The 50 Best Rap Albums of 2016, Ranked

Label: KSR

Producers: Cardi B, Shaft, SwiftOnDemand, Nelson Taboada, Josh X, DJ SwanQo, Sean Island, Haitian V, Zdot, Krunchie

Features: Josh X, Haitian V

Cardi B? A rapper? Please. That was the general consensus when she released her debut project, Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1. At that point, Cardi was making the unlikely transition from Instagram influencer with bad teeth to reality star to credible rapper. And there were plenty of reasons to think this was clown shit, from the outrageous cover art to the gimmicky song titles, like “Washpoppin” and “On Fleek.”

But Gangsta Bitch Music is surprisingly impressive. You can hear Cardi still figuring out her rap cadences—there’s some Iggy Azalea-level awkwardness on certain songs, sometimes masked by Auto-Tune—but the instincts are already there. Rather than chase the poppier sounds other female rappers were embracing at the time, Cardi went all in on trap, leaning into her brash personality and natural charisma. And on a song like “Lit Thot,” you can hear her finding the pocket she would eventually perfect on Invasion of Privacy. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo

Label: Coke Boys/Bad Boy/Maybach/Epic

Producers: Ben Billions, Bizzy, CritaCal, Cubeatz, DannyBoyStyles, Detail, DJ Khaled, DJ Khalil, Earl and E, Harry Fraud, iLLA, LJ, Milan, Maaly Raw, Masar, Murda Beatz, Rick Steel, Sauce Lord Rich, Sidney Swift, The Alchemist, The ANMLS, The Mekanics, The Superiors

Features: Drake, Jeezy, ASAP Rocky, Kodak Black, Miguel, Kanye West, Nas, Beanie Sigel, Jadakiss, Styles P, Max B, Chinx

It’s hard to look at MC4 without seeing what was supposed to be. This was going to be the first installment of Frenchie’s Mac and Cheese mixtape series to get a proper album release. Instead, a full leak led to the album being yanked in and out of stores and off streaming, before French simply gave it back to the streets.

Listening now, you can see why. MC4 has big-budget features and production, but never quite attains the pop heights guests like Drake and Kanye West were routinely reaching. Montana sounds at his best on “Have Mercy,” a posse cut with Beanie Sigel, Jadakiss, and Styles P, three beloved, mid-major East Coast street artists who make albums that sound like mixtapes and mixtapes that sound like albums, but never figured out how to convert their cult followings into superstardom. That’s not bad company to keep. —Abe Beame

Label: Bad Half Entertainment

Producers: Royce da 5'9", Mr. Porter, AntMan Wonder, DJ Khalil, DJ Pain 1, Daniel Smith, Epikh, G Koop, J. Rhodes, Jake One, Nottz, S1

Features: Pusha T, Rick Ross, K. Young, Melanie Rutherford, Loren W. Oden, Tiara, Mr. Porter

Slaughterhouse, PRhyme, Bad Meets Evil—the first half of the 2010s were a prolific time for Royce da 5'9". And yet so much of that music was centered around flexing, showcasing what a lyrical menace he could be to his adversaries. His solo music was where he let his demons loose. On Layers, his sixth studio album, he's as relentless as he was trading bars with Joe Budden, sometimes embracing oddball production (the scattering drums on “Starter Coat,” the disorienting chanting on the title track) to showcase his verbal dexterity. But it's when he takes the armor off and turns that aggression inward, like on the stunning intro “Tabernacle,” or channels it into social commentary, like on the bracing “Pray,” that Royce is at his best. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo

Label: BYLUG/Empire

Producers: Cardo

Features: Big Quis, Tamara Jewel, Jade Jones, Cashout Calhoun, Clay Baby, HBK, Dre Armani, Bylug

Payroll Giovanni and Cardo are rap’s most unheralded duo. They showed why on Big Bossin, their first full-length link-up. Cardo laces Payroll with a smooth, lush canvas ripe for the Doughboyz Cashout member to deliver vivid tales of a hustler’s lifestyle. Payroll sets himself apart by giving listeners a 360-degree view of the game. The album is replete with stories of consumption and conquest. But it’s not a hard listen. Whether Payroll is recounting would-be shootouts on “Day in the Life” or coppin’ a Wraith on “Da Game,” it’s all cruisin’ music. —Andre Gee

Label: Republic

Producers: FKi 1st, Rex Kudo, Cashio, Mustard, Louis Bell, Twice as Nice, Frank Dukes, Vinylz, Post Malone, Illangelo, Charlie Handsome, Foreign Teck, Rico Evans, Justin Mosley, Metro Boomin, Pharrell Williams, Leon Thomas III, Roofeeo, Andrew Watt

Features: Justin Bieber, Kehlani, Quavo, 2 Chainz

Even with all of the pivots and stylistic changes, Stoney still stands as Post Malone’s best album to date—the moment he proved he was more than “White Iverson.” Songs like “Congratulations,” featuring an all-time guest verse from Quavo, “I Fall Apart,” “Go Flex,” and personal favorite “Up There,” showcased Post’s versatility and hit-making instincts. From brooding, heart-on-your-sleeve ballads like “Feeling Whitney” to genre-bending cuts like “Yours Truly, Austin Post,” Stoney feels like a foggy high that takes you right back to 2016, when Post was still figuring out what kind of superstar he wanted to be. —Jon Barlas

Label: Saba Pivot, LLC

Producers: Saba, Phoelix, Cam O’bi, Joseph Chilliams, daedaePIVOT, Ken Ross, Flex Lennon, squeakPIVOT, Cory Grindberg, D. Phelps, Daoud

Features: Twista, Noname, Joseph Chilliams, Jean Deaux, Matthew Santos, Akenya, Ravyn Lenae, Phoelix, BJRKNC, Smino, LEGIT

The West Side, home to rappers like Twista and Crucial Conflict, dominated the early years of Chicago hip-hop’s rise in the ’90s. But by the 2010s, it was all about the South Side, with drill becoming the city's dominant sound commercially. Saba, a passionate but often understated rapper, put the spotlight back on the West. “I'm from the part of the city that they don't be talking about,” he raps on “Westside Bound 3,” the most anthemic song on his debut album, Bucket List Project.

