Everyone has one album that is seen as their absolute favorite but might have gotten the stank eye from music’s biggest critics. Nevertheless, some projects got the golden star of approval from the artist’s Reddit page and leading voices on the music scene. We pulled the scores from Metacritic to get an average of all the reviews, but we have the highlights of different reviews for rap’s highest critically reviewed albums of all time.
‘To Pimp A Butterfly’ (2015) by Kendrick Lamar 96/100
Dot’s third studio album delivered his first number one on the Billboard 200 chart in 2017. It also was the first album to lead the charts with “pimp” in the title in the chart’s history. The album tells the story of Black America while honoring it through its numerous music styles like jazz, soul, and funk. It touched on heavy topics like slavery, Black mental health, both the beauty and chaos of being Black in America, and what fame means as a member of that community.
Kendrick is not just sharing his story of self-realization since releasing good kid, m.A.A.d. City in 2012. He shows that he is not the only one experiencing both joy and pain in the Black community overall. The album has its dark moments but ends with Kendrick sharing how himself, those he loves, and those listening in will “be alright” too, even if it doesn’t feel like it.
Critics saw the album as a celebration of love, life, and the pursuit of happiness no matter who you are, where you came from, or how old you are.
“Anyone seeking to understand the grievances, the frustrations, inspirations and creative power of youth culture should be absorbing every word of “To Pimp a Butterfly.” — Los Angeles Times
While the album is far from easy listening “it’s deeply rewarding. This is an album in the old-fashioned sense–like his debut, it makes greater sense as a whole, and requires full engagement all the way through.” — Billboard
If you are looking for K. Dot music to play at the kickback, this album might not be for you. Nevertheless, “it expands on its widescreen musical reach and introspective intensity, and sharpens the political perspective until it draws blood.” — Chicago Tribune
‘Stankonia’ (2000) by Outkast – 95/100
On Outkast’s fourth studio album, Big Boi and André 3000 proved that the South still has something to say. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for 46 weeks.
There are elements of pop that can be heard in their Grammy-winning single and other songs throughout the album. However, Stankonia blends together the funk, gospel, and soulful sounds and beats that define the signature “Dirty South” sound that is still being used today.
The project is a celebration of Southern pride (especially in the city of ATL), while also touching on themes of sex, the politics that were shaping the world at the time, and once again the issues that impacted the Black community. However, with their duo’s signature storytelling and infectious lyrics, they were able to create a timeless project that not only provided a message but one that stuck with listeners for years to come.
Big Boi and André 3000 were both in their own lane, with the group constructing “its own far-reaching and experimental mythology, drenching its surrealistic, Southern-fried flows in brilliantly executed funk, blissful soul, rattling live drums, spacey synthesizers, and psychedelic guitars…” — The A.V. Club
The supporting music is even more “energized by Outkast’s clever lyrics coupled with their cutting edge production, which is an expansive take on the original Atlanta sound,” — Vibe
Overall, Stankonia was easily one of the biggest albums of 2000 and is still highly influential today, “not only because it brazenly addresses hip-hop’s spiritual emptiness (other well-intentioned rappers have tried) but because it musically surpasses the most innovative work of street production dons like Swizz Beatz, Manny Fresh, and Timbaland.” — New York Magazine
‘DAMN.’ (2017) by Kendrick Lamar – 95/100
Kendrick’s fourth studio album was easily one of his greatest, earning him praise from fans and critics and even winning a Pulitzer Prize. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with each song on the project also landing on the Billboard Hot 100. Once again, K. Dot shows on the project that he is a master storyteller.
He continued to display introspective growth and reflection while also touching on themes from To Pimp a Butterfly, like trauma and violence in the Black community, that affect the wider population. However, he added in the new theme of religion (ironically dropping the project on Good Friday), talking about how it plays a role in not just his experience but the African-American way of life.
