Hip-hop is a genre that is built on a foundation of innovation and creativity. And while many hip-hop legends have had long and fruitful careers, there’s something special about the debut album that holds a unique place in the culture.
The debut album is often seen as a crucial moment in a rapper’s journey, as it can make or break their career. It’s a time when an artist is still hungry, still striving to prove themselves, and not yet burdened by the weight of fame and fortune. As a result, the debut album often captures a raw and unfiltered energy that can be difficult to replicate on subsequent releases.
From Nas to Jay-Z, Ice Cube to Snoop Dogg, Rakim to Big Daddy Kane, the list of great debut albums in hip-hop is a long and impressive one. These albums not only showcase the talents of some of the greatest rappers of all time but also capture the spirit of a genre that has continued to push boundaries and break new ground.
From Illmatic to AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted , The Chronic to Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) , here are the 50 greatest hip hop debut albums of all time.
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Honourable mentions:
2Pac – 2Pacalypse Now
Released: November 12, 1991
Label: Interscope
Is it their best album? Absolutely not. Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z… , Me Against the World , All Eyez on Me and The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory are all superior to this album.
Benny the Butcher – Tana Talk 3
Released: November 23, 2018
Label: Griselda, Black Soprano Family
Is it their best album? Tana Talk 3 is Benny’s best album to date, but I have a feeling that it won’t be for long. It sounds like the Butcher is cooking up another masterpiece.
Busta Rhymes – The Coming
Released: March 26, 1996
Label: Elektra
Is it their best album? The Coming is pretty fucking great, but I might have to go with When Disaster Strikes… and Extinction Level Event: The Final World Front over it.
Travis Scott – Rodeo
Released: September 4, 2015
Label: Grand Hustle, Epic
Is it their best album? There’s an argument for it, although I personally lean towards Astroworld . If we’re counting mixtapes as well, then Days Before Rodeo will always be my favourite Travis Scott project.
Pharoahe Monch – Internal Affairs
Released: October 19, 1999
Label: Rawkus, Priority
Is it their best album? Yes, as a solo artist. Don’t sleep on Organized Konfusion though.
Rick Ross – Port of Miami
Released: August 8, 2006
Label: Slip-n-Slide, Def Jam, Poe Boy
Is it their best album? Personally, my vote would be for Teflon Don , but you could make a strong case for Port of Miami.
Smif-N-Wessun – Dah Shinin’
Released: January 10, 1995
Label: Wreck, Nervous
Is it their best album? Yes, definitely.
Gang Starr – No More Mr. Nice Guy
Released: April 22, 1989
Label: Wild Pitch Records, EMI Records
Is it their best album? No, far from it. Pick any other Gang Starr album – Step in the Arena, Hard to Earn or Moment of Truth – and it’ll be a stronger album than their debut.
Compton’s Most Wanted – It’s a Compton Thang
Released: June 19, 1990
Label: Orpheus Records
Is it their best album? I would say Music to Driveby.
Three 6 Mafia – Mystic Stylez
Released: May 30, 1995
Label: Prophet
Is it their best album? Mystic Stylez is a great starting point into the Three 6 Mafia catalogue, but I think an album like Chapter 1: The End or Chapter 2: World Domination is a better pick.
T.I. – I’m Serious
Released: October 9, 2001
Label: Arista
Is it their best album? T.I. shows a lot of potential on I’m Serious , but the album’s quality is still far from what would be Trap Muzik, King or Paper Trail.
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony – Creepin on ah Come Up
Released: June 21, 1994
Label: Ruthless, Relativity
Is it their best album? Technically Creepin on ah Come Up is Bone’s debut EP, but whatever. Is it their best album? I think E. 1999 Eternal edges it slightly.
Black Moon – Enta da Stage
Released: October 19, 1993
Label: Nervous
Is it their best album? Yeap, Enta da Stage is a straight up golden age classic and one of the albums responsible for bringing the East Coast back when the West Coast had it on lock.
Beastie Boys – Licensed to Ill
Released: November 15, 1986
Label: Def Jam, Columbia
Is it their best album? Yeah, it’ll have to be between this and Paul’s Boutique. Don’t sleep on Check Your Head though.
