Best of 2024: Top 10 Hip-Hop Albums of 2024
Some of this era’s most groundbreaking rap albums defined generations, shifted the culture, and reset the standards for lyrical craftsmanship and sonic innovation. In 2024, the genre evolved again — through bold statements from both up-and-coming voices and established icons. From introspective concept albums, to high-energy collaborations, this proved that hip-hop is as dynamic and diverse as ever.
With innovators such as Kendrick Lamar, Doechii, Future and Tyler, The Creator defining the moment, it’s apparent that rap is experiencing a renaissance — one that rewards experimentation and considers vulnerability a form of power. Be it risk taking in terms of genre-blending, razor-sharp bars, or head-turning production, the best albums of this year were more than just replay value — they left their mark.
Below, I rounded up my selections for the Top 10 Rap Albums of 2024, guided by the following criteria: achievements, cultural impact/influence, longevity and lyrics.
Take a look, and see if one of your favorite hip-hop albums made the list.
10. SahBabii, Saaheem (A Lu Bit More)
Photo Courtesy: Silas Onoja
Release Date: November 8th 2024
Almost a decade after his 2016 hit “pull up with ah stick” the Atlanta native resurged with his latest album, titled after his birth name Saaheem. SahBabii takes his lifestyle and gives listeners an introspective story on Saaheem using entendres and punctual humor. SahBabii's Saaheem is a masterclass in versatility, showcasing his ability to seamlessly transition between contrasting moods and styles. The album takes listeners on a journey, shifting from the high-energy, trap-infused anthems of tracks like "Vikings" to the introspective and melodic tones found in "Mirror Pics" and "Save iT 4 Me Babii." This dynamic range highlights SahBabii's artistic depth, capturing both the exhilaration of the turn-up and the vulnerability of romantic introspection. If you enjoy the unique styles of Young Thug and Playboi Carti, then you should definitely check out Sahbabii's new album, as it is worth your time to listen to while you patiently wait for both of them to release their highly anticipated new albums.
This album debuted at #123 on the Billboard Hot 100. Standout track “Vikings” helped pick up steam after it made waves on TikTok—Peaking at #10 on billboard’s TikTok Top 50 chart.
My Pick: Vikings
9. Latto, Sugar Honey Iced Tea
Photo Courtesy: William Arcand
Release Date: August 9, 2024
Latto adds to rap game once again, on Sugar Honey Iced Tea, an album that’s equal parts bold and sweet, solidifying her evolution from breakout star to frontrunner. From the first moments of the intro track, it’s clear she’s no longer about proving herself; she’s already been there, done that — now it’s about claiming her space. While closing the album with ‘S/O to Me,’ she says, “The crown’s coming home soon — I’ll be sitting on the throne soon.”
The album is lively, a tangled blend of Southern grit and sleek commercial gloss. Latto is influenced by her Atlanta upbringing but that does not box her in. She is adept at taking from trap, R&B and even crossing over in the pop production to create a versatile body of work.
What’s refreshing is just how unapologetically fun and self-assured Latto sounds. Whether she’s talking her talk on fiery bangers like “Brokey” or slowing it down on the sultry “Georgia Peach” her personality is front and center.
The album peaked at 15 on Billboard 200. Her highest first week debut reassuring her growing presence in the rap game. Singles like “Put It on da Floor Again” featuring Cardi B reached #13 on Billboard’s Hot 100. While “Big Mama” was nominated for best melodic rap song at the 2025 Grammys. As of March 7, 2025 Sugar Honey Iced Tea has been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of American (RIAA).
My Pick: S/O to me
8. 21 Savage, American Dream
Photo Courtesy: Paris Aden
Release Date: January 12th, 2024
When 21 Savage first appeared, he stiffly delivered grim stories that formed a blunt portrait of life in Atlanta’s streets. Flash forward to 2024, and American Dream reveals another dimension of the rapper — one that’s more personal, intentional and introspective. This isn’t merely a victory lap; this is a diary, a therapy session, and a parable of self-improvement.
American Dream, from the start, strikes a deeper note. The album’s first spoken word piece is a heartfelt monologue delivered by his mother, rooting the project in family and roots. That emotional bedrock reverberates throughout, particularly on tracks like “letter to my brudda” and “dark days,” where 21 opens up about pain, loyalty and the emotional toll of his come-up. That’s a world away from the emotionless rapper we met years ago.
