Compton isn’t just a line in a bar or a movie title. The Los Angeles suburb had a major part in shaping how the world hears West Coast music and how artists talk about the neighborhoods that raised them. From crack-era street reporting to house-infused rap experiments, the city keeps evolving on its own terms.

For this list, we’re focusing on Hip Hop figures who feel genuinely built in and around Compton’s streets, even when their birth certificates tell a more complicated story. That includes artists who moved in young, bounced between nearby cities, or crossed a border before finding home on Rosecrans. “Biggest” here doesn’t just mean sales or streams, but impact, influence, and how clearly you can hear Compton in the work.

Notably, a few important names sit just outside the main lineup. Tyga was said to have been born in Compton, but is more often framed around Gardena and wider South L.A. Arabian Prince has Compton on his résumé, yet his formative years lean harder toward Inglewood. 2nd II None are a key Compton duo, even if the paper trail around their early roots is lighter.

And then there’s N.W.A as a collective. The group will always be ground zero for “Compton” in mainstream rap, and notable members already appear here in their own right. Rather than double up, we’re using the unranked list to zoom in on solo legacies and newer voices that keep pushing the city’s story forward, keeping Compton central without treating it like a museum piece. Think of it as a guided tour through the city’s past, present, and what’s coming next.

1. Dr. Dre

Let’s get this out of the way: Dr. Dre is obviously most known for his production than for his rhymes. Nonetheless, he is arguably Compton’s architect-in-chief, born in the city and shaped by its clubs, house parties, and lowrider culture. From World Class Wreckin’ Cru to N.W.A to Aftermath, he turned Compton slang and G-funk synths into global language, producing the blueprint for generations of West Coast rap.

2. Eazy-E

Eazy-E grew up in Compton and flipped neighborhood hustle into Ruthless Records, N.W.A, and a new lane for street entrepreneurs. Lyrical ability aside, his high-pitched sneer and business instincts helped export Compton’s reality worldwide, making him a key figure in how the city was first framed on tape and television.

3. MC Ren

MC Ren is the Kelly Park native whose pen helped define N.W.A’s hardest moments. He’s a Compton kid through and through, carrying that edge into solo work that never chased pop polish. When people talk about the group’s purest street voice, they’re often talking about Ren.

4. DJ Quik

DJ Quik grew up in Compton perfecting a live, musician’s approach to G-funk. His rapper-producer dual threat turned neighborhood stories into sparkling, groove-heavy records that influenced everyone from local peers to future stars. Quik’s catalog proves Compton rap can be sharp, technical, and silky at the same time.

5. MC Eiht

MC Eiht and Compton’s Most Wanted gave the city slow-burning menace, rooted in Compton blocks they actually walked. Eiht’s drawl and detailed storytelling were often paired with moody production to soundtrack early ’90s street cinema, from classic albums to roles and music tied to films like Menace II Society.

6. Coolio

Coolio wasn’t born in Compton, but he moved there young and sharpened his skills in the city’s classrooms and cipher circles. Before “Gangsta’s Paradise” went global, he was a Compton-based working rapper, threading everyday humor and cautionary tales into a style that still feels very West Coast neighborhood.

7. Guerilla Black

Guerilla Black brought a booming voice (incessantly compared to a certain late Brooklyn legend) and sly wit from Chicago to Compton’s east side, where he grew up and claimed the city outright. His short-but-sweet run leaned into lush production and flashy storytelling, showing how a Compton-raised artist could tap mainstream radio without losing block-specific references.

8. The Game

The Game is a Compton native who turned his Santana Blocc upbringing into industry currency. Initially looked at as a continuation of Dr. Dre’s legacy, the G-Unit alum re-centered the West Coast on major-label playlists, name-dropping streets, legends, neighborhoods, and (from an encyclopedic standpoint) many of his rap peers. For a whole era, he was many listeners’ first modern introduction to Compton rap.

9. YG

YG was born and raised in Compton; rather, his discography feels like a Bompton diary. Linking with DJ Mustard, he helped define ratchet-era bounce, then leaned into protest records and concept albums. His music keeps circling back to Compton blocks, gang politics, and the storytelling that comes with both.

10. Compton Menace

Menace embodies the city’s mixtape and DVD-era grind, proudly billed as born and raised in Compton. A collaborator with West Coast heavyweights, he kept the street side of the city loud during moments when charts chased other sounds, making sure Compton’s more underground chapters never fell silent.

11. Kendrick Lamar

Debatably, Kendrick Lamar stands as his city’s biggest champion. He grew up in Compton watching his heroes on TV, then became the one carrying their story into new space. His albums map family houses, intersections, and local crises with otherworldly detail, all while still playing on world stages. Compton isn’t just his backdrop; it’s the core thesis.

12. JasonMartin (Problem)

JasonMartin, formerly known as Problem, was born overseas but raised in Compton, where he soaked up DJ Quik, street rap, and G-funk history. His punchy delivery and producer instincts made him a go-to collaborator. Projects like Rosecrans double down on Compton geography, turning specific corners into full bodies of work.

13. Roddy Ricch

Roddy Ricch is an example of a modernized star whose melodic flows trace back to Compton apartments and church pews. Born in the city, he blended local influences with Atlanta touches into chart-topping records. Songs like “The Box” still carry that mix of struggle, flex, and reflective storytelling rooted in home.

14. Westside Boogie

Westside Boogie came up between Compton blocks and church choirs, and you can hear both in his writing. His confessional, hyper-detailed songs wrestle with love, faith, and neighborhood politics. Even on a major label, he makes Compton feel small and specific, like you’re eavesdropping on conversations on the corner.

15. Buddy

Buddy was born in Compton and trained as a performer from a young age, flipping that background into genre-blurring rap and R&B. His projects move from church to cookout to function, but Compton comes up again and again, both as a setting and as a lens on joy and pressure.

16. Channel Tres

Channel Tres grew up in Compton reworking West Coast influences into something club-ready. His deep-voiced speak-rap rides house rhythms, yet he still shouts out streets, bus lines, and childhood landmarks. The result is a sound where Compton history pulls up to the dancefloor without ever feeling nostalgic or stuck.

17. Jay Worthy

Jay Worthy wasn’t born in Compton (in fact, he’s Canadian), but he planted deep roots in one neighborhood and never stopped documenting it. His collaborative projects (particularly, his contributions as one-half of LNDN DRGS with Sean House) live at the intersection of G-funk, soul samples, and lowrider cruises. In his music, Compton feels like a tight-knit universe, introduced one storyteller and porch at a time.