Redman – Whut? Thee Album
Released: September 22, 1992
Label: Rush, Chaos
Is it their best album? You can definitely make an argument for Reggie’s debut being his best album, but Muddy Waters would also be a strong contender.
Missy Elliott – Supa Dupa Fly
Released: July 15, 1997
Label: The Goldmind, Elektra
Is it their best album? Yeap, I think so.
Tyler, the Creator – Goblin
Released: May 10, 2011
Label: XL
Is it their best album? No, Tyler, the Creator has had one of the greatest evolutions of a hip hop artist we’ve ever seen, continuing to push the boundaries of his style and innovating with every release. You’ll have to go with Flower Boy , Igor , or his latest album, Call Me If You Get Lost.
AZ – Doe or Die
Released: October 10, 1995
Label: EMI
Is it their best album? Even despite dropping a number of great albums over the years, AZ has never managed to touch the magic of Doe or Die .
50. UGK – Too Hard to Swallow
Released: November 10, 1992
Label: Jive
Is it their best album? No, that would be 1996’s Ridin’ Dirty , which happens to one of the best third hip hop albums of all time .
49. Big Pun – Capital Punishment
Released: April 28, 1998
Label: BMG, RCA, Loud, Terror Squad
Is it their best album? Yes
48. Goodie Mob – Soul Food
Released: November 7, 1995
Label: LaFace
Is it their best album? Absolutely.
47. Talib Kweli – Quality
Released: November 19, 2002
Label: Rawkus
Is it their best album? As a solo artist, probably. But Talib Kweli also has his Reflection Eternal and Black Star under the belt too.
46. Big L – Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous
Released: March 28, 1995
Label: Columbia
Is it their best album? Yes, no doubt.
43. Kid Cudi – Man on the Moon: The End of Day
Released: September 15, 2009
Label: Dream On, GOOD, Universal, Motown
Is it their best album? Kid Cudi’s Man on the Moon trilogy is incredible, but I still think the first one tops them all.
44. A$AP Rocky – LONG.LIVE.A$AP
Released: January 15, 2013
Label: ASAP Worldwide, Polo Grounds, RCA
Is it their best album? LONG.LIVE.A$AP is really fucking good. AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP might just be a little bit better. Rocky really has one of the best catalogues of the rappers in his generation.
43. Black Star – Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star
Released: September 29, 1998
Label: Rawkus, Priority, EMI, MCA, Universal
Is it their best album? Sadly yes, their best and only album as Black Star.
42. Puff Daddy – No Way Out
Released: July 22, 1997
Label: Arista, Bad Boy
Is it their best album? “Victory”, “Young G’s”, “It’s All About the Benjamins”, “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down”, what other Puffy album has songs that stack up against these ones?
41. The Game – The Documentary
Released: January 18, 2005
Label: Aftermath, G-Unit, Black Wall Street, Interscope
Is it their best album? Yes, but Doctor’s Advocate is a close second. Also, Game is a low-key super consistent rapper.
40. Lord Finesse & DJ Mike Smooth – Funky Technician
Released: February 6, 1990
Label: Wild Pitch, EMI Records
Is it their best album? Yeap.
39. The Pharcyde – Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde
Released: November 24, 1992
Label: Delicious Vinyl, EastWest
Is it their best album? Really tough between this album and Labcabincalifornia . Both are classics, although Labcabincalifornia has some incredible J Dilla production. Depends on your mood that day.
38. Ghostface Killah – Ironman
Released: October 29, 1996
Label: Epic, Razor Sharp
Is it their best album? No, Supreme Clientele is Ghost’s best album.
37. Kendrick Lamar – Section.80
Released: July 2, 2011
Label:
Is it their best album? When we put together our list for the best hip hop albums of the 2010s , Kendrick took up 3 of the top 10 spots, with DAMN. , To Pimp a Butterfly and good kid, m.A.A.d city , so it’s probably one of those ones that deserve the honour.
36. Big Daddy Kane – Long Live the Kane
Released: June 21, 1988
Label: Cold Chillin’, Warner Bros.