Savage always goes back to his breakout style though — the grit is well intact. Songs like “Red Sky” and “redrum” still slide, with the kind of cold calculated energy that made 21 a favorite with the fans. Towards the end of the album, we get introspection and honesty layered onto the bravado — a rare combination that lifts the album above the standard trap fare.
Sonically, American Dream displays 21’s expansion as a rapper. There’s still plenty of dark trap songs, but we’re also hearing more soul, subtle R&B ballets and melodic risks. Features from Brent Faiyaz and Burna Boy bring an extra layer of depth, flavor and cross-genre reach, demonstrating 21’s evolution not just as a rapper but also as a curator of sound.
What’s most striking is that American Dream feels like a full-circle moment. 21 does not shy away from his past, but he does not glorify it, either. Instead of shuffling it under the rug he delivers it as part of the journey — a rung on the ladder he’s climbed to get to where he is today. He’s not just surviving anymore — he’s thinking, constructing and reaching for more.
The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard hot 100. 21 savage sold 133,000 during the first week and was able to chart 14 records off the project. The album received Gold certification in the United States, 10 months after initial release.
My Pick: Prove It
7. Gunna, One of Wun
Photo Courtesy: Calvin Clausell Jr. & Pcharusila
Release Date: May 10th, 2024
Now, after surviving legal storms and public speculation, Gunna is back with One of Wun, an album that is as much a statement as it is a vibe. He doesn’t yell his truth — he glides above it, effortlessly weaving introspection into his signature melodic trap sound. This is not a comeback album filled with aggressive remarks. Instead, it’s Gunna proving that he never left and that the music always speaks louder than the noise.
The project kicks off with “Collage,” in which Gunna sets the stage for the album’s mood: smooth, contemplative, laced with a sense of quiet confidence. Tracks like “Whatsapp” and “Back in the A” recall the pressures he’s faced, but instead of taking aim at his critics directly, Gunna does what he’s always done best — straddle the beat with style and humbly.
Production-wise, One of Wun is pretty much made in the house. Indeed, the beats are atmospheric, lush and spacious, allowing Gunna to float with his laid-back flows and hypnotic cadence. It’s the sort of soundscape that feels right for late-night drives, and vacations. But beneath the luxury flex, there’s real feeling — you can hear the wear and tear in his delivery, even when his lyrics aren’t always explicit about it.
The collabs are thoughtful and intentional. Offset charges “Prada Dem,” while Leon Bridges delivers soulful vocals on “Clear My Rain,” an unlikely but complimentary intersection of R&B and trap that showcases Gunna’s appetite to grow and try new things. These moments help showcase intangible vulnerability and artistic ambition.
Yet One of Wun is not without detractors. Some tracks bleed into others, and the album occasionally teeters toward monotony. That’s sort of the Gunna formula — he’s not here for dramatic switch-ups or extravagant theatrics. He’s here to coast; if you’re on his frequency, it hits just as it should.
The album debuted at #2, marking Gunna’s sixth top 10 album. It achieved 91,000 first week, ranking at #101 on Billboard 200 Year-end charts.
My pick: today i did good
6. Glorilla, Glorious
Photo Courtesy: CMG/Interscope Records
Release Date: October 11th, 2024
GloRilla enters the chat with Glorious, her official debut album — and its exactly what the title says. From jump, she stamps that signature Memphis energy, blending the dirtier side of trap production with her rugged, distinctive vocals that demand your attention. This album isn’t simply a flex — it’s a declaration.
Across 15 tracks, GloRilla strikes a balance between celebratory anarchy and articulate interludes. Taking over the club scene, tracks like “TGIF” and “Hollon” are instant turn-up records, driven by thick 808s and her bold, bossed-up delivery. You can almost smell the smoke, the bass and the attitude leaning out of the speakers. These are records to be blasted — preferably in a tinted-windows car with subs in the trunk.
But Glorious isn’t one-note. Glo allows us into deeper meditations as well, such as “Rain Down on Me,” which folds in gospel textures with Kirk Franklin and Maverick City Music. It’s an unlikely but potent turn — one that doesn’t feel obligatory. That she talks about faith, pressure and perseverance without sanding down her edge is evidence she can get self-referential without losing her identity.
