For most of the world overcome by the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s not really “business as usual.” Lives have been disrupted across the map, and there is a general air of uncertainty. Prior to this worldwide crisis, our writers were meeting weekly to debate, discuss and rank the best hip-hop debut albums of the 21st century – from January 1, 2001 til present day. This is our latest team effort, following our ranking of the Best Rapper Flows of All Time.
We’re excited to share the final results with you this afternoon, hoping to spark some discussion on our site that is NON-Coronavirus related, for everyone who might need some relief from the 24/7 COVID news cycle (and the thoughts that go along with it). That all being said, this was no easy feat. A few caveats before we dive right in, we did consider certain albums that may soon be considered classics in the not-so-distant future, but that, ultimately we felt were still too fresh to our ears to evaluate properly — such as Roddy Ricch’s debut album, Please Excuse Me for Being Anti-Social. Thus, do not be surprised that you will find zero 2019 debut albums and 2020 debut albums on the below list. We do, however, have a few albums from 2018.
Check out the ranking and arguments for each album below, let us know what we’re missing, what we got wrong, and what we got right in the comment section!
This was a group editorial effort, with contributions coming from:
25. Playboi Carti – Die Lit (2018)
The road to Playboi Carti’s debut album was so long and winding that by the time it arrived, people forgot it was his debut album. For those who are still confused, Die Lit qualifies as Carti’s first proper LP. The eponymous project that he released a year earlier falls in the category of commercial mixtape. Being one of the first great offspring of the “mumble rap” era, Carti was popularized through loosies dropped on SoundCloud. He acclimated us to this method of distribution, encouraging us to eschew our expectation that a full-length project be needed to properly evaluate an artist’s talent. Playboi Carti didn’t have to further prove his potential, but Playboi Carti did. It was a grab bag of screwy anthems and entrancing mantras. We discovered that Carti could repeat any bizarre phrase over any Pi’erre Bourne beat as many times as he wished and we would rage or melt. That’s why when Die Lit emerged like a surprise from space, we took no issue with Carti cashing in on his flawless formula. If I wrote anything else about this album, I would inevitably end up paraphrasing what Slowthai said about it when asked by Pitchfork to name his favorite album of the 2010s: “[Carti] took mumble rap and made a cohesive body of work, and not many other artists in his lane have managed to do the same. He has bangers but also has a sonic narrative from start to end. This is our generation’s hardcore music.”
– Noah
24. Rae Sremmurd – Sremmlife (2015)
Perhaps it’s nostalgia talking but 2015 was a simpler time. It was only five years ago now that some of today’s biggest artists were beginning to make a name for themselves. Rae Sremmurd is a perfect example. Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi burst onto the scene in 2015 with their debut album Sremmlife which was packed with hits. “No Flex Zone,” “My X,” and “No Flex Zone” were some of the biggest songs of that year and resonated with those looking for new energetic artists who brought a youthful exuberance to the game. Swae’s ear for melodies was perfectly contrasted with Slim Jxmmi’s abrasive yet lively vocal delivery. This album was inescapable when it dropped and if you were at a party in 2015, you definitely heard some tracks blasting from the closest sound system. While Rae Sremmurd have evolved quite a bit since this album, there is no denying the impact Sremmlife had on the now melody-heavy party culture.
– Alex Cole
23. Azealia Banks – Broke with Expensive Taste (2014)
Before Azealia Banks breaks through with a subtly lethal verse on “Desperado,” a soundbite of radio personality Peter Rosenberg saying “I’ve been waiting for Azealia Banks” echoes into the distance. It has been six years since the release of her debut, Broke With Expensive Taste, and it can still feel like we’re waiting for her moment. Then we remember how generously monumental that album was and how it still holds up as a masterpiece. BWET still sounds like the future, like the true mish-mash of genres and cultures that was predicted to arise out of the unrestricted access to the history of recorded music. While Banks proved she could rap circles around anyone with her dizzying dialect of onomatopoeic gibberish, BWET also doubles as an electronic album. The cutting-edge production is given space to blister and rumble at the tailend of most tracks. However, Banks’ rapidfire rhymes remain the centrepiece and something at which to marvel to this day.
