The 100 Greatest Rap Albums of All Time (100-26): Staff List (2024)

• 100. Lil Baby, My Turn

  

  Year: 2020

  Lil Baby secured the solo spotlight with his sophom*ore album My Turn. It’s easy to mistake his mellow vocals as being devoid of emotion, but his lyricism uncovers the perplexing reality of what it’s like to experience glitz and glamour after coming out of the gutter (“What’s the chances that you run you up a couple mil’?/ And you really come from sleepin’ out the projects?” Baby wonders on “Hurtin.”). And the turbo-speed delivery on songs like the Future-featuring “Live Off My Closet” mimics the rapid rate of his own ascension in the rap game.But he’s ready to become a dignitary on “The Bigger Picture,” a modern-day Black Lives Matter protest anthem where Baby’s poignant reflections about racial injustice galvanize him to lead his community to action: “I got power, now I gotta say somethin’.” Baby earned his first Billboard 200 chart leader with My Turn, and on top of producing two Hot 100 top 10 hits with the deluxe edition’s 42 Dugg-assisted “We Paid” and “The Bigger Picture,” it ended 2020 as the most popular album of the year in the U.S., according to MRC Data, as well as the most-streamed album of the year. — HERAN MAMO

• 99. E-40, In a Major Way

  Year: 1995

  E-40’s best album, the perfect synthesis of his swaggering flow and the Bay Area style he pioneered, also contains a transcendentally sweet moment. On the socially conscious song “It’s All Bad,” 40 addresses his then-five-year-old son, who asks “Daddy sprinkle me with some more game,” and even raps bars of his own. The track is not the strongest off In a Major Way, that honor belongs to the silky “Sprinkle Me” or “1-Luv,” a moving exploration of life behind bars, but it illustrates why E-40 has endured and grown from a local stalwart to a global hip-hop force: since the earliest days of his career, he’s been molding minds, inventing vocabulary and making music that made the Bay Area’s highly idiosyncratic style feel welcoming and inclusive, even for his own preschooler. — GRANT RINDNER

• 98. Do or Die, Picture This

  Year: 1996

  For most people, Chicago rap beings when Kanye got into a near-fatal car accident and then threw on a pink Polo shirt. But the Chi has as deep a rap history as any major city. Do or Die, a trio from Chicago’s west side, looms large over that history. After the group found local success with their single “Po Pimp,” they were signed to Houston’s Rap-A-Lot Records where they dropped their gutsy and funky debut. Produced primarily by the Legendary Traxster and featuring a young Tung Twista, Picture This gave Chicago a flag to plant in its home soil while the West and East coasts were dominating the airwaves. — DAMIEN SCOTT

• 97. Geto Boys, We Can’t Be Stopped

  Year: 1991

  When it comes to Geto Boys’ third project, the conversation always bends towards “Mind Playing Tricks on Me,” and for good reason. Haunting and morose, the song cut through the noise with an unwavering clarity of purpose: to highlight just how f–ked up it is trying to make it out of a U.S. ghetto when your options are limited to gangster s–t. The rest of the album does well in exploring that motif, giving an unfiltered look at the south that wasn’t being shown in the popular music videos of the day. To call it groundbreaking feels reductive because in reality it decimated the ground it came in on. — D.S.

• 96. Run DMC, Raising Hell

  Year: 1986

  After Run-D.M.C. helped bring rap into the modern era with their debut album and then used their second LP to help the genre find new audiences by melding it with rock, Run-D.M.C. was on an unthinkable run. Turned out they had nowhere to go but up: The group’s third album continues its focus on sparse, hard-hitting production as Rick Rubin works his minimalist magic, pulling from all places to create a sound bed authentic enough for rap purists but accessible and innovative enough to break through into the mainstream. Run and D.M.C. pen songs that span the gamut of black life in the ’80s, covering everything from the shoes people wore (“My Adidas”) to the struggles the endured (“Proud to Be Black”). But Raising Hell‘s reality is that, thanks for the aforementioned songs and tracks like the Aerosmith collab “Walk This Way,” both rap and Run-D.M.C. began to go mainstream. — D.S.

• 95. LL Cool J, Mama Said Knock You Out

  Year: 1990

  Nearly 40 years after the 1985 release of his debut albumRadio, the ladies still love cool James. And that’s thanks to a canon of seminal albums in the ‘80s and early ‘90s that played a pivotal role in shaping and proving rap’s mainstream appeal. With this — his double-platinum, Marley Marl-produced 1990 fourth studio album — LL knocked aside naysayers who thought prior albumWalking With a Pantherleaned too pop for the room. Classics like the hard-hitting title track (which nabbed the Grammy for best rap solo performance) and neighborhood romance romp “Around the Way Girl” proved his rap gamesmanship hadn’t lost any of its authenticity. — GAIL MITCHELL

• 94. EPMD, Business as Usual

  Year: 1991

  With a catalog full of classics that resoundingly vibrated through the underground in the ’80s and ’90s, EPMD’s third LP (their first release on Def Jam) not only makes this list, but gets the crown as their best work. This opus (and stunning album artwork) was chiefly inspired by anger towards haters and their former label Sleeping Bag Records (“I’m Mad” is the literally the first song on the track list). Erick and Parrish were in fact not making the dollars they felt they deserved, especially with two consecutive gold, critically acclaimed albums in the two years prior to Business as Usual.

  Undeterred, EPMD focused. They delivered an adamantium-strong, well-rounded project smothered in underground funk. It is replete with seismic bangers, whimsical concept tales, and outlandish storytelling continuation. Notwithstanding, LL Cool J masterfully assaulted “Rampage” with one of his greatest guest verses and Redman made a brilliantly belligerent debut on “Hardcore.” – SHAHEEM REID

• 93. B.G., Chopper City in the Ghetto

  Year: 1999

  Before Lil Wayne became the superstar of Cash Money Records, B.G. was seen as one of the label’s franchise players – and his album Chopper City in the Ghetto was proof of why. His deep, slinky-voiced street tales provided an alluring contrast to Mannie Fresh’s skittering hi-hats and synthetic horns and cymbals, a bouncy late-’90s evolution of the jazz that was such a strong part of their New Orleans heritage. While Geezy was plenty strong on his own, as he says on the album’s second-most-notable song, “Cash Money Is an Army.” But the high point is “Bling Bling,” a song where he and his fellow Hot Boyz compatriots join forces for a glitzy, synth-heavy celebration of jewelry that became a permanent staple of hip-hop lingo. — WILLIAM E. KETCHUM

• 92. Three Six Mafia, Mystic Stylez

  
  Year: 1995

  Three 6 Mafia made history winning an Oscar for their musical contribution to the 2005 Memphis rap drama Hustle & Flow, but any track pulled from 1995’s Mystic Stylez could be the most memorable music cue in a horror classic. The group didn’t invent horrorcore, but fused it with authentic southern rap in a way that is still influencing teenage artists nearly three decades later. Many of the album’s beats (from DJ Paul and Juicy J of course), move with the slow, but undeniable pace of a movie killer stalking their prey, and act as a perfect contrast to the nimble flows — which even led to a brief beef between the group and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. With Memphis currently in the midst of a rap renaissance, the importance of LPs like Mystic Stylez is why Three 6 Mafia’s stamp of approval remains invaluable for the city’s rising talent. — G.R.

