Top 10 Hip-Hop Albums of Past Decade

As the 2010s decade comes to a close, mankind is left with a plethora of incredible music, specifically that of the hip-hop genre.

Deciding upon which albums are the greatest of the past 10 years was a much more difficult task than I had initially expected. There were a few things that I paid the most attention to when coming up with my list, in order to make sure this list ended up being as balanced as possible. When looking at the music, I paid attention to how it sounded sonically, the lyrical technicality, originality, artistry, the overall style of music, as well as the influence and impact each album has had on the hip-hop community.

Each of these albums are my personal belief of what are the best of the best. I am interested in your perspective of what hip-hop albums from the past 10 years are the best in your eyes, so make sure to leave a comment below!

Honorable Mentions

Mac Miller – “Swimming”

Denzel Curry – “TA13OO”

Drake – “Nothing Was the Same”

Mac Miller – “GO:OD AM”

Tyler, the Creator – “Wolf”

Kanye West – “Yeezus”

Tyler, the Creator – “IGOR”

10.) J. Cole – “2014 Forest Hills Drive”

J. Cole’s third studio album is typically regarded as his magnum opus by the hip-hop community, and there’s a good reason that it is.

On this classic hip-hop album, J. Cole uses his vivid storytelling skills to depict his rise to fame, starting from birth, explaining what growing up in Fayetteville, NC was like, and ultimately moving to Hollywood. Throughout the narrative, J. Cole raps seamlessly over heavily soul-sampled beats, carrying himself through the feature-free track list with the confidence of a king. Cole’s captivating storytelling skills hook the listener from start to end, as they walk in his shoes, learning about the complexities of life from the perspective of someone who seems to have seen it all.

There’s something special about J. Cole as an artist and his masterpiece “2014 Forest Hills Drive.” On lonely days I put this album on to get a mix of confidence and relaxation, as I’m told to not stress the things in life that truly aren’t important and to believe in myself as I continue the journey of life that I’m on.

Favorite track: St. Tropez

9.) Travis Scott – “Rodeo”

The greatest trap album of all time.

Following a similar story to the rise to fame tale told on “2014 Forest Hills Drive,” rapper Travis Scott tells his own tale on his debut album “Rodeo,” though there is a vast difference between the two albums. Using his never-ending energy, Travis Scott develops his own sound on “Rodeo,” being a front runner for the sub-genre of hip-hop known today as trap.

From the endlessly catchy hooks and verses, to the mesmerizing, psychedelic instrumentals, along with the iconic autotune voice that Scott is known for, “Rodeo” is an album that I always go back to, when I need confidence or when I just want to turn up. Track five on the album, titled “90210,” is one of my all time favorite songs, with its enthralling sound and story of the dark side of Hollywood.

Favorite track: 90210 (feat. Kacy Hill)

8.) Kendrick Lamar – “good kid, m.A.A.d city”

The autobiographical story of growing up in Compton, done by a modern day Michelangelo.

Kendrick Lamar on his sophomore album entitled “good kid, m.A.A.d city,” tells the story of what life was like growing up in the infamous city of Compton, surrounded by gang warfare, bad influences and his mother’s caravan (seen on the album cover), where the majority of the self-proclaimed “short film” takes place in.

Standout points of this album are on every single track. Through the artistic and incredibly detailed perspective that Kendrick provides, stories are told about Kendrick engaging in activities such as a house robbery, drug-filled parties and even what chasing after his first real crush, Sherane, was like. From the prayer that opens the album to the introspective song “Money Trees,” the listener is given insight into how Kendrick feels about growing up in the city he lives in. The rage-filled track “m.A.A.d city” has become one of hip-hop’s most praised songs from one of the genre’s most praised albums. Ultimately, “good kid, m.A.A.d city” is an album that deserves every drop of praise.

