10 Best Hip Hop albums of the 21st Century
The cultural movement of hip-hop has seen thousands of successful albums filter their way into mainstream listening. With Hip Hop beginning to form in the 1970s, it exploded in the early 1990s, now over 30 years later it has created a whole new generation of hip-hop that delivers new sounds, messages and styles.
Hip Hop’s evolution has changed the most over the last two decades, so here are 10 of the greatest hip-hop records from the 21st century to check out if you haven't already.
The College Drop Out
Kanye West
2004
Madvillainy
MF Doom and Madlib
2004
2004 saw one of the best collaborations in hip-hop’s history with rapper MF Doom and producer Madlib creating their experimental album as the duo ‘Madvillain’. Each of the 22 tracks are all intricately layered with Madlib’s scratchy beats and carried by Doom’s lyrics which are celebrated for his wordplay. Hip Hop heads commend the album for its perfect blend of chaos with its tracks being unpredictable yet all…..
In the same year both Madlib and MF Doom had other projects with Madlib’s cartoon alter ego ‘Quasimoto’ creating the album ‘The Unseen’ and MF Doom with ‘MM..FOOD’ which had his commercially most successful track ‘Rapp Snitch Knishes’.
To Pimp A Butterfly
Kendrick Lamar
2015
Before Kanye West was Kardashionized, his 2004 album The College Dropout is nothing short of a masterpiece. Every track on the album honoured an old-school sound that the new Kanye has neglected in his new albums that are infused with electronic music.
The College Dropout has a total of 43 samples which helped to polish off the soul and funk finish that has made the album so loved by all Kanye fans. Whilst it hasn’t got the lyrical depth and impressive production as his later albums it doesn't need to because of its feel-good value.
This was Kanye's first album to distinguish him from being a producer and ghostwriter which led to him winning a Grammy for best rap album of the Year when he dropped one of the most iconic lines in his career “Everybody wanted to know what I would do if I didn't win. I guess we'll never know.”
High-density lyricist Kendrick Lamar has been crowned ‘The most important rapper of our generation’ by the New York Times and it's almost impossible to disagree. It's a close call between the 2012 album ‘Good Kid and m.A.A.d City’ and ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’ but TPAB lands the top spot because of its diverseness throughout its 16 tracks, unexpectedly changing course and bursting into spoken word and jazz. It's a politically charged album, Lamar dealing with personal issues like self-worth and political themes such as racism and materialism. Lamar’s political consciousness is apparent throughout all albums and shows off his progressiveness within the music industry. Whilst his music is extremely progressive and deals with heavy personal and political topics, it still manages to be accessible because of Lamar's artistry of layering funk and jazz beats over his signature hip-hop style.
Yesterday’s Gone
Loyle Carner
2017
Escape Music
The mouse Outfit
2013
NO THANK YOU
Little Simz
2004
Flower Boy
Tyler The Creator
2017
WU-TANG IRON FLAG
Wu-Tang clan
2001
Get Rich Or Die Trying’
50 Cent
2003
London-based languid rap artist Loyle Carner has mastered the art of blurring the distinction between poetry and hip hop by combining them elegantly in his debut album “Yesterday’s Gone”. Carner came to notoriety after critical acclaim and award nominations ( Mercury prize) also through various support slots since 2012 for US rappers such as MF Doom and Joey Bada$$.
The 15 tracks on ‘Yesterday’s Gone’ are simplistic yet highly skilled, mostly carried by piano and textured by considered beats with a few exceptions like ‘NO CD” which opens with a punchy bassline. Carner’s relaxed style has helped pioneer the spoken-word-like rap scene, inspiring an influx of chilled-out rap that is popularising the alternative hip-hop scene with Yesterday’s Gone being the first taste of it for many.
The Mouse Outfit’s debut album fronted by UK rappers Sparkz Dr. Syntax, and Black Josh, delivers bass-heavy, jazz-infused unique hip-hop tracks which instantly put the band on the UK’s underground hip-hop map. The album is a perfect all-rounder with influences from reggae, soul and most noticeably jazz, always paired with polished beats and cleverly dotted with old samples.
‘Escape Music’ has mastered the combination of fusing classic inspired backing tracks with a modern twist, through the use of edited and synthed keys and unique sounding beats. The Mancunian collective fully embraced their D.I.Y initiative when creating the album as they started off without any money, although it’s impossible to tell due to the flawless production.
Impassioned wordsmith and multi-award winner rapper Little Simz is sitting comfortably on top of the UK hip-hop game right now. It is easy to understand why her 5th studio album is decorated with 5-star critic reviews and able to reach No.8 on UK album downloads, with a soul-centred sound even anti-rap listeners will appreciate.
Crystal clear vocals run over the gospel and soul infused instrumentals, with features from Neo-soul singer Cleo Sol who is also in the music collective, Sault.
With her faultless lyrical flow, Simz narrates her experience with racial prejudice and fame on tracks like ‘X’ and ‘Heart On Fire’ experimenting with orchestral components to create a justifiably dramatic soundtrack to Simz’s account.
Flower Boy is an alternative hip-hop album studded with impressive features from the likes of Frank Ocean, A$AP Rocky, Kali Uchis, Steve Lacey and more. The album is less gritty than Tyler’s previous albums which made it commercially more successful with its colourful production and hypnotic melodies.
Flower Boy is in a class by itself, completely unique to any other albums at the time. When
Tyler received the cultural influence award at the BET Hip Hop Awards in 2021 he credited Pharrell, Andre 3000, Q Tip, Kanye West and Missy Elliot as his influences which you can sense in rare moments throughout the album.
It is a beautifully executed album with many unpredicted compositions that dive into Neo-soul but with the occasional moments of Tyler-style mayhem.
‘Get Rich or Die Trying’ is Curtis James Jackson’s debut autobiographical gangsta rap album which ended up becoming the biggest selling debut album in hip-hop history. It entails explicit details from his past of drug dealing, gang violence and incarceration.
Despite the album being gangsta rap, 50 Cent made sure to not make the lyrics too black and white to intimidate people from his music which led to him creating catchy choruses that the majority would be singing along to. His lyrics aren't as clever as many in the rap game but they are undeniably catchy.
We got it from here… thank you for your service
A Tribe Called Quest
2016
Wu-Tang Clan never fails to deliver. After their 1993 success with ‘Enter The Wu-Tang’, they continued to release their distinctive slick tracks whilst trying to break into a broader listening margin through a lighter sound.
Ghostface Killah’s praised storytelling skills are laid over the collective’s dense instrumentals, but it was the first album without other vocalist O’l Dirty Bastard which could be their reason for switching up their sound as they exit the 90’s into the naughties.
‘We got from here’ was recorded after the band put aside their differences which drove their split back in 1998, and what a great comeback album this is. The band's thoughtful and jazzy approach to rap music becomes even more significant in today's culture against other artists who they have inspired like Kendrick Lamar.
It is a forward-thinking album from a band that was around when hip-hop was just growing. There isn't a single track which does not meet expectations, lyrically and instrumentally sharp with clever samples throughout which give a nod to their past successful tracks like ‘Can I Kick It'.