• 91. Migos, Culture

  Year: 2017

  The beloved Atlanta trio shook up the rap game and became a pop culture phenomenon with its second full-length album Culture. The first of the Culture trilogy, the 13-track set is the most concise showcase of the group’s compelling sonic DNA: a rapid-fire triplet flow that revolutionized cadences in rap music; memorable ad-libs and slang terms that’ve entered the hip-hop lexicon; and classic ATL trap production courtesy of top producers like Zaytoven, DJ Durel and Murda Beatz. Its lead single “Bad and Boujee,” featuring Lil Uzi Vert, became an epochal moment in Migos’ career — primarily due to its iconic “Raindrop, drop-top/ Smokin’ on cookie in the hotbox” chorus that spurred internet memes; Donald Glover thanked Migos for making the track while hailing them as “the Bealtes of this generation” at the 2017 Golden Globes. Culture did cement Migos as the one of the most influential acts in rap and transformed the group into a commercially successful act: It earned Migos its first Billboard 200-topping album and first set of Grammy nominations in 2018, for best rap album and best rap performance with “Bad and Boujee,” which also became the group’s first Hot 100 No. 1 smash. Given the group’s tragic ending – Takeoff was killed in 2022, Quavo and Offset reportedly had a falling out and Migos officially disbanded in 2023 – Culture serves as an excellent remembrance of better times. — H.M.

• 90. The Pharcyde, Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde

  

  Year: 1992

  Back in the early ’90s when N.W.A was dominating the charts with its brand of visceral gangster rap, there didn’t seem to be much room for anything else. But else where a movement was brewing. A movement that valued novelty over realism and fun over pathos. A leading project of that movement was the Pharcyde’s debut — which is full of, well, bizarre tales, which make you nod your head and laugh out loud. The group went left of what was popping on the radio and made something wholly original. A lot of that can be credited to J-Swift, the eccentric genius producer who helmed the project. It may be trite, but after Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde nothing was the same. — D.S.

• 89. Public Enemy, Fear of a Black Planet

  Year: 1990

  Raucous, unsettling, radically heartening, Fear of a Black Planet is a generation-transcending masterpiece, where P.E. takes us from the revolution war room to the frontlines on the road to Black empowerment. “Welcome To The Terrordome” was so alluringly agitating, Mike Tyson used the P.E. catalog staple as his anthem when he walked to the ring en route to decapitating opponents. Chuck D spoke for all young Blacks who were fighting societal oppression, but who had the rebellious wherewithal to never submit, rapping “I got so much trouble on my mind/ Refuse!/ To Lose!” That inexorable conviction is so omnipresent throughout the LP, especially on the unrelenting “Brothers Gonna Work It Out,” which you can consider the big brother to Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright.” Meanwhile, “Fight the Power” is the grandson of James Brown’s “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud” as the greatest hip-hop call to arms for the Black community. — S.R.

• 88. Ice-T, O.G. Original Gangster

  Year: 1991

  Let’s get the obvious joke out of the way: Yes, the guy most kids know as a cop on the long-running Law & Order: SVU was a gangsta rap pioneer. Not only was he a pioneer, Ice-T made a certifiable classic of the form with his fourth album. Sprawling at 24 tracks, O.G. offered a nuanced take on street life with T questioning a lot of the actions he would go on to brag about. But instead of derailing the party, the contradictions make for a more absorbing listen, lending humanity to a genre many viewed as cold and antisocial. Turns out that’s just want the people wanted as O.G. debuted at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 and wound up going gold, setting a new standard for gangster rap in its wake. — D.S.

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• 87. The Roots, Things Fall Apart

  Year: 1999

  For their first few albums together, The Roots were already more than just a novelty act: They were known as the first “hip-hop band,” bringing the jazzy energy of jam sessions to their music and building a reputation for a unique live show. But with Things Fall Apart, they began to forge their artistic identity with more conviction. Named after a seminal novel by renowned African author Chinua Achebe and beginning with a skit that stems from disenchanted jazz musicians in Spike Lee’s Mo Betta Blues, the group wanted to make a statement about their careers and their place in the hip-hop lexicon. Questlove began to integrate the off-kilter hip-hop soul that was perfected by Soulquarian peers like J Dilla, Erykah Badu and D’Angelo, while rappers Black Thought, Malik B and Dice Raw were in a zone — dropping brilliant verses alongside a roster of all-star MCs like Mos Def, Common, a young Beanie Sigel, and Eve, the latter appearing with Badu on the soulful, Grammy-winning love song “You Got Me.” — W.E.K.

• 86. The Game, The Documentary

  Year: 2005

  When the West Coast craved a new rap face in the 2000s, The Game gladly accepted, rejuvenating an entire region. With Dr. Dre and 50 Cent on speed dial, The Game leapfrogged his peers on 2005’s TheDocumentary. Though 50’s songwriting wizardry on “How We Do” and “Hate It Or Love It” gave Game mainstream appeal, it was Chuck Taylor’s grittiness and lyrical finesse on “Dreams,” “Start From Scratch” and “Runnin” that truly solidified his debut album. — CARL LAMARRE

• 85. Outkast, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik

  Year: 1994

  It’s sounds boring in 2024, but you can really divide southern rap into two eras: Before Outkast and After Outkast. Before Outkast most thought of southern rap as mostly bass booty anthems and party songs. Sure, there were some outliers, but none made a big enough impact to change the perception. Then came Antwon “Big Boi” Patton and André “Andre 3000” Benjamin. Their debut, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, is a heady album, one that works hard to prove that young black men all around the country are facing the same issues — and that gangstas and playas come in all shapes and sizes. It was revelatory at the time, and is still effective three decades later. All of rap — not just in the south, either — owes a debt of gratitude to Outkast. — D.S.

• 84. The D.O.C., No One Can Do It Better

  Year: 1989

  If you’re of a certain age, you may have no idea who The D.O.C. is. Well, he was one of the best rappers to come out of the West Coast, even though he was originally from Texas. He co-founded Death Row records and wrote a gang of hits for N.W.A. He also dropped one of the best albums of the ’80s in No One Can Do It Better. Produced by Dr. Dre, D.O.C.’s debut was filled with expertly tailored funk riffs and drums that could knock a sub from a ’64 loose. Tracks like “Mind Blown,” “The Formula” and “The D.O.C. & The Doctor” showed a nimble MC who reinvigorated Ruthless Records with his classic debut. — D.S.

• 83. The Diplomats, Diplomatic Immunity

  Year: 2003

  By the time The Diplomats released their double-disc debut under Roc-A-Fella Records, their name had already been ringing bells in New York City. The group, co-founded by Cam’ron and Jim Jones, was rooted in decades of friendship from growing up together in Harlem, and they’d gone on a historic mixtape run in 2002 where they’d established their own slang, sound and USA-inspired iconography. As a result, Diplomatic Immunity was a fully-formed presentation: Cam, Jim, Juelz and Freaky Zeeky had brilliant chemistry with differing rap styles, Heatmakerz and Just Blaze supplied them with brilliantly triumphant soul samples, and kids around the country were walking around with fitted hats and throwback jerseys three sizes too big. — W.E.K.

• 82. MC Lyte, Lyte as a Rock

  Year: 1988

  As one of the genre’s pioneering foremothers, Queens, NY-bred rapper MC Lyte – born Lana Michele Moorer – helped kick down the door for female MCs to stand toe-to-toe with their male counterparts. The diminutive dynamo released her critically acclaimed debut album, an Audio Two production, at the age of 18. On what’s been touted as the first full album by a female rapper as a solo artist, the husky-voiced Lyte fearlessly tackled socially conscious and personal matters such as infidelity (“Paper Thin”), drug addiction (“I Cram to Understand U [Sam]”) and beat-stealing (“10% Dis”) — alongside the symbolic title track — through deft rhymes that still resonate. — G.M.

