What a year we had in rap music!
Career-altering beefs, debut projects that gave promising hope for the genre’s future and the official rise of sisters doing it for themselves all contributed to this being one of the most memorable eras in hip-hop history.
When it came to the album releases we saw this year, it felt like everyone put their best foot forward in the booth to deliver something worthy of winning “Best Rap Album” at the 2025 GRAMMYs. While we think The Recording Academy got it right for the most part, the nominees at this year’s ceremony only begin to scratch the surface of how great hip-hop was in 2024.
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Each of the 10 albums that complete this list were submitted by staff for a multitude of reasons. Some focused on a project’s impact over its sales, while others more understandably went with a commercial juggernaut. You’ll find both the fellas and the females got love, and we also did our best to keep regional biases out of the decision-making process. Still, we can’t say for sure that a tad bit of favoritism didn’t come into play, so don’t be too salty if your emcee of the year didn’t make the cut!
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Overall though, we think this list properly represents the heavy hitters that reigned in hip-hop over the past 12 months. Whether you helped to make Kendrick Lamar the genre’s official “Big Me,” cheered Megan Thee Stallion to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in her war against the Barbz, welcomed the collaborative efforts between Common and Pete Rock or simply saw GloRilla as the ‘glowing’ star that she is, we think you’ll find it easy agreeing with our top 10.
Keep scrolling to see our staff picks for the Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2024, and feel free to sound off on who you think we got right and/or who you would’ve chose instead:
Kendrick Lamar’s albumGNX quickly shot up the charts after its surprise drop due to an unparalleled blend of lyrical depth, innovative production and cultural relevance. Kendrick continues to push the boundaries of hip-hop by exploring complex themes of identity, race and social justice, while seamlessly weaving together diverse musical influences with his infamous double entendres. His masterful storytelling and poetic delivery elevate the album beyond traditional rap, challenging listeners to reflect on both personal and societal issues. The production, alongside top-tier collaborators, created a dynamic soundscape that ranges from experimental to soulful — samples from Luther Vandross and 2Pac helped to make GNX not just an album but an immersive experience as well. Between the release of GNX and his infamous battle with Drake, 2024 has solidified Kendrick Lamar’s place as one of the genre’s most influential artists.
2. 'Glorious' – GloRilla
It’s clear as day that GloRilla is 2024’s Rap Rookie Of The Year with the arrival of her proper debut LP. Of course, she first caught our attention with the viral hit, “F.N.F. (Let’s Go),” released back in 2022. While she did have some missteps along the way — as any artist would! — Glo was able to learn from them and, well, grow. We saw a glimpse of that growth in her Ehhthang Ehhthang mixtape released at the top of this year, powered by the hits “Yeah Glo!” and Megan Thee Stallion-assisted banger, “Wanna Be.” By the time Glorious arrived, we saw her finally get into her groove as a rapper. The tracks are carefully crafted and show more range than her previous efforts. From the braggadocious vibes of “Whatchu Kno About Me” and “Let Her Cook” to the more emotional vibes of “I Luv Her” and “Don’t Deserve,” we get to see a more complete picture of the Southern emcee. We even dive into her spiritual beliefs with “Rain Down On Me,” a pleasant surprise on both the album and Billboard’s “Hot Gospel Songs” chart. This album shows that, while she has some ways to go to reach the upper echelon of female emcees, Big Glo is well on her way.
3. 'Chromakopia' – Tyler, The Creator
If there was ever a rap album made for stadiums, it’s Chromakopia from Tyler, the Creator. It’s about time that we start to include Tyler in these “best rappers alive” conversation. If we’re being honest, he is probably the best live performer in hip-hop at the moment and this album does a great job at solidifying that statement.
4. 'Alligator Bites Never Heal' – Doechii
Words dilute the sheer brilliance that is Doechii’s Alligator Bites Never Heal. The girlies were running rap in 2024, but Doechii came out the gate swinging unlike any other! The TDE princess made an album that most would describe as nothing short of ferocious, unapologetic and real at its core. She mixes razor-sharp bars, buttery vocals, bold production and moments of rawness together in a way that showcase her versatility and fearlessness as an artist. Every track felt like a statement, and the hooks seem to stick like glue. Ultimately though, it’s the storytelling and pure energy that makes this album timeless.
