Soul Rap · ranked by score
Best Soul Rap Albums, Ranked
67 albums reviewed
We have reviewed 67 Soul Rap albums released between 1992 and 2026, averaging 7.5 out of 10. The highest score so far goes to Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… (9.3). Jay-Z (8), J. Cole (6), Nas (5) appear more than once.
The top of the pile
Highest-rated Soul Rap albums
- 1Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… (1995, 9.3)9.3
- 2Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly (2015, 9.2)9.2
- 3GZA – Liquid Swords (1995, 9.1)9.1
- 4
CunninLynguists – A Piece of Strange (2006, 8.9)8.9 - 5
Jay-Z – The Blueprint (2001, 8.9)8.9
Through the years
By decade
- 1990s12 albums, best rated Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… (9.3)
- 2000s20 albums, best rated A Piece of Strange (8.9)
- 2010s20 albums, best rated To Pimp a Butterfly (9.2)
- 2020s15 albums, best rated CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST (8.3)
What defines Soul Rap
Soul rap builds on soul and R&B records: sped-up or chopped vocal samples, warm horns and strings, and hooks that are sung rather than shouted. Kanye West's and Just Blaze's early-2000s production made the chipmunk-soul version famous; Pete Rock, J Dilla and 9th Wonder represent the slower, warmer side.
How we score it
Sample choice and how it is flipped matter most on production. The best soul rap albums match the emotional weight of the source material in the writing; when the sample carries all the feeling, the scorecard notes it on writing and originality. See the scoring methodology.
Ranked discographies
Every record, best first
All Soul Rap reviews
9.3Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…
Raekwon
9.2To Pimp a Butterfly
Kendrick Lamar
9.1Liquid Swords
GZA
8.9A Piece of Strange
CunninLynguists
8.9The Blueprint
Jay-Z
8.8Ridin’ Dirty
UGK
8.7Supreme Clientele
Ghostface Killah
8.7Reasonable Doubt
Jay-Z
8.6The Score
Fugees
8.44:44
Jay-Z
8.4Be
Common
8.4Life After Death
The Notorious B.I.G.
8.3CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST
Tyler, The Creator
8.3Chromakopia
Tyler, The Creator
8.3Mecca and the Soul Brother
Pete Rock & CL Smooth
8.3Black on Both Sides
Mos Def
8.3The Black Album
Jay-Z
8.2Bo Jackson
Boldy James
8.2Piñata
Freddie Gibbs
8.1BLUE LIPS
ScHoolboy Q
8.1The College Dropout
Kanye West
8.0American Gangster
Jay-Z
8.0Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor
Lupe Fiasco
8.0The Forever Story
JID
7.9It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot
DMX
7.9Tha Carter III
Lil Wayne
7.8Life Is Good
Nas
7.8Laila’s Wisdom
Rapsody
7.7Shadows on the Sun
Brother Ali
7.7King’s Disease II
Nas
7.7Quality
Talib Kweli
7.6Act II: The Patents of Nobility (The Turn)
Jay Electronica
7.5Too Hard to Swallow
UGK
7.5Teflon Don
Rick Ross
7.5Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik
OutKast
7.4King’s Disease
Nas
7.3Attention Deficit
Wale
7.3Underground Kingz
UGK
7.3The Documentary
The Game
7.32014 Forest Hills Drive
J. Cole
7.2Watch the Throne
Jay-Z
7.1The Fall‐Off
J. Cole
7.1God’s Son
Nas
7.0The Dynasty: Roc La Familia
Jay-Z
7.04 Your Eyez Only
J. Cole
7.0Balloonerism
Mac Miller
7.0The Album About Nothing
Wale
7.0The Off‐Season
J. Cole
7.0Born Sinner
J. Cole
6.9Mr. Wonderful
Action Bronson
6.8SoulFly
Rod Wave
6.7Dark Sky Paradise
Big Sean
6.7Milky Way
Bas
6.6Cole World: The Sideline Story
J. Cole
6.5Everything Is Love
The Carters
6.5Ambition
Wale
6.4The Gifted
Wale
6.4Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City
Ghostface Killah
6.3Idlewild
OutKast
6.2Beautiful Mind
Rod Wave
6.2Kingdom Come
Jay-Z
6.2ye
Kanye West
6.0Bully
Kanye West
6.0Street's Disciple
Nas
5.7Iceman
Drake
5.4Infinite
Eminem
5.0A Better Tomorrow
Wu-Tang Clan