• 81. Missy Elliott, Miss E... So Addictive

  Year: 2001

  Few artists have been able to merge the worlds of hip-hop and R&B as inventively as Missy Elliott, and her third album arguably sees her at the peak of her creative powers. She and Timbaland had already been hot since 20 years ago by then —and they teamed up to co-produce one of the spaciest, quirkiest batches of beats you’ll ever hear, which Missy takes on with stunning versatility. She demands men hold their own in the bedroom on “One Minute Man,” delivers a sincere, romantic ballad with “Take Away,” and provides the club an eternal staple in “Get Ur Freak On.” Futuristic production, limber flows and velvety vocals: Missy Elliott has it all, and there’s never been anyone in hip-hop like her. — W.E.K.

• 80. Roddy Ricch, Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial

  

  Year: 2019

  A string of successful singles, like 2018’s “Die Young” and 2019’s “Ballin’” with Mustard, and a co-sign from West Coast heavyweight Nipsey Hussle set up Compton MC Roddy Ricch for his debut album Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial. His melodic approach and acoustic-driven hip-hop production add a smooth coating to his gritty rags-to-riches tale — but lines like “‘Cause I ain’t sure why my dawg had to make the news reel/ Got promethazine in my eyes, I’m cryin’ purple tears” on the “Intro” prove a Rolex can’t be a Band-Aid for life’s real problems. Its fourth single, “The Box,” morphed into a monster smash, with a swelling orchestral intro, squeaky “eee err” ad-libs and thunderous reverse 808s underlying Ricch’s shape-shifting vocal delivery. Please Excuse Me earned Roddy his first Billboard 200-topping album as well as his first Hot 100 No. 1 with “The Box,”whichspent 11 weeks at the top, snagged three 2021 Grammy nominations (including song of the year) and was certified diamond by the RIAA. — H.M.

• 79. Travis $cott, Astroworld

  Year: 2018

  Named after the defunct Six Flags AstroWorld in Travis Scott’s Houston hometown, Astroworld invites listeners into Scott’s custom-built world of pandemonium. His wildly entertaining fusion of psychedelic and trap music makes for Scott’s finest production, inciting his trademark mosh pits with the LP’s mind-boggling main attraction, the Drake-assisted “Sicko Mode,” and levitating to a state of euphoria with the help of Stevie Wonder’s dizzying harmonica riffs, James Blake’s ghastly moans and Kid Cudi’s stirring hums on “Stop Trying to Be God,” or Tame Impala’s kaleidoscopic instrumentals and The Weeknd’s ethereal falsetto on “Skeletons.” Astroworld remains Scott’s strongest project in his discography as well as his most decorated: The 17-song set earned the rapper his second Billboard 200-topping album and first best rap album nomination at the 2019 Grammys, where “Sicko Mode” — which became Scott’s first Hot 100 No. 1 and first diamond-certified song — was also nominated for best rap song and best rap performance. — H.M.

• 78. Madvillain, Madvillainy

  Year: 2004

  Madlib and MF Doom’s respective legacies as underground rap pillars would still exist if their 2004 joint LP Madvillainy didn’t exist, but would lack a crystallizing release that has come to be a seminal gateway record for any fans looking to explore rap’s more idiosyncratic realms. It’s a true superhero showdown, with Doom reeling off some of his most lyrically dense-yet-quotable bars atop Madlib’s collaged beats (“Mad plays the bass like the race card” remains one of the greatest mid-track producer shoutouts ever). Songs like “Meat Grinder” and “Figaro” are off-kilter, but menacing, like a Yorgos Lanthimos movie, while “Raid” and “America’s Most Blunted” honor East and West Coast rap without compromising the essential askewness of Madlib and Doom. — G.R.

• 77. 8Ball & MJG, Coming Out Hard

  Year: 1993

  Thanks to Yo Gotti, GloRilla, and Moneybag Yo, Memphis rap has been in the mainstream spotlight for the past half decade. But long before CMG became a dominant force, Suave House and its premier duo, 8Ball & MJG, put Memphis rap on the map. The duo’s debut album is soulful tour of the city known as the birthplace of Rock ‘n’ Roll. However, instead of taking listeners to Graceland, they show rap fans the illicit underbelly of the city, where pimps reign supreme and pushers move weight like it’s legal. Over production that mixes blues, soul and funk into a wonderfully dank concoction, the two MCs play off each other — 8Ball’s chill, luxurious flow and MJG’s spitfire approach — to bring to life a side of Memphis most had never seen before. — D.S.

• 76. Cypress Hill, Cypress Hill

  Year: 1991

  Sometimes Cypress Hill’s discography can be unfairly flattened to just their frat party classics (“Insane in the Brain,” “Hits From the Bong”), but listening to any of their first four records in full cements why the group remains a uniquely revered part of L.A.’s storied rap history. In some ways, their buck-wild approach to collaborative rap made them an answer to Beastie Boys or Wu-Tang Clan, but they also provided a bridge from the early days of gangsta rap into a new phase of West Coast rap, one that could be vivid and violent, but also playful (“Hole in the Head,” “How I Could Just Kill a Man”). — G.R.

• 75. XXXTentacion, 17

  Year: 2017

  17 is XXXTENTACION’s rage, chaos, depression, trauma and love meshed into an artistic fastball of troubled meditations with a still-kinetic energy. The poignant 22-minute LP leaves listeners with X’s bleeding heart. His genre-blending debut cuts deep and shows off an impressive artistic range, using guitars and icy piano keys as a canvas to display his raw DIY style. 17 even struck a chord with Kendrick Lamar, who instructed fans on Twitter to listen to the album if they “feel anything. Raw thoughts.” (The Compton legend later followed that by revealing he was on his fifth listen of the profound project.) X – born Jahseh Onfroy – would be tragically murdered just over a year later.— MICHAEL SAPONARA

• 74. Chief Keef, Finally Rich

  Year: 2012

  At just 16 years old, Chief Keef became the face of Chicago’s drill scene. Sosa blossomed as a rose from the concrete, growing up on the city’s vicious South Side. Keef’s syrupy rhymes mixed with Young Chop’s thumping beats proved the rapper and producer to be a lethal Shaq & Kobe combo on the MC’s major label debut Finally Rich — which, with enduring anthems like “Hate Bein’ Sober,” “I Don’t Like” and “Love Sosa,” would go on to define an often-misunderstood movement. Somehow still only in his 20s, Keef and his signature studio album are still routinely cited as influences by burgeoning artists from all across the hip-hop landscape to this day. — M.S.

• 73. Redman, Muddy Waters

  Year: 1996

  The closest thing New Jersey rap has had to a superhero was Treach, the lead rapper from Naughty By Nature. But the Garden State does have a resident dark horse comic book character in Redman, the North Jersey anti-hero who’s as funny as he is ill with it. After his harrowing second album, 1994’s Dare Iz a Darkside, Redman and Erick Sermon built a more playful and slightly more radio-friendly sound for 1996’s Muddy Waters without sacrificing the gritty dark comedy that made Red a fan favorite. Light on features but heavy on skits — maybe a bit too heavy? — the album shows Redman at the height of his powers, rapping his ass off about any and everything that popped into his head, and set the stage for what would be his most commercially successful album two years later. — D.S.

• 72. Tyler, the Creator, Call Me if You Get Lost

  Year: 2021

  Tyler, the Creator finally got a Gangsta Grillz mixtape 11 years after tweeting he wanted one “SO F–KING BAD.” With his jet-setting alter ego Sir Tyler Baudelaire taking the controls, Call Me If You Get Lost plays like the atmospheric soundtrack of an international flight’s first class, with dizzying jazz flute melodies on the Lil Wayne-featuring “HOT WIND BLOWS” and a nearly 10-minute shimmering synth-pop-turned-reggae fantasy on the Brent Faiyaz and Fana Hues-assisted “SWEET / I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE.” But at the same time, he upholds DJ Drama’sheralded hip-hoptradition with the braggadocious, Gravediggaz-sampling single “LUMBERJACK” and brutally honest “MANIFESTO” (featuring Domo Genesis).Tyler continues to push the boundaries of his own music, making CMIYGL his most profound work — as well as his second Billboard 200 No. 1 album, and second to win the best rap album Grammy. — H.M.

