Hip-hop lives: Ranking the Best Rap Album winners at the Grammys

There’s no doubt that Eminem can sell an album regardless of how much time he takes off between projects. However, despite the singles like “We Made You” and “Crack A Bottle" charting, Eminem’s obsession with a serial killer theme on the "Relapse" album didn’t sit so well with music listeners. The rapper eventually spoke on how this album was a low point in his life, and it definitely showed in the music.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis went home with the prestigious award, as their hit single “Thrift Shop” took them to the top of the charts. However, their win came as a shock to many hip-hop fans, especially since they were competing against artists like Drake, Jay Z, Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West. 

Just a year after his previous album, Eminem released his sixth album, “Recovery.” Its theme consisted of self-reflection and overcoming addiction and abuse, all of which was evident on the first single, “Not Afraid.” The album’s second single, “Love The Way You Lie,” with Rihanna, became Eminem’s best-selling single of his career.

Before Ludacris was known as a Hollywood actor and TV host, there was a time when he consistently released music with iconic videos to match. Fans were typically used to Luda’s playful sound; however he ventured into a more mature tone on his sixth album, “Release Therapy.” Although the album's single, "Money Maker," was a smash record, Luda's entire rap discography places higher. 

Eminem is known for going on a hiatus for years at a time until he’s ready to drop new music. After three years since his previous album, the MC came back with a vengeance on his single “Berzerk.” However it was the album’s standout single, “The Monster,” with vocals from Rihanna, that topped the Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and helped the album become the second best-selling album of 2013.

The Grammy Awards started showing hip-hop some shine and created the Best Rap Album category in 1996. By this time, Naughty By Nature released their fourth album, which featured their top 20 hit, “Feel Me Flow.” They ended up defeating artists like 2Pac and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony for the award.

It’s hard to believe Jay Z has continuously shaped the rap game since the mid-'90s and although he’s tied with Kanye West with the most Grammy Awards wins (21) by a rapper, he won for Best Rap Album only once. His third album, “Vol 2… Hard Knock Life,” featuring singles like “Can I Get A…” and “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) helped him earn the win. However, Jay boycotted the ceremony with claims of the Recording Academy disrespecting hip-hop, since it wouldn’t broadcast the rap nominations.

The man of many names: Sean "Diddy" Combs. When he first came on to the scene, he was known as Puff Daddy and his signature tagline was about how much he invented the remix. However, his definition of a remix was geared toward using old-school samples, and it was evident on his hit songs such as “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down” and “Been Around the World.” With features from The Notorious B.I.G., Mase and Faith Evans, Diddy's Bad Boy family ruled the '90s. 

It was the turn in Eminem’s career from being an underground rapper to a mainstream phenomenon. His mentor, Dr. Dre, produced his breakout album, “The Slim Shady LP,” and the world was introduced to his alter ego on his hit single “My Name Is.”

Fans were already used to seeing Outkast as a group; therefore it was a nice touch when the duo dropped its double album, “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.” While Big Boi’s “Speakerboxxx” showed more southern hip-hop elements, Andre 3000’s “The Love Below” featured more jazz and soulful tones. With hit singles like “Hey Ya” and “The Way You Move,” Outkast earned its first No. 1 album.

Drake has an advantage over most MCs, since he’s a rapper and a singer. He can spit bars on a verse and quickly sing a sweet melody on the hook so effortlessly. Not to mention, he’s the undisputed king of one-liners that become Instagram captions in no time. His second studio album, “Take Care,” garnered a number of singles such as “The Motto” and the album’s title track alongside Rihanna.

Third time’s a charm! By the time Kanye West dropped his third album, “Graduation,” the world was on alert that he may go down as one of the biggest MCs of all time. The project was filled with themes of dealing with fame, confidence and inspiration to tackle any battle. Some of the singles included “Stronger” and “Flashing Lights.”

