Nipsey Hussle Albums and Mixtapes Ranked (2026)

Why it ranks here

Hussle's only solo studio album arrived after thirteen years of mixtapes and several years of delays, and it sounds like a summary of everything before it: West Coast production with G-funk in its bones, and writing about ownership, patience and where he came from. It received strong reviews, with a Metacritic score of 80, and Pitchfork gave it a 7.8 and called it the most gripping record in his catalog. The Guardian praised it too, while judging that about half of it felt like padding, which is the fair criticism of an album that runs over an hour.

Context

Released February 16, 2018 through All Money In No Money Out and Atlantic, with guests including YG, Puff Daddy, Kendrick Lamar, The-Dream, CeeLo Green and Marsha Ambrosius. It debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with 53,000 album-equivalent units and was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. It was the last project released in his lifetime, and after his death on March 31, 2019 it reached a new peak of No. 2.

Highlights

• ▲Victory Lap
• ▲Last Time That I Checc'd
• ▲Dedication
• ▲Blue Laces 2
• ▲Hussle & Motivate

Weak Spots

• ▼Runs more than 65 minutes
• ▼The Guardian felt at least half the album was padding

Why it ranks here

Crenshaw is the mixtape most people mean when they talk about Nipsey Hussle before Victory Lap. It was free to download, but he also sold a first edition of 1,000 physical copies at $100 each, and it reportedly sold out in under a day. The music holds up apart from the story: XXL named it the second-best mixtape of 2013, and in 2022 Rolling Stone placed it at No. 189 on its list of the 200 greatest hip-hop albums. Hussle himself said it was made mostly of songs left over from the Victory Lap sessions, and at 21 tracks it is too long, which keeps it just under the album.

Context

His eighth mixtape, hosted by DJ Drama and released October 8, 2013 through All Money In, with guests including Rick Ross, Dom Kennedy, Slim Thug, Z-Ro and James Fauntleroy. Jay-Z's Roc Nation bought 100 of the $100 copies. It peaked at No. 63 on the Billboard 200.

Highlights

• ▲U See Us
• ▲Checc Me Out
• ▲The Weather
• ▲Face the World
• ▲Crenshaw and Slauson (True Story)

Weak Spots

• ▼21 tracks and more than 85 minutes
• ▼Reviews were not all positive, with RapReviews giving it 5 out of 10

Why it ranks here

The Marathon is the first major project Hussle released through his own label, All Money In, at the time he was leaving Epic Records, and it gave his whole career its name and its central idea. The tape presents itself as a statement of independence from a label system that had kept his debut on hold for more than two years. XXL ranked it the 49th best mixtape of 2010 and praised the way it recalled an earlier era of West Coast rap. It is rougher than what came later, but two of its songs were strong enough to get sequels on Victory Lap.

Context

Released December 21, 2010 as a free download and on iTunes, through Cinematic Music Group and All Money In, with guest appearances from Kokane and MGMT. It reached No. 179 on the Billboard 200 in 2019, after his death.

Highlights

• ▲Keys 2 the City
• ▲Blue Laces
• ▲Mr. Untouchable
• ▲A Million
• ▲Love?

Weak Spots

• ▼18 tracks with uneven production
• ▼Little documented critical coverage compared with the later projects