• 71. Lil Uzi Vert, Love Is Rage 2

  Year: 2017

  Rap and rock have a storied history together, and Uzi flipped that relationship on its head with his star-making debut studio album, Luv Is Rage 2. Combining swaggering energy with songs that contemplate the darkest depths of suicidal ideation and depression, Uzi expertly captures the through lines between the seemingly disparate emotions of love and rage. Across the album’s 20 tracks, Uzi tries on myriad sounds, all held together by the way he commands top-level production from the esteemed likes of Metro Boomin, Pharrell Williams and Pi’erre Bourne. The album’s refusal to settle in a predictable pocket is indicative of Uzi’s rap generation – a group of restless rock stars always on the search for something new, a theme that courses through his post-breakup paeans on Luv Is Rage 2.— KYLE DENIS

• 70. Mos Def, Black on Both Sides

  

  Year: 1999

  Now known as Yasiin Bey, the Brooklyn rapper has never been one to mince words. As its title implies, his debut solo album finds an unapologetic Bey addressing socio-political issues involving the environment and white appropriation of Black culture (“New World Water,” “Rock N Roll”), meditating on life (“Umi Says”) and navigating romance (“Ms. Fat Booty”). Bey’s ability to shift between rapping and singing, his calm-yet-affirmative voice, vivid and insightful storytelling nestled against laidback soul-jazz sonics — accented by live instrumentation and skillful samples of songs by Aretha Franklin, Fela Kuti, Broadway’s Gershwins and more — are among the reasons why this 1999 album was so impactful, and remains an essential hip-hop primer. — G.M.

• 69. Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday

  Year: 2010

  While her 2009 mixtape Beam Me Up Scotty established Nicki Minaj as one of rap’s exciting newcomers, she proved she was here to stay the following year with official debut album Pink Friday. She proudly proclaims “I’m the Best” on the LP’s opener, and proceeds to dethrone Queen Bee (aka Lil’ Kim) as her volatile alter ego Roman Zolanski on the next track “Roman’s Revenge,” with Eminem assisting as Slim Shady. But while she makes the case for why who rules rap shouldn’t be limited to one’s sex, Minaj also doesn’t limit herself to the rap genre: She flaunts her mainstream pop sensibilities on tracks like the deluxe cut-turned-infectious smash “Super Bass”; reveals her vulnerable side and R&B vocals on “Right Thru Me”; and taps willl.i.am for the electropop, Buggles-sampling single “Check It Out.”

  But on the celebratory single “Moment 4 Life,” she and her Young Money labelmate Drake pause to relish in the reality of becoming successful rappers after yearning for their time to come – and Minaj deservedly earned her moment with this album. Pink Friday became Minaj’s first Billboard 200 No. 1 album, while “Super Bass” earned the rapper her first Hot 100 top 10 hit as a lead artist (and became the highest-charting rap hit by a solo female act since Missy Elliott’s “Work It” a decade earlier) as well as her first diamond-certified single. Pink Friday also earned a best rap album nod at the 2012 Grammys, where Minaj was also up for best new artist and best rap performance for “Moment for Life.” — H.M.

• 68. The Throne (Ye & Jay-Z), Watch the Throne

  Year: 2011

  Although both members of The Throne – Kanye “Ye” West & Jay-Z – have fallen victim to different black holes in the universe of rap capitalism, their culture-shifting joint LP captured the two hip-hop titans before that monster consumed them. A record that unabashedly revels in its own opulence, Watch the Throne mines classic soul samples and combines ruminations on Black wealth that are simultaneously inspirational and haunting. After all, there’s no way to wax poetic about wealth without also addressing the chaos and mania that comes with it. “N—as in Paris” might be the eternal party starter, but “Welcome to the Jungle” and the Frank Ocean-assisted “Made In America” are where the album’s gravity truly lies.— K.D.

• 67. Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III

  Year: 2008

  Lil Wayne has a permanent spot on the Mixtape Mount Rushmore, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know his way around a proper studio album either. For the third installment of his iconic Carter series, Tunechi fully leaned into the vivacious commerciality of late 2000s mainstream hip-hop without sacrificing the nimble flows and hilarious wordplay that make his mixtapes so arresting. From the sweet R&B-laced hook of “Mrs. Officer” to the irresistible pop appeal of his Billboard Hot 100-topping “Lollipop,” Tha Carter III wasn’t just a blockbuster, it was also a flawless blueprint for what can be achieved at the height of rap-pop stardom.— K.D.

• 66. Cam'Ron, Come Home With Me

  Year: 2002

  The Harlem rapper, who hustled out of the limelight for most of his career, finally found success when he decided to rebrand and rebuild. With his Diplomats crew in tow, Cam’ron began releasing a torrent of music, which mixed the street luxury and glamour made popular by Roc-A-Fella’s then-recent releases with his own get-it-how-you-live griminess. The most perspicuous example of which was his first solo album, released in partnership with Roc-A-Fella: Come Home With Me had the glittering soul samples popular at the time in the form of “Hey Ma” and “Oh Boy,” as well as the stark realism for which this former Child of the Corn was best known.

  Standouts like the title track saw Killa Cam spitting bars as sharp as a blade hidden in his gums, while Juelz Santana and Jim Jones foreshadow what the future held for the Harlem collective. And, as an acknowledgment of how good the album is, the King of New York himself Jay-Z gets in on the action, going back and forth with Cam on the Just Blaze-produced “Welcome to New York City.” Was Jay passing the baton or was Cam taking it? Either way, after Come Home With Me, there was a new king in town — D.S.

• 65. T.I., Trap Muzik

  Year: 2003

  “This ain’t no album, this ain’t no game, this a trap,” T.I. fiercely declares on the opening bars of Trap Muzik’s title track. After his 2001 debut I’m Serious fell flat, Tip made a proper national introduction with his ’03 sophom*ore set, an album T.I. insists invented a genre. DJ Toomp’s husky string melodies provide the backing for dope boy anthems like “24’s” and “Look What I Got,” which welcome America to life in the trap. Meanwhile, David Banner’s spiritual production on “Rubber Band Man” should be taught in schools, as Tip’s braggadocious rhymes and southern drawl lent him more commercial appeal than his former label originally thought. Just don’t get it twisted: T.I. isn’t here to glamorize the struggle, but to provide inspiration and information on his means for survival running around Bankhead. — M.S.

• 64. Warren G, Regulate... G Funk Era

  All hail the grand underdog. In 1994, Warren G. delivered the blockbuster album we never knew we wanted, but always needed — particularly Def Jam records, who was raised out of a slump with the album’s sales of over five million.

  Slept on by his brother Dr. Dre and Suge Knight, Warren was not signed to Death Row like his 213 group members Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg. It ended up being a blessing in disguise: Undeterred, but with a chip on his shoulder, Warren laid on the floor on his sister’s apartment for months, concocting his signature, laid-back, euphoric soundscapes. He got his big break as a producer via 2Pac’s declarative “Definition of a Thug N—a” and Mista Grimm’s funk smothered “Indo Smoke.” Warren was so hot as a boardsman, he secured his own record deal.

  Warren’s coup de grace came as he culled a magnum opus in Regulate… G Funk Era, filled with blissful, soul-uplifting West Coast rhythms that penetrated speakers worldwide. “This DJ” has been lauded for generations, and “Regulate” was so smooth and permeating, it quickly became one of the biggest rap singles ever. — S.R.