Like much of Saba's music, the album was shaped by tragedy, including the death of his uncle shortly after his release from prison. And yet, Bucket List Project is hopeful and nostalgic, with Saba keeping his eyes on a brighter future. “Ayy, I come from the bottom, but a nigga feeling grateful,” he raps on the title track. The devastating CARE FOR ME, which arrived two years later, is the classic in Saba's catalog, but Bucket List Project offered an early glimpse of what was to come. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo

Label: DDB/Rich Forever Music

Producers: Bighead, Gnealz, Maaly Raw, Sega, 16 Yr Old, Eera, Scifi, Sool, DJ Spinz

Features: Ugly God, Fauni, Jose Guapo, Lite Fortunato, Maxo Kream, Trill Sammy, Dee, Flash, Quavo, Rich the Kid

In 2016, few rappers were as prolific as Dexterrrrr!, who seemingly had a new tape every other month. So which project best exemplifies the off-the-cuff, zany, and downright bonkers material of prime Dex? Promethazine’s Choice, really. But you can't do much better than Dexter the Robot, which features 14 tracks of eccentric drug raps and tough talk. Because of his appearance, chant-heavy hooks, and frequent linkups with figures like Quavo and Rich the Kid, Dex was often lumped in with Atlanta rap more than Chicago. But his appeal came from blending the harder-edged street raps of his hometown with the eccentricities of the trap, and Dexter the Robot showcases both, from the menacing opener “Glock” to the melodic “Took Time.” —Dimas Sanfiorenzo

Label: Boy Better Know

Producers: Skepta, Ragz Originale, Blakie, Jason Adenuga, Pharrell Williams, Footsie

Features: Novelist, Wiley, Chip, Young Lord, D Double E, ASAP Nast, Pharrell Williams, JME, Boy Better Know, Drake

On his fourth studio album, Konnichiwa, Skepta put the UK on his back, catching the attention of artists like Drake and Kanye West and reintroducing grime to an international crowd. But rather than trying to please a global audience, Skepta doubled down on his UK roots. Producing eight tracks himself, he crafted an album that's unwaveringly gritty and ice-cold, but there are also moments of introspection (“Text Me Back”) and earworm hooks (the Pharrell-produced “Numbers”) that give the project more emotional and sonic range than its hardened exterior might suggest. —James Granados

Label: Maybach Music Group/Dream Chasers Records/Atlantic

Producers: Bennie Briggman, Butter Beats (Dolla Bill Kidz), Cubeatz, Honorable C.N.O.T.E., Infamous Rell, Jahlil Beats, MP808, Papamitrou, Murda Beatz, Nick Verruto, OZ, RaRa, Sonny Digital, Sound M.O.B., Streetrunner, Tarik Azzouz, Tariq Beats, The Beat Bully, The Mekanics

Features: Tory Lanez, Lil Uzi Vert, Nicki Minaj, Quavo, Don Q, Snowy White, Young Thug, 21 Savage, YFN Lucci, Tracy T, Guordan Banks, Pusha T, Lil Snupe, French Montana

Robert Williams, aka Meek Mill, must’ve taken advice from William Roberts, aka Rick Ross: the best way to bounce back from an L is with strong music.

A year after the Drake fracas, Meek was undeterred and in his bag on DC4, the as-of-now final installment of his Dreamchasers series. All the highlights of the Meek experience are here; he’s braggadocious on “Litty” with Tory Lanez, talking greedy on “Offended” with 21 Savage and Young Thug, and flexing his dramatic storytelling chops on “Tony Story 3.” —Andre Gee

Label: A1/Freebandz/Epic

Producers: Southside, Metro Boomin, Ben Billions, Schife Karbeen, TM88, DJ Spinz, SK, DaHeala, The Weeknd

FeatLabel: A1, Freebandz, Epic

Producers: Southside, Metro Boomin, Ben Billions, Schife Karbeen, TM88, DJ Spinz, SK, DaHeala, The Weeknd

Features: The Weeknd

One of the less heralded Future projects, EVOL might be best remembered for “Low Life,” his first Weeknd collab. But there is excellent stuff here, including “In Her Mouth,” “Lil Haiti Baby,” and “Lie to Me,” one of his best pop songs, period. Its hook is indelible; the listener has no doubt that Tierra, Brittney, and Keisha would all happily lay a manicured hand on the Good Book and dissemble for Nayvadius. —Ross Scarano

Label: Self-released

Producers: OddCouple, Knox Fortune, Ducko McFli, The Gift, Garren, Thelonious Martin, Smoko Ono

Features: Chance the Rapper, Mick Jenkins, Saba, theMIND, Vic Mensa

The first two singles released from iiiDrops were “Cornerstore,” a gutting but jazzy tale about life in the trenches, and the bare-bones but infectious and boppy “Girls @” with Chance the Rapper. The two songs couldn’t be more different sonically, but both showcased the skill and dexterity of Joey Purp, who was one of the last members of the stacked SaveMoney clique to break out.

The reality is that “Cornerstore” is more representative of what's found on Purp's sophomore mixtape. Songs like “Morning Sex,” “Godbody,” and “Escape” are old-school reality rap: socially conscious, impassioned, and incredibly earnest street tales from someone on the inside. (“I sold crack, be damned if I can't sell a rap,” he raps, his voice cracking, on the tape’s outro.) —Dimas Sanfiorenzo

Label: A$AP Worldwide/Polo Grounds Music/RCA

Producers: ASAP Ferg, Burd & Keyz, Cashmere Cat, Clams Casino, Danny Wolf, DJ Khalil, DJ Mustard, Foreign Teck, Hagler, Honorable C.N.O.T.E., Jordan Lewis, Lido, Lex Luger, No I.D., Skrillex, Soldado, StarGate, Stelios Phili, TM88, Todd Bee, VERYRVRE

Features: Skrillex, Crystal Caines, Missy Elliott, ScHoolboy Q, Future, ASAP Mob, Tatianna Paulino, Rick Ross, Lil Uzi Vert, Marty Baller, Chuck D, Mama Ferg, Big Sean, Chris Brown, Ty Dolla $ign, French Montana, Fabolous, Migos

With his second studio album, ASAP Ferg fed listeners a collection of bangers that accentuated his emphatic mic presence. And he worked with a star-studded list of features to get there, ranging from legends like Missy Elliott and Chuck D to more modern-day contemporaries like ScHoolboy Q and Lil Uzi Vert. Most artists might fade away in all that star power, but Ferg personalizes the project with a quartet of skits and a strong ear for thumping production that verges on just the right amount of weird. —Andre Gee

Label: Empire/Atlantic

Producers: Cardo, Charlie Heat, Chris McClenney, Cubeatz, Dan Stuckie, DRAM, Donnie Trumpet, Happy Perez, Heaven in Stereo, J Gramm, Juicy J, Karl Rubin, Louis Bell, Mike Dean, Nate Fox, Nico Chiara, Oz, Pablo Dylan, Ricky Reed, Rogét Chahayed, Roofeeo, Sak Pase, Sam Trax, Slade da Monsta, Sonny Digital, Watson the Great, Yung

Features: Young Thug, Erykah Badu, Lil Yachty, Playboi Carti, Trippie Redd, ASAP Rocky, Juicy J

If you put Bootsy Collins, Jodeci, and Barney in a blender, Shelley Marshaun Massenburg-Smith’s full-length debut would be the vibrant slurry that pours out. Chance the Rapper, Lil Yachty, and Lil Uzi Vert headlined a pre-Trump year of upbeat, ascendant pop artists singing and spitting over nursery school instrumentation. But the DMV native—cuddling with a goldendoodle on the cover of an album defined by his wandering eye for genre and period in his inspirations and references—might have produced the most formally daring work of his Freshman class.