Collabs with Latto, Megan Thee Stallion, and Sexyy Red keep the album young and fun, but Glo never gets outshined. Her voice pierces through in every song — a deep Southern drawl bursting with charisma, desire and life experience. There’s a grit to her but layered with charm, humor and confidence.
The album debuted at #5, making it the highest first-week sales for a female rap album of 2024 (69,000). As of April 4th, 2025, Glorious is certified Gold, meaning more than 500,000 record were sold in the United States. The album went on to be nominated for the 2025 Grammys and other notable awards.
What Glorious examines best, though, is who GloRilla is: a wise telling of the streets with mainstream magnetism. She’s not interested in sounding like anyone else — she’s carving her own lane, one made of speaker-thumping anthems, striking and unapologetic truth-telling and plenty of Memphis soul.
My Pick: I LUV HER
5. Schoolboy Q, Blue Lips
Photo Courtesy: Bethany Vargas
Release Date: March 1st, 2024
Five years after his last album, ScHoolboy Q is back with Blue Lips, a reinvention which sacrifices commercial potential in exchange for introspection and experimentation. CrasH Talk (2019) was all about mood but this time around the project dives deep into introspection, vulnerability, and risk.
The album's opener “Funny Guy” finds Q in a contemplative mood, offering a somewhat slack and conversational flow that pulls you into his innermost thoughts. This genre-blending and technical sharpness is evident on tracks such as “Pop” (featuring Rico Nasty) and “oHio” (with Freddie Gibbs), while the various rhythms of jazz, grunge and minimalistic sound from the west coast are melded into a whole.
On Blue Lips, Q lyrically explores loneliness, his own identity, and the shadow of his future — showing both growth and a bold attitude towards innovation. While the album’s abstract structure may be daunting for the listener, Blue Lips is not designed to be background music. It’s a sincere, artistic statement from a rapper who is turning himself around on his own terms.
Despite lack of formal nominations, SchoolBoy Q lyrical impact and sound landed him a spot on Billboard’s Hot 100, debuting at #13 on Billboard Hot 100, and was steady in rotation landing it at #99 on Billboard Year-end Chart.
My pick: Movie
4. Tyler, the Creator, Chromakopia
Photo Courtesy: Tyler, the Creator
Release Date: October 28th, 2024
Tyler, The Creator has always liked re-shaping himself — and on his seventh studio album CHROMAKOPIA, he has reinvented himself again. As St. Chroma, a new persona, Tyler enters the most ambitious and personally raw environment of his career to date. In this new chapter of his life, it's a completely different language.
"St. Chroma" and "Noid" lead Tyler into reflections on his internal battles with isolation, fame, and expectation. The delivery is raw, vulnerable, not heard like this since the flower-boy days."Like Him" is a classic: one of the album's most touching moments, exploring masculinity and fatherhood in a way that only he can do with blinding clarity.
Only downfall about CHROMAKOPIA is there are no traditional hooks; hardly any composed verses; and gaps between categories that disoriented in purpose. An artistic clarity underlies every sound or modification of emphasis here.
St. Chroma, as a creation, does not take him up and out of himself. Instead, his creation bears down on Tyler. He goes deeper, sees harder and asks of himself more than he has ever before in the history of his work. The result is an album that is not always simple to digest but is totally impossible to ignore.
The album debuted at #1 on Billboard Hot 100, selling 299,500 album-equivalent units first week. All 14 tracks charted, with “Noid reaching #10 and “St Chroma” at No. 7. The album is Gold certified and is on track to be Platinum before 2025 ends.
My Pick: Sticky
3. Doechii, Alligator Bites Never Heal
Photo Courtesy: Doechii
Release Date: November 8th, 2024
Alligator Bites Never Heal, Doechii not only steps over the wall but crushes it to powder. With this 16-track mixtape Doechii’s latest work is a brave declaration that gets under your skin, emotionally complex, and not simply swipes past; it tells you she is already more than just a shooting star in Hip-Hop and other genres.
The mixtape is a cohesive body of work and can easily be mistaken for a debut album. “Denial Is a River” begins with a spoken-word therapy session that crosses the line between performance and confession. “Death Roll” and “Bloom” delve into mental exhaustion, loss and identity, rolling out the absolute bare bones in moodily stripped back offerings that bring to mind early Kanye or even the Frank Ocean of Blonde — only more Doechii.
