1987 – Paid In Full – Paid in Full is credited as a benchmark album of golden age hip hop. Rakim’s rapping, which pioneered the use of internal rhymes in hip hop, set a higher standard of lyricism in the genre and served as a template for future rappers. The album’s heavy sampling by Eric B. became influential in hip hop production. The record has sold over a million copies and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it platinum in 1995. In 2003, the album was ranked number 228 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
1988 – It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back – Public Enemy set out to make the hip hop equivalent to Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, a record noted for its strong social commentary. Recording sessions took place during 1987 at Chung King Studios, Greene St. Recording, and Sabella Studios in New York. Noting the enthusiastic response toward their live shows, Public Enemy intended with Nation of Millions to make the music of a faster tempo than the previous album for performance purposes.
1989 – 3 Feet High And Rising – Critically, as well as commercially, the album was a success. It contains the singles, “Me Myself and I”, “The Magic Number”, “Buddy”, and “Eye Know”. In 2001, the album was re-issued along with an extra disc of B-side tracks, and alternative versions. The album title came from the Johnny Cash song “Five Feet High and Rising”. It was selected by the Library of Congress as a 2010 addition to the National Recording Registry, which selects recordings annually that are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.
1990 – AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted – With socio-political conscious and gangsta rap content, its songs delve into the issues of ghetto life, drug addiction, racism and poverty. Throughout the album, Ice Cube incessantly attacks institutions for perceived or actual racist tendencies, as well as social norms which directly or indirectly allowed the oppression of those living in the ghettos of Los Angeles to continue. On “Endangered Species (Tales from the Darkside),” he predicts that his neighborhood would become a flash point for violence before 1992’s scandal over the beating of Rodney King, and takes police to task for the policies that would later lead to the L.A. riots that resulted.
1991 – The Love End Theory – The Low End Theory has garnered recognition from music critics and writers as a milestone in alternative hip hop. The album is regarded as Phife Dawg’s breakout and is credited for helping launch rapper Busta Rhymes’s successful solo career. The album’s influence on artists in hip hop, R&B and other genres has been attributed to the group’s lyricism and Q-Tip’s production, which bridged the gap between jazz and hip hop. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time, appearing on many best album lists by music critics and writers.
1992 – The Chronic – The Chronic peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and had been certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America with sales of 5.7 million copies in the United States, which led to Dr. Dre becoming one of the top ten best-selling American performing artists of 1993. Dr. Dre’s production has been noted for popularizing the G-funk subgenre within gangsta rap. The Chronic has been widely regarded as one of the most important and influential albums of the 1990s and regarded by many fans and peers to be one of the most well-produced hip hop albums of all time. The Chronic was ranked at #138 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
1993 – Doggystyle – Doggystyle debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 806,858 copies in its first week alone in the United States, which was the record for a debuting artist and the fastest-selling hip-hop album ever. Doggystyle was included on The Source magazine’s list of the 100 Best Rap Albums; as well as Rolling Stone magazine’s list of Essential Recordings of the ’90s. About.com placed the album in No. 17 of the greatest hip hop/rap albums of all time. The album was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). By November 2015, the album had sold 7 million copies in the United States, and over 11 million copies worldwide.
1994 – Illmatic – Since its initial reception, Illmatic has been recognized by writers and music critics as a landmark album in East Coast hip hop. Its influence on subsequent hip hop artists has been attributed to the album’s production and Nas’ lyricism. It also contributed to the revival of the New York City rap scene, introducing a number of stylistic trends to the region. The album is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential albums of all time, appearing on numerous best album lists by critics and publications.
1995 – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… has received acclaim from music critics and writers over the years, with many lauding it as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. With its emphasis on American Mafia insinuations and organized crime, the album is widely regarded as a pioneer of the mafioso rap subgenre. It is considered to have been highly influential on hip hop music over the next decade, being heavily referenced and influential on acclaimed albums such as Reasonable Doubt (1996) and Life After Death (1997). Along with GZA’s Liquid Swords, Cuban Linx is the most acclaimed solo Wu-Tang work. In 2012, Rolling Stone magazine placed it at number 480 on their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.
1996 – All Eyez On Me – All Eyez on Me was the second album by 2Pac to chart at number one on both the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, selling 566,000 copies in the first week. The album won the 1997 Soul Train R&B/Soul or Rap Album of the Year Award posthumously. Shakur also won the Award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist at the 24th Annual American Music Awards. The album was certified Diamond by the RIAA on July 23, 2014, eighteen years after Shakur’s death, with shipments of over 5 million copies (each disc in the double album counted as a separate unit for certification).
