how many flame emojis we'd have to use when describing the track to those who missed the listening session. That little soundbite was indeed Nayvadius Wilburn's voice, but the verse that followed was not, though it might not have been until after the show concluded that you realized it. 

The song in question, Kanye's "Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1," samples heavily from a track called "Panda" by a relatively unknown rapper named Desiigner. The Future doppelgänger is also featured on TLOP's "Freestyle 4," where he again sounds like he's from anywhere but Brooklyn (his actual hometown). Desiigner isn't the first artist to borrow heavily from Fewtch's highly influential vocal style, and he certainly isn't the only rapper to be mistaken for another more famous one. 

Here are ten soundalikes who predate Desiigner, and have spent most of their careers defending themselves against the type of comparisons that G.O.O.D. Music's latest signee is only beginning to face.

Sounds like: Drake

Last year, Erykah Badu previewed her mixtape You Cain't Use My Phone by releasing a remix of Drake's "Hotline Bling," the theme of which ended up informing the entire project. Especially because the two are friends and Drake chose to interpolate her "You Got Me" lyrics on "6 Man," when a voice that sounded very similar to his popped up two of the tape's tracks ("U Used To Call Me" and "What's Yo Phone Number"), everyone assumed it was an unannounced collaboration, similar to Andre 3000's on the last track. 

In reality, Badu phoned up a rapper named ItsRoutine (whose birth name is actually Aubrey as well) to record the spots. In a since deleted tweet, she explained: "It’s not Drake. It’s one of my artists named ItsRoutine. He’s on my label and he can do anything. He sounds like him sometimes. His name is Aubrey as well."

Sounds like: Ghostface Killah

Bronsolino has been getting comparisons to Tony Starks since he first picked up the mic, and even addressed them on Blue Chips' "Ron Simmons" ("Don't ever say my fucking music sound like Ghost shit") four years ago. But it wasn't until last year, when Bronson addressed the comparison on ESPN by saying "[Ghostface] isn't rapping like this no more," that beef was ignited.

In reality, both are nasally NYC MCs with unique affinities for detail-driven storytelling. Let 'em rock.

Sounds like: Nas

Another NYC native of Eastern European descent who's commonly mistaken for an OG, Your Old Droog (unlike Bronson) was originally thought to be Nas masquerading under an alibi. This led to a whole conspiracy theory online, which was quickly dispelled when the Droog unveiled himself. Unfortunately, a good deal of his hype also vanished with that realization.

Still, if you like gritty boom bap that's chock full of alt rock references, Droog's your go-to guy. 

(Early) Young Thug

Sounds like: Lil Wayne

Since blowing up, Thugger has without a doubt carved his own lane, taking his shapeshifting voice to totally uncharted territory in hip hop, but the foundation for his career was unmistakably laid by Lil Wayne. The ATLien has named Weezy his first, second, and third favorite rapper in the past, and when you revisit his first two I Came From Nothing tapes, that's very clear. (Also, for anyone who claims Thugger is "bad at rapping" because of his current style, these tapes will show you that he's very capable of a more orthodox, easily comprehendible delivery). 

On the two's only collaboration to date, "Take Kare," it's difficult to tell where one starts and the other ends. 

(Early) Macklemore

Sounds like: Slug

Macklemore's since moved on into poppier and less lyrically dazzling territory, but he's been rapping for over ten years, and for the first half of his career, it was clear that he took a lot of inspiration from Atmosphere's Slug. Here's a side-by-side if you don't believe me-- and it's not just the voices, but also the production style.

Sounds like: Boosie Badazz

Lil Boosie's instantly recognizable for having one of the highest-pitched voices in all of hip hop, so anyone who's in his register is subject to rather unfair comparisons. That being said, Bay Area MC DB Tha General sounds like his long-lost twin who was raised on Mac Dre and E-40 instead of Cash Money and No Limit. 

Sounds like: Ma$e

When Ma$e retired from rap after finding God, Diddy replaced him on the Bad Boy roster with another Harlemite who sounded almost identical. Loon had a similarly smooth voice, and also found success (albeit much more short-lived) on club-ready tracks. 

Sounds like: Slick Rick

Another slightly unfair comparison, Dana Dane arrived when Slick Rick was the only well-known British rapper stateside, so this was pretty much inevitable. Except there's a twist: Dane wasn't even British, instead hailing from Brooklyn. For some reason, he adopted the accent, gaudy jewelry, Kangol hats, and pretty much the entirety of Rick's swag. 

Sound like: Jay Z

As one of the most famous rappers of all time who also possesses a very distinct voice, Jay Z's one of the most imitated rap artists in history. We may not get too many Hov clones out there nowadays, but for a while there in the early 2000s, they were a dime a dozen. Most also hailed from NY: Sacario and Bathgate from Harlem, Angelous from BK, but Byrd Gang's NOE was from Baltimore. Check out a track by each below. 

Sound like: Notorious B.I.G.

Even more so than Jay Z, when Notorious B.I.G. blew up, everybody wanted to emulate his effortless Brooklyn cool. Shyne was the first, discovered by DJ Clark Kent and signed on the spot by Diddy soon after Biggie's death, but he had more of his own substance than others that would follow. Guerilla Black is perhaps the most egregious rip-off, as he's also an overweight dude who could muster the same sort of tone in his voice, but Christian rapper BB Jay and fellow Brooklynite Gravy (who went on to play the man himself in "Notorious") also make the cut.