Is it their best album? Kane put out two classics in back-to-back years – his debut and It’s a Big Daddy Thing . Both are incredible and you can take your pick.
35. Lupe Fiasco – Food & Liquor
Released: September 19, 2006
Label: 1st & 15th, Atlantic
Is it their best album? Personally, I prefer The Cool , but I see the argument for Food & Liquor as Lupe’s best album.
34. LL Cool J – Radio
Released: November 18, 1985
Label: Def Jam, Columbia
Is it their best album? Nope, that would be Mama Said Knock You Out .
33. DMX – It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot
Released: May 19, 1998
Label: PolyGram, Def Jam, Ruff Ryders
Is it their best album? DMX dropped of his best albums in the same year – this one and Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood . Take your pick.
32. Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels
Released: June 26, 2013
Label: Fool’s Gold, Big Dada
Is it their best album? This was an incredible debut, but I’ll have to lean towards Run the Jewels 2 as being their best album.
31. Ultramagnetic MCs – Critical Beatdown
Released: October 4, 1988
Label: Next Plateau
Is it their best album? Absolutely, this is a golden age classic, and one of the most slept-on rap albums ever.
30. Westside Gunn – Flygod
Released: March 11, 2016
Label: Griselda Records
Is it their best album? It’s between Flygod and Supreme Blientele . 50-50 pick.
29. Clipse – Lord Willin’
Released: August 20, 2002
Label: Star Trak, Arista
Is it their best album? As much as I love this album, nothing will ever top Hell Hath No Fury , one of the best hip hop albums of the 2000s .
28. DJ Quik – Quik Is the Name
Released: January 15, 1991
Label: Profile
Is it their best album? DJ Quik has one of the most slept-on catalogues, and is an incredibly underrated hip hop producer . The man has dropped classic albums across multiple decades, and while I prefer his 2009 collaboration album with Kurupt, Blaqkout , you can definitely consider Quik Is the Name to be his best album.
27. Run-D.M.C. – Run-D.M.C.
Released: March 27, 1984
Label: Arista
Is it their best album? Run-D.M.C. is a goddamn masterpiece and one of the most influential rap albums ever dropped, but Raising Hell is undisputedly the group’s magnum opus.
26. Scarface – Mr. Scarface Is Back
Released: October 8, 1991
Label: Rap-A-Lot, Priority, EMI
Is it their best album? I would say either the The Diary or The Fix is Scarface’s best album.
25. EPMD – Strictly Business
Released: June 7, 1988
Label: Fresh, Sleeping Bag
Is it their best album? Hell yeah!
24. A Tribe Called Quest – People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
Released: April 10, 1990
Label: Jive, RCA Records
Is it their best album? No way. That would be The Low End Theory or Midnight Marauders . I would even put We Got It from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service above Tribe’s debut.
23. Boogie Down Productions – Criminal Minded
Released: March 3, 1987
Label: B-Boy
Is it their best album? Boogie Down Productions’ catalogue is insane, with five straight classics dropped in about as many years. It’s between Criminal Minded and By All Means Necessary in my opinion.
22. Pete Rock & CL Smooth – Mecca and the Soul Brother
Released: June 9, 1992
Label: Elektra
Is it their best album? Don’t shoot me, but I actually think The Main Ingredient is a better overall album. Obviously there’s nothing on that album that comes close to the sonic perfection of “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)” though.
21. Slick Rick – The Great Adventures of Slick Rick
Released: November 1, 1988
Label: Def Jam, Columbia
Is it their best album? Absolutely.
20. Young Jeezy – Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101
Released: July 26, 2005
Label: Corporate Thugz, Def Jam
Is it their best album? It’s Jeezy’s best album; it’s also a top five trap album of all time; and one of the greatest rap albums to come out of the South.
19. De La Soul – 3 Feet High and Rising
Released: March 3, 1989
Label: Tommy Boy
Is it their best album? I don’t know. 3 Feet High and Rising is really fucking good. But so is De La Soul Is Dead . And Buhloone Mindstate . And Stakes Is High . I don’t know.
