Top 25 Hottest Hip-Hop Albums Of 2020

Compiling a list designed to rank the albums of the year in numerical order has become a tradition of sorts, a celebration designed to stir up discussion and reflections on the music we’ve unpacked as a collective. In truth, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to come up with an entirely qualitative order, given the subjective nature of taste and the impossible task of pleasing everybody. And yet part of the fun is in the discourse that arises, in unpacking the snubs and the merits of those who crack into the coveted top ten.

It’s been a tough year to be sure, but our favorite rappers showed resilience and creativity in spades. Artists held it down across the entire sonic spectrum, from the lyrical to the melodic and beyond. Big names and newcomers alike added new chapters to their stories, some of which were full-blown comeback narratives. Others carried the bittersweet weight of being posthumous releases, a harsh reminder of the dangers that continue to plague the rap community. 

With a new year on the horizon (and a few big releases still rumored to land before 2021 rolls around), the time has arrived to share our own top 25 albums of 2020. While we recognize the Herculean task of attempting to bring order to the wonderful chaos that is music, remember that ranking is an integral component of hip-hop discussion. So with that being said, whether you agree or disagree with the following list, be sure to sound off in the comments below. And yes, *insert name here* did get snubbed.

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25. Juice WRLD – Legends Never Die

Days after turning 21-years-old, Chicago rap artist Juice WRLD passed away from a fatal drug overdose, marking one of the most devastating moments in modern music history. The “Lucid Dreams” artist had built himself an empire in the short span of two-years, becoming known globally as one of the greatest songwriters of his generation, which speaks volumes because, for the most part, Juice didn’t even write his songs. The avid freestyler was respected for his ability to spit off the dome for hours at a time, truly living and breathing his passion for music.

This year, the late rapper’s estate released his first posthumous album, titled Legends Never Die. The album was a gift to the fans. From the title, to the cover artwork showing Juice in a gorgeous field of flowers surrounded by butterflies, to the actual music, Legends Never Die was a bittersweet collection of some of the songs that the late Jarad Higgins had put his heart and soul into during his final days. 

Ending up one of the top-selling albums of the year, LND has been a chart mainstay. It’s also Juice’s most introspective work yet. While much of his earlier material focused on heartbreak, loss, and love, this album dealt with even more personal themes, like his anxiety, depression, and drug use. Songs like “Wishing Well” are heartbreaking to listen to, showing Juice at his lowest, predicting: “If it wasn’t for the pills, I wouldn’t be here/But if I keep taking these pills, I won’t be here.”

The album was also a celebration of the amazing relationships that the late 21-year-old had made with his many collaborators, including Halsey, Trippie Redd, Marshmello, and, of course, his protégé The Kid LAROI.

If anything, the album proves that Juice could write a hit song — or a hit album — in his sleep. The art of making a catchy record came so naturally to the young man, and it’s dejecting to realize that such a talented artist is really gone.

– Alex Zidel 

24. Big Sean – Detroit 2

Big Sean’s Detroit 2 was immediately a huge topic of conversation when it was released in September 2020. Fans had been waiting on a project of this magnitude from Big Sean since 2017, and he truly delivered. From start to finish, there is not one song on this 21-track project that we would consider skipping. Overall, the project felt personal — like we were listening to an evolved Big Sean rediscover himself. His mature, reflective lyrics, melodies, tone, cadences — even the features sounded intimate and carefully chosen.

On this album he invited both familiar, A-list artists, like Eminem, Lil Wayne, Travis Scott, Ty Dolla $ign, Post Malone, Anderson .Paak, Diddy, Young Thug, and of course, his girlfriend, Jhene Aiko. The first song, “Why Would I Stop?” sets the tone from the jump, dropping the clever one-liners we expect from him as well as deep, complex, thought-provoking ones that we hear throughout the rest of the album. From there, Big Sean takes us on a bit of a sonic journey. The tracklist, if listened to in order, almost feels like one long story. While that might sound mundane on paper, he managed to pull it off perfectly, using an eclectic variety of style changes throughout — each song is a completely different vibe from the last. He is arguably one of the pioneers of his style of rap — one that has inspired the next generation of artists — Detroit 2 was a necessary reminder of that, and certainly a worthy contender on this list.

