Get LIVE: 13 Rappers That Are Great In Concert

Rappers are generally hit-or-miss in the concert setting. Some MCs can really rock a crowd while others are notorious for being sloppy, tardy, or brief with their shows. If you've been to a solid handful of rap shows, you've definitely been kept waiting around for an obnoxious amount of time waiting for an MC to show up, only to have him phone in a handful of songs and split. We know we have.

But the rappers that put on a spectacular show really make up for it. If you've ever seen Jay Z or Kendrick Lamar have an entire festival going wild, or The Roots cover everything from the Beasie Boys' "Paul Revere" to Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song," then you may agree. With a solid month+ left of festival season, and fall tours getting announced left and right, we've outlined a handful of artists that we think are killer in concert. There's also live videos of each act so you can see what they bring to the table.

For the past five years, J. Cole has been touring relentlessly to push his positive brand of hip hop. Graduating from smaller clubs, to mid-level venues, and now doing arenas, Cole often brings a live band to recreate his self-produced instrumentals.

Check out this version of "Crooked Smile" from the iHeartRadio Music Festival.

Few MCs have the profile and longevity to match Nas. There's also not too many cats who can match his live shows. Some live instrumentation on those Illmatic songs is basically as dope as a concert can get. Festival promoters have caught on to that, and Nas has played everywhere from Coachell to Glastonbury.

Check out Nas doing a medley of tracks in New York City.

How many hip hop BANDS, not just groups, can you name? There aren't a whole lot; however there is The Roots. Not only have they been good enough to back up the Jay Zs and Erykah Badus of the world, but this Philadelphia collective puts on a very energetic show themselves as well.

The Roots will still put on a killer live show, but this footage from 1994 is pretty unbeatable. Check the out the pure sound and youthful energy from Black Thought, Questlove and company as they do "Proceed" and more.

Speaking of Jay Z, Hov has to make this list. Debatably the most popular rapper of all-time, he's capable of rocking crowds as large as any musician out there. With a full band, known as the Roc Boys, Sean Carter is a bonafide rock star.

Check out a full set of his Coachella 2013 performance. 

A few years ago, when A$AP Rocky was just comin' up, he made a name for himself through fresh, new music and a raucous live show. His performance at Bonnaroo in 2013 was one crazy-looking rap show, complete with stage diving, crowd surfing, and a massive crowd yelling the words to every song.

Check out this clip of Rocky, right in the heart of his come-up, blowing the lid off Santos Party House in Manhattan, NY.

RTJ's beats are made for the live music setting. They pack each song with heavy bass, hard beats and a hyphy style. Of course, bringing Rage Against The Machine's Zac De La Rocha out never turned a crowd down.

Check El-P and Killer Mike do just that during the Pitchfork Music Festival. 

Kanye has solidified himself as a bonafide performer. He takes a very artistic approach to his shows, as demonstrated with the Glow in the Dark tour, Watch the Throne tour, and of course the Yeezus tour. He isn't afraid to take risks, get theatrical, and perform for long periods of time.

Check out a video of "Power" from that Yeezus tour.

You'll enjoy an Action Bronson show so long as you stay off the stage. If you cross that line, you may still have fun, but only if the crowd catches you. Seriously though, Bronson has enough charisma for a web series and enough bars to keep you engaged for a show. 

Watch Action Bronson bring out fellow Queens MC Prodigy in NYC.

There's something about Spitta's voice. It's so laid back, so he doesn't really have to try so hard. He usually delivers a fast-paced show to a set of diehard fans, which makes for quite the environment. He'll take it a capella (and crush it), and make you laugh the entire time. 

Check out a full show from his Pilot Talk 3 tour in Atlanta.

Despite the fact that he was arrested for inciting a riot at Lollapalooza, most Travi$ Scott shows are only a riot in appearance. The Houston artist is great at hyping an audience, and it isn't uncommon to see patrons lose themselves in a mosh pit to his tracks.

He even brought out Kanye one time and the entire crowd went bonkers. Check it out.

K Dot is on top of the game. Although he's been shy about playing cuts from To Pimp A Butterfly, his good kid, m.A.A.d city cuts are still making crowds go wild by the tens of thousands. The song "m.A.A.d city" will still set ablaze to festivals and dance-floors whether its a DJ spinning it or Kendrick performing it himself.

Check out his set from the Made in America Festival in Los Angeles last year.

Even if you go back to his mixtape days, Wiz Khalifa was putting out quality tracks that are great in the live setting. "Thrill Of It" still gets performed regularly, with its summery, feel-good synths courtesy of Empire of the Sun. Along with his weed antics, Wiz will entertain a crowd and get them moving for the duration of his performance. As he says, the Taylor Gang is about "peace, positivity, having fun, smoking a lot of weed" and doing what they want. Who can't get down with that?

Check out his set from Bonnaroo last year. 

Usually appearing alongside the Social Experiment, Chance The Rapper puts on one hell of a show. The young star has a ton of energy, a great vibe, and a serious stage presence, which all equates to something every hip hop fan should see. With a massive tour coming up, you'll have your chance come fall.

Check out his performance of "Sunday Candy" live from the Fader Fort.