It’s not really an album you want to hear in the club, or the bedroom. An edited version probably plays in church or an elementary school. It’s a one of one, a spiritual, inspirational, rap/R&B hybrid powered by infectious joy you can and should be smoking weed to. —Abe Beame

Label: AOI Records/Kobalt Label Services

Producers: De La Soul, The Anonymous Nobodies, Plug Too, Davey Chegwidden, Supa Dave West, Pete Rock, Ethan Phillips, Joshua Matthew Lopez, Plug Won, Money Mark, Dave Palmer, Kaveh Rastegar

Features: Jill Scott, Snoop Dogg, Roc Marciano, Estelle, Pete Rock, Justin Hawkins, David Byrne, Usher, Little Dragon, 2 Chainz, Damon Albarn

Shame on us that De La Soul had to resort to a Kickstarter to fund any album, let alone the last proper one they’d make with all three members alive. It’s an unusual effort, stuffed with features and much like the albums from the aughts that preceded it, it’s torn between fun, irreverent pop rap, and a mature reflection of mortality in rap careers and life itself, in both the lyrical content and introspective, lush production.

The people were still there for De La when it was time to give something back to the group that contributed so much to our lives. The Kickstarter raised the $110,000 the group requested to make the album, then raised an extra half million on top of that (much of which came in $50 donations from thousands of fans) and the effort was subsequently nominated for the Best Rap Album Grammy. —Abe Beame

Label: Paper Route Empire

Producers: 30 Roc, Cassius Jay, DJ Squeeky, Drumma Boy, Mike Will Made It, Nard & B, Reazy Renegade, Resource, TM88, XL Eagle, Zaytoven

Features: N/A

Hip-hop loves a good ol’ self-fulfilling prophecy. The late Young Dolph planted his flag as King of Memphis on his debut album, and made a strong case over 11 tracks. Some rappers take years to find their sound, but Dolph knew what worked immediately—pounding the rock with brash, autobiographical bars over the classic Memphis sound. Like every aspiring rap king, he’s defiant (“Fuck It”), indulgent (“Both Ways”), and reflective of the path to the throne (“Real Life”). —Andre Gee

Label: C9

Producers: Ronny J, BloodPop, DJ Dahi, FNZ, Freebase, Lino Martinez, Nick Leon, Promnite, Steve Lacy, Budd Dwyer

Features: Rick Ross, Joey Bada$$, Twelve’Len, Nell

Denzel Curry has lived many rap lives. Similar to Tyler, the Creator he came out the gate all nerve—and then, with success, smoothed out his rough edges. But Imperial, which still carries the residue of his Raider Klan days, might be Curry at his best. It's a barrage of bars: triplet flows, aggressive vocal deliveries, and a rapper so tenacious he even managed to pull the usually too-cool Rick Ross into his world on “Knotty Head.”

And yet, even at this early stage, Imperial—which arrived shortly before his XXL Freshman cover moment—offered glimpses of the more mature Curry we'd come to know. After six tracks of mostly breathless rapping, he turns inward, slowing his delivery and becoming more deliberate. He's no longer trying to sledgehammer you with every bar. The album closes with “If Tomorrow's Not Here,” a more conceptual, introspective song carried by a deep groove, live instrumentation, and a soulful hook. It's a sound Curry would explore more fully years later on Melt My Eyez See Your Future. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo

Label: Highbridge the Label

Producers: D Stacks, PlugStudiosNYC

Features: N/A

In the mid-2010s, New York City was searching for its voice. The old guard of 2000s street rap was still active, but the city was in desperate need of a new sound. Enter A Boogie Wit da Hoodie. Artist wasn't just the Highbridge rapper's introduction to the game; it was also the arrival of his refreshing brand of melodic rap, which would spread throughout the five boroughs. Hits like “My Shit,” “DTB,” “Jungle,” and “Friend Zone” laid the groundwork for Boogie to eventually sell out Madison Square Garden. He'll always be a New York City legend because only New Yorkers can truly appreciate the emotional weight of “walking in the rain with my Timbs on, stepping over puddles full of pain.” —Jordan Rose

Label: Dollaz N Dealz/Sniper Gang

Producers: C-Clip Beatz, Derelle Rideout, Dubba-AA, EyezLowBeats, Honorable C.N.O.T.E., Jahfi AMT, J Gramm, SAWD, SkipOnDaBeat, YodaYae1k

Features: Gucci Mane, Boosie Badazz, PnB Rock

Kodak Black released his fourth official mixtape on his 19th birthday, while locked up in jail on a string of charges. He had already shown flashes of greatness, most notably on the all-time classic, “Bodak Yellow”-inspiring “No Flockin,” but had yet to put it all together across a full project.

That changed with the loftily titled Lil B.I.G. Pac, a tight, 13-track tape that showcased the full range of his talents. On the PnB Rock-assisted “Too Many Years,” he turned his pain and anguish into something that could work on the radio. “Everything 1K” demonstrated his gift for Boosie-inspired street storytelling, while “Today” revealed a lighter, more playful side. Kodak was no longer just a promising but troubled street rapper. He sounded like a star. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo

Label: The Real University/Def Jam

Producers: Ben Billions, Bobby Kritical, FKi, Frank Dukes, Honorable C.N.O.T.E., Infamous, Lil’ C, London on da Track, Mannie Fresh, Metro Boomin, Mike Dean, Mike Will Made It, Mr. 2-17, Reignman Rich, Southside, T@, The Mad Violinist, TM88, Zaytoven

Features: Lil Wayne

For some, it took 2 Chainz locking in with Statik Selektah and Alchemist to realize he could rap his ass off. But he’s been showing off for years, including going bar for bar with Lil Wayne. Their debut duo album begins with 2 Chainz giving Wayne a heartfelt “Dedication.” But after that, it’s as if 2 Chainz tells his close friend,“Now it’s on.” They’re an intriguing duo; 2 Chainz’ low vocal tone playing off Wayne’s elongated, at times Auto-Tuned vocals over an energetic soundscape laced with quaking 808s and glitzy instrumentation. —Andre Gee

Label: GUWOP Enterprises/Atlantic

Producers: Boi-1da, Drumma Boy, Mike WiLL Made-It, Murda Beatz, Myles Harris, Will-A-Fool, Zaytoven, Southside, Pluss, Marz, Swae Lee

Features: Drake, Kanye West, Young Thug

Two months after an early prison release, Gucci Mane was right back to business, linking with Zaytoven and Mike WiLL Made-It to revisit his classic soundscape of spacey synth loops and ominous keys.

But his Atlantic Records-backed push for wider superstardom traded in his cartoonish quirks for refinement, making for a spotty listen. “First Day Out Tha Feds” is a “First Day Out” retread devoid of the original’s fury or quotables, while too many listless melodies (like on “All My Children”) had people joking that he was a clone. Still, he taps into that classic Guwop bounce on the Drake-featured “Back on Road” and “Out Do Ya,” while showing a more reflective side on “Robbed” and “Richest Nigga in the Room.” In hindsight, Everybody Looking was Gucci’s first step toward legacy act status. When it hits, it hits. —Andre Gee

Label: Self-released

Producers: Lederrick, Lil Peep, Cian P, Charlie Shuffler, Foxwedding, Jayyeah, Horse Head, Smokeasac, Nedarb

Features: Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, Cold Hart, Lil Tracy

Once in a while, somewhere on Drake’s godforsaken internet, you’ll see a clip of Good Charlotte or the All-American Rejects with a caption like: “White boys used to do shit like this. Now they’re SoundCloud rappers.”