• 63. A Tribe Called Quest, Midnight Marauders

  Year: 1993

  A seminal harbinger of hip-hop’s ‘90s golden era, Tribe’s third album is a key representative of the Native Tongues movement. The 1993 release picks up where 1991’sLow End Theoryleft off, continuing Tribe’s innovative genre-bridging of jazz, bebop, R&B/soul, funk and other elements. That, coupled with members Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and the late Phife Dawg’s on-point mix of socially conscious and amusing storytelling helped prove there was more to hip-hop than just gangsta rap. Nabbing the top spot on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 8 on the Billboard 200, the platinum-certifiedMidnightyielded classic singles like the chill anthem “Electric Relaxation,” “Award Tour” (featuring De La Soul’s late Trugoy the Dove) and “Oh My God” with Busta Rhymes. — G.M.

• 62. DJ Quik, Rhythm-al-ism

  Year: 1998

  If Dr. Dre’s 2001 was the ‘90s West Coast rap record that heralded the arrival of the future, DJ Quik’s Rhythm-al-ism was the most fitting send off to nearly two decades of paradigm-shifting L.A. rap. The MC and producer gave G-funk a Viking funeral, incorporating R&B classics from Prince, SWV and Curtis Mayfield with his own cascading flows for an album that embraced a more tender side of Quik — even while also encompassing the X-rated romp “Medley for a ‘V,’” the reggae-based reefer ode “Bombudd II,” and the standout slice-of-life cut “You’z a Ganxsta,” On the latter track’s third verse, Quik implores rappers to consider the power of their music and lyrics, advising, “You see you can say the things that can help us all ball/ Or you can say things that make it bad for us all/ Fix the problem the only way is come to the source/ Don’t be a Trojan Horse help us change the course.” — G.R.

• 61. UGK, Ridin’ Dirty

  Year: 1996

  When UGK finally had its overdue moment in the mainstream sun with 2007’s Underground Kingz, it only made sense that the double LP would include an entire track dedicated to their 1996 breakthrough, Ridin’ Dirty. Facing the cumbersome task of building a national profile from a region considered a hip-hop afterthought besides Geto Boys, the group persevered through label drama and significant personal loss to make a generational rap album.

  “One Day,” with its poignant Isley Brothers sample and moving lyrics, ranks among rap’s most moving tributes to lost loved ones — particularly since the Houston area scene UGK came from has dealt with so much death, from DJ Screw to Big Hawk to Pimp C. Tracks like “Diamonds & Wood” and “f*ck My Car” perfected the funky bravado of great southern hip-hop, thanks to velvety beats from N.O. Joe and Pimp himself. Houston wouldn’t have its big moment on the national stage for nearly a decade, but there’s no way that would have been possible without the enduring legacy of Ridin’ Dirty. — G.R.

• 60. Lil Wayne, Tha Carter II

  

  Year: 2005

  Tha Carter II set the stage for Lil Wayne to enter the highest peak of his career in the mid-2000s. The New Orleans legend strayed from his usual array of Mannie Fresh beats for a more diversified palette, and boasted a different level of maturity growing up in front of the world’s eyes as a 23-year-old entering adulthood. “Fireman” spread like wildfire, as Limewire files were transferred to millions of iPods, and “Hustler Musik” showcased a layered and introspective Wayne fans had never seen before. With a first week that doubled the sales of its predecessor, C2 planted the seeds for Wayne’s ascension to commercial titan status, via one of the most successful album series of any rap era. — M.S.

• 59. J. Cole, 2014 Forest Hills Drive

  Year: 2014

  Sometimes, going home can spark inspiration. That was the case for J. Cole when he stitched together his third album, 2014Forest Hills Drive. Sitting atop his childhood house on the cover, Cole blows out his own candles on the autobiographical “January 28” while wittily ruminating on his pubescent days in “Wet Dreamz.” The project reaches its crescendo when he offloads his concert-starter “No Role Modelz,” paying homage to the late James Avery. And when Cole isn’t in his militant bag, he’s a guiding light for the oppressed on the indelible gem “Love Yourz.” — C.L.

• 58. Nipsey Hussle, Victory Lap

  Year: 2018

  After releasing over a dozen mixtapes and experiencing years of delays, Nipsey Hussle solidified his position as a West Coast hero with Victory Lap, his first official full-length album – and sadly, his last project before his tragic murder in 2019. Laser beam synths, bumping basslines and soaring female background vocals underscore the Crenshaw native’s journey, from a Rollin’ 60s Crip who once strived to become a millionaire drug dealer (per his explanation about “Million While You Young”) toa community activist and entrepreneur withdreams he was turning into reality (“Billion-dollar project, ‘bout to crack the cement/ So what if our investments had become strategic?” he raps on “Blue Laces 2”).

  Throughout the set, Nipsey drops breadcrumbs about how to get your bread up, like he’s teaching financial literacy courses in the hood. And he also has the turn-up tracks on deck, with the YG-assisted, Jeezy-inspired “Last Time That I Checc’d” calling for cruising down the L.A. streets, while “Grinding All My Life” will have you going up in the club or walking out to the ring as if you’re Jonathan Majors in Creed III. Victory Lap – which earned the Eritrean American MC his first Grammy nomination in 2019 for best rap album –immortalizes Nip’s legendary hustle, while also aspiring others to cultivate their own.— H.M.

• 57. Nas, It Was Written

  Year: 1996

  What was once considered a misstep when it was first released has aged like fine wine over the decades since. It Was Written was Nasty Nas losing the camouflage and hoodies in favor of Versace silks and tailored suits, as he turned into his mafiaso rap persona Escobar on his much-anticipated sophom*ore set. This angered purists — and even sparked a subliminal war with Biggie — but under the glossy exterior of the lead single “If I Ruled the World” featuring Lauryn Hill, laid an underbelly of lyrics wrapped in blood money.If Illmatic was his Goodfellas, then It Was Written was his Casino.— ANGEL DIAZ

• 56. GZA, Liquid Swords

  Year: 1995

  When you talk about solo Wu projects, this project should be mentioned in the same sentence with Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and Supreme Clientele. The RZA’s production and the GZA’s lyrics took what Cuban Linx did and made it darker, serving up a gothic tale of blood being spilled in the name of honor, while introducing the classic samurai movie Shogun Assassin to a new generation with its spooky skits and samples. The title track opener, starting off with Daigoro’s narration of him explaining his father’s past and the time a rival clan murdered his mother, remains still bone-chilling nearly 30 years later.— A.D.

• 55. OutKast, Stankonia

  Year: 2000

  Each of OutKast’s first three albums has its own case as a classic, but their senior effort Stankonia forged the image that most people have in their heads when they imagine the Atlanta rap duo: boundlessly creative, with sonic influences that weave between funk, soul and psychedelic rock, and raps that were both personal and sociopolitical. “Ms. Jackson” tenderly chronicles babymamadrama, while “Gasoline Dreams” starkly compares white wealth to unjust prison sentences for Black people. “B.o.B” showcases two of the only rappers on earth who could handle such a frenetic 155 BPM instrumental, and “So Fresh So Clean” slows things down for a funky dedication to flyness. OutKast was both dominating radio and moving in a way that seemed to completely ignore it – the industry had no choice but to follow their lead. — W.E.K.

• 54. Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp a Butterfly

  Year: 2015

  Through his amalgamation of P-Funk, neo-soul, jazz and rap, Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly stands as hip-hop’s greatest epic poem. A glorious odyssey through Kung Fu Kenny’s very own season of Black Lives Matter-era maturation, TPAB houses the roots of his eternal internal battle between his understanding of himself and the world’s perception of him as Messiah-esque activist. Those sentiments would fully crystalize nearly a decade later on Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022), but in their inception on TPAB, Lamar parses his relationship with Christianity, the advantages and pitfalls on Pan-Africanism, and the interconnected modes of oppression wielded against Black people in America with incredible nuance and disarming charm.— K.D.

