Top Ten Rap albums of the year: A look back at the genre’s best in 2024

By ROCCO RATTARO
The Tower

In the past few years, the popularity of rap has been in decline.

The music produced by rappers has not been at the same level as it was in the 2000s and early 2010s.

We Don’t Trust You, Future and Metro Boomin.

However, rap has been making a comeback. One of the reasons is because of the many high-quality albums that have been released, like We Don’t Trust You, American Dream and Chromakopia.

The resurgence has been noticeable. Data shows that hip-hop has made a significant increase in its market share on streaming platforms.

“At the beginning of 2023, there was an all-time low in hip-hop’s monthly market share on USA Spotify Top 50 Chart,” Sarah Kloboves, a writer from Chartmetric, says. “However, one year later, an obvious resurgence has emerged, bringing hip-hop’s current average market share for 2024 to 34%.

Here are the albums that helped revive rap:

10. HOOD POET- Polo G

Three years after his most recent album, Polo G dropped HOOD POET, which is an acronym for He Overcame Obstacles During Pain Or Emotional Trauma. The album is mixed with emotional melodies and aggressive rap. The album has 18 songs, many of which are solid, but it fails to deliver a standout hit.

9. Might Delete Later- J. Cole

J. Cole proves that he is still a talented and consistent artist after many years. The album is well-rounded as it reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200. It sold 115,000 album-equivalent units. The 12-song track list was recently nominated for the Best Rap Album of the Year for the 2025 Grammys.

8. Chromakopia- Tyler, The Creator

Chromakopia is mixed with good songs and a few skips. Overall, the album is pretty solid. Like Polo G’s Hood Poet, this album isn’t as good as Tyler, The Creator’s previous works. Despite this, it’s his best first week for an album. His fanbase showed much support as 299,500 album equivalent units were sold.

7. PLAN A- Lil Tecca

While Lil Tecca is not one of the most popular artists in the game, he delivered with PLAN A. While he is not one of the most popular rappers, he still flashes versatility with the 18-song album. The album has seamless transitions between songs and great production. PLAN A sold 42,000 equivalent units in its first week.

6. We Still Don’t Trust You- Future & Metro Boomin

While this album wasn’t quite as good as its predecessor, We Still Don’t Trust You is still considered a commercial success. It has 25 tracks on it but has a few skips. Metro Boomin’s continued with his unique sounds and great quality. The album sold 127,500 equivalent copies in the US in its first week. It reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart.

5. American Dream- 21 Savage

This album was announced less than a week before its release, and it still managed to be a hit. On American Dream, 21 Savage reflects on his journey to stardom. The album has 15 songs on it, and 14 of those ended up appearing on the Hot 100. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 after selling 133,000 units during its first week.

4. The Death of Slim Shady- Eminem

The success of Eminem’s latest album is a great example of making a comeback. Fans and listeners were counting out Eminem after his previous albums were not top quality. In the album, Eminem kills off his alter ego, Slim Shady. The Death of Slim Shady sold 281,000 album equivalent units, and has been nominated for Best Rap Album of the Year.

3. Hardstone Psycho- Don Toliver

Don Toliver came up with one of the most energetic albums of the year. Across the board, the production was great. Toliver displays his versatility by singing or rapping on different kinds of beats. Some songs include metal samples, which goes well with his voice. The album debuted at 76,500 album equivalent units, which put at number three on the Billboard 200.

2. One of Wun- Gunna

Despite being cancelled by others in the rap game, Gunna drops a hit album, showing he is unbothered by the criticism. His vocal melodies go well with the production. Sometimes it sounds like Gunna is outright singing. He raps about many topics and shows versatility with his many flows. One of Wun debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 after selling 91,000 equivalent album units.

1. We Don’t Trust You- Future & Metro Boomin

Future and Metro Boomin, who are frequent collaborators, came together once again to make an album that consists of 17 songs. There are no skips. The title of the album refers to one of Metro Boomin’s producer tags: “If Young Metro don’t trust you, I’m gon’ shoot you.” One of the songs, Like That, helped rap garner the attention that it once had in years past. The song features Kendrick Lamar. His verse on the song was a diss mainly towards Drake. That ignited the greatest rap beef in recent memory. Future had a couple of bars on other songs that others may see as him dissing Drake. Like That is rap at its purest form. It brought competitive energy, as rap should. However, Like That is not the only hit song on the album. Other songs include We Don’t Trust You, Cinderella, Everyday Hustle, and so much more. This album is part one of their double album, with sequel being We Still Don’t Trust You. Metro Boomin produced most of the album, while Future was the lead rapper. The album also has many other great guests, such as Travis Scott and The Weeknd. Future addresses his problems with the rap game on the album. He also raps about various topics such as trust, betrayal, and resilience. Metro Boomin’s production is off the charts with its innovative and unique sounds. It blends well with Future’s lyricism and flow. The album was a commercial success. The album’s streaming week was more than any other album in 2023, besides Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version). We Don’t Trust You debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 after it sold 251,000 album equivalent units in its first week. That included 324.51 million on-demand streams and 4,500 pure albums. The album’s success was only the beginning of the revival of rap.