If you like both, Lil Peep was probably your favorite rapper ever. Raised on peak pop punk, but wise enough to love Chief Keef, Gucci Mane, and Future, Peep bridged those universes seamlessly on Crybaby. He lays out his artistic mission statement with an admirable lack of subtlety. “I love gettin' high too, I wanna hide you/How did I find you? I'll be inside, I'm makin' music to cry to,” he belts on the title track.

Meanwhile, “Yesterday” samples the most famous Oasis song ever. But while those moments lean pop-rock, the underlying percussion of tracks like “Skyscrapers (Love Now, Cry Later)” reveals a bro who understood the destructive power of an 808. —Peter A. Berry

Label: GOOD/ARTium/Def Jam

Producers: Detail, Cam O’bi, Flippa, KeY Wane, Tommy Brown, Mr. Franks, Steve Lacy, JProof, Da Internz, Amaire Johnson

Features: K-Ci & JoJo, Detail

Stylistically, you couldn't find two artists more different than Big Sean and Jhené Aiko. Sean is a ball of sweaty energy, a rapper who works hard and wants you to know it. Jhené is calm and serene, rarely putting any strain on her voice.

They put those contrasting styles to good use on TWENTY88, their only collaborative project. In fact, Jhené's restraint seems to rub off on Sean, who keeps the clunker bars to a minimum (save for the occasional “I know all your insecurities/And I don't mean like mall cops/I mean the type we all got”).

The music is often soul-inspired, and both artists display a levity you don't always associate with their solo work. Sean is usually the earnest workhorse, while Jhené plays the introspective poet. Here, they're having fun. That's especially true on the album highlight “Talk Show,” a clever, goofy concept record where the two air out their relationship drama on, yes, you guessed it, a late-night talk show. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo

Label: Stinc Team

Producers: C-ClipBeatz, London on da Track, Low the Great, Scifi, Cheeze Beatz, Bighead, RONRONTHEPRODUCER, Official, ArjayOnTheBeat, Curt Cocaine,

Features: 2 Shitty, Kellz

If the Bay Area had Mac Dre, then LA had Drakeo the Ruler. Drakeo burrowed into his city’s underground with his own distinct sound and, as he called it, “lingo bingo.” So Cold I Do Em was arguably the best expression of what he called “nervous music,” a brand of hip-hop built on cryptic slang, off-kilter punchlines, and understated yet sinister beats that sounded like theme music for a cruise down Naomi Avenue.

On tracks like “Chopsticks,” he elevates shit talk to an art form. “Crucify these niggas, hang they bodies in Jerusalem/But that's only for Judases, I promise I ain't new to this,” he raps, his murmured delivery camouflaging the menace. You know, just in case the feds are listening. By the time he hijacks Jeremih and Ty Dolla $ign’s “Impatient,” the song no longer belongs to them. It belongs to Drakeo. —Peter A. Berry

Label: Self-released

Producers: Drew Banga, CT Beats, DJ Official, Trackademicks, WTF Nonstop, Link Up, 1-O.A.K., P-Lo

Features: Zay, YG

In a sea of nihilism, Kamaiyah offered up one of 2016’s most fun listens. But this project wasn’t the kind of vibes subversion that ends up feeling moralist—on “Niggas,” she’s rapping about getting ate out ‘til she’s red. Kamaiyah’s music excels because of her command of classic West Coast sounds and relatable themes of aspiration, relationship woes, and the need for a good turn up. It’s the kind of listen you can play at a kickback or in a DJ set and not worry about ruining the vibes with weird lyrics. —Andre Gee

Label: Iron Works

Producers: Ka

Features: N/A

Honor Killed the Samurai might be the most ill-fitting album title of Ka's career. If anything, this great run of late life/career resurgent albums was a monument to his humble lack of ego or pretension. The desire to remake himself, the confident fearlessness displayed by releasing experimental, uncompromising rap albums as a working man in his 40s are not the mark of some overly proud wandering ronin.

It is evidence that great artists and their need to create cannot be suppressed, and thank God for that. The writing on Honor is precise and finely honed but woozily spit, the self-produced beats spare and fractal and serve to platform the vocals with all melody or warmth stripped away over the course of this 36-minute composed-statement tone-poem you should legally have to listen to sequentially in a single sitting. —Abe Beame

Label: Never Broke Again

Producers: Q Red on the Track, Li Torie, Drell on the Track, DJ Chose, Tahj $, Dun Deal, Lil Ken, Yung Lan, CashMoney AP, King Leeboy, OG Parker, Rico Finesse, Dubba-AA, RL Beatz

Features: Boosie BadAzz, Kevin Gates, Stroke Tha Don, 3Three

NBA YoungBoy was only 16 when he broke through in the summer of 2016 with “38 Baby,” which features one of the most memorable opening stanzas this side of “Life’s a Bitch.” He raps: “Everybody under disguise, man, they schemin’/These hoes’ll set you up, tell you they love you, they don’t mean it/Full of syrup, bitch, I’m leanin’/Smokin’ dope with the demon.”

Even then, YoungBoy was already a fully formed rapper. In some ways, he was even a sharper writer back then, more interested in capturing the raw, rapid-fire energy of Kevin Gates, who was arguably the hottest rapper out of Louisiana at the time. But you can also hear the origins of the melodic, soulful pain rap he would eventually help define. Songs like “I Ain’t Hiding” and “They Ain’t With Me” are full of paranoia, heartbreak, and trauma, delivered with an urgency that would only intensify with fame. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo

Label: Griselda

Producers: Daringer, Statik Selektah, Roc Marciano, Apollo Brown, Camouflage Monk, The Alchemist, Tha God Fahim

Features: Conway the Machine, Keisha Plum, Benny the Butcher, Your Old Droog, Meyhem Lauren, Danny Brown, DJ Q-Bert, Mach-Hommy, Roc Marciano, Skyzoo, Chase, Action Bronson, AA Rashid

Flygod, the debut studio album from Buffalo, New York rapper Westside Gunn, is a throwback to the mid-'90s. Unapologetic boom-bap updated for the times, Gunn spits ridiculously fun drug raps and flaunts his lifestyle (“Crash the Mulsanne, I copped the plane last summer—SKRRRTTT!” he cackles on “Shower Shoe Lords”) over production that leans heavily on dusty drums, soul samples, and sinister piano loops. The album helped kick off Griselda’s long run as keepers of the real-hip-hop flame, but at the time, records like “Dunks,” “Chine Gun,” and “Mr. T” felt revelatory. Boom boom boom boom BOOM! —Thomas Golianopoulos

Label: ArtClub/Steel Wool/OBE/Empire

Producers: Anderson .Paak, DJ Khalil, Madlib, 9th Wonder, Callum Connor, Pomo, Jose Rios, Kaytranada, Like, Chris Dave and the Drumhedz, Hi-Tek, Dem Jointz, Vicky Nguyen

Features: BJ the Chicago Kid, ScHoolboy Q, Rapsody, The Free Nationals United Fellowship Choir, The Game, Sonyae Elise, Talib Kweli, Timan Family Choir

From Dr. Dre disciple to Knxwledge booster to Bruno Mars wingman to Cordae mentor, you can go mad trying to keep count of the side quests Anderson .Paak has been on in his career. But if you want the fully formed version of the Oxnard native as an artist—rapper, singer, musician—you only really need Malibu, his gorgeous sophomore album.

