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.
2016 was an eventful year to say the least. This year, we saw the return of Kanye, who hadn’t dropped an album since 2013 , the rise of Chance the Rapper, and the first Tribe album since 1998’s The Love Movement .
Outside of that, we also had huge releases from J. Cole and Drake, the latter selling over a million copies of Views in his first week; Future continuing his legendary run that started at the end of 2014; Kevin Gates going platinum with no features (sound familiar?); and Travis Scott dropping the very strong Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight .
It was especially a great year for Top Dawg Entertainment. After a phenomenal 2015 which saw the release of Kendrick’s To Pimp a Butterfly and Jay Rock’s 90059 , the LA-based record label dropped 4 outstanding albums: Schoolboy Q’s Blank Face LP , Isaiah Rashad’s The Sun’s Tirade , Lance Skiiiwalker’s Introverted Intuition and Ab-Soul’s Do What Thou Wilt. , not including Kendrick’s Untitled Unmastered .
From J. Cole’s 4 Your Eyez Only to Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo and Danny Brown’s Atrocity Exhibition , here are the top 25 best hip hop albums of 2016.
25. Kevin Gates – Islah
Released: January 29, 2016
Label: Bread Winners’ Association, Atlantic
Singles: “Kno One”, “Really Really”, “2 Phones”, “Time for That”
Features: N/A
24. YG – Still Brazy
Released: June 14, 2016
Label: 4Hunnid, CTE, Def Jam
Singles: “Twist My Fingaz”, “FDT”, “Why You Always Hatin?”
Features: Lil Wayne, Drake, Nipsey Hussle, Slim 400, Syke 800, Duce, Marley Blu and Burnt Out
23. Young Dolph – King of Memphis
Released: February 19, 2016
Label: Paper Route Empire
Singles: “Get Paid”
Features: N/A
22. Skepta – Konnichiwa
Released: May 6, 2016
Label: Boy Better Know
Singles: “That’s Not Me”, “Shutdown”, “Ladies Hit Squad”, “Man”
Features: Jme, Boy Better Know, D Double E, Novelist, Wiley, Chip, Pharrell Williams, ASAP Nast and Young Lord
21. Smoke DZA & Pete Rock – Don’t Smoke Rock
Released: December 2, 2016
Label: Babygrande
Singles: N/A
Features: Dave East, Rick Ross, Royce da 5’9″, Cam’ron, NymLo, BJ the Chicago Kid, Jadakiss, Styles P, Wale, Big K.R.I.T., Dom Kennedy, theMIND and Mac Miller
20. Drake – Views
Released: April 29, 2016
Label: Cash Money, Republic, Young Money
Singles: “Hotline Bling”, “One Dance”, “Pop Style”, “Controlla”, “Too Good”
Features: PartyNextDoor, Pimp C, Dvsn, Wizkid, Kyla, Future, and Rihanna
19. Young Thug – Jeffery
Released: August 26, 2016
Label: 300, Atlantic
Singles: “Pick Up the Phone”, “Wyclef Jean”
