The 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time (according to Rolling Stone)

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-hip-hop-albums-1323916/

100 Run-D.M.C., 'Raising Hell'
99 Lil Wayne, 'Tha Carter II' (2005)
98 Company Flow, 'Funcrusher Plus' (1997)
97 Clipse, 'Hell Hath No Fury' (2006)
96 Ice-T, 'Power' (1988)
95 T.I., 'Trap Muzik' (2003)
94 De La Soul, 'De La Soul Is Dead' (1991)
93 Ice Cube, 'Death Certificate' (1991)
92 DJ Shadow, 'Endtroducing.....' (1996)
91 Boogie Down Productions, 'Criminal Minded' (1987)
90 Kid Cudi, 'Man on the Moon: The End of the Day' (2009)
89 Brand Nubian, 'One for All' (1990)
88 Cypress Hill, 'Cypress Hill' (1991)
87 Ultramagnetic MCs, 'Critical Beatdown' (1988)
86 Common, 'Like Water for Chocolate' (2000)
85 Eminem, 'The Slim Shady LP' (1999)
84 Vince Staples, 'Summertime '06' (2015)
83 M.I.A., 'Kala' (2007)
82 Slick Rick, 'The Great Adventures of Slick Rick' (1988)
81 Digable Planets, 'Blowout Comb' (1994)
80 Earl Sweatshirt, 'Some Rap Songs' (2018)
79 Eric B. & Rakim, 'Follow the Leader' (1988)
78 Azealia Banks, 'Broke With Expensive Taste' (2014)
77 Jay-Z and Kanye West, 'Watch the Throne' (2011)
76 Gang Starr, 'Hard to Earn' (1994)
75 Megan Thee Stallion, 'Fever' (2019)
74 Public Enemy, 'Fear of a Black Planet' (1990)
73 The Pharcyde, 'Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde' (1992)
72 Dr. Octagon, 'Dr. Octagonecologyst' (1996)
71 Queen Latifah, 'All Hail the Queen' (1989)
70 The Fugees, 'The Score' (1996)
69 Ghostface Killah, 'Ironman' (1996)
68 Juvenile, '400 Degreez' (1998)
67 Geto Boys, 'We Can't Be Stopped' (1991)
66 Three 6 Mafia, 'Mystic Stylez' (1995)
65 De La Soul, 'Buhloone Mindstate' (1993)
64 50 Cent, 'Get Rich or Die Tryin' ' (2003)
63 Black Star, 'Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star' (1998)
62 MF Doom, 'Operation: Doomsday' (1999)
61 Scarface, 'The Diary' (1994)
60 Kendrick Lamar, 'Damn.' (2017)
59 The Notorious B.I.G., 'Life After Death' (1997)
58 Ice Cube, 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted' (1990)
57 Beastie Boys, 'Licensed to Ill' (1986)
56 Noname, 'Room 25' (2018)
55 A Tribe Called Quest, 'Midnight Marauders' (1993)
54 Migos, 'Culture' (2017)
53 Salt-N-Pepa, 'Hot, Cool and Vicious' (1986)
52 Kanye West, 'The College Dropout' (2004)
51 The Roots, 'Things Fall Apart' (1999)
50 EPMD, 'Strictly Business' (1988)
49 N.W.A, 'Straight Outta Compton' (1988)
48 J Dilla, 'Donuts' (2006)
47 Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott, 'Supa Dupa Fly' (1997)
46 Tyler, the Creator, 'Call Me If You Get Lost' (2021)
45 LL Cool J, 'Mama Said Knock You Out' (1990)
44 Genius/GZA, 'Liquid Swords' (1995)
43 Run-D.M.C., 'Run-D.M.C.' (1984)
42 Big Daddy Kane, 'Long Live the Kane' (1988)
41 Kanye West, 'Late Registration' (2005)
40 Dr. Dre, 'The Chronic' (1992)
39 Lil Wayne, 'The Carter III' (2008)
38 Kendrick Lamar, 'good kid, m.A.A.d city' (2012)
37 Raekwon, 'Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...' (1995)
36 Chance the Rapper, 'Acid Rap' (2013)
35 Snoop Doggy Dogg, 'Doggystyle' (1993)
34 Various Artists, 'The Sugar Hill Records Story' (1997)
33 De La Soul, '3 Feet High and Rising' (1989)
32 Chief Keef, 'Finally Rich' (2012)
31 Nicki Minaj, 'Pink Friday' (2010)
30 Beastie Boys, 'Paul’s Boutique' (1989)
29 2Pac, 'All Eyez on Me' (1996)
28 Mobb Deep, 'The Infamous' (1995)
27 Outkast, 'Aquemini' (1998)
26 Jay-Z, 'Reasonable Doubt' (1996)
25 Eminem, 'The Marshall Mathers LP' (2000)
24 Nas, 'Illmatic' (1994)
23 UGK, 'Ridin' Dirty' (1996)
22 DMX, 'It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot' (1998)
21 Lil Wayne, 'Da Drought 3' (2007)
20 Future, 'DS2' (2015)
19 Lil Kim, 'Hard Core' (1996)
18 Madvillain, 'Madvillainy' (2004)
17 Kanye West, 'Yeezus' (2013)
16 Cardi B, 'Invasion of Privacy' (2018)
15 Eric B. and Rakim, 'Paid in Full' (1987)
14 Ghostface Killah, 'Supreme Clientele' (2000)
13 Dr. Dre, '2001' (1999)
12 Clipse, 'Lord Willin' ' (2002)
11 Drake, 'Take Care' (2011)
10 Lauryn Hill, 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill' (1998)
9 A Tribe Called Quest, 'The Low End Theory' (1991)
8 Wu-Tang Clan, 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)' (1993)
7 Missy Elliott, 'Miss E... So Addictive' (2001)
6 Kanye West, 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' (2010)
5 Kendrick Lamar, 'To Pimp a Butterfly' (2015)
4 Public Enemy, 'It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back' (1988)
3 Jay-Z, 'The Blueprint' (2001)
2 Outkast, 'Stankonia' (2000)
1 The Notorious B.I.G., 'Ready to Die' (1994)

