# The greatest hip-hop albums of all time (Rolling Stone)

The top of Rolling Stone's 2022 ranking of the 200 greatest hip-hop albums, the one that put Ready to Die first and stirred debate by placing Drake and Cardi B above Illmatic.

- 74 votes · 19 items
- Feb 14, 2024 · bingewatcher_bristol
- https://even.best/en/l/2373/the-greatest-hip-hop-albums-of-all-time-rolling-stone

## Top 19

1. **It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back — Public Enemy** (7 · ▲7 ▼0) — 1988. Noise, politics and Chuck D.
2. **The Blueprint — Jay-Z** (5 · ▲5 ▼0) — 2001. Soul samples and Jay at his peak.
3. **The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill — Lauryn Hill** (5 · ▲5 ▼0) — 1998. Hip-hop soul that won Album of the Year at the Grammys.
4. **Supreme Clientele — Ghostface Killah** (5 · ▲5 ▼0) — 2000. Wu-Tang's wildest storyteller.
5. **To Pimp a Butterfly — Kendrick Lamar** (4 · ▲4 ▼0) — 2015. Jazz, funk and Black America.
6. **2001 — Dr. Dre** (4 · ▲4 ▼0) — 1999. West Coast polish and "Still D.R.E.".
7. **My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy — Kanye West** (3 · ▲5 ▼2) — 2010. Maximalist and huge.
8. **Yeezus — Kanye West** (3 · ▲4 ▼1) — 2013. Abrasive and industrial.
9. **Take Care — Drake** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — 2011. The pick that sparked the most arguments.
10. **Lord Willin' — Clipse** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — 2002. Pusha T and Malice over Neptunes beats.
11. **Ready to Die — The Notorious B.I.G.** (2 · ▲4 ▼2) — 1994. Number one: Biggie's debut.
12. **The Low End Theory — A Tribe Called Quest** (2 · ▲3 ▼1) — 1991. Jazz bass lines and smooth rhymes.
13. **Invasion of Privacy — Cardi B** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — 2018. The debut that won the Grammy for best rap album.
14. **Hard Core — Lil' Kim** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — 1996. Blunt and influential.
15. **Illmatic — Nas** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — 1994. For many the perfect rap album; here in the 20s.
16. **The Marshall Mathers LP — Eminem** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — 2000. Fame, rage and dark humour.
17. **Miss E… So Addictive — Missy Elliott** (1 · ▲3 ▼2) — 2001. Futuristic beats with Timbaland.
18. **Stankonia — Outkast** (0 · ▲1 ▼1) — 2000. Atlanta goes psychedelic, with "B.O.B." and "Ms. Jackson".
19. **Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) — Wu-Tang Clan** (-1 · ▲0 ▼1) — 1993. Kung fu, grit and nine MCs.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.