Here’s How These Rappers Got Their Names

Hi! My name is … what?

1. Jay-Z / Shawn Corey Carter

When Jay-Z was a kid, men in his neighborhood used to refer to him as “jazzy.” He thought the term was accurate, but a little outdated, so he kept the J and the Z and ditched the rest. The new name was also a nod to his mentor Jaz-o and the two subway lines, the J and the Z, that serviced his neighborhood.

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Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images

2. Eminem / Marshall Bruce Mathers III

Eminem got his name from his initials, M and M, spelled out phonetically.

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Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images

3. Snoop Dogg / Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr.

Snoop got his name because he watched so much Charlie Brown as a kid his mom said he was starting to look like Snoopy.

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Kevin Winter

4. Waka Flocka Flame / Juaquin James Malphurs

Waka gets his name from Fozzie Bear’s catchprhase in The Muppets. The “Flocka Flame” part was added by fellow rapper Gucci Mane later.

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Scott Cunningham / Getty Images

5. Fetty Wap / Willie Maxwell II

“Fetty” is slang for money and “Wap” is an homage to his idol Gucci Mane, whose nickname is Guwop.

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Frederic J. Brown / AFP / Getty Images

6. Drake / Aubrey Graham

Drake is his middle name.

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Kevin Winter

7. Rick Ross / William Leonard Roberts II

Rick Ross appropriated the name from a infamous drug kingpin “Freeway” Rick Ross. In fact, the original Rick Ross tried to sue rapper Rick Ross over the name but lost.

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Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

8. A$AP Rocky / Rakim Mayers

A$AP, which stands for “Always Strive And Prosper,” comes from the Harlem-based rap crew Rocky belongs to. Rocky was a nickname from his mother, based off his first name.

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Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

9. M.I.A. / Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam

M.I.A. is a loose acronym of her name and a tribute to her cousin who went Missing In Action while M.I.A. was living in a west London suburb called Acton.

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Taylor Hill / Getty Images

10. Macklemore / Ben Haggerty

Macklemore invented the name Professor Macklemore for a superhero he drew for a high school graphic design class. He later adopted the name for his alter ego, and then dropped the “Professor” and made it his official stage name.

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Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images

11. Childish Gambino / Donald Glover

Childish reportedly got his name by entering “Donald Glover” into a Wu-Tang name generator one night when he was drinking with some friends.

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Theo Wargo / Getty Images

Do you know any other interesting origin stories for rap names? Add ‘em in the comments!