The album is a stunning merger of Okayplayer-core sensibilities (with appearances from Talib Kweli, Rapsody, and 9th Wonder) and the best of the 2000s LA underground scene (with production from DJ Khalil and Madlib). And while much of the music before and after Malibu carries a lighthearted breeziness or a desire to please a larger audience, this album is more inward-looking, concerned with the growing pains of adulthood and the determination to remain optimistic through it all.

On the standout “The Waters,” he reflects on his grandfather's death while imagining him looking down with pride: “Word to the liquor that killed my grandpa liver/I know you finally look proud, a nigga smiling.” —Dimas Sanfiorenzo

Label: Quality Control Music/Capitol/Motown

Producers: TheGoodPerry, Colby Crump, Grandfero, Ducko McFli, Sage, Big Los, Digital Nas, Earl, 1Mind, Bundles

Features: TheGoodPerry, Quavo, Skippa da Flippa, Young Thug, Big Brutha Chubba, Byou

Lil Yachty didn’t invent SoundCloud rap, but it’s hard to say anyone’s defined it more. The red hair, the melted, post-Future melodies. The nursery rhyme simplicity. His debut mixtape, one he made after dropping out of college and going to New York City to couch surf and become a rap star, feels like a museum for mid-2010s rap artifacts. With its slurred-ass melody and Vine vitality, “One Night” was 100 percent a TikTok song in utero.

If you had any doubts about the commercial viability of music that was so formless—so weird—“Minnesota” ended up in a Sprite commercial with LeBron James. The whimsical sing-alongs and deliberately elementary rhymes don’t scan as the stuff of raw genius, but by now we’ve lived through enough shitty imitations to recognize Yachty for the innovator he was, with Lil Boat being Dr. Cloutenstein’s masterpiece. —Peter A. Berry

Label: 4Hunnid/CTE/Def Jam

Producers: YG, Swish, P-Lo, Terrace Martin, Larrance Dopson, CT Beats, Ty Dolla $ign, Hit-Boy, Kamaiyah

Features: Sad Boy, A.D., Bricc Baby, Slim 400, Syke 800, Duce, Marley Blu, Burnt Out, Lil Wayne, Drake, Kamaiyah, Joe Moses, Jay 305, The Homegirl, Nipsey Hussle

Ask Snoop Dogg: Following up a classic debut without the genius producer who helped make it is no easy task. And yet, YG pulled it off.

When Snoop stopped working with Dr. Dre he struggled to recapture the magic of Doggystyle, trying to reheat the sound with songs that fell flat. YG took the opposite approach. After falling out with DJ Mustard, the architect behind My Krazy Life, the Compton rapper essentially abandoned the sparse, Bay Area-inspired sound that made him a star and went back to his West Coast roots, linking up with producers like Terrace Martin for a full-fledged, G-funk-inspired modern classic.

The production sparked something else in YG, too. He's rapping better. Autobiography is still at the center of his music, especially on the chilling “Who Shot Me?,” but he's also more socially driven. The album's final three tracks tackle everything from the 2016 presidential election to Black and Mexican unity to police brutality. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo

Label: Bread Winners’ Association/Atlantic

Producers: Go Grizzly, Dreamlife Beats, Alex Goose, Cook Classics, Jake Troth, Mad Max, Patrick Carmelo, Millz, Swiff D, Nick Seeley, DJ Chose, Earl Hood, Eric Goudy, Rico Love, Norris Buchanan, Richard Norris, D.A. Doman, Rvssian, IKENNA FuNkEn, The Featherstones, Micah Powell, Ray Real, Drop, Phe

Features: Trey Songz, Ty Dolla $ign, Jamie Foxx

In simpler times, Gates wasn’t just an eccentric internet figure (re: Liar) who occasionally dropped solid rap projects. He was, simply, one of the best rappers alive. After all, any time you’ve got the densely personal songwriting of “Pride” packaged with top 50 Hot 100 singles like “Really Really” and “2 Phones,” you’re clearly running it up.

Such was Islah, a triple-platinum-selling album that was as much a critical triumph as a commercial one. The rapping alone—Gates’ technical precision, vivid storytelling, and often unflinching introspection—is enough to make it an example of peak Southern street rap. But when fused with his intrinsic knack for melodious hooks, it made him the biggest Louisiana rapper since Weezy. —Peter A. Berry

Label: Freebandz

Producers: Metro Boomin, Dre Moon, Soko, Rasool Diaz, Southside, Jon Boii, Nard & B, XL, DJ Spinz, K-Major, Zaytoven, DZL

Features: N/A

How do you follow up a year in which you released three classic projects and a blockbuster with a certain Canadian rapper that was more sizzle than steak? You go back to work. Purple Reign arrived at the top of 2016, and while it’s not an S-tier Future project, it certainly has S-tier moments. If anything, it’s an amalgamation of everything that made his previous run so special. “Never Forget” is as defiant as anything on Monster, the title track as contemplative as anything on Beast Mode, “Drippin’ (How U Luv That)” as catchy as anything on DS2, and “Perkys Calling” as devastating and gripping as anything on 56 Nights. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo

Label: Ear Drummer Records/Interscope

Producers: 30 Roc, Crowd+CTRL, DJ Mustard, HighDefRazjah, Louie Ji, Marz, The Martianz, Mike Will Made It, P-Nazty, Pluss, Resource, Scooly, Sparxxx Pro, Whatlilshoddysay

Features: Kodak Black, Gucci Mane, Juicy J, Lil Jon, Bobo Swae

There’s something so inextricably 2016 about Rae Sremmurd’s SremmLife 2. Young Kodak Black, fresh-out-the-feds Gucci Mane, a Juicy J feature—a Lil Jon assist right at the moment he officially became vintage. But Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi are, quite naturally, the energetic epicenter. The brothers’ sophomore LP crystallized Swae Lee’s lithe tenor and Jxmmi’s jumpy raps into opiate tracks that shifted between delirious and pretty fucking exhilarating, never more so than on “Black Beatles.” The track, a peak exercise in alien pop rap, plays out like an excursion through the cosmos. It also inspired a trend that felt like it was everywhere: the Mannequin Challenge, which had everyone standing in place for what’s probably the perfect snapshot of 2016 euphoria. However brief it was. —Peter A. Berry

Label: Dreamville/Roc Nation/Interscope

Producers: J. Cole, Elijah Scarlett, Cardiak, Frank Dukes, Boi-1da, Velous, Vinylz, Ron Gilmore, Elite, Deputy, Chargaux, Steve Lacy, BLVK, Childish Major

Features: N/A

4 Your Eyez Only both is and isn’t a J. Cole story. On the surface, it’s a concept album about someone Cole grew up with in Fayetteville, North Carolina, who succumbed to the trappings of the streets, told in dedication to his late friend’s daughter. That reveal comes on the album’s title track, arguably Cole’s most skillfully written song, but the double meaning is woven throughout the project. The stories Cole tells on songs like “She’s Mine,” “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” and “Foldin’ Clothes” apply to both him and his fallen friend. After all, they’re both sons of the Ville, and Cole’s story could have ended just like his friend’s had he made different life choices. 4 Your Eyez Only is both a cautionary tale and a glimmer of hope that a legacy can live on through rap. —Jordan Rose

Label: REMember Music/Warner Bros.