1997 – Life After Death – The album was nominated for three Grammy Awards in 1998 including Best Rap Album, Best Rap Solo Performance for its first single “Hypnotize”, and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for its second single “Mo Money Mo Problems”. In 2003, the album was ranked number 476 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
1998 – Aquemini – Aquemini expands on the previous record’s outer space-inspired compositions by incorporating live instrumentation. The commercial success of ATLiens allowed for more creative freedom for the group, which led to the members self-producing the majority of the tracks. The band employed a large number of musicians for the album, who frequently entered and exited the studio throughout the recording process and had a major influence on the writing development of the album’s songs. Lyrically, Aquemini explores various themes including human nature, addiction, and interpersonal relationships.
1999 – 2001 – The album debuted at number 2 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 550,000 copies in its first week. It produced 3 singles that attained chart success and has been certified 6× Platinum by the RIAA; as of August 2015 the album has sold 7,800,000 copies in the United States. 2001 received generally positive reviews from critics, many of whom praised the music although some found the lyrics objectionable.
2000 – Supreme Clientele – Supreme Clientele was met with mostly strong reviews from music critics, despite its contrasting sound and style to that of his previous album, Ironman (1996). It was praised and noted for Ghostface Killah’s obscure and creative lyricism, and for the cohesive format of production. Supreme Clientele was the most acclaimed of all the second generation Wu-Tang projects, and featured the most contributions from RZA during this era. Along with Ironman and Fishscale (2006), it is often ranked as Ghostface Killah’s best work. It has also been regarded as one of the best solo Wu-Tang albums, and has received accolades for being one of the best albums of the 2000s decade.
2001 – The Blueprint – The Blueprint received universal acclaim from music critics, with praise being directed at Jay-Z’s lyricism and the production. It is considered one of his best albums and has also been labeled as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. Despite its release coinciding with the September 11 attacks, it sold over 427,000 copies in its opening week and debuted at number one in the US, holding the spot for three weeks. It was later certified double-platinum by the RIAA for selling two million copies.
2002 – The Fix – The album was highly acclaimed, receiving a rare 5-mic rating from hip-hop magazine The Source. It debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 chart, with well over 160,000 copies sold in its 1st week. Guest artists on the album include Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel, Nas, Faith Evans, and WC. Producers include Mike Dean, Kanye West, Tony Pizarro, Nottz, and The Neptunes.
2003 – Get Rich Or Die Tryin – Released a week in advance to combat bootlegging and internet leakage, Get Rich or Die Tryin’ debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling over 872,000 copies in its first week of sales. The album’s singles also saw commercial success, with both “In da Club” and “21 Questions” reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100, while “P.I.M.P.” became a number one hit in several countries. The album would eventually sell over 8 million copies in the United States, and has become certified 6× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It also saw widespread critical success, becoming nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album at the 46th Grammy Awards. It is considered to be 50 Cent’s best album, and is ranked by Rolling Stone as one of the best albums of the 2000s.
2004 – The College Dropout – The College Dropout debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, selling 441,000 copies in its first week of sales. It was a massive commercial success, becoming West’s best-selling album in the United States, with domestic sales of over 3.4 million copies by 2014. The album was promoted with singles such as “Through the Wire”, “Jesus Walks”, “All Falls Down”, and “Slow Jamz”, the latter two of which peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100.
2005 – BE – The album was primarily produced by rapper Kanye West. It debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 185,000 copies in the United States. The album is Common’s second album to sell over 500,000 copies (over 800,000 copies sold), becoming a certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Be was also a critical success, receiving acclaim and accolades from several critics and music publications. The album received a perfect “XXL” rating from hip hop publication XXL.
2006 – KING – King received general acclaim from music critics, earning praise for its varied musical style, opulent production quality, and T.I.’s dichotomous lyrical themes, and including the hit single “What You Know” where critics praised DJ Toomp’s production for the single. The album also earned T.I. several accolades, including Grammy Award nominations for Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song and Best Rap Solo Performance, winning the latter for “What You Know”. The album also appeared at the top of several publications year-end lists of top albums.
2007 – Below The Heavens – The debut studio album by hip hop duo Blu & Exile. It was released by Sound in Color on July 17, 2007. It serves as Blu’s debut album, while Exile had previously released his solo album Dirty Science and two albums as a member of the duo Emanon. Atrue classic.
2008 – Tha Carter 3 – Tha Carter III received universal acclaim from music critics and earned Lil Wayne several accolades, including a spot on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. It has been certified triple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and has sold 3.6 million copies in the United States. Tha Carter III features appearances from Jay-Z, T-Pain, Robin Thicke, Busta Rhymes, and Kanye West, among others. It also features Static Major, who is credited posthumously following his death in February 2008.