no

stfu voodoo, dmx>2pac

clearly very well-informed list that had a lot of thought put into it.

biggest gripe: no nelly.

dmx > 2pac is quite defensible imo

no

― in places all over the world, real stuff be happening (voodoo chili), Tuesday, June 7, 2022 7:20 PM (three hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

I love dmx but no it isnt

i wouldn’t defend it, to be fair

doesn’t feel like one of the ten most ridiculous decisions made here

never heard of these

“In conclusion, hip hop is a very interesting and complex genre of music with many historical facets and whatever happens we can all agree that it is truly here to stay.”

second biggest gripe: no "because i got high"

but mostly WHERE IS WRECKX N EFFECT?

here’s a ridiculous decision: 2001 is 20+ spots higher than doggystyle

these new school rolling stone lists always feel like they play the canon on shuffle than randomly insert albums from big celebrities

9 A Tribe Called Quest, 'The Low End Theory' (1991)
8 Wu-Tang Clan, 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)' (1993)
7 Missy Elliott, 'Miss E... So Addictive' (2001)

idkwym chili. the only thing wrong here is all the wack albums missy has to share the stage with in the top ten.

(and the lack of ludacris, of course)

(hi, sorry for being a totally sarcastic dick in here so far. chili is right tho: lotta very classic things in total nonsense order. and also a lot of confusingly undeserving inclusions.)

Cardi B >>>> other 184 albums

I guess most of what's here should probably be here, but it feels like they just threw everything into a randomizer for the rankings.

i mean half the list wouldn't exist without straight outta compton (including many ranked "above" it) making the weight of the album's cultural significance ??not really?? a consistent factor in the rankings, so

Cardi B >>>> other 184 albums

sure, why the hell not? rolling stone is not just some old okay boomer bulllshit, see guys? i mean, er, folks!

they employed a writer who prided themselves on "killing public enemy" after they published one of that writer's reviews. fuck rolling stone. i'd trust 5 mics for lil kim in the source before i'd give any hiphop list from rolling stone any credibility.

good gravy, what an entertaining list though.

& CHRISTOPHER R. WEINGARTEN

lol sorry dude. nothing personal.

(please tell me you repped for blowout comb. that was a very pleasant surprise to see.)

Conversation sparking, angry clicks is where most of the traffic comes from nowadays.

I don’t think it’s a terrible list tbh, the placements do need a lot of work though.

DJ Shadow is considered hip-hop? Surprising

seems pretty conservative / received wisdom to me, nothing really stands out

like, that's more or less the canon (and a few random new things like Cardi and yeezus)

I guess at this point the random old rap you are loving thread is my best source for choice cuts, but maybe this list would have come in handy if I were very young and very interested in canon

10 Lauryn Hill, 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill' (1998)

So the 10th best hip-hop album and also the 10th best album of all time. Neat trick.

don't want to bring bad vibes but that's certainly one of the more overrated albums to my ears

I mean clearly it has some good tunes but... not a fan of Hill melisma

ctrl-F "Kurtis Blow"

wtf

They should have left off Illmatic altogether rather than putting it below Lil Wayne. At least go out like a legend.