Producers: Aja Grant, Pomo, ID Labs, JMSN, Garcia Bros., DJ Dahi, Frank Dukes, Vinylz, Dâm-Funk, MisterNeek, Eric Dan, MusicManTy, Tae Beast

Features: Bilal, Anderson .Paak, Ty Dolla $ign, Njomza, CeeLo Green, Ariana Grande, Kendrick Lamar

At just 10 tracks, The Divine Feminine marked a turning point in Mac’s evolution from rapper to fully realized musician, diving headfirst into the idiosyncrasies of romance and intimacy. Of course, he’d made love songs before this album, but never with this level of intention or cohesion. “My Favorite Part” with Ariana Grande, “Cinderella,” and “Dang!” are perhaps the most unforgettable, but the album is packed with gorgeous production and witty lines that showcase Mac’s increasingly nuanced understanding of love. Despite its wide-ranging sonic detours, The Divine Feminine remains tight in its execution, mirroring Mac’s head-over-heels emotions at the time. After all, that’s what love is: a roller coaster of emotions that might be impossible to explain, but can be felt through every twist and turn. —Jon Barlas

Label: 300/Atlantic

Producers: Mike Will Made It, London on da Track, Allen Ritter, Ricky Racks, Isaac Flame, MariiBeatz

Features: Yak Gotti, Lil Duke, Peewee Roscoe

There’s an argument that Slime Season 3 is apex Thugger. Here, Young Thug’s yelping bars and shrieking melodies are at their catchiest and most nonsensical. Theoretically, “She suck on that dick on the plane and I just call her Airhead” should be too silly to work as a pre-hook, but the verve of the phrasing makes it casually indelible, and the beat sounds like a checkout at a Martian Walmart. Even through a river of codeine, Thugger was always going to find that phonetically perfect phrase to end his choruses (“Digits”). And once he found it, he’d use his pitched-up vocals to send it to the moon. —Peter A. Berry

Label: Atlantic/Generation Now

Producers: Don Cannon, Maaly Raw, Ike Beatz, Zaytoven, DP Beats, Slade Da Monsta, Lyle LeDuff, Metro Boomin, Cubeatz, Nard & B, XL Eagle

Features: Playboi Carti, Offset, Future

Few songs function as a thesis quite like “Do What I Want,” the opening track of The Perfect LUV Tape. If Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World is a statement, this tape is the exclamation point—a victory lap from a rapper who had spent the year being challenged and doubted, only to come out on top.

Here, Uzi doubles down on the eccentricities associated with Atlanta and SoundCloud rap, but which owe just as much to the woozy, experimental sandbox Chief Keef had been playing in. The Perfect LUV Tape isn't perfect, but there are forever songs here: “Money Mitch,” “Of Course We Ghetto Flowers,” and “Erase Your Social” songs that make Uzi's opening proclamation sound prophetic. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo

Label: TDE

Producers: The Antydote, Al B. Smoov, Cam O’bi, Carter Lang, Chris Calor, Crooklin, D. Sanders, Dave Free, Deacon Blues, D.K. the Punisher, DzonyBeats, FrancisGotHeat, Free P, J. LBS, Jowin, Mike Will Made It, Steve Lacy, Park Ave., Pluss, Pops, Tiggi

Features: SiR, Zacari, Kendrick Lamar, Deacon Blues, Kari Faux, Syd, Hugh Augustine, Jay Rock, SZA, Lance Skiiiwalker

A swirl of scattered, imagistic thoughts and murky soul beats that could’ve been produced by Rico Wade himself, Isaiah Rashad’s The Sun’s Tirade is a painterly rap masterpiece.

Like the best technicians, Zay understood the potent symbiosis between lyrics and vocal performance; the frenzied sentences tumbling atop each other like the fears of a dormant drug addict (“Wats Wrong”). The subdued trauma in a murmur that sounds like a lullaby (“Silkk Da Shocka”). It’s a subtlety that makes the music and the raps themselves feel mutually additive instead of segmented. Along with expertly deployed guest spots from KDot, Jay Rock, Syd da Kid, SZA and others, it’s also the reason why the album stands as one of Top Dawg Entertainment’s best. —Peter A. Berry

Label: Self-released

Producers: Cam O’bi, Phoelix, Saba, Monte Booker, THEMpeople

Features: theMIND, Raury, Cam O’bi, Xavier Omär, Eryn Allen Kane, Akenya, Ravyn Lenae, Joseph Chilliams, Saba, Smino, Phoelix

Coming off her memorable appearance on Chance the Rapper’s Acid Rap, Noname first announced her debut project, Telefone, in 2013. And so, when it finally arrived in the summer of 2016, there was something momentous about the release of an album so understated. The production is built around gentle, R&B-inspired instrumentation, while Noname’s delivery often falls somewhere between rapping and spoken-word poetry.

But don’t let the music fool you into thinking it’s soft, or that Noname’s deadpan delivery lacks emotion. Telefone is a heavy listen, with death at its center. There’s the death of her grandmother on the powerful opener “Yesterday,” the violence plaguing her city on “Casket Pretty,” and her own mortality on the album-closing “Shadow Man.” —Dimas Sanfiorenzo

Label: Fool’s Gold/Warp

Producers: Paul White, Petite Noir, Black Milk, Playa Haze, The Alchemist, Evian Christ

Features: Petite Noir, Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, Earl Sweatshirt, Kelela, B-Real

The opening track of Danny Brown’s third studio album paints a grim picture of an addict unraveling. On “Downward Spiral,” the Detroit rapper is hearing voices, seeing ghosts, and grinding his teeth. He’s been awake for at least 72 hours. Dealers and sex workers come and go and he's having trouble getting it up. A breaking point looms. “You never know, one day you’re here, the next you’re gone,” he raps. “So I put it all up in these songs.”

