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The Best Hip-Hop Albums of the 2020s (So Far)

18 albums · Updated

Rap in the 2020s has two strong currents. Veterans such as Nas, Pusha T and Royce da 5'9" made some of their best late-career records with single producers, and the underground (Griselda, billy woods, Armand Hammer, Earl Sweatshirt's circle) found a bigger audience than ever without changing its sound.

This list grows as we review more of the decade. Rankings follow each review's scorecard; for recent albums, replay value is a projection and the review says so.

How this list works: Albums first released in 2020 or later and reviewed on the site, ranked by current score. Scores come from each review's six-part scorecard; see the methodology.

  1. 1
    Sometimes I Might Be Introvert by Little Simz album cover

    Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (2021)

    Score: 9.3 · Read the review · Little Simz albums ranked

    Produced by Inflo with a full orchestra, Little Simz's fourth album won the 2022 Mercury Prize.

  2. 2
    Aethiopes by billy woods album cover

    billy woods – Aethiopes (2022)

    Score: 9.3 · Read the review · billy woods albums ranked

    Produced entirely by Preservation, billy woods' album moves between Africa, America and memory in dense, cinematic fragments.

  3. 3
    Haram by Armand Hammer album cover

    Armand Hammer – Haram (2021)

    Score: 9.2 · Read the review · Armand Hammer albums ranked

    billy woods and ELUCID over beats produced entirely by The Alchemist: dense, abstract and unusually musical.

  4. 4
    It’s Almost Dry by Pusha T album cover

    Pusha T – It’s Almost Dry (2022)

    Score: 9.2 · Read the review · Pusha T albums ranked

    Split between Pharrell and Kanye West productions, it was Pusha T's first solo album to reach No. 1.

  5. 5
    Burden of Proof by Benny the Butcher album cover

    Benny the Butcher – Burden of Proof (2020)

    Score: 8.7 · Read the review · Benny the Butcher albums ranked

    Produced entirely by Hit-Boy, it gave Griselda's grimy street rap a cleaner, more expensive sound.

  6. 6
    King’s Disease II by Nas album cover

    Nas – King’s Disease II (2021)

    Score: 8.7 · Read the review · Nas albums ranked

    The second Nas and Hit-Boy collaboration, with Eminem, Lauryn Hill and EPMD on it.

  7. 7
    God Don’t Make Mistakes by Conway the Machine album cover

    Conway the Machine – God Don’t Make Mistakes (2022)

    Score: 8.7 · Read the review · Conway the Machine albums ranked

    Conway's debut on Shady Records, more personal than his Griselda work, with grief and recovery at the center.

  8. 8
    The Forever Story by JID album cover

    JID – The Forever Story (2022)

    Score: 8.7 · Read the review · JID albums ranked

    JID's family-centered album about his Atlanta upbringing, his flow at its most inventive.

  9. 9
    The Allegory by Royce 5′9 album cover

    Royce 5′9 – The Allegory (2020)

    Score: 8.3 · Read the review · Royce 5′9 albums ranked

    Royce produced most of it himself, and it is a dense political record about race, money and America.

  10. 10
    Few Good Things by Saba album cover

    Saba – Few Good Things (2022)

    Score: 8.3 · Read the review · Saba albums ranked

    The Chicago rapper's warm, family-focused follow-up to Care for Me, about generational wealth and what it means.

  11. 11
    Luv 4 Rent by Smino album cover

    Smino – Luv 4 Rent (2022)

    Score: 8.3 · Read the review · Smino albums ranked

    The St. Louis rapper's elastic, R&B-leaning flows over Monte Booker's bouncing, jazz-soul beats.

  12. 12
    UTOPIA by Travis Scott album cover

    Travis Scott – UTOPIA (2023)

    Score: 8.3 · Read the review · Travis Scott albums ranked

    Five years after Astroworld, a darker and more abrasive production with many collaborators.

  13. 13
    The Off‐Season by J. Cole album cover

    J. Cole – The Off‐Season (2021)

    Score: 8.0 · Read the review · J. Cole albums ranked

    A tight, rap-first album produced with T-Minus, Timbaland and others, focused on craft and competition.

  14. 14
    King’s Disease by Nas album cover

    Nas – King’s Disease (2020)

    Score: 7.9 · Read the review · Nas albums ranked

    Produced entirely by Hit-Boy, it began Nas's late-career run and won the Grammy for Best Rap Album.

  15. 15
    A Written Testimony by Jay Electronica album cover

    Jay Electronica – A Written Testimony (2020)

    Score: 7.8 · Read the review

    Jay Electronica's long-delayed debut arrived more than a decade after the hype, with Jay-Z on most of it.

  16. 16
    Nightmare Vacation by Rico Nasty album cover

    Rico Nasty – Nightmare Vacation (2020)

    Score: 7.8 · Read the review · Rico Nasty albums ranked

    Rico Nasty's debut studio album mixes punk rap, hyperpop and sugar-trap, with 100 gecs' Dylan Brady among the producers.

  17. 17
    HEROES & VILLAINS by Metro Boomin album cover

    Metro Boomin – HEROES & VILLAINS (2022)

    Score: 7.8 · Read the review

    Metro's producer album, built like a film score, features 21 Savage, The Weeknd and Travis Scott.

  18. 18
    Cheat Codes by Danger Mouse album cover

    Danger Mouse – Cheat Codes (2022)

    Score: 6.5 · Read the review

    Danger Mouse and Black Thought's long-planned collaboration, with guests including MF DOOM and Raekwon.

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