Hip Hop Artist Names

In Hip Hop the artists have very different names to their real names. There are only a few in hip hop that have names that are close to their real names or are derived from their real names.

Some names that are derived from their real names are:

Artist Name , Real Name
2pac , Tupac Amaru Shaku
Eminem , Marshall Bruce Mathers
Lil Jon , Johnathan Smith
Obie Trice , Obie Trice III
R. Kelly , Robert Sylvester Kelly(R&B)
Usher , Usher Raymond IV (R&B)
Chris Brown , Chris Brown (R&B)
Dr. Dre , Andre Romel Young

Here are some examples of artists names that are very different to their real names

Artist Name , Real Name
Cashis , Ramone Johnson
Akon , Aliaune Thiam
Young Buck , David Darnell Brown
Snoop Dog , Cordazer Calvin Broadus
50 Cent , Curtis James Jackson III
Chingy , Howard Bailey Jr

These are just some of the names from Hip Hop/ Rap and R&B. These artists names are very different to pop artists who sing under their own name like Jessica Simpson, Hilary Duff, Justin Timberlake, to name a few

Reference
http://www.whudat.com/hip_hop_real_names/