The 2010s were a beautiful time for hip hop. Coming out the tumultuous 2000s, which saw the rise and (almost) fall of the music industry, hip hop was positioned to be the leading music genre across the globe.
The decade spawned a new generation of leading rappers, from Kendrick Lamar to Future to Drake, while giving space for veterans like Jay-Z, Nas, Common, Lil Wayne and Royce da 5’9″ to create some of their best work to date.
From DS2 to To Pimp a Butterfly, Daytona to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, we rank the top 50 best hip hop albums of the 2010s.
Related:
- The 50 Best Hip Hop Albums of the 1980s
- The 50 Best Hip Hop Albums of the 1990s
- The 50 Best Hip Hop Albums of the 2000s
Honourable mentions
Cardi B – Invasion of Privacy
Released: April 6, 2018
Label: Atlantic
Singles: “Bodak Yellow”, “Bartier Cardi”, “Be Careful”, “I Like It”, “Ring”
2 Chainz – Pretty Girls Like Trap Music
Released: June 16, 2017
Label: Def Jam
Singles: “Good Drank”, “It’s a Vibe”, “4 AM”
Pusha T – My Name Is My Name
Released: October 7, 2013
Label: GOOD, Def Jam
Singles: “Pain”, “Numbers on the Boards”, “Sweet Serenade”, “Let Me Love You”, “Nosetalgia”
Lupe Fiasco – Drogas Wave
Released: September 21, 2018
Label: 1st & 15, Thirty Tigers, The Orchard
Singles: N/A
50. YG – My Krazy Life
Released: March 18, 2014
Label: CTE, Pushaz Ink, Def Jam
Singles: “My Nigga”, “Left, Right”, “Who Do You Love?”, “Do It to Ya”
49. Cormega – Mega Philosophy
Released: July 22, 2014
Label: Slimstyle Records
Singles: “Industry”
48. Nipsey Hussle – Victory Lap
Released: February 16, 2018
Label: All Money In No Money Out, Atlantic
Singles: “Rap Niggas”, “Last Time That I Checc’d”
47. PRhyme – PRhyme
Released: December 9, 2014
Label: PRhyme, INgrooves
Singles: “Courtesy”
46. Benny the Butcher – Tana Talk 3
Released: November 23, 2018
Label: Griselda, Black Soprano Family
Singles: “Joe Pesci 38”, “Broken Bottles”
45. Skyzoo – Music for My Friends
Released: June 23, 2015
Label: First Generation Rich, Empire
Singles: “Luxury”
44. Migos – Culture
Released: January 27, 2017
Label: Quality Control, YRN, 300
Singles: “Bad and Boujee”, “T-Shirt”, “Slippery”
43. Isaiah Rashad – Cilvia Demo
Released: January 28, 2014
Label: Top Dawg Entertainment
Singles: N/A
42. Prodigy & The Alchemist – Albert Einstein
Released: June 11, 2013
Label: Infamous Records
Singles: “Give ‘Em Hell”, “Dough Pildin'”, “Y.N.T.”, “IMDKV”
41. Blu & Exile – Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them
Released: September 4, 2012
Label: Dirty Science, Fat Beats
Singles: N/A
40. Danny Brown – Old
Released: October 8, 2013
Label: Fool’s Gold, Goliath
Singles: “Dip”, “25 Bucks”, “Smokin & Drinkin”
39. J. Cole – 2014 Forest Hills Drive
Released: December 9, 2014
Label: ByStorm, Columbia, Dreamville, Roc Nation
Singles: “Apparently”, “Wet Dreamz”, “No Role Modelz”, “Love Yourz”
38. Travis Scott – Astroworld
Released: August 3, 2018
Label: Cactus Jack, Grand Hustle, Epic
Singles: “Butterfly Effect”, “Sicko Mode”, “Yosemite”, “Wake Up”
37. Earl Sweatshirt – Some Rap Songs
Released: November 30, 2018
Label: Tan Cressida, Columbia
Singles: “Nowhere2go”, “The Mint”
36. Common – The Dreamer/The Believer
Released: December 19, 2011
Label: Think Common, Warner Bros.
Singles: “Ghetto Dreams”, “Blue Sky”, “Sweet”, “Celebrate”, “Raw (How You Like It)”
35. Vince Staples – Big Fish Theory
Released: June 23, 2017
Label: Blacksmith, Def Jam
Singles: “BagBak”, “Big Fish”, “Rain Come Down”
34. Mac Miller – Swimming
Released: August 3, 2018
Label: Warner Bros.
Singles: “Small Worlds”, “Self Care”, “What’s the Use?”