• 53. Drake, Nothing Was the Same

  Year: 2013

  After winning his first Grammy in 2013 for best rap album with Take Care, Drake revealed the title of his third studio album, Nothing Was the Same — telling MTV that it wasn’t “some straight rap album.” On his junior set, Drake challenges what it means to be one of the best rappers alive by further refining his technique of rapping and singing, balancing menacing and meditative bars and polishing his and Noah “40” Shebib’s brooding production.

  The album’s two Hot 100 top 10 hits –“Started From the Bottom” and “Hold On, We’re Going Home,” with OVO duo Majid Jordan – couldn’t be more different: The former is an underdog anthem about Drizzy’s ability to make it against all odds over a chilling piano loop and crisp shakers, while the latter is a dreamy synth-pop smash about finding The One that Drizzy imagined would be a timeless wedding song. His versatility as a hitmaker while throwing away the notions of a conventional hit made Drake untouchable (“Heavy airplay all day with no chorus,” he exclaims on the six-minute, Whitney Houston-sampling opener “Tuscan Leather”). Nothing Was the Same notched Drake another Billboard 200-topping album that also received a best rap album nod at the 2014 Grammys, while “Started From the Bottom” was nominated for best rap song and best rap performance.— H.M.

• 52. Common, Be

  Year: 2005

  Just when you thought Jordan and Pippen were Chicago’s lone superstar duo, Common and Kanye entered the conversation when the former released his 2005 album,Be. Clocking in at 42 minutes, West laid down the foundation, serving as the project’s executive producer, allowing Common to glide through some of his best beats. The title track signaled what would come, as the Windy City MC cycled through his emotions on the Albert Jones “Mother Nature” sample with aplomb. That same faith and ambition bled through tracks like “The Food,” “The Corner” and “They Say,” where Common showed why Chicago had its gorgeous moments beyond the city’s war scars. — C.L.

• 51. Queen Latifah, All Hail the Queen

  Year: 1989

  Dana Owens was just 19 when she began forging her indelible imprint as Queen Latifah. Her statuesque presence, African-inspired attire and crowning headwear commanded attention from the gate. But any doubt as to what the New Jersey native could do musically was erased by her 1989 debut album, whose 12 tracks she either wrote or co-wrote. Its genre-crossing fusion of hip-hop, reggae, house and jazz coupled with Latifah’s passionate, empowering flow yielded classics such as the female anthem and top five Hot Rap Songs hit “Ladies First” with Monie Love. Spitting lyrics like “Some think that we can’t flow/ Stereotypes, they got to go,” the rapper/singer — now an award-winning actress and savvy business entrepreneur — has since inspired a host of women, both behind the mic and in executive suites. — G.M.

• 50. Rick Ross, Teflon Don

  

  Year: 2010

  Teflon Donwas Rozay’s bulletproof masterwork. A concise project with 11 tracks,the set was unmistakably triumphant, brimming with high-octane production and luxury raps laid out by the self-proclaimed rap boss. A gumbo drenched with flavorful tracks,TDboasted club-rattling anthems, including “BMF” and “I’m Not a Star,” flexing Ross’ radio-making prowess. And when paired with heavyweight MCs like Jay-Z (“Free Mason”), Jadakiss (“Maybach Music III”), and Kanye West (“Live Fast, Die Young”), Rozay held his own, captivating fans with his gruff raps. — C.L.

• 49. Lil Kim, Hardcore

  Year: 1996

  Before Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, there was Lil Kim. And with the 1996 arrival of her debut album, the Junior M.A.F.I.A. alum immediately put everyone — especially male rappers — on notice: Women can be sexually empowered too. Between her sexy outfits and poised flow, Queen Bee upended the status quo with explicit, scintillating lyrics that brought a new dynamic to the feminist movement and to hip-hop itself. “They ain’t hit s–t ’til they stuck they tongue in this/ I ain’t with that frontin’ s–t/ I got my own Benz, I got my own ends,” she raps on “Not Tonight.” That hit, as well as fellow game-shifting smashes “No Time” and “Crush on You (Remix),” best demonstrate why the double-platinum-certified Hard Corestill stands as an essential chapter in hip-hop history. — G.M.

• 48. Big Punisher, Capital Punishment

  Year: 1998

  You know you’re nice when a guest appearance makes your debut album one of the most anticipated releases in rap history. That’s what happened when Big Punisher lost his mind on the Beatnuts’ 1997 New York classic “Off the Books.” The Puerto Rican rapper hailing from the Bronx quickly justified the hype and then some with Capital Punishment. His breakout single “Still Not a Player” remains a party anthem and once went viral because Chef Bobby Flay was recorded dancing to it. While Latinos were always involved in hip-hop in some form or another, it was Pun who repped the hardest, as the first solo Latin rapper to go platinum. — A.D.

• 47. Clipse, Lord Willin'

  Year: 2002

  Clipse’s classic single “Grindin” took over lunch tables all over the country with The Neptunes’ sparse, percussive instrumental. But with their major-label debut LP Lord Willin’, brothers Pusha T and Malice proved that they were worthy signees of Pharrell and Chad Hugo. The two Virginia siblings had a shelved late-’90s album in their rearview mirror, and they displayed a polished chemistry that outpaced the expectations of a studio debut. The contrast between Pusha’s brash, sinister co*ckiness and Malice’s contemplative remorsefulness made for arguably the best co*ke rap duo since Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, and The Neptunes laced them with heat every step of the way. — W.E.K.

• 46. Boogie Down Productions, Criminal Minded

  Year: 1987

  KRS-One and fellow BDP founding member, the late DJ Scott La Rock, were on the album cover literally draped in bullets and sitting at a table that was plastered with a full arsenal. However, when you heard about 9mms going bang on the Criminal Minded LP, it wasn’t gangsterism they were going for (although N.W.A will tell you they were inspired by BDP) — they were illustrating to the world what the modern-day revolutionaries looked and sounded like.

  KRS and P.E.’s Chuck D were the most import voices in hip-hop in the 1980s. Both MCs’ luminous rhymes were fueled by righteous indignation. KRS wanted to uplift the Black and hip-hop communities AND elevate himself as a heralded, elite MC. The Blastmaster ensured that the “Boogie Down” Bronx got props as the birthplace of the culture, spawning the anthemic dis record/blockbuster hometown theme, “South Bronx” (sparking an historic rivalry with Queens’ MC Shan). KRS followed up with arguably the greatest dis record ever, “The Bridge Is Over.” The aforementioned records and the title track stand out as the most momentous on Criminal Minded, however, there were no flaws throughout the tracklist. — S.R.

• 45. Beastie Boys, Paul’s Boutique

  Year: 1989

  The Beastie Boys’ 1986 debut established them as a frenetic force for good in hip-hop, but 1989’s Paul’s Boutique is what established their model of musically adventurous yet gleefully juvenile rap music that endures even after the group disbanded following MCA’s 2014 death. Paul’s Boutique is revered for its tapestry of samples, lifting everything from the Eagles to The Sugarhill Gang, with blips of global instrumentation and references aplenty. The LP is the sort of rich musical and pop cultural tapestry that needed a “66 and ⅔” book, not just the usual “33 and ⅓.” But it’s also a damn good rap record, hinging on the inimitable chemistry of MCA, Ad Rock and Mike D, punctuating the end of the ‘80s with the decade’s meticulously traded-off flows, while also ushering in the future of the artform. — G.R.