The mood never lightens as Brown spirals downward for all 46 minutes and 38 seconds. And yet, it’s impossible to look away from it all. Atrocity Exhibition is always compelling and consistently thrilling. “Tell Me What I Don’t Know” is Brown reflecting on his formative years in the street, while “Rolling Stone” and “Lost” feature some of the sharpest writing of Brown’s career. He also manages to corral Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, and Earl Sweatshirt for “Really Doe,” a contender for the decade’s best posse cut. —Thomas Golianopoulos

Label: Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath, Interscope

Producers: Ritz Reynolds, Cardo, Yung Exclusive, Thundercat, Astronote, Sounwave, Kendrick Lamar, Terrace Martin, Adrian Younge, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Frank Dukes, Egypt, Mono/Poly

Features: Bilal, Anna Wise, SZA, Jay Rock,, CeeLo Green, Thundercat

Kendrick Lamar met the pressure of following up good kid, m.A.A.d city with To Pimp A Butterfly, an album that continued his self-reflection while broadening the scope into more deliberate social commentary. He dug so deep that he had over 30 minutes of extra music to pour into. untitled unmastered shows the usually deliberate rap icon in his most experimental and freewheeling bag ever, dueting with SZA about how head (the act and the brain) is the future on “untitled 04” and staking his claim as “the mastermind” on the sprawling “untitled 08.” For Kendrick, dropping untitled was a simple proposition: What’s the best way to follow a classic? Give us a little bit more of it. —Andre Gee

Label: Generation Now, Atlantic

Producers: Maaly Raw, Don Cannon, Cubeatz, Metro Boomin, Lyle LeDuff, WondaGurl

Features: N/A

If a lifelong Lil Wayne fan moonlighted as a Paramore diehard and decided to make a rap album, it would probably sound like Lil Uzi Vert’s third mixtape, Lil Uzi Vert vs. The World.

Lacing Metro Boomin and Don Cannon beats with dexterous flex raps, diaristic sing-alongs, and angsty punk inflections, Uzi presented soundtracks for prom night and Magic City. The narcotic “You Was Right.” is a petty breakup song in the vein of Future Hendrix, with Uzi’s passive-aggressive nonchalance making him fuckboy Final Boss.

With its zig-zagging accordion and Weezer-esque wailing, “Ps & Qs” is an eccentric swag fest that could’ve soundtracked Eurotrip. While lame imitators tried to copy the melodies, Uzi also turned symbolic phrases into micro-hooks that made his songs more kinetic; each part of the “Money Longer” chorus is essentially an Instagram caption that invades your subconscious. —Peter A. Berry

Label: Self-released

Producers: Metro Boomin, with Southside, Cubeatz, Sonny Digital, Zaytoven, G Koop

Features: Future

Let’s head back to 21 Savage’s musical foundation, before success jaded him enough to freely admit, “I don’t give a fuck about rappin’ like that.” You couldn’t tell on Savage Mode, 21’s real breakout moment—where Metro Boomin asserts his curatorial genius by giving the Atlanta rapper’s murdergrams the perfect room to breathe. On “No Heart,” he raps the following over a despondent loop: “Why you pullin' all these rappers cards? /'Cause these niggas pussy and I'm hard.” It’s a simplistic couplet. But inside Metro’s brooding production, every observation, boast, and threat feels like a blunt object. —Andre Gee

Label: 300/Atlantic

Producers: Young Thug, Billboard Hitmakers, Cassius Jay, Goose, Supah Mario, TM88, Wheezy; Allen Ritter, Vinylz, Frank Dukes, Maneesh Bidaye, Mick Schultz and Mike Dean on the bonus track

Features: Travis Scott, Gucci Mane, Gunna, Quavo, Offset, Young Scooter, Lil Duke, Wyclef Jean

JEFFERY was something of an anomaly. Across the compact project, Thug’s performances bounce from wall to wall like a deflating balloon. His raw emotion and vocal dexterity sound both polished and unpredictable—a combination only Thug could pull off.

From the dancehall-inspired sounds of “Wyclef Jean” and “Swizz Beatz” to the vulnerable warmth of “RiRi,” the ATL superstar seemed determined to step outside his comfort zone, even while recruiting close collaborators like Travis Scott, Gunna, Offset, Quavo, and Gucci Mane. Funnily enough, every song was named after a celebrity (yes, even Harambe). And despite a few creative oddities—like not featuring Wyclef Jean on “Wyclef Jean” or failing to appear in its music video—Thug made the most of the moment.

You can’t mention JEFFERY without mentioning its iconic cover, which featured Thug in an Alessandro Trincone-designed periwinkle gown that challenged hip-hop’s conventions and became a symbol of his creative fluidity. —Jon Barlas

Label: Epic

Producers: Q-Tip, Blair Wells

Features: André 3000, Kendrick Lamar, Jack White, Elton John, Kanye West, Anderson .Paak, Talib Kweli, Consequence, Busta Rhymes

The context here is important: In December 2015, Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, and Jarobi (!!!) reunited in Tip’s home studio to create the first Tribe album since 1998’s The Love Movement.

Making this album was cathartic, particularly for childhood friends Q-Tip and Phife. Relationships were repaired. Apologies were made. Magic was in the air. But what began as a hopeful project turned tragic when Phife died from complications of diabetes in March 2016. Over the next six months, Q-Tip would balance grief with artistic ambition and expert craftsmanship to finish the album.

It’s a heavy listen, for sure, with songs that are both deeply personal and political—the album was released less than 48 hours after Donald Trump was elected president. But it’s also a celebration of the Five-Footer. There’s Phife spitting obscure sports references on “Dis Generation” (shout out Richard Todd!), marveling at the absurdity of the political climate on “Conrad Tokyo,” and going back and forth with Busta Rhymes, weaving patois over an Elton John piano chop on “Solid Wall of Sound.” We Got It from Here… is often breathtaking (see “Melatonin,” “The Space Program,” and a blistering Kendrick cameo on “Conrad Tokyo”). It's a worthy swan song for one of the most beloved rap groups in history. —Thomas Golianopoulos

Label: Top Dawg Entertainment/Interscope

Producers: The Alchemist, Cardo, Cubeatz, Dem Jointz, DJ Dahi, Frank Dukes, J.LBS, Kanye West, Larrance Dopson, Metro Boomin, Nez & Rio, Sounwave, Swizz Beatz, Tae Beast, Tyler, the Creator, Willie B, Yex

Features: Kanye West, Jadakiss, Lance Skiiiwalker, Vince Staples, Candice Pillay, E-40, Tha Dogg Pound, SZA, Anderson .Paak, Miguel, Justine Skye, Traffic, TF

Is ScHoolboy Q an album artist or more of a singles guy? Before Blank Face LP, it felt like the latter, especially with 2014’s Oxymoron and “Man of the Year.” Released a little over a year after To Pimp a Butterfly mined LA’s jazz revival scene, Blank Face is closer to prog rock, with multi-part songs, guitar noodling, and a palette of expressive voices supporting Q’s cold-hearted verses.

The album begins ominously, with a menacing bass riff that walks around in slow motion to accompany the pinched ravings of Anderson .Paak. “Groovy Tony/Eddie Kane” is a deft crime narrative that blossoms into something much weirder. There’s no real thematic concept here, just consistently well-made yet surprising songs that dabble in a variety of Los Angeles subgenres. “Tookie Knows II,” with ferocious verses from relative unknowns Traffic and TF, puts no fine point on the matter. Q might go down for this Crip shit, specifically. We all might go down for something or another. —Ross Scarano

Label: Self-released

Producers: Brasstracks, Cam O’bi, Carter Lang, Chance the Rapper, Chris Barnett, DRAM, Francis and the Lights, Garren Sean, Greg Landfair Jr., J.P. Floyd, Jordan Ware, Kanye West, Kaytranada, Kirk Franklin, Lido, Nate Fox, Nico Segal, Peter CottonTale, Rascal

Features: Kanye West, Chicago Children’s Choir, Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, Jeremih, Francis and the Lights, DRAM, Jamila Woods, Young Thug, Lil Yachty, Saba, Justin Bieber, Towkio, Knox Fortune, Jay Electronica, Future, T-Pain, Kirk Franklin, Eryn Allen Kane, Noname, Ty Dolla $ign, Raury, BJ the Chicago Kid, Anderson .Paak

You just had to be there.

