Key Takeaways
- Donald Glover, Drake, and more named prestige dramas like “The Sopranos” and “Ozark” as their top picks.
- Megan Thee Stallion and Tyler, The Creator showed love to anime and cartoons, reflecting their creative influences.
- Migos and Gunna leaned into crime thrillers like “Narcos” and “The Blacklist,” even naming songs after their favorite shows.
As much as we like to think rappers live in a world of their own, they’re not so different from the rest of us. They binge-watch, quote, and fall in love with TV shows just like anyone else. After all, television is one of entertainment’s greatest gifts, whether it’s sitcoms like "The Office" or crime dramas like "Breaking Bad."
Nicki Minaj, for instance, is a huge fan of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” while Migos had a thing for “Narcos,” a series they loved so much they even made a song with the same name. While many might debate whether or not these shows below deserve the hype they get from artists — this list is all about their personal picks.
Below, REVOLT rounds up 11 rappers and their personal favorite TV shows to watch.
1. Young Thug
“‘The Office’ is my favorite TV show, for sure,” Young Thug shared on a livestream with Adin Ross. The Steve Carell-led comedy, which premiered in 2005, went on to make stars out of John Krasinski, Mindy Kaling, and many others. Despite its famously awkward humor, the series was ultimately about friendships, relationships, and surviving the everyday grind of office life — something many Americans can relate to.
2. Donald Glover
Mob boss Tony Soprano holds a special place in the hearts of many people. It’s nearly impossible to find a TV fanatic who hasn’t at least seen or heard of "The Sopranos," Donald Glover included.
“You can’t beat it in any way. If you want sex, if you want violence, if you want family, if you want comedy, some of the funniest jokes,” Glover said after he and his “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” co-star crowned “The Sopranos” the greatest TV show of all time. He added, “That’s the correct answer.”
3. Drake
If anyone’s TV opinions carry some serious weight, it’s Drake’s. After all, he starred in “Degrassi” years before helping bring HBO’s “Euphoria” to life as an executive producer, so the Canadian hitmaker clearly knows his way around good storytelling.
During his Hollywood Reporter interview, Drake was asked about the show he can’t get enough of, which, at the time, was “Ozark.” He explained, “My taste in television or movies is always kind of similar to my approach to music, which is, I like when people really hit the nail on the head with real human emotions. So, with ‘Ozark,’ it’s just the family dynamic.”
4. Vince Staples
Vince Staples told Complex his Top 3 TV shows are “The Good Place,” “Breaking Bad,” and “Utopia.” He also mentioned “Atlanta” — a show many consider a spiritual predecessor to his Netflix comedy — as well as “Barry.” Staples admitted, “I know that’s all over the place, but that’s how my life kind of works.”
5. Latto
While Latto technically only shared her favorite reality show, that has got to count for something. During Complex’s “GOAT Talk” with Brooklyn Nikole, Big Mama named “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” as her top pick. She also humorously referenced the moment when Stevie J threatened to send Joseline Hernandez back to dancing: “Don’t send me back to the strip club, Stevie.”
6. Megan Thee Stallion
Between “Hot Girl Otaku” and her many cosplays, it should come as no surprise that Megan Thee Stallion is an anime fan through and through. While she previously named “Hunter x Hunter” and “Attack on Titan” among her favorites, GQ asked her to rank her all-time picks at 2023’s Men of the Year party. There, she put “My Hero Academia” at No. 1, which wasn’t surprising given that she dressed as Rumi “Mirko” Usagiyama the Halloween before.
7. Tyler, The Creator
Tyler, The Creator previously lent his voice to “Regular Show,” so it’s not shocking he’s a big fan of Cartoon Network. While chatting with GQ, the “See You Again” rapper listed some of his favorite cartoons. “I love ‘Family Guy,’ ‘South Park’ is super cool. ‘Clarence’ is my favorite cartoon right now,” he mentioned alongside “The Amazing World of Gumball” and “Adventure Time.”
Tyler continued, “I f**king love ‘Big Mouth,’ dude. Watch it. I think the storylines are really good, and I like how it's drawn. It's not too detailed where it takes you out of it, ‘cause I didn't like anime growing up, and I think that's why.”
8. Nicki Minaj
During a live Q&A with Billboard, Nicki Minaj admitted that while she “can’t get into” the cartoons she loved growing up, she’s a big fan of “Judge Judy” and her all-time favorite, “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” The Queen rapper called it her “favorite show of all freaking time” and even joked, “I wanna marry Larry David.”
9. Migos
Migos’ Quavo and Takeoff were huge fans of Netflix’s “Narcos: Mexico,” so much so that they even named one of their songs after it. The track appeared on their 2018 album, Culture II, followed by Quavo making a cameo in the show’s second season.
“Those guys love the show, and I got to know their manager when they actually helped in the marketing of the last season because they just loved it so much, and they were like, ‘I want to be a part of this,'” showrunner Eric Newman told Entertainment Weekly.
10. Gunna
In a one-on-one conversation with Young Thug for Interview Magazine, Gunna revealed not one but two of his favorite TV shows. “‘Ozark’s’ hard, twin, no cap. I watch that all day. Them folks ain’t playing,” the “Oh Okay” rapper said. “You got to get on that ‘[The] Blacklist.’ That’s one of the ones I been watching a lot.” The Georgia native seemingly has a soft spot for shows centered around antiheroes.
11. A$AP Rocky
Like several artists on this list, A$AP Rocky couldn’t settle on just one favorite show. During his GQ interview with Rihanna, the “Fashion Killa” rapper said, “I watch everything, man. That’s a complex question for a complicated guy.”
“I like to watch cartoons as weird as it is. The older the better. Vintage cartoons, that’s my vibe,” he continued. When RiRi asked which ones specifically, Rocky mentioned “Popeye the Sailor,” “Scooby-Doo,” “The Jetsons,” and “The Banana Splits,” to mention a couple.