– Ellie

23. Megan Thee Stallion – Good News

You know it’s been your year when Congresswoman Maxine Waters writes you a heartfelt letter to tell you she’s proud of your successes. If Megan Thee Stallion’s career could be compared to a marriage, it would show that the rapper is thriving in her newlywed season. Megan burst onto the scene in 2019 with her “Big Ole Freak” breakout and it was quickly made clear that the Hot Girls takeover would have a long reign.

After many promises and several EPs, Meg’s Hotties finally received her official debut studio album Good News. It is littered with the bravado that has been typically relegated to men in the industry—a boasting and explicit nature that has rubbed many the wrong way coming from a 5 feet 10-inch tall woman. Megan has repeatedly proved that she knows how to craft a hit, whether it’s something the warrants its own viral TikTok dance or captures the attention of Beyoncé— Megan took her time on Good News to show that she’s a contender in both the rap and pop worlds.

Features on the record weren’t anything to sneeze at, either: her raunchy nature perfectly complemented City Girls on “Do It on the Tip,” she sizzled with SZA on “Freaky Girls,” and she demonstrated she could drop bars with the best of them on “Go Crazy” alongside Big Sean and 2 Chainz. After moving 100,500 units in the first week and snatching the No. 1 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums the No. 2 spot on the Billboard 200 charts, we join the rest of the world in celebrating Megan’s shine.

– Erika

22. D Smoke – Black Habits

Los Angeles has a longstanding reputation for breeding talent unlike any other. Lyricists and rhyme-slayers seem to grow in the City of Angels like roses out of concrete, and the latest seed to break ground is D Smoke. The 35-year-old rapper took the world by storm after winning the first season of Netflix’s competition series Rhythm & Flow as he flexed his bilingual lyrical skills. Since taking home the crown, D Smoke released his sophomore studio album and major-label debut Black Habits; an expressive, poetic sonic presentation.

D Smoke gives his experimental interpretation of the narrow space between rap and R&B on Black Habits. He takes chances throughout, partnering with other artists like Jill Scott, Snoop Dogg, Ari Lennox, Jackie Gouché, Davion Farris, and his brother, Top Dawg Entertainment’s SiR.

The impressive project has earned the mainstream newcomer two Grammy Award nominations for Best Rap Album and Best New Artist at the 2021 ceremony. He may be competing against heavy contenders, but Black Habits deserves its seat at the table. Not only has D Smoke managed to encapsulate a vibe that plays to the very essence of Hip Hop’s origins, but it’s an Inglewood soundtrack that the world needed to hear.

– Erika 

21. Boldly James – The Price Of Tea In China

Would you look at that… The Alchemist strikes again. The busy producer lays down a myriad of dope instrumental for Boldy James, a severely underrated Detroit talent. The Price of Tea in China is a lyrically laden experience that truly displays Boldy’s skillset. The album features Vince Staples, Freddie Gibbs, Benny The Butcher, and Evidence, rounding out a crew of usual suspects when it comes to The Alchemist’s more recent collaborations. The Price of Tea in China dropped at the beginning of the year, and never really got the same love and attention that other Alchemist collab projects received in 2020. However, being over-looked is something Boldy James is used to, and he seems to find strength in this fact. The mid-western rapper finesse around this album like a man on a mission, attempting to increase his spotlight with every bar and breath. The highs of this piece far outweigh the lows, and we’re sure it will be looked back upon as one of the greater projects of 2020. A fine piece of work, The Price of Tea in China only suffers from one “flaw” — we wish it was longer. 

– Karlton

20. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie – Artist 2.0

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie kicked off 2020 with the release of Artist 2.0 in February, followed by the deluxe version in June which featured nine additional tracks. Music fans understand the unspoken rule that deluxe albums are often hit and miss, but in this case, Boogie came through with nine absolutely fire tracks that we’re now quite sure we could not have lived without.

From the jump, A Boogie sets the tone by flaunting his gift for wordplay, delivering witty one-liners like they’re going out of style. But above all else, the big takeaway from this album is that he has mastered the art of melodic rap, an increasingly popular trend in hip hop culture.

“To the best fans in the world: Thanks for being patient and always supporting everything I do. It took a while to bring you this Deluxe because I wanted to make sure it dropped at a time that felt right,” the rapper wrote on Instagram at the time.

