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.

We started the 2020s with the loss of one of hip hop’s hottest young talent when Pop Smoke was tragically murdered while staying at an Airbnb the Hollywood Hills.

In just a few years, we had lost Mac Miller, XXXTentacion, Juice Wrld, Nipsey Hussle and the aforementioned Pop Smoke, but their impact was still being felt as they departed. Pop and Juice ended up having two of the biggest rap albums of the year, and their names would continue to ring out over the coming years.

In the other news, Eminem was back with his eleventh album Music to Be Murdered By which featured a murderers’ row of lyricists; Logic would retire upon releasing No Pressure; Lil Baby officially became the biggest new rapper in the game with his latest drop; and 21 Savage was proving to the haters why he was a rapper to watch out for with Savage Mode II.

From Stove God Cooks’ Reasonable Drought to Lil Uzi Vert’s Eternal Atake and Run the Jewels’ RTJ4, here are the top 25 best hip hop albums of 2020.

25. Polo G – The Goat

Released: May 15, 2020

Label: Columbia

Singles: “Heartless”, “Go Stupid”, “DND”, “Wishing for a Hero”, “Martin & Gina”

Features: Mustard, Juice Wrld, Stunna 4 Vegas, NLE Choppa, Mike Will Made It, Lil Baby, and BJ the Chicago Kid.

24. Benny the Butcher – Burden of Proof

Released: October 16, 2020

Label: Griselda, Empire

Singles: “Timeless”, “Legend”

Features: Big Sean, Conway the Machine, Dom Kennedy, Freddie Gibbs, Lil Wayne, Queen Naija, Rick Ross and Westside Gunn.

23. Big Sean – Detroit 2

Released: September 4, 2020

Label: GOOD, Def Jam

Singles: “Deep Reverence”, “Wolves”

Features: Eminem, Royce da 5’9″, Dwele, Post Malone, Young Thug, Travis Scott, Lil Wayne, Diddy, Kash Doll, and Nipsey Hussle.

22. Playboi Carti – Whole Lotta Red

Released: December 25, 2020

Label: AWGE, Interscope

Singles: N/A

Features: Kanye West, Kid Cudi, and Future

21. Kid Cudi – Man on the Moon III: The Chosen

Released: December 11, 2020

Label: Wicked Awesome, Republic

Singles: N/A

Features: Phoebe Bridgers, Pop Smoke, Skepta and Trippie Redd

20. Busta Rhymes – Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God

Released: October 30, 2020

Label: Conglomerate

Singles: “The Don and the Boss”, “Yuuuu”, “Where I Belong”

Features: Kendrick Lamar, Mariah Carey, Anderson .Paak, Q-Tip, Rick Ross, Mary J. Blige, Rapsody, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Rakim, Pete Rock, Vybz Kartel, Bell Biv DeVoe, M.O.P., Nikki Grier, Chris Rock, and Louis Farrakhan.

19. Pop Smoke – Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon

Released: July 3, 2020

Label: Victor Victor, Republic

Singles: “Make It Rain”, “The Woo”, “Mood Swings”, “For the Night”, “What You Know Bout Love”, “Hello”

Features: Quavo, Lil Baby, DaBaby, Swae Lee, Future, Roddy Ricch, Tyga, Karol G, and Lil Tjay

18. Logic – No Pressure

Released: July 24, 2020

Label: Def Jam, Visionary

Singles: “Perfect”

Features: N/A

17. Megan Thee Stallion – Good News

Released: November 20, 2020

Label: 1501 Certified, 300

Singles: “Girls in the Hood”, “Don’t Stop”, “Body”, “Cry Baby”

Features: DaBaby, City Girls, Lil Durk, SZA, Popcaan, Mustard, Big Sean, 2 Chainz, Young Thug, and Beyoncé

16. Future – High Off Life

Released: May 15, 2020

Label: Freebandz, Epic

Singles: “100 Shooters”, “Last Name”, “Life Is Good”, “Tycoon”, “Trillionaire”

Features: Travis Scott, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Young Thug, Lil Uzi Vert, Drake, Lil Durk, Meek Mill, Doe Boy, DaBaby, and Lil Baby.