– Noah
22. Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels (2013)
It’s hard to believe that El-P and Killer Mike were once seen as an archetypical “Odd Couple” pairing. Yet prior to their blissful union on Mike’s creative reinvention that was 2012’s R.A.P. Music, the pair stood worlds apart. At least musically speaking. While Mike was coming up as an Atlanta-bred Outkast protege lacing localized cult favorites like solo debut Monster, El-P was blazing trails in the Brooklyn underground, a science-fiction inspired concoctor of spastic beats; in other words, a CHUD. But now that they’ve come together so harmoniously it’s hard to imagine them apart, a true moment of hip-hop serendipity. Retaining many of El’s inherent inclinations toward dystopian fiction and Mike’s larger than life rambunctious swagger,the first installment of RTJ hits like a supercharged laser beam to the face. Clocking in at a respectable ten songs, the project fires banger after banger with highlights like “Banana Clipper,” “Sea Legs,” and instant holiday classic “A Christmas Fucking Miracle” bringing no shortage of imagination and character into the fold. “Producer gave me a beat, said it’s the beat of the year,” raps Mike, in “Banana Clipper.” “I said El-P didn’t do it, so get the fuck out of here.” Sounds about right.
– Mitch
21. Rapsody – Laila’s Wisdom (2017)
By the time she dropped Laila’s Wisdom in 2017, Rapsody had already established herself as a force to be reckoned with, but it became increasingly clear that an artist of her caliber needed an extensive body of work to fully flourish. With her debut, she was finally able to show off her incredible lyrical prowess to its fullest. Tapping some of the most notable wordsmiths in hip hop to accompany her—including her mentor, Kendrick Lamar, on the project’s highlight, “Power”—the practice of storytelling and offering social commentary are at the forefront of the self-identified “lyrical rapper”’s collection of textual genius.
In addition, Laila’s Wisdom was a cultural trailblazer, paving the way for the presence of an alternative type of “Femcee.” “I’m just another representation and another option of what you can be,” she said at the time. With Laila’s Wisdom, Rapsody successfully carved out her own lane as a woman in hip hop, allowing other ladies to follow in her footsteps and no longer be limited to one look, one sound, one category.
– Lynn
20. Lloyd Banks – Hunger for More (2004)
Though 50 Cent quickly established himself as the defacto G-Unit capo, many were drawn to his consigliere: Lloyd Banks, the punchline King. Playing an integral role on G-Unit’s iconic mixtape run and various Shady-related features, Banks soon found himself building genuine momentum as a solo artist, culminating in the release of his classic debut The Hunger For More. Written and recorded while on the road, Banks’ first album proved his viability as a leading man with commercially successful singles like the Eminem-produced “On Fire” and the Timbaland-laced “I’m So Fly.” While many had come for the punchlines, The Hunger For More provided a closer look into the man behind them. The somber “When The Chips Are Down” brought listeners into the darkest recesses of his memory bank, while the beautiful “Till The End” spoke to the futility of his optimism. “Warrior” found Banks back on his mixtape BS, while “Part 2” symbolized his ascent to rap-royalty. It’s no surprise that Lloyd Banks secured his first platinum plaque only a few months after the album’s release, a testament to his position as a fan-favorite. Even now, over fifteen years later, The Hunger For More remains an essential part of the Platinum Era’s canon.
– Mitch
19. Tierra Whack – Whack World (2018)
It’s difficult to put Tierra Whack’s debut into any kind of definitive box, as the very structure of and innovation behind Whack World essentially rejects this practice. Each of the 15 tracks roughly a minute long, Whack World’s brevity is pivotal to its genius, a bold choice serving only to amplify Tierra’s unique artistry rather than hindering it. Constantly shifting moods in both sound and subject matter from track to track, Whack World functions as a culmination of dramatically different moments, each of them ending before they’ve even really begun. For the duration of the 15-minute experience, Whack World never takes itself too seriously, all the while without sacrificing the quality of its contents. By disrupting seemingly unavoidable conventions of hip hop and establishing Ms. Whack as an innovative artist unlike any we’ve seen before, Whack World proves that some risks really do pay off.