I was happy to see Acid Rap placed so high and then I guess a lot of people are like "why is this so high? And over The Chronic?" (I'm not really a fan of The Chronic.)

& CHRISTOPHER R. WEINGARTEN
lol sorry dude. nothing personal.

(please tell me you repped for blowout comb. that was a very pleasant surprise to see.)

― I'm ANTIFA and I vote. (Austin), Wednesday, June 8, 2022 12:52 AM (nine hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

A writer had to bail and I was asked to pinch hit some blurbs at the last minute.

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/simpsons/images/c/c2/Didntdo.jpg

Just because people continue to be born doesn't mean we have to listen to their opinions on 90s hip hop when they're old enough to write

I was hoping to see Schoolly-D's first album on there.

he was cut to make room for a comedy writer's vanity project, sorry

Moka, why did you post this

Sorry :( ilm felt like it was slowing down in activity.

I had this huge rant all ready to go wondering why so many people prefer It Takes a Nation to Fear of a Black Planet, but ILX ate my post. Fuck my life.

Because Nation has “Rebel Without a Pause” and “Bring the Noise” and “Don’t Believe the Hype” and… and… and… Planet has “Meet the G That Killed Me” and “Pollywannacraka”?

truth bomb: apocalypse 91 is better than both of them.

More news at 11

https://www.stereogum.com/2189179/the-greatest-hip-hop-album-of-all-time-doesnt-exist/columns/status-aint-hood/

I don’t think it’s a terrible list tbh, the placements do need a lot of work though.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Wednesday, June 8, 2022 12:10 AM (thirteen hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

going to disagree here: its terrible

im pretty offended by this list lol

Just noticed that MIA is in there. Fuck me

Paper Planes is pretty awesome tbh tbf

That stereogum article is decent

it's well written but I don't think the argument is sound, or if it is it's an argument against most lists. hip hop is to sprawling a genre for it to make sense to rank hip hop albums, as opposed to what, jazz? albums from 2021? by that logic you can find fault with ranking something as homogenous as the discography of AC/DC (should at least be separate lists for Scott and Johnson eras!)

you got played bcz all lists are terrible and making lists is worse and also dumb

Sorry :( ilm felt like it was slowing down in activity.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Wednesday, 8 June 2022 bookmarkflaglink

Don't be sorry. Engagement has increased.

I believe taking lists too seriously is a bigger offense than making them

This list isn’t that bad except for the painfully obvious attempts to keep it from being straight canon by throwing in 2010s garbage

it's pretty normal in these sort of lists for rolling stone's weirdest picks to be the ones from the last decade or so because that's where the canon is less established and their attempts at defining it themselves are generally a bit bizarre

It wouldn't get nearly as much traffic, but I imagine something like "The Rolling Stone 200: The Essential Rock Collection" list tailored for hip-hop would be far less offensive. No inane rankings, just a breakdown of essential albums and compilations for a basic library, organized by decade and alphabetically by artist. It would bring the focus more on stuff a reader might've overlooked rather than what was ranked where, etc.

not gonna keep harping on this crap, but i did chuckle seeing this just days after no one can do it better didn’t make their big list

West Coast rap legend the D.O.C. talks about the new documentary on his remarkable life story, the lessons he's learned 33 years after the accident that stole his voice, and why he's excited for the future. https://t.co/343SdcG1rB

— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) June 10, 2022

Turns out 200 people can do it better (kidding)

I own 81 of the top 100. damn.

^^^top 200 greatest hiphop appreciator of all time

Also...so no one enjoyed rap from like 2005-2013?

That era, which is very underrepresented, coincides with a particular shift towards southern aesthetics and I see the resentment is still strong 🙃

— Briana Younger (@TheQueenBRI) June 7, 2022

xxp I only have 49. Maybe 50 if I piece together stuff on compilations.

2005-2013 would be better represented by a list of mixtapes

yeah where's UGK dammit

number 23?

lol oops. though their double album should be on there as well

anyway, there are 32 albums on that list from the 2005-2013 period

yeah i'm all for smashing anything to do with rolling stone, but that tweet is way off the mark.

(and besides, that's probably one of the only eras in pop music history where the majority will agree that it wasn't up to the standard.)

Please, please, please, please do not let D-40 see that post

rap was like the only good music 2005-2013

yeah, exactly brimstead. that was the best we had back then smh.

Please, please, please, please do not let D-40 see that post

― Whiney G. Weingarten, Friday, June 10, 2022 10:21 PM

ahh c'mon! we didn't all have the privilege of being 15 in 2008.

(just jokes. love you, d.☺)