• 44. Juvenile, 400 Degreez

  Yeah: 1998

  “Cash Money Records taking over for the ’99 and the 2000!” Has there been a more prophetic intro in all of hip-hop history? From the bounce-rooted contemporary Negro spiritual that is “Back That Azz Up” to “Ha” — whose Jay-Z-assisted remix is a key inflection point in the relationship between Southern and East Coast rap – 400 Degreez is an undeniable classic. With tracks that nod to hip-hop’s party-rocking history to lyrics that subtly address the inescapable confines of certain circ*mstances, 400 Degreez is the best of what can happen when a regional sound hits the national stage.— K.D.

• 43. Ghostface Killah, Supreme Clientele

  Year: 2000

  “I don’t give a f—k if you don’t know what I’m talking about — this is art. When you go see a painting on the wall and it looks bugged out because you don’t know what the f—k he thinking, because he ain’t got no benches, no trees there, it’s just a splash. The n—a that did know what the f—k it is.” That’s a famous Ghostface quote from RZA’s book, “The Wu-Tang Manual,” and best encapsulates anything I can think of writing about Supreme Clientele. Ghost’s abstract bars were made out to be nonsensical, and yet they still manage to be eternally quotable. Only a person that studied under Bruce Lee has that ability. Or maybe it’s because Ghost’s rhymes are made of garlic?We’ll never know. — A.D.

• 42. Jay-Z, The Black Album

  Year: 2003

  At this point, we know Mr. Carter will never really retire, but that was a real possibility leading up to the release of The Black Album – one of several classics the Brooklyn legend has dropped over the years. Had Jay-Z actually retired, he would have left the rap game at the peak of his powers: With The Black Album, Jigga paired some of his slickest bars and most introspective lyrics with production that complemented the range of his songwriting. Timbaland’s sauntering “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” beat is an infinite earworm, while Just Blaze’s hair-raising “Public Service Announcement” instrumental still blows out any speaker in a ten-mile radius. As both a commercial knockout and a testament to Jay’s ability to curate and craft quality albums, The Black Album is a hip-hop monument.— K.D.

• 41. Kendrick Lamar, Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City

  Year: 2012

  One the defining hip-hop albums of the 2010s, Kendrick Lamar’s seismic good kid, m.A.A.d. City freaks the blueprints of the genre’s best autobiographical LPs with harrowing recollections of the Pulitzer Prize-winning actor’s life in Compton, through the lens of a storyteller who drifts between subject and observer. Effortlessly oscillating between a gripping nonlinear narrative and an enviable collection of radio anthems — “Swimming Pools,” “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” and “Backseat Freestyle,” among them – K.Dot’s major label debut heralded the arrival of one of music’s most important voices. We’re over a decade removed from Lamar’s infamous Grammy shutout, but if there was ever an album that didn’t need that institution’s validation, it’s good kid.— K.D.

• 40. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, E. 1999 Eternal

  

  Year: 1995

  Bone Thugs-N-Harmony were one early signees to Eazy-E’s Ruthless Records, and they brought a new style of the gangsta rap that their mentor had popularized with N.W.A. The group paired the Midwestern-specific double-time flows with harmonic melodies, adding dimension to both their vengeful street raps on songs like “Mo’murda” and to their anguished, grief-stricken songs like their classic Hot 100-topper “Tha Crossroads.” The latter was originally an ode to a fallen friend, Wallace “Wally” Baird III, and it became one of hip-hop’s most iconic songs of mourning when a remix was made after Eazy’s death. Hip-hop chronicles the cycle of inner-city violence better than any other genre, and E. 1999 Eternal makes that agony as palpable as any album ever recorded. — W.E.K.

• 39. Future, DS2

  Year: 2015

  After pulling off an impeccable three-peat with his storied 2014-2015 mixtape run, the table was set for Future to demolish the entire rap circuit.Dirty Sprite 2was Future’s tour de force, as the superstar assumed the antagonist role and scoffed at everything mainstream rap wanted him to be. With Atlanta’s elite backing him on the production side (Metro Boomin, Southside, and Zaytoven), Future’s self-assurance was top-tier as he reclaimed his power on “Slave Master” while proving why he’s a hall-of-fame edgelord on “Real Sistas.” Pick any track at random, and Atlanta’s trap king will show you why he’s a habitual line stepper, who revels in f–king your bitch in some Gucci flip-flops. — C.L.

• 38. Gang Starr, Hard to Earn

  Year: 1992

  Though neither hailed from New York, it’s impossible to imagine the city’s rap scene without the contributions of Gang Starr, the duo of DJ Premier and Guru who reeled off four sensational LPs in five years, capped by 1994’s Hard to Earn. The album is a graduate thesis in turntablism from Premier, with expert scratching and sampling, and a showcase for the underrated lyricism of Guru, who brought a contemporary cool that often belied the imaginative (and frequently hilarious) lyrics he put to songs like “Blowin’ Up the Spot” and “Suckas Need Bodyguards.” Gang Starr never quite recaptured their form from Hard to Earn, but that hardly matters when you make an album that is impossible to omit from the story of East Coast rap — and that sets its DJ up for a career as one of the most sought-after producers in music, period. — G.R.

• 37. Makaveli, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory

  Year: 1996

  When 2Pac’s posthumous The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory dropped, hip-hop was deep in the seven stages of grief following his tragic murder. So when an album surfaced that saw him taking on the name of the legendary political philosopher who (according to some) faked his own death before taking out his enemies, it was all many people needed to let their imaginations run wild. Reportedly recorded over a seven-day span, the album found Pac vindictive and confrontational, reflecting the tumult of his final months. The haunting “Hail Mary” seethes with revenge, “Me and My Girlfriend” finds him inseparable from his gun, and “To Live and Die In LA” celebrates the highs and lows of his city one last time. The Don Killuminati plays less like a swan song, and more like the final battle cry from one of rap’s most polarizing warriors. — W.E.K.

• 36. Young Jeezy, Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101

  Year: 2005

  Jeezy rumbled through the mixtape circuit to become “your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper.” Cooking in the trap could only last so long as his long-overdue Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101 major label debut finally arrived via Def Jam in ‘05. Jeezy’s raspy street tales and hustler ambitions hit heavier than many of his snake oil salesmen peers cosplaying Trapper of the Year. Even mainstream America wrapped its arms around Jeezy, as the Atlanta native notched his first top five hit on the Hot 100 with some help from Akon on “Soul Survivor.” TM101 gave the south an instant classic, while Jeezy, T.I, and Gucci Mane formed a big three of trap pioneers keeping the spotlight on the ATL through the 2000s. — M.S.

• 35. LL Cool J, Radio

  Year: 1985

  At its very fabric, Radio and its quasi-title track (“I Can’t Live Without My Radio”) is about the genuine love a youngster has of rap music — the high its artist gets from hearing his favorite rappers’ music blast out of his boombox speakers at near-deafening levels, and the sense of urgency he has to be heard and held in the same regard of his b-boy heroes.

  Radio didn’t just embodied the spirit of hip-hop as it was growing in the mid 1980s, it was an integral building block of rap’s foundation. LL Cool J broke ground as rap’s first teen superstar and an instant pillar of the culture with a debut that ushered a new era of emboldened MCs. While the quality level on the LP is high, especially with Rick Rubin’s head-banging tracks fueling LL’s aggressive tone and bar barrages. The hip-hop superstar would put out bigger and deffer albums as his legendary career continued, but his first offering’s success and influence was the most critical vehicle in driving rap to the top early in the Golden Age. — S.R.

• 34. Big Daddy Kane, It's a Big Daddy Thing

  Year: 1989

  At just 19 years old, Big Daddy Kane was the rap world Thanos, collecting all the hip-hop infinity stones to become the prototypical rhyming superstar. Stone 1, he was an MC’s MC: a myriad of flows, magnetic vocal tone, lyrically astounding — he was as witty as he was deadly with the punchlines, always articulate and never compromising intellectual integrity. Stone 2, he had The Look: BDK was just as alluring to the females as LL Cool J (he even bagged Madonna), but so fashionably forward, fly and uber-cool, men started biting his trendsetting styles (which Jay-Z referenced on Vol. 3‘s “Do It Again”).