– Lynn
18. Meek Mill – Dreams & Nightmares (2012)
Meek Mill is among a rarity in the battle rap scene. Old YouTube clips show the rapper bodying his adversaries in the streets of Philly. Those videos are often used as a reference point for how far he’s come, but Dreams & Nightmares was the rapper’s official foray into the mainstream. A street rapper by trade, he painted an image of a young man from Philly on the brink of watching the so-called American dream come into fruition. His skill set as an MC wasn’t watered down by any means but he found a pocket that simultaneously met the needs of radio and hip-hop heads. “Intro” stands as one of the great hip-hop intros of all time while “Maybach Curtains” with John Legend, Nas, and Rick Ross extends itself as a cousin to Rozay’s “Maybach Music” series. But more than anything, the idea that an album is an artist’s full life work sums up Meek’s debut. He might have been able to enjoy the fruits of his labor on songs like “Amen” but moments before, he discusses the death of his father on “Traumatized.” Meek Mill’s debut album may have not “shifted the game” in terms of long-term influence but it was an important project that gave glimpses of what one of the greatest rappers of the 2010s was capable of.
– Aron
17. Waka Flocka Flame – Flockaveli (2010)
Waka Flocka Flame’s debut has come to be appreciated and regarded as a trap darling largely in hindsight, despite its undeniable impact following its release. Without Flockaveli, we would not, arguably, have been introduced to the likes of Chief Keef, for example. A collection of unfaltering, high-energy bangers, the album most notably features the incomparably influential “Hard In Da Paint,” an emblem of Waka’s ever-demanding presence and aggressive demeanor. However, “Hard In Da Paint,” and Flockaveli as a whole, still maintains a certain focus and simplicity, achieving the intimidation and evoking the violence intended without becoming too uninhibited. The entire project is punctuated by ad-libs—forceful “BOW”s, verbalizations of gunshot sounds, and exclamations of the Gucci Mane-headed “Brick Squad”—delivered with equal conviction each and every time. With Lex Luger’s consistently threatening yet somewhat understated production, Flockaveli hits you like a ton of bricks, still eliciting an unwavering hype in its listeners a decade later.
– Lynn
16. Big Boi – Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son Of Chico Dusty (2010)
When Big Boi dropped his official debut album Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son Of Chico Dusty in the summer of 2010, he was already a distinguished artist with classics under his belt. Having already developed and honed his style through his time in Outkast, Big Boi’s first showing as a solo artist arrived when he was thirty-five years old. With that came a refreshing sort of artistic freedom, a place for Big Boi to pay homage to his Southern influences while continuing to chart out his intergalactic jaunt. It’s no wonder Sir Luscious feels simultaneously nostalgic and futuristic, the byproduct of our hero’s madcap vision. Nowhere is the sonic pairing more evident than on the Scott Storch-produced lead-single “Shutterbug,” a song that might have sounded right at home in the eighties — provided it didn’t scare the shit out of unsuspecting disco acolytes. Followed immediately by the incendiary “General Patton ” and the Andre 3000-laced “You Ain’t No DJ,” Sir Luscious delivers an unrelenting back-to-back-to-back assault bedazzling in its versatility. Songs like “Shine Blockas” manage to permeate even the thickest clouds, save for those smoked by George Clinton on that dope on dope incarnate, “Fo Yo Sorrows.” As brilliant a summer soundtrack as one man can possibly concoct, Outkast fans should take solace in the comfort that one member blessed them with a bonafide (and still criminally underrated) solo classic.
– Mitch
15. Travis Scott – Rodeo (2015)
Travis Scott’s debut album had a lot riding on it. After two groundbreaking mixtapes in Owl Pharoah and Days Before Rodeo, fans were expecting an evolution of La Flame’s sound. With Rodeo, Scott exceeded expectations with a progressive trap masterpiece that still resonates with fans to this day. From T.I’s hovering narrations to Travis’ dark moody sound, the whole album feels like a movie being played out in Scott’s head. The album starts with a slow build on the track “Pornography” and then morphs into the dramatic introspective track “Oh My Dis Side” which sees Travis and Quavo exchanging melodies. Singles like “Antidote” and “90210” helped bring this album into the mainstream and helped set the tone for what eventually became Travis’
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