From the moment Chance kicked off his “Ultralight Beam” performance—the best verse of 2016, BTW—the world was in the palm of his risen hand. A few months later, he dropped Coloring Book, a mixtape that effectively functioned as a major-label debut. Just look at the features: 2 Chainz, Lil Wayne, Young Thug, Jay Electronica, sure. But Kirk Franklin? Biebs in the Chi? Come on.

And there was Chance, smiling, joyful, seemingly on top of the world. Despite the reputation Chance has developed, Coloring Book is an album that balances joy with darkness. It's the melancholy mixed with hopefulness that drives songs like the haunting “Summer Friends” and “Same Drugs.” And for all the slack Chance gets for his vocal flourishes, he was an excellent rapper, too. He could out-mug Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz on a posse cut, hold his own alongside Jay Electronica on "How Great", and out-swag Young Thug on “Mixtape.” (Well, maybe not that last one.) —Dimas Sanfiorenzo

Label: Grand Hustle/Epic

Producers: Allen Ritter, Boi-1da, Cardo, Cashmere Cat, Cubeatz, Daxz, dF, Frank Dukes, Hit-Boy, Honorable C.N.O.T.E., Illa Jones, Mel & Mus, Mike Dean, Murda Beatz, Nav, Nisi, Oz, Rogét Chahayed, Ricci Riera, Sy Ari Da Kid, T-Minus, TEAUXNY, TM88, Travis Scott, Vinylz, WondaGurl, Yung Exclusive

Features: André 3000, Blac Youngsta, Kid Cudi, Nav, 21 Savage, Kendrick Lamar, Bryson Tiller, Young Thug, Quavo, K. Forest, The Weeknd

One year removed from his impressive debut album, Rodeo, Travis Scott returned with a sophomore effort that propelled him into the upper echelon of his generation of rap.

Throughout the 14-track album, Travis flexes his excellent curatorial skills, serving up a diverse list of features. There's the surprise André 3000 verse on “the ends,” his first official collaboration with his self-professed idol Kid Cudi on “through the late night,” mainstream rap's introduction to NAV on “biebs in the trap,” Kendrick Lamar on the radio hit “goosebumps,” and the superhero linkup with Quavo and Young Thug on “pick up the phone.”

In between the splashy guest verses, Travis proves he can stand on his own, weaving listeners through highlights like the vibey breakdown on “way back” and infectious melodic raps on “sweet sweet” ('Cause you're sweeeeeet). There's a lot going on here. Yet somehow, it all flows together seamlessly. —Mike DeStefano

Label: Cash Money/Republic/Young Money

Producers: 40, Nineteen85, Maneesh Bidaye, Kanye West, Jordan Ullman, Boi-1da, Wizkid, DJ Maphorisa, Sevn Thomas, Frank Dukes, Supa Dups, Allen Ritter, Di Genius, Murda Beatz, Southside

Features: PartyNextDoor, Pimp C, dvsn, Wizkid, Kyla, Future, Rihanna

Before Iceman, the most important and anticipated album of Drake’s career was Views.

Coming off two classic albums and two blockbuster surprise-drop mixtapes, with If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late and What a Time to Be Alive, the pressure was on for The Boy to match both the quality and sheer number of hits on those projects.

This was also, at the time, the longest gap between Drake studio albums. It took nearly three years for Views to arrive. But he answered the call. Views truthers will tell you it’s among the top three projects of his career. More even-keeled fans still put it in the top five.

And yet, despite its commercial success—it moved 1.04 million album-equivalent units in its first week—the album was initially seen as a disappointment, with everyone from Joe Budden to this very publication lamenting how it didn't live up to the hype. (We called it a “B+ on paper” at the time.)

But the album has aged like fine wine. It has everything a great Drake album needs: introspective rap records like “Weston Road Flows” and “Views”; syrupy melodic cuts like “U With Me?,” “Redemption,” and “Fire & Desire”; and undeniable genre-bending hits like “Controlla.” A decade later, Views still rings off. —Jordan Rose

Label: GOOD Music/Def Jam

Producers: Anthony Kilhoffer, Allen Ritter, Andrew Dawson, Benji B, Boi-1da, Caroline Shaw, Cashmere Cat, Chance the Rapper, Charlie Handsome, Charlie Heat, Darren King, Derek Watkins, DJDS, Frank Dukes, Havoc, Hudson Mohawke, Kanye West, Karriem Riggins, Madlib, Menace, Metro Boomin, Mike Dean, Mitus, Noah Goldstein, Plain Pat, Rick Rubin, Sevn Thomas, Sinjin Hawke, Southside, Swizz Beatz, Trevor Gureckis, Velous

Features: Chance the Rapper, Kirk Franklin, The-Dream, Kelly Price, Kid Cudi, Desiigner, Caroline Shaw, Rihanna, Swizz Beatz, Young Thug, El DeBarge, Chris Brown, The Weeknd, Ty Dolla $ign, Vic Mensa, Sia, Frank Ocean, Max B, French Montana, André 3000 (background vocals), Kendrick Lamar, Post Malone, Sampha

The Life of Pablo is an undeniable classic. But you can hear the cracks that foretold the incoming madness: the Lexapro reference on “FML,” the Bill Cosby bar on “Facts,” the “name one genius that ain’t crazy” line on “Feedback.” To his credit, those moments were bundled within a dream sequence of an album too busy thrilling us on every emotional spectrum to fixate on one. The first eight tracks are an edge-of-your-seat jolt of shrieks, beat switches, and “Ghetto Oprah” proclamations. And then, from “I Love Kanye” to “Wolves,” he strips everything down with beats as intimate and longing as his raps. The Life of Pablo is a masterclass of tension and release that every future producer vying for maximalism needs to study. And that’s to say nothing of the last quarter of the album, where he’s rapping his ass off with “Fade” interspersed.

He’s still a great producer and curator, but TLOP makes you long for Kanye’s conviction as a rapper. Nowadays, the passion and zeal he unfurls across these 20 tracks feel all too rare. Maybe it’s purely a stylistic choice, but that conviction was what made him such a compelling rapper. Then there are the unforgettable references—from “bleached assholes” and “stolen laptops” to Vogue party orgies—that weren't necessarily skillful, but were the kind of polarizing Kanye-isms we’d come to expect. Those, too, have become increasingly rare. He’s now become the last thing we’d expect: indistinct.

It’s been a long decade. Since The Life of Pablo, Kanye has run two “presidential campaigns,” made offensive comments about Black and Jewish people, and operated solely in burn-it-all-down or comeback mode. The journey’s a shame because most of us wish it could all be as simple as The Life of Pablo, his last masterpiece. —Andre Gee