The Top 10 Rap Albums of the Decade

WARNING: This is personal opinion as most of you would probably vary on numbers but I'm the one writing the article so don't take this as being a consensus.

I originally planned on doing it on the top 20 but I'm gonna do a write-up on the top 10 and the 11-20 just listed.

20. Eminem - Relapse
19. Clipse - Lord Willin'
18. T.I. - Trap Muzik
17. Jay-Z - The Blueprint 2
16. Kanye West - The College Dropout
15. The Game - The Documentary
14. Ludacris - Back For The First Time
13. Outkast - Stankonia
12. Lil' Wayne - Tha Carter 3
11. Lil' Wayne - Tha Carter 2

10. The Game - Doctor's Advocate (2006)
Most people wouldn't put Doctor's Advocate above The Documentary. Me, on the other hand, will. Why? Because Game's first album was filled with amazing beats, great hooks and rookie verses. Game didn't have a voice until he was forced to find one for his second album without 50 and Dre to fall back on. Songs like "One Night" and "Wouldn't Get Far" are perfect examples of Game having control. I mean this is probably the last truly West Coast classic of the decade and this was over three years ago.

9. Lil' Wayne - Tha Carter (2004)
This changed everything. Personally, this is what started my own rap career. As I was just toying with the idea of actually focusing on rap, this album came out. I probably didn't obsess with it until four or five months after it was out. This was Lil' Wayne at his best, album-wise. "BM JR." might be the greatest Lil' Wayne song ever. This was also the last time Weezy and Mannie Fresh would collab and while today, it's not a big deal. Back then, it was like Em with Dre. I mean, both, "Go DJ" & "Bring It Back" are completely nuts in lyrical content. Wayne now is the biggest rapper on the planet and is trying to make a rock album that will start off his jail sentence perfectly. We will want him to go away for a while.

8. Jay-Z - The Black Album (2003)
I've never been a big Hova fan. Honestly, this was the first album I bought. Eventhough Jay's collabs with the Neptunes are pretty much horrible besides "I Just Wanna Love U". I figured I'd try it since it was getting hyped. But Jay had an amazing CD as "99 Problems" will be a big song for the next 10 years still. "Encore" & "What More Can I Say" are also pretty much songs you'd recommend to any new Jay-Z song. While he came back and hasn't had a CD nearly as good, everyone was sad to see Hova go.

7. Kanye West - Graduation (2007)
I was also never big on Kanye until this album. But "Can't Tell Me Nothing" was amazing and when "Stronger" finally came out, I knew I was going to buy this album first week. Both those songs are still played on commercials two years later along with "Flashing Lights". This album might've been a little short but I think it cemented Kanye's career. Eventhough everyone was afraid for "808's & Heartbreak", he still is a driving force in rap.

6. 50 Cent - Get Rich Or Die Trying (2003)
Many people wouldn't expect this above the last two albums but honestly, 50 used to be amazing. His first album will go down as the greatest debut this decade. "In Da Club" might be the biggest first single since "Gin N Juice" also. Of course, Dre helmed both projects. I remember I was still a kid when this album dropped and it was shortly before I discovered illegal downloading. So this was one of the last albums I bought and heard for the first time after tearing off the packaging.

5. T.I. - Paper Trail (2008)
Wow. This album came outta nowhere. I loved "No Matter What" all year. Then I heard "What's Up, What's Happening" and lost it. It was my anthem. Follow that with "Whatever You Like". Well, yeah. Good song but I lost the anticipation. Well, this album is the true classic this year. It's just some of the best music ever. I still get goosebumps every time I listen to "Ready For Whatever". Tip did what Game tried to. Came out of a situation and proved after the rain, there's always sunshine. He made an album that was better than "Trap Muzik" because of the struggle and controversy behind it.

4. Kanye West - Late Registration (2005)
I slept on this CD for probably a year to a year and a half after it came out. I wasn't a big fan of the singles until I had the whole project. "Hey Mama" is probably in the top 5 songs of the decade. "Golddigger" is one of the best singles this decade. "Roses", "Addiction" & "Diamonds" were such strong addictive tracks off the album. One of my favorite verses from Kanye ever was off of "Bring Me Down" as he performed some of it on Rap City and I knew it off of that. Alot of people feel College Dropout was better. I disagree.

3. Jay-Z - The Blueprint (2001)
Like I said earlier, I slept on Jay. But probably 2004 or 2005 was the first time I really listened to this album. This was the introduction of Kanye to the masses and also had some really big songs. "Renegade" is probably the biggest collaboration in the first part of the decade. "Heart Of The City" is still to this day, one of Jay's best songs. "Never Change" & "Blueprint (Momma Loves Me" are two of my favorite songs off this album. And who can forget the proper titled "Takeover".

2. Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) &
1. Eminem - The Eminem Show (2002)
Well, of course Eminem is in the top three. I don't really got much to say about this album that everybody doesn't know. Eminem had rap in his palms through the first couple years of the decade. The reason The Eminem Show scored higher than Marshall Mathers LP is mainly because The Eminem Show changed my life. It helped me through more than anything/anybody else ever has. It is my favorite album ever so not only this decade but every album I ever heard. Hopefully, 2010-2019 has a close list but sometimes you wonder. Will hip-hop even have a top 20 that can top the albums below the top 20 this decade. Well it guess it's time to find out....