As the 21st century has unfolded, the world of Hip-Hop has seen an evolution of sound, style, and substance.
Among the most prestigious recognitions an artist can receive is the GRAMMY Award for Best Rap Album—a title that marks a project not only as a commercial success, but as a cultural milestone. Winning this award is no small feat; it signifies that an album has transcended the genre, pushing boundaries and shaping the landscape of music.
The list of albums we’ve compiled represent the pinnacle of this achievement, each release having earned the GRAMMY for Best Rap Album in the new millennium. These works are not just beloved by fans, but have been critically acclaimed for their innovation, lyricism, and impact. While some of Hip-Hop’s most respected figures have yet to claim this honor, the albums that made this list have cemented themselves as masterpieces—not only in rap, but in music history itself.
Ahead of the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards on Sunday (Feb. 2), VIBE celebrates the 10 Best GRAMMY Award-winning rap albums of the new millennium.
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Cardi B, Invasion Of Privacy’
Image Credit: © 2018 Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States. A Warner Music Group Company In 2019, Cardi B made history by becoming the first female solo artist in Hip-Hop history to win a GRAMMY Award for Best Rap Album, earning the honor over fellow nominees Mac Miller (Swimming), Nipsey Hussle (Victory Lap), Pusha T (Daytona), and Travis Scott (Astroworld).
Released in 2018, Invasion of Privacy completed the Bronx native’s evolution from dancer and reality TV star to hitmaker, as she dominated the charts with the hits “Bodak Yellow” and “I Like It,” both earning diamond certification.
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Lil Wayne, ‘Tha Carter III’
Image Credit: © 2008 Cash Money Records Inc. In 2008, Lil Wayne‘s meteoric rise to rap supremacy coincided with his ascension the top of the charts, culminating with the release of his sixth studio album, Tha Carter III.
The album boasted multiple chart-topping singles, “Lollipop” and “A Milli,” blockbuster collaborations, and some of Weezy’s best lyrical performances of his career.
Selling one million units in its first week of release, Tha Carter III beat out Jay-Z’s American Gangster, Lupe Fiasco’s Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool, Nas’ Untitled, and T.I.’s Paper Trail for the Best Rap Album Award at the 2009 GRAMMYS.
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Drake, ‘Take Care’
Image Credit: ℗ 2012 Cash Money Records Inc. Drake won his first and lone GRAMMY Award for Best Rap Album with his sophomore release Take Care, an effort that saw the Canadian begining to fully come into his own. Released in 2011, Take Care was the victor in the Best Rap Album category at the 2012 GRAMMYs.
2 Chainz (Based on a T.R.U. Story), Lupe Fiasco (Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1), Nas (Life Is Good), Rick Ross (God Forgives, I Don’t), and The Roots (Undun) were also nominated, but ultimately lost out on the hardware.
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Eminem, ‘The Marshall Mathers LP’
Image Credit: ℗ 2000 Aftermath Entertainment/Interscope Records Released in 2000, Eminem‘s The Marshall Mathers LP was a seismic release, of epic proportions.
Selling 1.78 million copies in its first week on the shelves, the Detroit native’s third studio album was powered by the hits “The Real Slim Shady,” The Way I Am,” and “Stan,” as well as the memorable album cuts “Kill You,” “Kim,” and “Bi**h Please II” featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit and Nate Dogg.
The Marshall Mathers LP took home the Best Rap Album award at the 2001 GRAMMYs, beating out a formidable field of releases that included DMX’s …And Then There Was X, Dr. Dre’s 2001, Jay-Z’s Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter, and Nelly’s Country Grammar.
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Outkast, ‘Stankonia’
Image Credit: ℗ 2000 Arista Records LLC
In 2000, Hip-Hop duo Outkast stamped themselves as bonafide superstars with their fourth studio album, Stankonia.
Led by the singles “B.O.B,” “Ms. Jackson,” and “So Fresh, So Clean,” Stankonia continued Andre 3000 and Big Boi’s streak of critically acclaimed releases while also amplifying their popularity to unprecedented heights at that point in their career.
