New Jersey Rap Atlas: 11 Acts, from Newark to Trenton
Queen Latifah and Redman connect to Newark, Naughty by Nature to East Orange, and Fetty Wap to Paterson. New Jersey rap takes more than one town or one sound to explore. This guide follows eleven acts through seven towns and a set of records to start with.
This guide covers New Jersey, including Newark and Jersey City. Use the place table and artist links below, then follow each entry’s listening pick to an official release.
Places and artists
| Regional connection | Acts |
|---|---|
| Newark | Artifacts, Lords of the Underground, Queen Latifah, Redman |
| East Orange | Naughty by Nature |
| South Orange | Lauryn Hill, Fugees (through Hill’s upbringing) |
| Jersey City | Joe Budden |
| Paterson | Fetty Wap |
| Hackensack | Coi Leray |
| Trenton | Poor Righteous Teachers |
Eleven acts and where to start listening
Artifacts
Artifacts brought together Newark-based rappers Tame One and El Da Sensei with DJ Kaos. El Da Sensei’s artist biography follows their appearance on Stretch & Bobbito’s radio show through to a deal with Big Beat/Atlantic. Their 1994 debut, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, includes “Wrong Side of da Tracks.” Pitchfork’s obituary of Tame One also traces his involvement in graffiti.
Start with Between a Rock and a Hard Place, then hear another Newark-connected release from 1994: Redman’s Dare Iz a Darkside.
Coi Leray
XXL’s 2019 introduction identifies Hackensack as Coi Leray’s hometown. “Players” samples Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five’s “The Message”; it reached No. 1 on Hot Rap Songs and No. 9 on the Hot 100, her first top-10 hit, according to XXL’s 2023 interview. The song brings a familiar earlier record into a new generation’s hit.
At the 2024 Grammys, “Players” was nominated for Best Rap Performance, while “Baby Don’t Hurt Me,” with David Guetta and Anne-Marie, was nominated for Best Pop Dance Recording (Recording Academy). The Hackensack attribution rests on the single XXL introduction above.
Start with “Players” to hear the record behind that sample and chart breakthrough.
Fetty Wap
Pitchfork’s 2015 review and XXL’s 2023 interview both connect Fetty Wap to Paterson. His 2015 breakthrough “Trap Queen” earned nominations for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song at the 2016 Grammys (Recording Academy).
Pitchfork describes the self-titled debut as retaining the feel of a record made with his local RGF Productions circle, without an influx of major guests or famous producers. Rolling Stone’s review focuses on the heavily processed singing and his underdog appeal.
Start with “Trap Queen”, the single connecting the debut album to that national breakthrough.
Fugees
The South Orange connection used here is member Lauryn Hill’s upbringing. Rolling Stone’s 1996 reporting visits her family home there while following the group around the success of The Score.
The profile follows musical reference points extending beyond New Jersey to Haiti, Jamaica and Brooklyn. At the 1997 Grammys, The Score won Best Rap Album, and “Killing Me Softly with His Song” won Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (Recording Academy).
Start with The Score, then move to Hill’s solo album below to follow the same artist across group and individual work.
Joe Budden
Billboard’s 2003 review identifies Joe Budden as a Jersey City native and praises the debut album’s pointed metaphors, one-liners and old-school feel. XXL’s 2007 interview repeats the city connection while following the Mood Muzik series, presenting an MC with both club and mixtape audiences.
“Pump It Up” was nominated for Best Male Rap Solo Performance at the 2004 Grammys. His participation on Eminem’s Recovery also carries an Album of the Year nomination in 2011 (Recording Academy).
Start with “Pump It Up” for an entry into his 2003 debut period.
Lauryn Hill
Rolling Stone’s 2003 profile places Lauryn Hill’s upbringing in South Orange. During work on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998), she recorded at Tuff Gong in Jamaica in fall 1997, as Rolling Stone reported in 1999.
The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and Hill won five Grammys in one night in 1999. The Recording Academy identifies it as the first hip-hop album to win Album of the Year (Recording Academy).
Start with The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill after The Score to follow the shift from group to solo work.
Lords of the Underground
The trio consists of DoItAll, Mr. Funke and DJ Lord Jazz. Apple Music’s notes for Here Come the Lords (1993) identify them as a Newark crew, discussing the production by Marley Marl and K-Def and the exchanges between the two MCs. The album includes “Chief Rocka” and “Funky Child.”
Newark’s official profile of Dupré L. Kelly, also known as DoItAll, records his upbringing in the West Ward and his role as a founding member. That does not establish the same birthplace for every member.
Start with Here Come the Lords. “Chief Rocka” offers a way into the interplay between the voices and the DJ.