Musically speaking, the mixtape is an ever-changing kaleidoscope. She smoothly switches gears from ’90s boom bap to industrial trap, soft acoustic settings to production that crashes through genres frenetically. It never sounds disjointed. Instead, just like the feelings inside her that she ’s trudging through, each track feels like its own universe. One moment of innermost revelation becomes another on Alligator Bites Never Heal.
The real magic of this project is in its refusal to compromise. Doechii doesn’t go after radio-singing flops or tunes everyone’s been meming — she embraces the scope and growth it really offers. As a result, the mixtape feels at once deeply intimate and enormously powerful.
This mixtape was a slow gainer as it did not receive immediate success. Debuting at #124 on Billboard’s Hot 200 first week, but improved in subsequent weeks, reaching #14 on the Billboard Hot 200. The success was fueled by her 2025 Grammy win for Best Rap Album, which brought the project to the forefront.
My Pick: NISSIAN ALTIMA
2. GNX
Photo Courtesy: Renell Medrano
Release Date: November 22nd, 2024
It's not just the albums that Kendrick Lamar delivers--he produces events. In 2024, GNX, his surprise release for that year, brings him back atop center stage not only to remind the world of his lyrical dominance but also redefine what a hip-hop album can be at a time where every moment is spectacle.
GNX feels cinematic from the outset - layered with symbolism, pain, pride and a sense of purpose. The production ranges from gritty West Coast bop to jazz-influenced sound, all the way through unexpected gems like the use of mariachi horns or organizing an entire gospel choir. However, within every track there is Kendrick's lived experience.
On "Wacced Out Murals," he spits with surgical precision, tracing the outlines of his Compton existence and burden of legacy. "Luther" tilts the energy towards introspection - which is a meditation on your true self in a world that is synonymous with price, just as “Squabble Up,” the song that set off the most talk, talks about their rivals above board with a cool, deadly clarity unique to Kendrick.
What sets GNX apart even more from just being about the bars is his vulnerability. Kendrick speaks openly about spiritual exhaustion, fatherhood, loyalty, and the illusion of control in a world that's obsessed with power. The album is an unraveling—not of Kendrick, but of the coat of armor so many artists wear. He doesn't sound as if he's trying to prove what he is; he sounds as if he's purging something.
This album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 200. Its success grew when Kendrick performed hits like “Luther” at the LIX Super Bowl Halftime Show. The song is currently still charting on the Billboard’s Hot 100.
My Pick: Luther
1. We Don’t Trust You
Photo Courtesy: Takashi Murakami
Release Date: March 22, 2024
These two set the tone for the year and did not stop here. The consistency, impact and production put We Don’t Trust You at the number one spot on my list.
When Future and Metro Boomin collaborate, expectations are sky high. And with We Don't Trust You, they deliver a frigid strike with the precision of an uppercut that's as much about energy as it is about mood
This album isn't just an album. It's a power play, a dark and brooding manifesto that reasserts the duo's dominance in the trap world.
From the title track's haunted intro on, the tone is set: paranoid, ruthless, and unapologetically raw. Metro's production is as cinematic as ever--layered with eerie melodies, heavy drums, and just enough space for Future to do his thing Again what Metro does best off-kilter rhythms, minor keys that linger in your head long after they should.
‘Like That’ is the obvious standout—Kendrick Lamar’s blistering guest verse garnered headlines and sparked real rap conversations, and ignited one of the biggest rap feuds in hip-hop history. Future holds his own with the icy detachment only he can pull off. Future and Metro, ‘Type Sh*t,’ and ‘Cinderella’ all show different shades of their chemistry, at turns gritty, melodic, and menacing Overbearing with that slicker-than-thou irony only Atlanta could give.
There is no shortage of artistic expression here. More importantly is how seamlessly this all hangs together from one track to the next. The beats feel tailor-made for Future's voice--murky, hypnotic, and unyielding. This is trap music at its most atmospheric, and while some moments blend together, the overall impression remains consistent.
The collaboration album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Obtaining the 251,000 first week, which was the largest opening week for a rap album at that time for 2024. The album won iHeartRadio Hip-Hop Album of the Year. Songs such as, “Like That” debuted at #1, spending three consecutive weeks in the top position. We Don’t Trust You also received several formal nominations for prestigious awards from the Grammys as well, highlighting its impact and recognition within the music industry.
My Pick: Everyday Hustle