Favorite track: Money Trees feat. Jay Rock

7.) Logic – “The Incredible True Story”

An audio-cinematic experience following the journey of two astronauts in their search of a new inhabitable planet, while Logic captures the essence of exploration into new territory.

While I do have a very personal connection to this album, having won a contest to hear it prior to its worldwide release with Logic himself, that is not the entire reason as to why this album ranks number seven on my list. “The Incredible True Story” is often referenced as rapper Logic’s best work, though I would personally rank it second in his discography. Everything about this album screams creativity. From the colorful sounds and stellar beats that Logic flows over perfectly, to the story of two astronauts flying through the solar system in search of the planet Paradise where humanity will be restored, as Earth has become uninhabitable.

This album is one I always go to when I want to escape the calamity of our current world and be transported to the cockpit of the Aquarius-III (the space ship where the album takes place in) and hear Logic rap about his introspective thoughts detailing the life of fame as well as the beauty of being an artist. This is one of the few albums that does not have a skippable song in my eyes. Every track is there for a reason and come together perfectly to create an incredibly enjoyable album.

Favorite track: Like Woah

6.) Tyler, the Creator – “Cherry Bomb”

“Cherry Bomb” is a perfect blend of distortion and aggression to create a strangely beautiful piece of art.

Including this album on this list may be a rather polarizing opinion, but there is just something about Tyler, the Creator’s “Cherry Bomb” that I cannot get enough of. The album opens with an aggressive guitar paired with screams that Tyler raps over in an energetic tone, setting the feel for the hyperactive album. The track list then shifts its aim and turns to every unexpected angle it could possibly go, leaving the listener in a fury of intense sounds paired up with Tyler’s strong baritone voice.

Tracks like “Find Your Wings” and “Okaga, CA” showcase the beauty of Tyler’s production and choice of featured artists, while songs like “Buffalo” and “Cherry Bomb” are examples of the aggressive style that older fans of Tyler know and love. “Smuckers” which features hip-hop legends Kanye West and Lil Wayne is arguably one of the greatest rap songs of all time. Tyler, in my opinion, describes the album in a perfect way with the line “name my album Cherry Bomb cuz Greatest Hits sounded boring.” The all over the place madness comes together in such a magical way that always puts me in a trance with each listen.

Favorite track: Okaga, CA

5.) Childish Gambino – Because the Internet

If Impressionism art and modern hip-hop had a baby, “Because the Internet” would be it.

There’s so much about this album that makes me love it. Innovative, experimental sounds melding with Childish Gambino’s voice and his endless one-liner punchlines are the equation to an incredible album. On “Because the Internet,” Gambino discusses the modern age of youth and furthermore the Internet as a whole and how it is effecting mankind. From bubbly and colorful sounding songs talking about the joys of youth and love to the melancholic, dark sounding songs detailing the feeling of loneliness and depression, “Because the Internet” is definitely the multi-talented Childish Gambino’s magnum opus.

With a short film and a 73-page screenplay to accompany the album, clear artistry is prevalent within this project. Tracks like “Crawl” and “Sweatpants” show off Gambino’s rapping skills whereas “Flight of the Navigator” and “Pink Toes” are clear examples of how Gambino can create a beautiful song structure. Overall, the artistry and realness of this album make it stand out above almost every other hip-hop album of this past decade.

Favorite track: Telegraph Ave. (“Oakland” by Lloyd)

4.) Kendrick Lamar – “To Pimp a Butterly”

Combining the pain of black lives in America with the beautiful sounds composed by the genius Kendrick Lamar creates an artistic duality that is unmatched.

With tracks that go back and forth between hope and despair, Kendrick uses heavy drums and jazz sounds paired up with his intricate and hard-hitting lyrics to capture the essence of the fight for equality. The title alone, “To Pimp a Butterly,” shows a duality between a the ugliness and darkness of what a pimp is in comparison to the beauty and hope of a butterfly. Certain songs like “Alright” and “i” utilize a more poppy song to mirror the hopeful tone of the songs. On the opposite of the spectrum, the song “Blacker the Berry” (one of Kendrick’s best) uses a much more aggressive, drum-driven instrumental along with a scratchy, aggressive tone of voice to talk about black culture being over-looked, appropriated and hated on, while addressing the fact that members of it kill each other instead of boosting each other. Heavy stuff.

