Top 20 Hip-Hop Albums Of 2025 |

Hip-hop in 2025 both had one in every of its best years in latest reminiscence or one of many worst on file; it actually simply will depend on what angle you take a look at it from. Tricking from the after-effects of a rap feud that actually divided a style and its followers down the center, there was a stark distinction between how the yr went based mostly on which aspect your fave fell on.

On the aspect of Kendrick Lamar, there was actually nothing however success from month to month. “Not Like Us,” the diss observe heard throughout the globe, surpassed anybody’s expectations when the playing cards lastly fell throughout awards season. GRAMMYs for “Record of the Year,” “Song of the Year,” “Best Music Video,” “Best Rap Song” and “Best Rap Performance” had been all bestowed upon the tune, and it solely obtained higher days later when Okay. Dot carried out it on the most important of levels as headliner of the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show. Top honors resonated additional on the NAACP Image Awards, American Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards and BET Awards.

On the aspect of Drake, his yr was spent primarily in litigation pursuing a federal defamation lawsuit in opposition to Universal Music Group for serving to to advertise “Not Like Us” into changing into the tune of 2024 and, if we’re being sincere, a lot of 2025. From Drizzy’s view, UMG took sides in a confrontation that alluded to him being a pedophile. From UMG’s view, Drake is being a sore loser that rapidly forgot he used comparable ways in his “Charged Up” beef with Meek Mill only a decade prior. Nonetheless, he did have some success on Billboard this yr with the chart-topping launch of his collaborative album alongside OVO labelmate PartyNextDoor titled $ome $exy $ongs 4 U. While all 4 singles did pretty nicely on the Hot 100 — “Nokia” and “Somebody Loves Me” landed at 24 and 85, respectively, on the year-end tally — lackluster critiques for the venture and a sole AMA nomination for “Favorite R&B Album” didn’t replicate expectations from a duo who achieved quadruple platinum standing only a decade in the past with “Recognize.”

Time’s certain do change, don’t they.

The remainder of sport made for a collection of hits and misses, sadly extra of the latter if we’re being sincere. Despite an enormous authorized win to begin the yr off with and co-starring roles in not one however two A24 function movies (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Highest 2 Lowest), A$AP Rocky nonetheless managed to delay the discharge of his highly-anticipated fourth studio album, Don’t Be Dumb, for a complete calendar yr. Still, changing into a dad for the third time alongside his billion-dollar pop star wifey Rihanna does make for an enormous understanding on the delay.

You get a cross for now, pops.

Doechii has been following up her victory lap of a yr that was 2024 by gathering on the fruits of her labor all through 2025 awards season. She took dwelling the “Best Rap Album” GRAMMY for Alligator Bites Never Heal, “Outstanding New Artist” on the NAACP Image Awards, “Social Song of the Year” on the AMAs for her viral hit “Anxiety,” a BET Award for “Best Female Hip Hop Artist” and a two-shot win on the VMAs with “Best Hip Hop” and “Best Choreography” for the visible part to “Anxiety.”

The women noticed a very good yr total, like Megan Thee Stallion profitable “Favorite Female Hip-Hop Artist” on the AMAs and her short-lived run as one in every of solely two rap songs with “Lover Girl” to crack Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 during Hip-Hop History Month. Rapsody and Erykah Badu shared the GRAMMY for “Best Melodic Rap Performance” because of the magic they cooked up on “3:AM,” and pioneering femcee Roxanne Shante even obtained the Lifetime Achievement Award. Even with no album out, GloRilla managed to have a blockbuster yr that included a profitable run on her Glorious Tour and a shocking win within the gospel class on the BET Awards — backlash from spiritual people, sure, however a win no much less. While her album took endlessly to return, Cardi B as compared additionally managed to close any and all naysayers up (whereas pregnant!) when her record-breaking sophomore album, Am I The Drama?, formally dropped. Since its launch three months in the past, the chart-topping LP has already gone triple platinum in file time and pushed one of many singles (“Outside”) onto Billboard’s year-end Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

All this pleasure even earlier than her highly-anticipated Little Miss Drama Tour is about to start!

The sisters are the truth is doing it for themselves, however the kings of the sport additionally obtained honorary love. Eminem took dwelling AMAs for “Favorite Male Hip-Hop Artist” and “Favorite Hip-Hop Album” because of his 2024 comeback LP, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), in the meantime Snoop Dogg’s legacy was mirrored together with his BET Ultimate Icon Award and Busta Rhymes was bestowed with the Rock the Bells Visionary Award on the MTV VMAs.

And after all, we take a minute to recollect the fallen icons in hip-hop tradition who we sadly misplaced this yr. We ship a honest farewell to “Walk It Out” emcee DJ Unk (January 24), Murder Inc. founder Irv Gotti (February 5), Pro Era-affiliated rapper Chelsea Reject (February 12), Outlawz member Young Noble (July 4), Mass Appeal / Ego Trip co-founder and hip-hop connoisseur Sacha Jenkins (May 23) and the numerous others we would’ve missed however by no means forgotten.