5. 'Everybody Can't Go' – Benny The Butcher
For fans of the East Coast boom-bap sound, Griselda’s run in the mid-2010s was nothing short of amazing. In an era that has pushed the pioneering grittiness of lyrical New York rap to the back of the bus, seeing Conway The Machine, Westside Gunn and Benny The Butcher force the industry to pay attention by delivering project after project of cuts directly aimed at the rap fan of yesteryear was refreshing to witness. Times have changed of course, and Griselda as we know it looks a lot different as the labelmates, for the most part, seem to be separately pursuing the next chapter of their stories as individual emcees. Enter Everybody Can’t Go, Benny’s Def Jam debut that dropped earlier this year. The production, budget and features all sound bigger as Benny swings for the fences and makes his bid as one of the most consistent rappers out of The Empire State. Purists will argue that his earlier work has more of the grimy aesthetic that made The Butcher great, and thus, might consider ECG to be a more “commercial” project than previous efforts. Overall though, this album is a solid entry into Benny’s catalogue and displays artistic growth as he steps into the next part of his career.
6. 'Megan' – Megan Thee Stallion
Single after single, Megan seemed to be delivering nothing but Top 40 bangers. However, it was the viral success of “HISS” that got it to the top of the charts while also kicking off a year filled with viral beefs. Even though the album will be remembered for way more than Meg’s beef with Nicki Minaj — the Hot Girl Summer Tour and TikTok fame of “Mamushi” speak for itself — it doesn’t hurt that she came out on top in a scathing war against the Queen emcee.
7. 'The Auditorium Vol. 1' – Common & Pete Rock
For fans of ’90s hip-hop, Common’s 14th studio album,The Auditorium Vol. 1, is a masterclass in emceeing, beat selection and maturity. Common linked with legendary producer Pete Rock to deliver a LP that anyone who longs for the Golden Era of hip-hop will love. The tone is set from the opener “Dreamin’,” where Common skates poetically over a jazzy instrumental. He references when he first touched the microphone and pays homage to legends like J Dilla, Kool G Rap, Prince and more. Every rhyme is prolific, but his best flow may be on “Now And Then.” The second-to-last record completes the tone of the entire project, where he again effortlessly reflects on the past and present of rap music in general in addition to his journey throughout.
8. 'Blue Lips' – ScHoolboy Q
Bringing his five-year hiatus to a highly-anticipated end, ScHoolboy Q proved on Blue Lips that he hasn’t lost an ounce of creativity, charisma or his signature cadence. With production ranging from the likes of The Alchemist and Childish Major to a primary team of in-house TDE producers, each track gives a touch of individuality while still merging together to make one cohesive-sounding LP. The handful of features prove that he plays well with others (see: “Pop” with Rico Nasty, “Ohio” featuring Freddie Gibbs, the Ab-Soul-assisted “Foux”), but Q gets the job done all by himself for the most part.
9. 'Please Don't Cry' – Rapsody
Getting the Phylicia Rashad to do the intro for your album should be a qualification for AOTY on its own, but thankfully Rapsody delivered even more greatness within Please Don’t Cry to made the entire album a winning effort. The GRAMMY-nominated single “3:AM” with Erykah Badu is a clear standout, but there’s a multitude of flavors to choose from as you go from reggae vibes (“Never Enough”) to political statements (“He Shot Me”) and even a few freaky anthems (“Lonely Women”) thrown in for good measure. We love a diverse queen!
10. 'We Don't Trust You' – Future & Metro Boomin
Even if the album was carried primarily by the viral sensation of “Like That” featuring Kendrick Lamar, there’s simply no denying the culture shift that began with its release. Outside of K.Dot’s standout offering, the LP saw appearances from Travis Scott, Playboi Carti, Rick Ross and The Weeknd that each served up vibes on their respective tracks. Overall though, we’re just glad this album was the one that got Kendrick back in the booth!