The density of this album as well as all of the intricate and poetic lyrics are what make this album stand out as much as it does. Looking at the album for face value, judging the music only based on the sonics of it, would rank the album closer to the tail end of this list, but the substance and artistry of this album make it unmatched at what it does, and achieves the fourth spot on this list because of it.

Favorite track: The Blacker the Berry

3.) Logic – “Under Pressure”

On “Under Pressure” Logic vividly paints the story of his come up on the brick walls within his section eight neighborhood.

“Under Pressure” is my all time favorite album. There is so much to be said about this album, but I’ll save it for a full blog post one day. The boiled down version of this album is that it is a masterpiece. There is a nostalgic type of feel to this album as Logic recounts the difficulties he faced during his youth and the growth to fame. Story-wise, “Under Pressure” is similar to “good kid, m.A.A.d city” and “2014 Forest Hills Drive,” though “Under Pressure” is the superior album in my eyes.

Starting out with the sonics of the album, “Under Pressure” has a vast sound, with each track being clearly separate though still coming together as a whole, complete story. Logic holds his own on this album without the assistance of any features as he tells his story with linguistic precision and multi-layered lyrics. Overall, “Under Pressure” is an immaculate album with no skippable songs and a sound that very few have been able to surpass.

Favorite track: Under Pressure

2.) Tyler, the Creator – “Flower Boy”

As the story arc of Tyler comes to a resolution, the sun sets beautifully upon the incredible transition from polarizing public figure to mature artist.

“Flower Boy” is the epitome of beauty. On this album we see the maturation of Tyler, the Creator, an artist who became known for his outlandish topics within his songs and his aggressive attitude towards everything. The coming of age story is told over enthralling chords and beautiful melodies, where listeners hear some of Tyler’s deepest thoughts. The opening track “Forward” discusses Tyler’s uncertainties in life, not knowing what is worth it and if his fame and fortune will run out, a rather different open to most albums of this genre.

Over the course of this album, listeners learn more and more about who Tyler really is. A main theme of this album is Tyler’s sexuality, which is revealed on this album along with the insecurities that he faces being a member of the LGTBQ community. The shining moment of this album for me is the track “Garden Shed” which discusses this topic with the help of incredible vocals from singer Estelle and the most powerful guitar and synth chords I have ever heard. Overall, this album is a perfect display of beauty within music, and from a quite unlikely genre to do so.

Favorite track: Garden Shed

1.) Kanye West – “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”

Simply put: perfection.

Kanye West himself has nonchalantly stated in interviews that he has achieved perfection with this specific album. “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” is the project that I regard as the greatest album of all time, and in my eyes it truly is deserving of that title in every right. Opening with a fairy tale style of an intro to set the scene of the grandiosity of this piece of work immediately captures the listener, telling them that they are about to experience the story of a king’s rise and downfall and ultimately his realization of many topics of life. Along with the theme and overall grand sound of the album, the creativity and innovation seen on it are what really get me.

With this album, Kanye threw the typical song structure formula out of the window and created his own style, which leads to each song sounding like its own masterpiece in itself. With a collection of featured artists from Jay Z to John Legend, collaboration was a very present aspect of this album, as Kanye brings together the Avengers of music to create the magnum opus of music as a whole. Aside from the general genius of this album, Kanye’s lyricism on this project is also unmatched. With a short film to go along with this album as well as the controversy and artistry of the album cover alone, there is so much to this album that can be revered. As a whole, this album can be simply described as the epitome of perfection and truly music’s greatest piece of art.

Favorite track: Runaway feat. Pusha T