2009 – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2 – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. II received widespread acclaim from music critics, based on an aggregate score of 88/100 from Metacritic, indicating “universal acclaim”, and was ranked number 45 on the site’s list of best-reviewed albums. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. II was included on several publications’ year-end album lists, including Rolling Stone, which ranked it the twenty-fifth best album of 2009, and Time, which named it seventh-best.
2010 – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and eventually sold 1.3 million copies in the United States. It was a widespread critical success and named the best album of 2010 in many publications’ critics polls, including the Pazz & Jop. Several professionally curated lists later ranked it among the greatest albums of all time.
2011 – Section 80 – The album features guest appearances from GLC, Colin Munroe, Ashtrobot, BJ the Chicago Kid, Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul and vocals from late singer-songwriter Alori Joh. The production was mainly handled by Top Dawg in-house producers from production group Digi+Phonics, along with THC, Tommy Black, Wyldfyer, Terrace Martin and J. Cole. The concept album features lyrical themes delivered by Lamar such as the 1980s crack epidemic, racism and medication tolerance. The album’s lead single, “HiiiPoWeR” was released on April 12, 2011.
2012 – good kid M.a.a.D city – Good Kid, M.A.A.D City was recorded mostly at several studios in California, with producers such as Dr. Dre, Just Blaze, Pharrell Williams, Hit-Boy, Scoop DeVille, Jack Splash and T-Minus, among others, contributing to the album. Billed as a “short film by Kendrick Lamar” on the album cover, the concept album follows the story of Lamar’s teenage experiences in the drug-infested streets and gang lifestyle of his native Compton. The album received widespread acclaim from critics, who praised its thematic scope and Lamar’s lyrics. It earned Lamar four Grammy Award nominations at the 56th Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year.
2013 – Run The Jewels – At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 86 out of 100, based on 25 reviews, which indicates “universal acclaim”. Chris Coplan of Consequence of Sound gave the album four out of five stars, saying “Sure, Jay and Ye are probably friends, maybe even with secret, $100,000 matching bracelets that say “Besties 4 Life”. But, on record, their relationship felt mostly lopsided and uneven. Run the Jewels, on the other hand, is the very synthesis of El-P and Mike’s shared admiration and cohesive worldviews, an effort of the purest collaboration and mutual understanding. Now, let your heart fill with love and bang your damn head up and down.”
2014 – 2014 Forest Hill Drive – 2014 Forest Hills Drive received generally positive reviews from critics who admired its ambitious concept, production and lyrics. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 353,000 copies in its first week. It was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 58th Grammy Awards. The album won Album of the Year at the 2015 BET Hip Hop Awards, and Top Rap Album at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards. The single “Apparently” was nominated for Best Rap Performance at the 58th Grammy Awards. As of September 2015, the album has sold one million copies in the United States. By doing so, J. Cole earned his first million-selling album in the country. The album was certified double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in October 2016.
2015 – To Pimp A Butterfly – To Pimp a Butterfly debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and received widespread acclaim from critics, who praised its musical scope and the social relevance of Lamar’s lyrics. It was ranked as the best album of 2015 by many publications, including Rolling Stone, Billboard and Pitchfork. It was nominated for Album of the Year and won Best Rap Album at the 58th Grammy Awards. The album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). By June 2017, the album had sold one million copies in the United States.
2016 – Black America Again – Black America Again received widespread acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 88, based on 13 reviews. Andy Kellman of AllMusic said, “All that’s here, dark or bright, is vital.” Greg Kot of Chicago Tribune said, “One of the year’s most potent protest albums. … The album sags midway through with a handful of lightweight love songs, but finishes with some of its most emotionally resounding tracks: the “Glory”-like plea for redemption “Rain” with Legend, the celebration of family that is “Little Chicago Boy”, and the staggering “Letter to the Free”
2017 – DAMN – Damn received widespread critical acclaim and topped the charts in the United States and Canada while reaching number two in Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The album was supported by three official singles: “Humble”, “Loyalty” and “Love”, the first of which became Lamar’s first number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 as a lead artist. Damn was certified triple Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in May 2018 and was also the Billboard Year-End number one album of 2017. It was nominated for Album of the Year and won Best Rap Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.[4] The album also won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, making it the first non-jazz or classical work to earn the accolade.
2018 – DAYTONA – Daytona received widespread acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 86 based on 20 reviews, indicating “universal acclaim”. Clayton Purdom of The A.V. Club expressed that Daytona is “an absolute masterpiece of minimalism”, complimenting both the album’s production and lyricism.