18. Kanye West – The College Dropout
Released: February 10, 2004
Label: Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam
Is it their best album? No, it’s probably his most loved album, but The College Dropout is like fourth in our rankings of Kanye albums , behind Yeezus , Graduation and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy .
17. The D.O.C. – No One Can Do It Better
Released: August 1, 1989
Label: Ruthless, Atlantic
Is it their best album? Sadly, yes.
16. Mos Def – Black on Both Sides
Released: October 12, 1999
Label: Rawkus, Priority
Is it their best album? Black on Both Sides was one of the best hip hop albums to come out of the ’90s , but I think The Ecstatic is the best Mos Def album.
15. MF Doom – Operation: Doomsday
Released: October 19, 1999
Label: Fondle ‘Em
Is it their best album? No, I would put Madvillainy over this.
14. Blu & Exile – Below the Heavens
Released: July 17, 2007
Label: Sound in Color
Is it their best album? Name a more consistent duo than Blu & Exile, but you can’t say OutKast. Below the Heave ns is a classic and their best album, but goddamn every one of their projects is incredible. Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them , Miles: From an Interlude Called Life , even the leftover tracks on In the Beginning: Before the Heavens are all amazing.
13. Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Released: August 25, 1998
Label: Ruffhouse, Columbia
Is it their best album? Yeap.
12. 50 Cent – Get Rich or Die Tryin’
Released: February 6, 2003
Label: Shady, Aftermath, Interscope
Is it their best album? No doubt about it.
11. OutKast – Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik
Released: April 26, 1994
Label: LaFace, Arista
Is it their best album? I love, love, love Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik . But I think OutKast’s best album is a toss-up between ATLiens , Aquemini and Stankonia .
10. Jay-Z – Reasonable Doubt
Released: June 25, 1996
Label: Roc-A-Fella, Priority
Is it their best album? Yes, but it’s got really tough competition from The Blueprint and The Black Album .
9. The Notorious B.I.G. – Ready to Die
Released: September 13, 1994
Label: Bad Boy, Arista
Is it their best album? No, as good as Ready to Die is, Life After Death was just a level above it in every way possible – the production, the rapping, the songwriting, the scope.
8. Snoop Dogg – Doggystyle
Released: November 23, 1993
Label: Death Row, Interscope
Is it their best album? Absolutely, Snoop has never managed to come close to how good this album is over his three decade long career.
7. Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…
Released: August 1, 1995
Label: Loud, RCA
Is it their best album? Absolutely.
6. Eric B. & Rakim – Paid in Full
Released: July 7, 1987
Label: 4th & B’way, Island
Is it their best album? Follow the Leader and Let the Rhythm Hit ‘Em probably had better rapping and production if you listen closely, but Paid in Full was just such a statement and it basically changed the landscape of rhyming forever.
5. N.W.A. – Straight Outta Compton
Released: August 8, 1988
Label: Ruthless, Priority
Is it their best album? Of course.
4. Wu-Tang Clan – Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Released: November 9, 1993
Label: Loud
Is it their best album? Definitely. Wu-Tang Forever could have come close if it was trimmed down to about 13-14 tracks.
3. Dr. Dre – The Chronic
Released: December 15, 1992
Label: Death Row, Interscope
Is it their best album? Yes. 2001 was an incredible follow-up album, but the second half of that project just didn’t hit the same as the first.
2. Ice Cube – AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted
Released: May 16, 1990
Label: Lench Mob, Priority
Is it their best album? It’s a really tough match-up between Cube’s debut and Death Certificate . AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted is an incredible solo debut by an incendiary rapper coming off one of the most notorious releases in rap history, but Cube being able to match (or even top) that energy on his sophomore is equally impressive. We’re going to go with AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted for now, but that pick is going to change all the time.
1. Nas – Illmatic
Released: April 19, 1994
Label: Columbia
Is it their best album? When hip hop heads think about debut albums casting a shadow over a rapper’s career, they’re usually thinking about Nas. There’s no other artist in rap history that has had an album of theirs follow them around like Nas and Illmatic . The Queensbridge legend has dropped a handful of classic albums over his career – It Was Written , Stillmatic , God’s Son , The Lost Tapes , Life Is Good – but they don’t come close to the perfection that was his debut.
