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”
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