33. A$AP Rocky – AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP
Released: May 26, 2015
Label: ASAP Worldwide, Polo Grounds, RCA
Singles: “Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2 (LPFJ2)”, “Everyday”, “LSD”
32. Killer Mike – R.A.P. Music
Released: May 15, 2012
Label: Williams Street
Singles: “Big Beast”, “Untitled”, “Don’t Die”, “Reagan”
31. Drake – Take Care
Released: November 15, 2011
Label: Young Money, Cash Money, Universal Republic
Singles: “Marvins Room”, “Headlines”, “Make Me Proud”, “The Motto”, “Take Care”, “HYFR (Hell Ya Fucking Right)”, “Crew Love”
30. Nas – Life Is Good
Released: July 13, 2012
Label: Def Jam
Singles: “Nasty”, “The Don”, “Daughters”, “Cherry Wine”
29. Rick Ross – Teflon Don
Released: July 20, 2010
Label: Maybach Music, Slip-n-Slide, Def Jam
Singles: “Super High”, “B.M.F. (Blowin’ Money Fast)”, “Aston Martin Music”
28. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib – Bandana
Released: June 28, 2019
Label: ESGN, Keep Cool, Madlib Invazion, RCA
Singles: “Flat Tummy Tea”, “Crime Pays”, “Giannis”
27. Noname – Room 25
Released: September 14, 2018
Label: N/A
Singles: N/A
26. Westside Gunn – Flygod
Released: March 11, 2016
Label: Griselda
Singles: N/A
25. Drake – Nothing Was the Same
Released: September 24, 2013
Label: Young Money, Cash Money, Republic, OVO Sound
Singles: “Started from the Bottom”, “Hold On, We’re Going Home”, “All Me”, “Pound Cake”, “The Language”, “Too Much”, “Worst Behavior”
24. Big K.R.I.T. – Live from the Underground
Released: June 5, 2012
Label: Cinematic, Def Jam
Singles: “Money on the Floor”, “I Got This”, “Yeah Dat’s Me”, “What U Mean”
23. Joey Bada$$ – All-Amerikkkan Badass
Released: April 7, 2017
Label: Pro Era, Cinematic
Singles: “Devastated”, “Land of the Free”, “Temptation”
22. A$AP Rocky – LONG.LIVE.A$AP
Released: January 15, 2013
Label: SAP Worldwide, Polo Grounds, RCA
Singles: “Goldie”, “Fuckin’ Problems”, “Wild for the Night”, “Fashion Killa”
21. Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels 2
Released: October 24, 2014
Label: Mass Appeal, RBC
Singles: “Blockbuster Night, Pt. 1”, “Oh My Darling Don’t Cry”, “Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)”
20. Lupe Fiasco – Tetsuo & Youth
Released: January 20, 2015
Label: 1st & 15th, Atlantic
Singles: “Deliver”
19. Young Thug – Barter 6
Released: April 17, 2015
Label: 300, Atlantic
Singles: “Check”
18. Schoolboy Q – Blank Face LP
Released: July 8, 2016
Label: TDE, Interscope
Singles: “Groovy Tony”, “That Part”, “Overtime”
17. Tyler, the Creator – Flower Boy
Released: July 21, 2017
Label: Columbia
Singles: “Who Dat Boy” / “911”, “Boredom”, “I Ain’t Got Time!”, “See You Again”
16. Future – Hndrxx
Released: February 24, 2017
Label: A1, Freebandz, Epic
Singles: “Selfish”, “Pie”, “Incredible”, “You da Baddest”
15. Westside Gunn – Supreme Blientele
Released: June 22, 2018
Label: Griselda, Empire
Singles: N/A
14. Roc Marciano – Reloaded
Released: November 13, 2012
Label: Decon
Singles: N/A
13. Rapsody – Eve
Released: August 23, 2019
Label: Jamla, Roc Nation
Singles: N/A
12. Jay-Z & Kanye West – Watch the Throne
Released: August 8, 2011
Label: Def Jam, Roc Nation, Roc-A-Fella
Singles: “H•A•M”, “Otis”, “Lift Off”, “Ni**as in Paris”, “Why I Love You”, “Gotta Have It”, “No Church in the Wild”
11. The Roots – Undun
Released: December 2, 2011
Label: Def Jam
Singles: “Make My”
10. Kanye West – Yeezus
Released: June 18, 2013
Label: Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam
Singles: “Black Skinhead”, “Bound 2”
9. Future – DS2
Released: July 17, 2015
Label: A1, Freebandz, Epic
Singles: “Fuck Up Some Commas”, “Where Ya At”, “Stick Talk”
8. Jay-Z – 4:44
Released: June 30, 2017
Label: Roc Nation
Singles: “4:44”, “Bam”, “Family Feud”
7. 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”
6. Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city
Released: October 22, 2012
Label: Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment, Interscope Records
Singles: “The Recipe”, “Swimming Pools (Drank)”, “Backseat Freestyle”, “Poetic Justice”, “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe”
5. Pusha T – Daytona
Released: May 25, 2018
Label: GOOD, Def Jam
Singles: “If You Know You Know”, “What Would Meek Do?”
4. Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly
Released: March 16, 2015
Label: Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment, Interscope Records Records
Singles: “i”, “The Blacker the Berry”, “King Kunta”, “Alright”, “These Walls”
3. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib – Piñata
Released: March 18, 2014
Label: Madlib Invazion
Singles: “Thuggin'”, “Shame”, “Deeper”
2. Kendrick Lamar – DAMN.
Released: April 14, 2017
Label: Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment, Interscope Records
Singles: “Humble”, “Loyalty”, “Love”
1. Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Released: November 22, 2010
Label: Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam
Singles: “Power”, “Runaway”, “Monster”, “All of the Lights”
