30 plus years in hip-hop, this seemingly silly name has become an institution. Reason : Ladies Love Cool James was a nickname given to him at school by one of his mates in 1984. He started as Double M, then became M&M and settled on Eminem just before his debut album Infinite. Interestingly, OutKast’s André 3000 originally rapped as Dre but had to add the 3000 to avoid confusion with the good doctor. Here are some other stage names that are inspired by the subject’s birth names: For reference this is what a Steph – Washington baby would look like The fact this is his real name makes me respect him even more. I initially thought he was claiming to be a mix of the outrageous basketball skills of Steph Curry with the knicker-melting good looks of Denzel Washington. Let’s kick off with the top 5 of these:ĭenzel Curry still has a long way to go in the rap world, but with a birth name like that he can’t go wrong. Some lucky people are born with names that just work as stage names. Most rap names can fit into a few categories we’re going to look at some of the most prevalent of these and what they mean. This name comes his basketball nickname “Hercules”, and kool with ‘K’. This dates back to DJ Kool Herc, who is credited with originating the genre in the 1970s. Outlandish rap names have been part of the genre from its very inception. The purpose of which is to strike fear into your enemies’ hearts, while also proving you’re a badass MC. Of course the best way to impress the world and other rappers is to have a great rap name. The whole genre is basically a dick measuring contest, and that’s what we love about it. I love rap music: a genre with many colourful characters, where every song is basically an excuse to boast about how dope you are. Obie Trice, real name, no gimmicks – Obie Trice

Real name no gimmicks