15. Lil Baby – My Turn

Released: February 28, 2020

Label: 4PF, Wolfpack, Quality Control, Motown

Singles: “Woah”, “Sum 2 Prove”, “Emotionally Scarred”, “All In”, “The Bigger Picture”

Features: Gunna, 42 Dugg, Future, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Wayne, Moneybagg Yo, Young Thug, and Rylo Rodriguez.

14. Black Thought – Streams of Thought, Vol. 3: Cane & Able

Released: October 16, 2020

Label: Passyunk, Republic

Singles: N/A

Features: Pusha T, Swizz Beatz, Killer Mike, Portugal. The Man, The Last Artful, Dodgr and Schoolboy Q

13. Ka – Descendants of Cain

Released: May 1, 2020

Label: Iron Works

Singles: N/A

Features: Roc Marciano

12. Nas – King’s Disease

Released: August 21, 2020

Label: Mass Appeal

Singles: “Ultra Black”

Features: Charlie Wilson, Hit-Boy, Big Sean, Don Toliver, Lil Durk, Anderson .Paak, Brucie B, The Firm, Fivio Foreign, and ASAP Ferg.

11. Westside Gunn – Pray for Paris

Released: April 17, 2020

Label: Griselda, Empire

Singles: N/A

Features: Benny the Butcher, Conway the Machine, Joey Badass, Tyler, the Creator, Boldy James, Freddie Gibbs, Roc Marciano, Wale, Joyce Wrice, Billie Essco, Keisha Plum, and Cartier Williams

10. Jay Electronica – A Written Testimony

Released: March 13, 2020

Label: Roc Nation

Singles: “Shiny Suit Theory”

Features: Jay-Z, Travis Scott, The-Dream

9. Mac Miller – Circles

Released: January 17, 2020

Label: REMember Music, Warner

Singles: “Good News”, “Blue World”

Features: N/A

8. Boldy James & The Alchemist – The Price of Tea in China

Released: February 7, 2020

Label: ALC

Singles: N/A

Features: Vince Staples, Benny the Butcher, Freddie Gibbs, Evidence

7. Run the Jewels – RTJ4

Released: June 3, 2020

Label: Jewel Runners, BMG

Singles: “Yankee and the Brave (Ep. 4)”, “Ooh La La”, “Just”

Features: Greg Nice, DJ Premier, 2 Chainz, Pharrell Williams, Mavis Staples, Josh Homme, and Zack de la Rocha

6. 21 Savage & Metro Boomin – Savage Mode II

Released: October 2, 2020

Label: Slaughter Gang, Epic, Boominati, Republic

Singles: “Runnin”, “Mr. Right Now”

Features: Drake, Young Thug, Young Nudy

5. Lil Uzi Vert – Eternal Atake

Released: March 6, 2020

Label: Generation Now, Atlantic

Singles: “Futsal Shuffle 2020”, “That Way”

Features: Syd, Chief Keef, 21 Savage, Future, Young Thug, Gunna, Lil Durk, Young Nudy and Nav.

4. Stove God Cooks – Reasonable Drought

Released: March 27, 2020

Label: Marci Enterprises LLC.

Singles: N/A

Features: N/A

3. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist – Alfredo

Released: May 29, 2020

Label: ESGN, ALC, Empire

Singles: “1985”

Features: Rick Ross, Benny the Butcher, Tyler, the Creator, and Conway the Machine

2. Denzel Curry & Kenny Beats – Unlocked 

Released: February 7, 2020

Label: PH, Loma Vista

Singles: N/A

Features: N/A

1. Conway the Machine – From King to a God

Released: September 11, 2020

Label: Griselda, Drumwork, Empire

Singles: “Lemon”

Features: Armani Caesar, Benny the Butcher, Dej Loaf, El Camino, Flee Lord, Freddie Gibbs, Havoc, Lloyd Banks, Method Man and Westside Gunn

Related Posts