The urban music scene is a veritable treasure trove of popular baby names. From song titles to the names of performers and groups, you are sure to find an eclectic and unforgettable name that will have your child standing out from the crowd. Be inspired by our list and find the perfect hip hop baby name for your baby boy or baby girl.

Individual Artists

Whether R&B, soul, funk, hip hop or rap, below are some of the most well-known wonders that have made their mark on the urban music genre.

Baby Girl Names: Amel Larrieux, Amerie, Angie Stone, Ashanti, Beyonce, Brandy, Erykah Badu, Faith Evans, Goapele, India.Arie, Joss Stone, Kelis, Keyshia Cole, Lauryn Hill, Leela James, Macy Gray, Meshell Ndegeocello, Missy Elliott, Mya, Res, Rihanna, Syleena Johnson, Tamia and Tweet.

Baby Boy Names: Akon, Anthony Hamilton, Avant, Brian McKnight, Calvin Richardson, Donell Jones, Donny Hathaway, Dwele, Ginuwine, Jaheim, John Legend, Kanye West, Lyfe Jennings, Marques Houston, Mos Def, Omarion, Raheem DeVaughn, Rahsaan Patterson, Raphael Saadiq, Robin Thicke, Tupac Shakur, Tyrese, Usher and Wyclef Jean.

Song Titles

If you want to avoid the obvious link between your baby and the name of an artist, dig into their music oeuvre instead to see if a song title can provide inspiration.

A Milli
Dreamgirl
Foe Life
Hypnotize
Krazy
Lollipop
Mr. Carter
Paper Planes
Pop Champagne
Swagger
Swing

Invent Your Own Baby Name

What if you love an artist but feel like you couldn’t possibly borrow their unusual name for your child? Then it’s time to think outside of the box and develop your own interpretation of their title for the soundtrack of your child’s life.

Cee-Lo (Ceilo for a boy)
De La Soul (Delasol for a boy)
Jay-Z (Jayzee for a girl)
Kid Rock (Kidd or Roq for a boy)
Lil Jon (Lilajon for a girl)
Lil Wayne (Liwane for a boy)
MC Lyte (Emcie for a girl))
M.I.A. (Mia for a girl)

Aliases

The standouts in the hip hop and R&B crowd obviously weren’t born with names like Big Boi (Antwan Andre Patton) and Ghostface (Dennis Coles). But the names on their birth certificates might just be the right choice for your baby.

Akon, born Aliuane Badara Thiam
Apl.de.ap, born Allen Pineda
Bow Wow, born Shad Gregory Moss
Busta Rhymes, born Trevor Tahiem Smith
Chilli, born Rozanda Thomas
Coolio, born Artis Leon Ivey Jr
Dr. Dre, born Andre Romelle Young
Eminen, born Marshall Bruce Mathers
Foxy Brown, born Inga Marchand
Grandmaster Flash, born Joseph Saddler
Ice Cube, born Oshea Jackson
Left Eye, born Lisa Nicole Lopes
Ludacris, born Christopher Brian Bridges
Master P, born Percy Miller
Mos Def, born Dante Terrell "Beze" Smith
Pepa, born Sandra Denton
Puffy Daddy, born Sean John Combs
Queen Latifah, born Dana Owens
Salt, born Cheryl James
Snoop Doggy Dogg, born Cordozar Calvin Broadus Jr.
T-Box – born Tionne Watkins
T-Pain, born Faheem Najm

Old school Baby Names

You can even use group names as your muse. But you aren’t relegated to present-day posses like the Black Eyed Peas and its members, will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo and Fergie. Consider names like Cherish (with members Farrah, Neosha, Felisha and Fallon) or Cypress Hill. If you dare, get a little “old school” and select a name from the folks who once (and still might) keep company together.

Beastie Boys – Michael "Mike D" Diamond, Adam "MCA" Yauch and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz
Bell Biv Devoe – Ricky Bell (a.k.a. Slick), Michael Bivins (Biv) and Ronnie DeVoe (R.D.)
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch – Mark Wahlberg, Scott Ross (aka Scottie Gee), Hector Barros (aka Hector the Bootie Inspector), Duffy Culligan (aka Duffle), Terry Yancey (aka DJ-T) and Anthony Thomas (aka Ashey Ace)
House of Pain – Everlast, DJ Lethal and Danny Boy
Naughty By Nature – Treach, Vin Rock and the DJ Kay Gee
P.M. Dawn – Attrell Cordes (aka Prince Be) and Jarrett Cordes (aka DJ Minutemix)
Run-D.M.C. – Joseph "DJ Run" Simmons, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels and Jason "Jam-Master Jay" Mizell
Wreckx-n-Effect – Aqil Davidson, Brandon Mitchell, Markell Riley and Keith "K.C." Hanns

Whether you decide to go full-on hip-hop with your child’s name, or simply want to draw inspiration from the urban scene, there is no limit to the options available among this kaleidoscope of talented musicians.

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