Greatest Hip Hop Albums of All Time

[ManPerson]

Current list

Criteria: The 100 Rap music albums listed here were chosen for Impact, Influence, Critical Acclaim, and Lasting Popularity in the genre of Rap and Hip-Hop. All realms of Rap/Hip-Hop are included.

Compiled By: DDD Rap Forum
Last Updated: 2017-09-06

https://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_rap-album.html



1. It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back - Public Enemy
2. good kid, m.A.A.d city - Kendrick Lamar
3. The Marshall Mathers LP - Eminem
4. Paid In Full - Eric B. & Rakim
5. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill
6. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West
7. The Blueprint - Jay-Z
8. Straight Outta Compton - N.W.A
9. Raising Hell - Run-D.M.C.
10. 3 Feet High And Rising - De La Soul
11. The Chronic - Dr. Dre
12. The Low End Theory - A Tribe Called Quest
13. To Pimp a Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar
14. Stankonia - Outkast
15. Illmatic - Nas
16. Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) - Wu Tang Clan
17. All Eyez on Me - 2pac
18. Pauls Boutique - Beastie Boys
19. Late Registration - Kanye West
20. It's a Big Daddy Thing - Big Daddy Kane
21. Supa Dupa Fly - Missy Elliott
22. Ready To Die - The Notorious B.I.G.
23. Aquemini - Outkast
24. Tha Carter III - Lil Wayne
25. Radio - LL Cool J
26. Things Fall Apart - The Roots
27. Criminal Minded - Boogie Down Productions
28. King of Rock - Run-D.M.C.
29. Madvillainy - Madvillain
30. The Message - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
31. The College Dropout - Kanye West
32. Fear of A Black Planet - Public Enemy
33. R.A.P. Music - Killer Mike
34. Run-D.M.C. - Run-D.M.C.
35. The Score - The Fugees
36. Me Against the World - 2 pac
37. License To Ill - Beastie Boys
38. The Untouchable - Scarface
39. Mama Said Knock You Out - LL Cool J
40. O.G. Original Gangster - Ice T
41. Long Live the Kane - Big Daddy Kane
42. Kurtis Blow - Kurtis Blow
43. Planet Rock - Afrika Bambaataa
44. Doggystyle - Snoopdogg
45. Black on Both Sides - Mos Def
46. The Black Album - Jay-Z
47. Mecca and the Soul Brother - Pete Rock & CL Smooth
48. Reasonable Doubt - Jay-Z
49. My Name Is My Name - Pusha T.
50. Speakerboxx/The Love Below - Outkast
51. Lyte As A Rock - MC Lyte
52. The Slim Shady LP - Eminem
53. AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted - Ice Cube
54. KRS-One - KRS-One
55. The Great Adventures of Slick Rick - Slick Rick
56. Life After Death - The Notorious B.I.G.
57. Nothing Was The Same - Drake
58. Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star - Black Star (Mos Def / Talib Kweli)
59. Very Necessary - Salt-N-Pepa
60. Liquid Swords - GZA
61. Oxymoron - ScHoolboy Q
62. Under Construction - Missy Elliott
63. Oh My God - Doug E. Fresh
64. I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside - Earl Sweatshirt
65. All Hail The Queen - Queen Latifah
66. '93 Til Infinity - Souls of Mischief
67. Phrenology - The Roots
68. DAMN. - Kendrick Lamar
69. Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels
70. Like Water For Chocolate - Common
71. Midnight Maruaders - A Tribe Called Quest
72. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... - Raekwon
73. Straight Out the Jungle - The Jungle Brothers
74. No One Can Do It Better - The D.O.C.
75. Follow the Leader - Eric B. & Rakim
76. Big Tyme - Heavy D. & The Boyz
77. Run The Jewels II - Run the Jewels
78. Blacks Magic - Salt-N-Pepa
79. Strictly Business - EPMD
80. Get Rich or Die Tryin' - 50 Cent
81. Mantronix : The Album - Mantronix
82. Coloring Book - Chance the Rapper
83. Tha Carter IV - Lil Wayne
84. By All Means Necessary - Boogie Down Productions
85. It Was Written - Nas
86. Daily Operation - Gang Starr
87. Its Dark and Hell is Hot - DMX
88. Quality Control - Jurassic 5
89. Capital Punishment - Big Pun
90. Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders First Lady - Eve
91. Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde - Pharcyde
92. Sex Packets - Digital Underground
93. The Greatest Story Never Told - Saigon
94. Escape - Whodini
95. Critical Beatdown - Ultramagnetic MCs
96. How Ya Like Me Now - Kool Moe Dee
97. The Coming - Busta Rhymes
98. 3 Years, 5 Days, and 2 Months in the Life of... - Arrested Development
99. Cadillactica - Big K.R.I.T.
100. Chicken-N-Beer - Ludacris

[ManPerson]