  Stone 3, he was an ultimate showman: Kane, the late great DJ Mister Cee, and backup dancers Scoob and Scrap Lover massacred every stage and video set when they performed. And Stone 4, he had classic works: The Brooklyn Czar’s 1988 debut Long Live The Kane and especially its 1989 follow-up It’s a Big Daddy Thang propelled him into rap’s upper echelon. With a diverse array of hits, hardcore street joints and songs for the ladies, he was a clinician for the Black community — also able to seamlessly dive into addressing the societal atrocities affecting his people. — S.R.

• 33. Scarface, The Fix

  Year: 2002

  Scarface was already a southern rap legend by the time of his seventh album. The franchise player of J. Prince’s Rap-A-Lot Records dropped classics as both a solo artist and as frontman of Geto Boys. But after becoming the president of Def Jam South in 2000, he created an album that showcased his no-frills street soliloquies with new sounds. He added production by Kanye West, Nottz and The Neptunes to supplement beats from longtime collaborators like Mike Dean, and teamed up with rap stars like Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel and Nas. The soul samples gave his sound a new East Coast-friendly coat of paint, but gems like the nostalgic, reminiscent “My Block” and the heartless street tales of “In Cold Blood,” prove it’s still the same stoic, profound Brad Jordan that fans had long grown to love. — W.E.K.

• 32. Jay-Z, Reasonable Doubt

  Year: 1996

  Bowing onto the scene in 1996 via his own Roc-A-Fella Records imprint, Jay’Z’s 14-track full-length introduction made a lasting impression, thanks to its skillful production (including DJ Premier, Clark Kent), mafioso rap themes integrating the former drug dealer’s own street hustling experiences, insightful and witty rhymes about life and material dreams — and of course, Jay-Z’s keen freestyle prowess. In other words, this newcomer was the real deal. Highlights from the critically beloved debut, whom many fans (and even Jay-Z himself) have declared his best, include “Can’t Knock the Hustle” with Mary J. Blige, “Brooklyn’s Finest” with Notorious B.I.G. and “Ain’t No N—a” with Foxy Brown. — G.M.

• 31. Drake, Take Care

  Year: 2011

  Shortly after Drake toppled expectations with his 2010 debut album,Thank Me Later, a gust of fury overtook his spirit. The chatter consumed him: “Oh, he had too many features. What happened to theSo Far Goneversion of Drake?”

  On 2011’sTake Care, Drizzy silenced critics and sculpted his version ofSFGon steroids. Imbued with nostalgia mirroring his 2009 classic, Drake enlisted his one-time ally, The Weeknd, to capture the feeling ofSFG.The pair’s chemistry gleamed on songs like “Over My Dead Body,” “Crew Love,” and “The Ride.” And while Abel’s secret sauce unlocked a new level in Drake, the OVO general’s penchant for hitmaking remained his calling card. Songs like “Headlines,” “Started From the Bottom,” and “Make Me Proud” showcased Drizzy’s marksmanship, and why he was undisputed when chasing the hits.— C.L.

• 30. Eminem, The Marshall Mathers LP

  

  Year: 2000

  Looking back on The Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem admitted in 2017 that he’s “forever chasing” the album with whatever he’s creating next. “That was the height of what I could do,” he told Vulture of what he feels is his magnum opus. Slim Shady’s flagrant poetry resonated with rebellious kids across the country, tapping into their adolescence angst while they flipped the bird to their teachers and pressed play on Em’s CD (He sold 1.7 million copies of TMMLP in the first week). The electro-funk helmed by Dr. Dre behind Em’s pop-culture-attacking rhymes on “The Real Slim Shady” attracted him hoards of new fans, while jarring references to O.J. Simpson’s alleged murder weapon and the 1999 Columbine school shooting led to Eminem’s album being brought to the Senate floor. Nearly 25 years later, perhaps the most longstanding legacy from TMMLP came with Eminem coining the now-overused term “Stan” in his still-spellbinding seven-minute horror-drama of that title, detailing a relationship with a deranged, overzealous fan. — M.S.

• 29. Cardi B, Invasion of Privacy

  Year: 2018

  Cardi Bhad already lived several lives before she became a rapper: She was a stripper. She was an Instagram star. She was a reality TV personality on Love & Hip Hop New York. But with her debut album Invasion of Privacy, Cardi discovered her true calling, and claimed the rap game as her own. The explosive “Get Up 10” begins her rags-to-riches story,checking critics at the door with don’t-f—k-with-me declarations liked “I’ma put a Louboutin where her neck at.” That’s not even her best red-bottom heels reference, as “bloody shoes” from her breakout smash “Bodak Yellow” became pop canon. Cardi unapologetically reveals and revels in every side to her, honoring her Latin heritage with the bilingual banger “I Like It” (with Bad Bunny and J Balvin) and breaking down her walls on the vulnerable single “Be Careful” – resulting in one of the best rap debut albums in recent history.

  And its accolades endorse why it’s one for the books:Invasion of Privacydebuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, making Cardi the fifth female rapper to top the chart. It became the top female rap album of the 2010s, according to theBillboard 200 Decade-End chart,and came out victorious in a stacked best rap album category at the 2019 Grammys. She became the first female artist to have every song from an albumcertified platinum or higherby the RIAA, while her Hot 100 No. 1s “Bodak Yellow” and “I Like It” were both certified diamond.— H.M.

• 28. Mobb Deep, The Infamous

  Year: 1995

  Havoc and Prodigy remain grossly underappreciated by the average rap fan and critic. The duo out of Queens crafted a mid-’90s masterpiece with The Infamous thatstill sets the bar when it comes to hardcore rap music. “Survival of the Fittest” and “Shook Ones, Pt. II” remain two of the hardest records ever recorded; they might as well be categorized under heavy metal on the genre list. Havoc’s ability to flip samples both popular and obscure should be taught in music theory classes, while his partner in crime Bandana P’s lyrics are just as grim as Edgar Allen Poe’s. The Infamous is a pair of brass knuckles in sonic form. — A.D.

• 27. Ye (Kanye West), The College Dropout

  Year: 2004

  Kanye knew he was the best long before he ever released an album. His puffy ego and unflinching resolve were the guardrails to his creativity, and when the time came to show and prove, he did just that with his 2004 debut album,College Dropout. Armed with unabashed lyrics on subjects ranging from working night shifts at The Gap (“Spaceship”) to his mother combatting racism (“Never Let Me Down”), Kanye refused to sugarcoat anything on album No. 1. Though he was Roc-A-Fella’s unofficial diamond in the rough, he also shined bright when standing alongside some of rap’s fiercest rhymers in Mos Def, Common, Ludacris and Jay-Z — showcasing why he was a viable threat both in and out of the booth. — C.L.

• 26. Wu-Tang Clan, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

  Year: 1993

  It’s hard to overstate the importance of 36 Chambers, the 1993 Wu-Tang Clan debut that helped kick off a golden age of New York rap, and remains in the zeitgeist 30 years later. Its influence is one thing, but the LP remains preposterously good, a masterful showcase of young RZA’s gritty-yet-refined production style and an immediately symbiotic relationship on the microphone from the Clan’s nine members. 36 Chambers remains the gold standard for large group records, from the menacing thump of “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta F–k Wit” to the incisive and autobiographical “C.R.E.A.M.” The album doesn’t just sit at the center of the Venn diagram for the hardcore East Coast sound, Kung Fu as a rapper muse, and great all-time group records — it’s among the best in each individual circle. — G.R.

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