Eminem has the range of going from a playful track to a serious tone, which is evident on “The Eminem Show" with singles such as “Without Me” and “Cleanin’ Out My Closet.” Instead of following up with another Slim Shady persona, Eminem projected more growth and self-production on this album.

It seems like a lifetime ago when Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras, also known as the Fugees, were putting their own twist in the hip-hop game. Although the second album, “The Score,” was their final project as a group, it is easily known as one of the best albums of the ‘90s. Singles such as “Killing Me Softly” and “Ready or Not” helped the album reach multi-platinum success.

Although Chance the Rapper was mostly known as an independent MC, his biggest year to date was when he dropped his breakout project, “Coloring Book.” It featured artists such as Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Future and T-Pain and became the first album to land on the Billboard 200 solely based on streams. Before 2017, he encouraged the Recording Academy to change its rules and include streaming-only albums as nominations; it worked in his favor. 

Kanye West continued with his education-themed album on his sophomore effort, “Late Registration.” Only just a year after his debut album, West showed no signs of slowing down. To switch up his sound and not rely on samples, he used more live instrumentation on “Late Registration,” which is easily heard on singles like “Heard ‘Em Say” and “Touch the Sky.”

Although the world was first introduced to Lil Wayne back in the late '90s, he didn’t receive his first Grammy Award until nearly a decade into the rap game. His albums in "Tha Carter" series have shaped his career as a top MC; however “Tha Carter III” lands as a fan favorite. The album went platinum within its first week of release, and singles like “Lollipop, “A Milli” and “Got Money” became top-10 hits.

By the time Kanye West dropped his fifth album, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” he was one of the most discussed rappers. This album fused elements from his previous projects, like sampling on “College Dropout” to the experimentation on “808s & Heartbreak.” Some of the album’s top singles included “Power” and “All of the Lights.”

Kendrick Lamar can give listeners party tracks, love songs and justice anthems. On his album “DAMN.,” he infuses all three in single-word titles. The album features singles like “HUMBLE.,” "DNA," and the Rihanna-assisted track, “LOYALTY.” It reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

After winning the award the previous year, Eminem took his craft up a notch on his third album, “The Marshall Mathers LP.” This one seemed a bit more personal than his previous works, as Eminem fused topics of family ties, dealing with his newfound fame and responding to critics’ thoughts on his music. Some of the hit singles included “The Way I Am,” “The Real Slim Shady” and “Stan.” He’s the type of unapologetic MC who isn’t afraid to be himself.

It's time for the girls to shine! Female MCs have been nominated in the past for the coveted award, but 2019 marked the first time a solo female rapper took home a win. Cardi B's 2018 debut album "Invasion of Privacy" garnered a number of hit singles, including "Bodak Yellow," "I Like It," and "Bartier Cardi." The album quickly became a Billboard chart topper and was named as one of the 2018's best albums on publications' year-end lists. Not too bad for the "regular degular shmegular girl" who gained initial popularity through social media and reality television. 

After losing the award to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis in 2014, perhaps the Grammys wanted to make up for Kendrick’s snub. On his sophomore studio album, “To Pimp a Butterfly,” he altered his sound to fuse more jazz elements and featured the Pharrell-produced hit “Alright.” Some fans may have been introduced to this Kendrick during his mixtape days or his debut album, but "To Pimp a Butterfly" truly pushed his vision as an artist. 

When it comes to naming the best hip-hop groups of all time, OutKast should easily come to mind. Not only did their fourth album, “Stankonia,” experiment with new sounds, but the topics covered, such as black culture, broken relationships and politics, were more vast. Some of the album’s top hits included “Ms. Jackson” and “So Fresh, So Clean.”

Once upon a time, Kanye West was a bright-eyed producer from Chicago who was ready to show off his MC skills. He did just that on his debut album, “The College Dropout,” a project that spewed lyrics about religion, hustle mentality and self-consciousness among others. Some of the hit singles included “Through the Wire,” "All Falls Down" and a song he thought wouldn't get any radio play, “Jesus Walks.”