Overall, this 29-track album is incredibly intuitive, smooth, and sonically aesthetic — every song stands a chance to get stuck in your head after just one listen. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie offers a wide variety of tempos, subject matters lyrically, melodies, textures, and tones, showing how truly versatile he is as an artist.

Often touching the boundaries of R&B with his music, A Boogie invited a couple of R&B stars onto his project, including Summer Walker and Khalid. Furthermore, the project also featured some of rap’s favorite, like Roddy Ricch, Lil Uzi Vert, DaBaby, and Trap Manny. 

– Ellie

19. Future – High Off Life

When hip-hop fans think of Future, they immediately think of a man who birthed an entire generation of rappers. Initially, his hypnotic and drug-infused melodies were confusing to the ears of music listeners although he eventually caught on and in a big way. Previous projects like 56 Nights, Dirty Sprite 2, and HNDRXX are regarded as classics among Future fans, and with each new release, Future continues to mature sonically, all while keeping his youthful exuberance (and perspective).

With Future’s latest solo project High Off Life, the Atlanta artist delivered yet another formidable entry into his discography. Having been through a lot over the past few years, Future opts to open the album with a triumphant piano and string-heavy track called “Trapped In The Sun.” Here, we see Future speaking about his kids and how he wants to do everything he can to set them up for the rest of their lives. This is a motif that is repeated on the NBA YoungBoy-assisted “Trillionaire” which sees both artists offering up an emotional ballad that will certainly tug at heartstrings.

Don’t worry though, there are still plenty of those hedonistic bangers to be heard here. Tracks like “HiTek Tek,” “Ridin Strikers,” and “Posted With Demons” certainly come to mind, as Future can be heard over dark trap production while delivering bars that will cater to your inner toxic behavior or desires.

Once again, Future proves that he’s a trusted hitmaker and tracklist curator.

– Alex Cole

18. Gunna – Wunna

Before WUNNA, 27-year-old Atlanta rapper Gunna was known solely as the king of drip, predicted to become the next best thing out of YSL Records. One of Young Thug’s many disciples, Gunna managed to slightly reinvent himself with his new album, directing his legacy to take into consideration the rapper’s new-found self-aware, care-free state.

In our recent cover story with the “DOLLAZ ON MY HEAD” rapper, Gunna details his recent foray into astrology and the discovery of his WUNNA alter-ego.

“I feel like [Wunna] probably comes out in exotic times,” said Gunna. “I feel like Wunna would be a little more spontaneous [than Gunna is.] He’s a little more funny and amusing. I feel like that’s the type of energy I like to bring when I’m more on Wunna time.” 

Considering how much of the album was spontaneously created during a pre-COVID trip to Jamaica, that much rings true through the music. Of course, Gunna is still focusing heavily on his drip. That likely won’t ever stop. But, on songs like “FAR” with Young Thug, he reflects on all of the obstacles he’s had to overcome to get to this point. The record is one of Gunna’s most honest, heartfelt, and impactful tracks to date. It complements surefire hits like “ARGENTINA” and “SKYBOX”, showing a different side of the iconic artist we’ve come to know and love.

After a complicated rollout that seemingly kept getting delayed at the start of the pandemic, Gunna’s WUNNA debuted nicely, earning a #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart and selling 111,000 equivalent album units in its first week out, more than anything Gunna had ever released prior.

– Alex Zidel 

17. 21 Savage & Metro Boomin – SAVAGE MODE II

The wait may have been long for 21 Savage and Metro Boomin’s follow-up album to 2016’s Savage Mode, but our patience ended up paying off tremendously.

By the time 21 Savage and Metro Boomin released SAVAGE MODE II on October 2, 2020, several petitions had gone viral asking the rapper-producer duo to come through with the sequel. People yearned for the sinister sounds of Metro’s dark bangers, as well as 21’s clever punchlines and contagious ad-libs. 

Finally, they delivered, coming through with one of this year’s best albums. They weren’t alone though. They brought everyone from Drake to Young Nudy to goddamn Morgan Freeman along for the ride.

The legendary Freeman jumped into the narrator role, delivering monologues about snitches and rats, the effectiveness of sequels, and more. SAVAGE MODE II is self-aware in that Metro and 21 seemingly did not go into their studio sessions with the intention of outshining the original. Instead, they added a whole other layer to the journey, which includes moments where 21 gets in his pop bag for the Young And Hungry Ent.

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