Southern Hip-Hop · ranked by score
Best Southern Hip-Hop Albums, Ranked
47 albums reviewed
The South reshaped hip-hop with crunk, chopped-and-screwed, and trap. From OutKast to UGK, these albums carry the weight of Southern innovation.
We have reviewed 47 Southern Hip-Hop albums released between 1992 and 2025, averaging 7.2 out of 10. The highest score so far goes to CunninLynguists's A Piece of Strange (8.9). Lil Wayne (8), OutKast (4), Three 6 Mafia (4) appear more than once.



The top of the pile
Highest-rated Southern Hip-Hop albums
- 1
CunninLynguists – A Piece of Strange (2006, 8.9)8.9 - 2
OutKast – Aquemini (1998, 8.9)8.9 - 3
Scarface – The Diary (1994, 8.9)8.9 - 4
UGK – Ridin’ Dirty (1996, 8.8)8.8 - 5
OutKast – Stankonia (2000, 8.8)8.8
Through the years
By decade
- 1990s10 albums, best rated Aquemini (8.9)
- 2000s14 albums, best rated A Piece of Strange (8.9)
- 2010s14 albums, best rated Monster (8.4)
- 2020s9 albums, best rated Sincerely, Kentrell (6.8)
What defines Southern Hip-Hop
Southern rap covers Atlanta, Houston, Memphis, New Orleans and everywhere between. It brought slower tempos, heavy 808s, chanted hooks, screwed-and-chopped tapes from Houston and the bounce and trap sounds that now dominate the charts. OutKast, UGK, Three 6 Mafia and Lil Wayne are some of the names that moved it from regional to national.
How we score it
Delivery and replay value matter a lot in this style: flows, ad-libs and hooks are part of the writing, not decoration. The scorecard still asks for cohesion, so a strong run of singles padded with filler will not reach the top bands. See the scoring methodology.
Ranked discographies
Every record, best first
All Southern Hip-Hop reviews
8.9The Diary
Scarface
8.9A Piece of Strange
CunninLynguists
8.9Aquemini
OutKast
8.8Ridin’ Dirty
UGK
8.8Stankonia
OutKast
8.4Monster
Future
8.3Sir Lucious Left Foot… The Son of Chico Dusty
Big Boi
8.2Super Tight…
UGK
8.2Supa Dupa Fly
Missy Elliott
8.1DS2
Future
7.9Tha Carter III
Lil Wayne
7.8Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101
Young Jeezy
7.8Cilvia Demo
Isaiah Rashad
7.7JEFFERY
Young Thug
7.6Fever
Megan Thee Stallion
7.6Tha Carter II
Lil Wayne
7.5Too Hard to Swallow
UGK
7.5Teflon Don
Rick Ross
7.5Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik
OutKast
7.5The Sun’s Tirade
Isaiah Rashad
7.3Mystic Stylez
Three 6 Mafia
7.3Underground Kingz
UGK
7.2Country Grammar
Nelly
7.2Pretty Girls Like Trap Music
2 Chainz
7.1When the Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1
Three 6 Mafia
6.8SoulFly
Rod Wave
6.8Sincerely, Kentrell
YoungBoy Never Broke Again
6.7Word of Mouf
Ludacris
6.6Tha Carter
Lil Wayne
6.6Issa Album
21 Savage
6.4The State vs. Radric Davis
Gucci Mane
6.4Chapter 2: World Domination
Three 6 Mafia
6.4Top
YoungBoy Never Broke Again
6.4MUSIC
Playboi Carti
6.3Tha Carter V
Lil Wayne
6.3Until Death Call My Name
YoungBoy Never Broke Again
6.3Idlewild
OutKast
6.2Beautiful Mind
Rod Wave
6.2Ghetto Gospel
Rod Wave
6.1Tha Block Is Hot
Lil Wayne
6.1500 Degreez
Lil Wayne
6.1My Turn
Lil Baby
6.1Most Known Unknown
Three 6 Mafia
6.0Tha Carter IV
Lil Wayne
6.0The Last Slimeto
YoungBoy Never Broke Again
5.8Back for Everything
Kodak Black
5.7Funeral
Lil Wayne