Many of the tracks on the album reference the seven deadly sins, and in each song, Kendrick challenges them all. For example, in the song “GOD,” K. Dot is torn between wanting to show off his accomplishments and recognizing that he is a “HUMBLE” human and that neither he nor anyone else has God-tier status.
The struggle between good and evil can affect anyone, even someone as influential and talented as K. Dot. On the project, he opens up to the world even more than before, using his experiences as an individual to help others and let them know they aren’t alone in their feelings and experiences.
His verses on the album “jab mercilessly like a sewing machine […] Even when Lamar sounds like Eminem, or Drake, or OutKast, he sounds like himself, and he arguably outpaces them all as a writer.” — Pitchfork
Just like one’s spiraling thoughts, the project is “tart and punchy…. Sometimes boisterous, sometimes swampy, rarely fanciful album–it’s Mr. Lamar’s version of the creeping paranoia that has become de rigueur for midcareer Drake. And yet this is likely Mr. Lamar’s most jubilant album, the one in which his rhymes are the least tangled.” — The New York Times
Kendrick overall shows how locked in he is in the rap game, with the album being a “more grimly focused affair for dark times on troubled streets, where one lyrical giant rises to the occasion and towers over his peers, despite his slight stature.” — Under the Radar
‘Conflict Of Interest’ (2021) by Ghetts – 95/100
Ghetts, on his third studio album, proves that taking your time will always pay off in the long run. With his last album dropping seven years prior, he had to show why he is still a force to be reckoned with—and he delivered. The album debuted at number two on the UK Album charts.
The rapper takes his listeners across the pond to the streets of East London, covering themes of parenthood and finding real love while still delivering songs about crime and the gangster lifestyle. However, Ghetts shows in the project that he has grown beyond the gritty lyrics and beats that he first became known for.
He talks about music being a form of therapy for him as he tries to figure out who he is, a battle that all of us can potentially relate to. He shares the details of the people that he has lost along the way and how important those who are still here mean to him. He lays out the story of his life to those ready to listen after taking the time to make sure that he structured it just right.
He makes his own rules and follows his path, with Conflict of Interest not sounding “much like the work of an artist adopting a by-any-means necessary approach to mainstream success.” — The Guardian
Like one of his features on the album, “‘Conflict Of Interest’ could sit on the same shelf as Dave’s ‘Psychodrama’ as an album that depicts honest tales of London through the art of true lyricism, a tradition that will never die out.” — NME
Even though the project is “meticulously crafted under Ghetts’ famed perfectionist nature, it’s pure; neither shunning the light or the dark across the 16 tracks. He lets it all show.” — DIY
‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ (2010) by Ye – 94/100
Many fans see My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy as Ye’s magnum opus. He delivered one of his strongest projects yet, with the album debuting at number one on the Billboard 200. Four singles from MBDTF, including “Runaway,” were also in the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100.
Ye’s cockiness and “Power” were on full display as he rapped about celebrity status and his influence in the rap game and beyond. However, he also talked about the responsibility that comes with that and the sin and temptations lurking around every corner. There was chaos surrounding Ye when the album dropped (ex., His infamous VMAs moment with Taylor Swift), but that’s become standard for a Ye rollout.
Through his album, he showed not just his fans but the world what it is like to be in his superstar head. Yes, people (and even Ye at times) saw himself as a “Monster”—but it goes much deeper than what’s seen in the public eye and this album is proof.
The project shows that “Kanye is crazy enough to truly believe he’s the greatest out there. And, about a decade into his career, the hardworking perfectionist has gained the talent on the mic and in the control room to make a startlingly strong case for just that.” – Pitchfork
To this day, it is seen as “his most maniacally inspired music yet, coasting on heroic levels of dementia, pimping on top of Mount Olympus,” — Rolling Stone
Comparing MBTDF to other projects, “if ‘808s & Heartbreak’ was the wilderness period, then by extension ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ is Kanye’s entry into Jerusalem, on a jet-propelled donkey with chrome-plated hooves.” — NME
