From Illmatic to Madvillainy, To Pimp a Butterfly to Aquemini, Tha Carter II to De La Soul Is Dead, we look at the best hip hop albums of all time, year by year.
After a huge year for hip hop in 1990, which saw the rise of MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice, as well as the genre as a major commercial force, 1991 was all about doubling down for the culture.
Younger rap acts like De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, and Gang Starr continued to refine their sound and put out more great music, while OGs like Geto Boys and Ice-T dropped some of their best work to date. Meanwhile, a young rapper by the name of 2Pac made his debut with an incredibly raw but promising album. Then we had Ice Cube, one of the best 90s rappers ever, who dropped another classic two years in a row.
From Geto Boys’ We Can’t Be Stopped to De La Soul Is Dead and The Low End Theory, here are the top 25 best hip hop albums of 1991.
25. Stetsasonic – Blood, Sweat & No Tears
Released: February 5, 1991
Label: Tommy Boy, Warner Bros.
Singles: “Speaking of a Girl Named Suzy”, “No B.S. Allowed”, “So Let the Fun Begin”
Features: N/A
24. Craig G – Now, That’s More Like It
Released: March 19, 1991
Label: Atlantic
Singles: “U-R Not The 1”
Features: Masta Ace, The Flex
23. Queen Latifah – Nature of a Sista’
Released: September 3, 1991
Label: Tommy Boy
Singles: “Fly Girl”, “Latifah’s Had It Up 2 Here”, “How Do I Love Thee”
Features: Safari Sister Swatch
22. KMD – Mr. Hood
Released: May 14, 1991
Label: Elektra Records
Singles: “Peachfuzz”, “Who Me?”, “Nitty Gritty”
Features: Brand Nubian
21. 2Pac – 2Pacalypse Now
Released: November 12, 1991
Label: Interscope, Jive
Singles: “Trapped”, “Brenda’s Got a Baby”, “If My Homie Calls”
Features: Stretch, Poppi
20. Slick Rick – The Ruler’s Back
Released: July 2, 1991
Label: Def Jam, Columbia
Singles: “I Shouldn’t Have Done It”, “Mistakes of a Woman in Love with Other Men”, “It’s a Boy”
Features: N/A
19. Heavy D & the Boyz – Peaceful Journey
Released: July 2, 1991
Label: Uptown Records
Singles: “Is It Good to You”, “Now That We Found Love”, “Don’t Curse”, “The Lover’s Got What U Need”
Features: Aaron Hall, Big Daddy Kane, Grand Puba, Kool G. Rap, Q-Tip, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Daddy Freddy
18. Leaders of the New School – A Future Without a Past…
Released: July 2, 1991
Label: Elektra
Singles: “Case of the P.T.A.”, “Sobb Story”, “The International Zone Coaster”
Features: Cracker Jacks, Kollie Weed, Rumpletilskinz
17. Pete Rock & CL Smooth – All Souled Out
Released: June 25, 1991
Label: Elektra
Singles: N/A
Features: N/A
16. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – Homebase
Released: July 23, 1991
Label: Jive, RCA
Singles: “Summertime”, “Ring My Bell”, “The Things That U Do”, “You Saw My Blinker”
Features: N/A
15. Kool Moe Dee – Funke, Funke Wisdom
Released: June 11, 1991
Label: Jive, RCA
Singles: “How Kool Can One Black Man Be”, “Death Blow”, “Rise ‘N’ Shine”
Features: KRS-One, Chuck D
14. Organized Konfusion – Organized Konfusion
Released: October 29, 1991
Label: Hollywood BASIC, Elektra Records
Singles: “Walk Into the Sun”
Features: O.C.
13. Scarface – Mr. Scarface Is Back
Released: October 8, 1991
Label: Rap-A-Lot, Priority, EMI
Singles: “Mr. Scarface”, “A Minute to Pray and a Second to Die”
Features: N/A
12. N.W.A. – Niggaz4Life
Released: May 28, 1991
Label: Ruthless, Priority
Singles: “Alwayz into Somethin'”, “Appetite for Destruction”, “The Dayz of Wayback”
Features: N/A
11. Freestyle Fellowship – To Whom It May Concern…
Released: October 5, 1991
Label: Sun Music
Singles: N/A
Features: N/A
10. Ice-T – O.G. Original Gangster
Released: May 14, 1991
Label: Sire
Singles: “O.G. Original Gangster”, “New Jack Hustler (Nino’s Theme)”
Features: Body Count, Prince Whipper Whip, Donald D, Evil E, Randy Mac
9. Gang Starr – Step in the Arena
Released: January 15, 1991
Label: Chrysalis, EMI Records
Singles: “Just to Get a Rep”, “Take a Rest”, “Lovesick”, “Step in the Arena”, “Who’s Gonna Take the Weight?”
Features: N/A
8. Main Source – Breaking Atoms
Released: July 23, 1991
Label: Wild Pitch, EMI
Singles: “Looking at the Front Door”, “Watch Roger Do His Thing”, “Just Hangin’ Out”, “Peace Is Not the Word to Play”
Features: Nas, Joe Fatal and Akinyele
7. Naughty by Nature – Naughty by Nature
Released: September 3, 1991
Label: Tommy Boy
Singles: “O.P.P.”, “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright”, “Uptown Anthem”
Features: Lakim Shabazz, Apache, Queen Latifah, Aphrodity
6. Cypress Hill – Cypress Hill
Released: August 13, 1991
Label: Ruffhouse, Columbia
Singles: “The Phuncky Feel One / How I Could Just Kill a Man”, “Hand on the Pump / Real Estate”, “Pigs”, “Latin Lingo”
Features: N/A
5. DJ Quik – Quik Is the Name
Released: January 15, 1991
Label: Profile
Singles: “Born and Raised in Compton”, “Tonite”, “Quik Is The Name”
Features:
4. Geto Boys – We Can’t Be Stopped
Released: July 9, 1991
Label: Rap-A-Lot Records
Singles: “Mind Playing Tricks on Me”
Features: N/A
3. De La Soul – De La Soul Is Dead
Released: May 14, 1991
Label: Tommy Boy, Warner Bros.
Singles: “A Roller Skating Jam Named “Saturdays””, “Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)”, “Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa”/”Keepin’ the Faith”
Features: Dres
2. Ice Cube – Death Certificate
Released: October 29, 1991
Label: Lench Mob, Priority
Singles: “Steady Mobbin'”, “True to the Game”
Features: Khalid Abdul Muhammad, Deadly Threat, Kam, the Maad Circle, King Tee and J-Dee
1. A Tribe Called Quest – The Low End Theory
Released: September 24, 1991
Label: Jive
Singles: “Check the Rhime”, “Jazz (We’ve Got)”, “Scenario”
Features: Vinia Mojica, Ron Carter, Diamond D, Lord Jamar, Sadat X, Busta Rhymes, Charlie Brown, Dinco D