At the 2002 GRAMMY Awards, Stankonia was named Best Rap Album over stiff competition, trumping Scorpion by Eve, Pain Is Love by Ja Rule, The Blueprint by Jay-Z, and Back for the First Time by Ludacris.
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Kendrick Lamar, ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’
Image Credit: © 2015 Aftermath/Interscope (Top Dawg Entertainment)
After criminally losing out on the Best Rap Album Award when his debut album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, was snubbed two years prior, Kendrick Lamar avenged the loss with his sophomore effort, To Pimp a Butterfly.
Released in 2015, the album doubled as a sociopolitical statement, with the anthemic single “Be Alright” and the album as a whole serving as a rallying cry for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Winning the Best Rap Album Award over the likes of J. Cole (2014 Forest Hills Drive), Dr. Dre (Compton), Drake (If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late), and Nicki Minaj (The Pinkprint), To Pimp a Butterfly serves as Lamar’s magnum opus and is often cited as his most acclaimed album to date.
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Eminem, ‘The Eminem Show’
Image Credit: ℗ 2002 Aftermath Records Eminem was awarded his third Best Rap Album trophy at the 2003 GRAMMYs for his fourth studio album, The Eminem Show, which was released the year prior.
His most commercially-successful album release to date, The Eminem Show marked what many consider to be the peak of Em’s artistry, as he delivered a murderers row of hit singles, such as “Without Me” and “Cleaning Out My Closet,” along with classics including “White America,” “Soldier,” and the Nate Dogg-assisted “Till I Collapse.”
The Eminem Show bested a mixed bag of nominees, as Ludacris (Word of Mouf), Mystikal (Tarantula), Nelly (Nellyville) and Petey Pablo (Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry) had to settle for runner-up status.
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Kanye West, ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’
Image Credit: ℗ 2010 UMG Recordings, Inc. Kanye West earned his fourth and most recent Best Rap Album award with his 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, a project that marked a comeback of sorts for the publicly-maligned music star. Packed with hits galore, singles included “Runaway,” “All of the Lights,” and the raucous posse cut, “Monster.”
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy reasserted West’s dominance among his peers, as he took home the Best Rap Album trophy over contemparies including Lupe Fiasco (Lasers), Nicki Minaj (Pink Friday), Lil Wayne (Tha Carter IV), and even his own joint album with JAY-Z (Watch the Throne) in 2011.
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Outkast, ‘Spearkerboxx/The Love Below’
Image Credit: ℗ 2003 Arista Records LLC 2003 was a pivotal year for rap, as the genre truly flexed its power as the music that moved the needle. Outkast helped lead the charge in that regard with their fifth studio album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, one of the more ambitious releases in music history.
A double-album essentially comprised of two solo projects, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below was monstrous in its impact and scope, producing the chart-topping singles “Hey Ya!” and “The Way You Move,” along with the additional fan-favorites “Roses,” “GhettoMusick,” and “The Prototype.”
In addition to beating out 50 Cent (Get Rich or Die Tryin’), Missy Elliott (Under Construction), Jay-Z (The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse), and The Roots (Phrenology) for Best Rap Album at the 2004 GRAMMYs, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below also won the prestigious Album of the Year award, becoming the second Hip-Hop album to earn that achievement.
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Kanye West, ‘Late Registration’
Image Credit: © 2005 UMG Recordings, Inc.
After winning his first Best Rap Album Award with his debut album, The College Dropout, Kanye West doubled back the following year with Late Registration, a sophomore effort that saw the Chicago native push against rap’s sonic boundaries.
Released in 2005, Late Registration fully established West as the new face of the genre, as the producer turned emcee unleashed a succession of successful singles, including “Touch the Sky”, “Heard ‘Em Say”, and the chart-topping smash, “Gold Digger” featuring Jamie Foxx.
The second Hip-Hop artist to win the Best Rap Album Award in consecutive years, Kanye’s Late Registration was picked over strong nominees such as 50 Cent’s The Massacre, Common’s Be
Missy Elliott’s The Cookbook, and Eminem‘s Encore.