Naughty by Nature
Billboard’s 2008 report and Pitchfork’s 2023 review connect Naughty by Nature to East Orange. Looking back at 19 Naughty III (1993), Pitchfork describes a group able to combine commercial reach with artistic credibility.
The later Poverty’s Paradise won Best Rap Album at the 1996 Grammys (Recording Academy).
Start with Poverty’s Paradise, then work back to 19 Naughty III to follow the group across two albums.
Poor Righteous Teachers
Wise Intelligent, Culture Freedom and Father Shaheed formed Poor Righteous Teachers in Trenton. Apple Music’s catalog lists the group’s releases from Holy Intellect (1990) and Pure Poverty (1991) to The New World Order (1996).
The local connection extends beyond a place listed in a biography. Trenton Journal reported on August 16, 2026 that the city had honored the group with Poor Righteous Teachers Day. The report also describes a youth-focused summit at Mercer County Community College, connecting the celebration with activity beyond the stage.
Start with “Rock Dis Funky Joint,” from Holy Intellect, to take this guide from the Newark area to the state capital, Trenton.
Queen Latifah
Billboard’s 2018 report identifies Newark as Queen Latifah’s birthplace; XXL’s 2016 feature discusses her upbringing there. XXL links that background to the combination of street experience and accessibility in her records.
“U.N.I.T.Y.” won Best Rap Solo Performance at the 1995 Grammys. Her Recording Academy record also includes nominations in jazz and traditional pop categories (Recording Academy).
Start with “U.N.I.T.Y.”, the rap recording that brought a Grammy win within that wider career.
Redman
Billboard’s 2001 review and NPR’s 2014 interview identify Redman as a Newark native. He handled much of the production on Dare Iz a Darkside (1994); Pitchfork’s 2026 retrospective frames its uneasy, inward-looking world as East Coast G-funk.
His Grammy nominations are for guest appearances: De La Soul’s “Oooh.” at the 2001 ceremony and Christina Aguilera’s “Dirrty” in 2003 (Recording Academy).
Start with Dare Iz a Darkside. For a guest appearance afterward, try “Dirrty”.
Timeline: selected releases and milestones
- 1990 — Poor Righteous Teachers release Holy Intellect.
- 1993 — Lords of the Underground release Here Come the Lords.
- 1994 — Artifacts release Between a Rock and a Hard Place.
- 1994 — Dare Iz a Darkside is released by Redman.
- 1995 — Queen Latifah’s “U.N.I.T.Y.” wins a Grammy.
- 1996 — Naughty by Nature’s Poverty’s Paradise wins Best Rap Album.
- 1997 — Fugees win two Grammys for The Score and “Killing Me Softly with His Song.”
- 1998–1999 — Lauryn Hill releases her solo album, then wins five Grammys the following year.
- 2015–2016 — Fetty Wap’s “Trap Queen” breaks through and earns two Grammy nominations the following year.
- 2024 — Coi Leray earns Grammy nominations in two categories.
Release and award sources are linked in the corresponding artist cards.
Scope and sources
Acts appear alphabetically, without ranking. Inclusion combines an official streaming release with national or specialist coverage or an official award record. Birthplace, upbringing and a reported hometown are kept distinct; each claim stays within what its linked source supports.
This is a selected guide, not an exhaustive roster or awards history. Group and individual award totals are not added together. Rap Atlas does not sell placement, and advertising does not determine inclusion or order. Corrections supported by sources are checked and applied to both language editions and the regional record; anonymous submissions are welcome.
The research baseline is September 15, 2026. On September 21, the Redman catalog, Rolling Stone’s Fugees/Hill reporting and Billboard’s Queen Latifah article were rechecked. The Fugees’ regional attribution refers to Hill’s upbringing.
On September 22, 2026, the regional connections and release catalogs of Artifacts, Lords of the Underground and Poor Righteous Teachers were checked and added, extending the place table to Trenton.
Frequently asked questions
- Where should I start listening?
- For group and solo work in sequence, move from the Fugees’ The Score to Lauryn Hill. For individual singles, the cards link to “U.N.I.T.Y.,” “Trap Queen” and “Players.”
- Are these towns all birthplaces?
- No. Birthplace, upbringing and a reported hometown describe different relationships. The Fugees’ South Orange connection here refers to Hill’s upbringing, not a claimed group formation site.
- What about New York?
- Music crosses the state line, but this guide uses New Jersey towns as its starting points.
Explore and contribute
Continue across the state line with the New York Rap Atlas. For another city’s history, the Philadelphia guide starts with figures including Schoolly D and The Roots.
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