The Best 2000s Hip-Hop Albums
22 albums · Updated
The 2000s split rap in two. On one side, the biggest sales in the genre's history: Eminem, 50 Cent, Lil Wayne and Kanye West all moved close to or over a million copies in a week. On the other, an independent scene (Rawkus, Rhymesayers, Stones Throw, Definitive Jux) that made some of the decade's most lasting records for a fraction of the audience.
Both halves are here. The ranking uses each review's scorecard, so a chart-topper and a cult record are measured on the same writing, production and cohesion criteria.
How this list works: Albums first released 2000–2009 and reviewed on the site, ranked by current score. Scores come from each review's six-part scorecard; see the methodology.
- 19.1
Hell Hath No Fury
Clipse · 2006
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Released after years of label limbo, it sets Pusha T and Malice's coke rap over the Neptunes' sparest, coldest beats.
- 29.0
Madvillainy
Madvillain · 2004
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MF DOOM and Madlib's 22 short tracks, most under three minutes, with almost no hooks and loops that end mid-thought.
- 38.9
The Blueprint
Jay-Z · 2001
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Kanye West and Just Blaze's sped-up soul samples define it; released on September 11, 2001, it includes "Takeover" and "Izzo".
- 48.9
A Piece of Strange
CunninLynguists · 2006
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Kno's Southern-gothic production carries a concept album about the path to and from sin.
- 58.8
Stankonia
OutKast · 2000
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Drum and bass, gospel, rock guitars and "B.O.B.": OutKast's most restless album also gave them "Ms. Jackson".
- 68.7
The Marshall Mathers LP
Eminem · 2000
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Eminem's darkest record sold 1.76 million copies in its first week and answers his sudden fame with "Stan", "The Way I Am" and "Kim".
- 78.7
Supreme Clientele
Ghostface Killah · 2000
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Ghostface's second solo album pairs RZA-supervised soul loops with dense, abstract slang and some of the best Wu-Tang writing of the decade.
- 88.5
Labor Days
Aesop Rock · 2001
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A dense concept record about work and the working week, built on beats by Aesop, Blockhead and Omega One and on his thesaurus-heavy writing.
- 98.4
Be
Common · 2005
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Produced mostly by Kanye West with two J Dilla beats, Common's comeback is eleven tracks and about forty-three minutes.
- 108.3
The Black Album
Jay-Z · 2003
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Pitched as a retirement album, it brings in a different producer for almost every track, including "99 Problems" with Rick Rubin.
- 118.1
The College Dropout
Kanye West · 2004
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Kanye's debut mixed chipmunk-soul production with jokes, faith and class anxiety; "Jesus Walks" and "Through the Wire" broke the backpack-versus-street divide.
- 128.1
Late Registration
Kanye West · 2005
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Kanye co-produced with Jon Brion, adding orchestral arrangements to his soul samples; "Gold Digger" and "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" came from it.
- 138.1
Graduation
Kanye West · 2007
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Kanye swapped soul samples for stadium synths and electronic textures; it outsold 50 Cent's Curtis in their shared release week.
- 148.0
Get Rich or Die Tryin’
50 Cent · 2003
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Dr. Dre and Eminem's protégé sold close to nine hundred thousand copies in its first week on the back of "In da Club".
- 157.9
Tha Carter III
Lil Wayne · 2008
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Over a million copies in its first week, with "Lollipop", "A Milli" and "Mr. Carter" featuring Jay-Z.
- 167.8
Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101
Young Jeezy · 2005
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Shawty Redd's synth-and-808 beats and Jeezy's ad-libs helped define trap as a national sound.
- 177.7
Quality
Talib Kweli · 2002
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Kweli's solo debut includes the Kanye West-produced "Get By" and keeps his political focus over beats from DJ Quik, J Dilla and others.
- 187.7
Shadows on the Sun
Brother Ali · 2003
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The Minneapolis rapper's second album on Rhymesayers, produced entirely by Ant, met with near-unanimous critical acclaim.
- 197.6
Tha Carter II
Lil Wayne · 2005
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Produced by Birdman, the Runners and the Heatmakerz among others, it marks Wayne's move from Hot Boy to the self-styled best rapper alive.
- 207.5
Stillmatic
Nas · 2001
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Nas's fifth album answers Jay-Z with "Ether" and returns to Queensbridge with "One Mic".
- 217.4
God Loves Ugly
Atmosphere · 2002
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Slug's confessional writing over Ant's warm, sample-built beats made Atmosphere the face of Minneapolis's Rhymesayers scene.
- 227.3
The Documentary
The Game · 2005
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The Compton rapper's major-label debut, executive-produced by Dr. Dre and 50 Cent, with "Hate It or Love It" and "Dreams".