Suggested Revision

Criteria: Influence, Acclaim with Hip Hop Fans, Popularity, Mainstream Critical Acclaim
1. It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back - Public Enemy (1988)
2. Raising Hell - Run-D.M.C. (1986)
3. Straight Outta Compton - N.W.A. (1988)
4. The Chronic - Dr. Dre (1992)
5. Illmatic - Nas (1994)
6. Ready To Die - Notorious B.I.G. (1994)
7. Run-D.M.C. - Run-D.M.C. (1984)
8. Paid In Full - Eric B. & Rakim (1987)
9. Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) - Wu-Tang Clan (1993)
10. 3 Feet High and Rising - De La Soul (1989)
11. The Score - Fugees (1996)
12. Paul's Boutique - Beastie Boys (1989)
13. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill (1998)
14. All Eyez On Me - 2Pac (1996)
15. The College Dropout - Kanye West (2004)
16. To Pimp a Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar (2015)
17. The Marshall Mathers LP - Eminem (2000)
18. Stankonia - Outkast (2000)
19. The Blueprint - Jay-Z (2001)
20. The Low End Theory - A Tribe Called Quest (1991)
21. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West (2010)
22. Licensed To Ill - Beastie Boys (1986)
23. Doggystyle - Snoop Dogg (1993)
24. Aquemini - Outkast (1998)
25. Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City - Kendrick Lamar (2012)
26. Me Against the World - 2Pac (1995)
27. Radio - LL Cool J (1985)
28. Life After Death - Notorious B.I.G. (1997)
29. Reasonable Doubt - Jay-Z (1996)
30. Fear of a Black Planet - Public Enemy (1990)
31. The Slim Shady LP - Eminem (1999)
32. 2001 - Dr. Dre (1999)
33. The Message - Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five (1982)
34. Criminal Minded - Boogie Down Productions (1987)
35. Amerikkka’s Most Wanted - Ice Cube (1990)
36. Supa Dupa Fly - Missy Elliott (1997)
37. Tha Carter III - Lil Wayne (2008)
38. Late Registration - Kanye West (2005)
39. Speakerboxx/The Love Below - Outkast (2003)
40. Get Rich or Die Tryin’ - 50 Cent (2003)
41. Take Care - Drake (2011)
42. Midnight Marauders - A Tribe Called Quest (1993)
43. Madvillainy - Madvillain (2004)
44. The Black Album - Jay-Z (2003)
45. Damn - Kendrick Lamar (2017)
46. Miss E… So Addictive - Missy Elliott (2001)
47. Ill Communication - Beastie Boys (1994)
48. The Eminem Show - Eminem (2002)
49. It’s Dark And Hell is Hot - DMX (1998)
50. Cypress Hill - Cypress Hill (1991)
51. ATLiens - Outkast (1996)
52. King of Rock - Run-D.M.C. (1985)
53. Hot, Cool & Vicious - Salt ‘n’ Pepa (1986)
54. Yeezus - Kanye West (2013)
55. Graduation - Kanye West (2007)
56. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx - Raekwon (1995)
57. Death Certificate - Ice Cube (1991)
58. Black On Both Sides - Mos Def (1999)
59. Liquid Swords - GZA (1995)
60. The Infamous - Mobb Deep (1995)
61. Things Fall Apart - The Roots (1999)
62. Follow the Leader - Eric B. & Rakim (1988)
63. Yo! Bum Rush the Show - Public Enemy (1987)
64. 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life of… - Arrested Development (1992)
65. DS2 - Future (2015)
66. People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm - A Tribe Called Quest (1990)
67. Hard Core - Lil’ Kim (1996)
68. Pink Friday - Nicki Minaj (2010)
69. Supreme Clientele - Ghostface Killah (2000)
70. Critical Beatdown - Ultramagnetic MCs (1988)
71. Strictly Business - EPMD (1988)
72. Long Live the Kane - Big Daddy Kane (1988)
73. Man On the Moon: The End of the Day - Kid Cudi (2009)
74. Check Your Head - Beastie Boys (1992)
75. Mama Said Knock You Out - LL Cool J (1990)
76. Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik - Outkast (1994)
77. All Hail the Queen - Queen Latifah (1989)
78. By All Means Necessary - Boogie Down Productions (1988)
79. The Great Adventures of Slick Rick - Slick Rick (1988)
80. Black Sunday - Cypress Hill (1993)
81. E. 1999 Eternal - Bone Thugs ‘n’ Harmony (1995)
82. Bigger and Deffer - LL Cool J (1987)
83. No One Can Do It Better - The D.O.C. (1989)
84. Moment of Truth - Gang Starr (1998)
85. Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star - Black Star (1998)
86. Done By the Forces of Nature - The Jungle Brothers (1989)
87. Hello Nasty - Beastie Boys (1998)
88. Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde - The Pharcyde (1992)
89. Donuts - J Dilla (2006)
90. Be - Common (2005)
91. De La Soul is Dead - De La Soul (1991)
92. Capital Punishment - Big Pun (1998)
93. Step In the Arena - Gang Starr (1991)
94. Road to the Riches - Kool G. Rap & DJ Polo (1989)
95. Hell Hath No Fury - Clipse (2006)
96. It Was Written - Nas (1996)
97. Tha Carter II - Lil Wayne (2005)
98. Like Water for Chocolate - Common (2000)
99. Flower Boy - Tyler, the Creator (2017)
100. Operation: Doomsday - MF DOOM (1999)

[Fido]

Better than the main list imo.

[pauldrach]

Seconded.

[ManPerson]

https://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_rap-album.html
The revision is up

[ManPerson]

Artists with 2 or more albums on the list
Beastie Boys: 5
Kanye West: 5
Outkast: 5
A Tribe Called Quest: 3
Eminem: 3
Jay-Z: 3
Kendrick Lamar: 3
LL Cool J: 3
Public Enemy: 3
Run-D.M.C.: 3
2Pac: 2
Boogie Down Productions: 2
Common: 2
Cypress Hill: 2
De La Soul: 2
Dr. Dre: 2
Eric B. & Rakim: 2
Fugees/Lauryn Hill: 2
Gang Starr: 2
Ice Cube: 2
Lil Wayne: 2
MF DOOM/Madvillain: 2
Missy Elliott: 2
Mos Def/Black Star: 2
Nas: 2
Notorious B.I.G.: 2