Features: Travis Scott, Gucci Mane, Gunna, Quavo, Offset, and Wyclef Jean
18. NxWorries – Yes Lawd!
Released: October 21, 2016
Label: Stones Throw
Singles: “Suede”, “Link Up”, “Lyk Dis”, “Get Bigger / Do U Luv”
Features: N/A
17. Vince Staples – Prima Donna
Released: August 26, 2016
Label: ARTium, Def Jam
Singles: N/A
Features: Kilo Kish and ASAP Rocky
16. Yo Gotti – The Art of Hustle
Released: February 19, 2016
Label: Epic, CMG
Singles: “Down in the DM”, “Law”
Features: K. Michelle, Lil Wayne, E-40, Timbaland, Future, Pusha T, 2 Chainz, Nicki Minaj
15. De La Soul – And the Anonymous Nobody…
Released: August 26, 2016
Label: A.O.I., Kobalt
Singles: “Trainwreck”, “Pain”, “Royalty Capes”, “Drawn”, “Greyhounds”
Features: 2 Chainz, Damon Albarn, David Byrne, Estelle, Little Dragon, Snoop Dogg, Jill Scott, Justin Hawkins, Pete Rock, and Roc Marciano
14. Common – Black America Again
Released: November 4, 2016
Label: ARTium, Def Jam
Singles: “Love Star”, “Black America Again”
Features: Stevie Wonder, Marsha Ambrosius, PJ, Syd, Elena, Bilal, BJ the Chicago Kid, John Legend, Tasha Cobbs
13. Chance the Rapper – Coloring Book
Released: May 13, 2016
Label: N/A
Singles: “Angels”, “No Problem”, “Summer Friends”
Features: Kanye West, Young Thug, Francis and the Lights, Justin Bieber, 2 Chainz, Kirk Franklin, and the Chicago Children’s Choir
12. Future – Evol
Released: February 6, 2016
Label: A1, Freebandz, Epic
Singles: “Low Life”, “Wicked”
Features: The Weeknd
11. Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels 3
Released: December 24, 2016
Label: Run the Jewels, Inc., RBC
Singles: “Talk to Me”, “2100”, “Legend Has It”
Features: Danny Brown, Joi, Trina, Boots, Tunde Adebimpe, Zack de la Rocha, and Kamasi Washington
10. Noname – Telefone
Released: July 31, 2016
Label: N/A
Singles: N/A
Features: Saba, Ravyn Lenae, Raury, Smino
9. Travis Scott – Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight
Released: September 2, 2016
Label: Grand Hustle, Epic
Singles: “Wonderful”, “Pick Up the Phone”, “Goosebumps”
Features: André 3000, Blac Youngsta, Kid Cudi, Nav, 21 Savage, Kendrick Lamar, Bryson Tiller, Young Thug, Quavo, K. Forest, and The Weeknd
8. Kendrick Lamar – untitled unmastered.
Released: March 4, 2016
Label: Top Dawg, Aftermath, Interscope
Singles: “Untitled 07 | Levitate”
Features: N/A
7. Isaiah Rashad – The Sun’s Tirade
Released: September 2, 2016
Label: Top Dawg Entertainment
Singles: “Free Lunch”
Features: SiR, Zacari, Kendrick Lamar, Deacon Blues, Kari Faux, Syd tha Kyd, Hugh Augustine, Jay Rock and SZA
6. Anderson .Paak – Malibu
Released: January 15, 2016
Label: ArtClub, Empire, OBE, Steel Wool
Singles: “The Season / Carry Me”, “Am I Wrong”, “Room in Here”, “Come Down”
Features: BJ the Chicago Kid, Schoolboy Q, Rapsody, The Free Nationals United Fellowship Choir, The Game, Sonyae Elise, Talib Kweli, Timan Family Choir
5. J. Cole – 4 Your Eyez Only
Released: December 9, 2016
Label: Dreamville, Roc Nation, Interscope
Singles: “Deja Vu”, “Neighbors”
Features: N/A
4. Kanye West – The Life of Pablo
Released: February 14, 2016
Label: GOOD, Def Jam
Singles: “Famous”, “Father Stretch My Hands”, “Fade”
Features: The-Dream, Kelly Price, Chance the Rapper, Kirk Franklin, Kid Cudi, Desiigner, Rihanna, Young Thug, Chris Brown, The Weeknd, Ty Dolla Sign, Vic Mensa, Sia, Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, Post Malone, and Sampha.
3. Schoolboy Q – Blank Face LP
Released: July 8, 2016
Label: TDE, Interscope
Singles: “Groovy Tony”, “That Part”, “Overtime”
Features: Kanye West, Jadakiss, E-40, Tha Dogg Pound, Miguel and Anderson .Paak
2. Danny Brown – Atrocity Exhibition
Released: September 27, 2016
Label: Fool’s Gold, Warp
Singles: “When It Rain”, “Pneumonia”, “Really Doe”
Features: Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, Earl Sweatshirt, B-Real, Kelela, and Petite Noir
1. A Tribe Called Quest – We Got It from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service
Released: November 11, 2016
Label: Epic
Singles: “We the People….”, “Dis Generation”
Features: André 3000, Kendrick Lamar, Jack White, Elton John, Kanye West, Anderson .Paak, Talib Kweli, Consequence, and Busta Rhymes
