VIBE has compiled a list of the 50 greatest Black albums from the modern era.

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50 Greatest Black Albums Of The Modern Era

VIBE highlights 50 groundbreaking albums released between 1974 and 2024 that encapsulate the beauty of Black American music.

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50 Greatest Black Albums Of The Modern Era​

Celebrate the albums that most fully encapsulate the beauty of Black music.

By Preezy Brown
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October 1, 2024 12:30pm

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To some, Black music is limited to Hip-Hop and R&B, but history shows that our contributions extend to all genres and, more often than not, can be cited as the genesis of most (if not all) of the music we hear on the airwaves today. Black music is not in any way constrained by style, execution, or genre. Yes, we agree. We could have simply chosen 100 albums from the last 10 years. There are myriad ways to acknowledge our mastery of sound, and we are constantly recreating music in our own way.
That being said, our list’s determining factors include musical excellence and innovation, societal impact, critical acclaim, sustained resonance, and influence. Commercial success was a consideration in our assessments, but it ended up weighing lightly on our final decisions. Music is an art and a science, a wave and a way of life, more feeling than a charting. Thus, the albums that have defined the beauty of Black music over the past 50 years cannot be quantified by sheer numbers.
These 50 albums hold a special meaning and place in Black culture, whether due to their revolutionary content, groundbreaking musicality, ability to move the crowd, or historical impact. Cultural pride and creative brilliance awaits. — Preezy Brown
1

‘Mothership Connection’ — Parliament (1975)​

Photo : 2003 Island Def Jam Group
Imagine the jam band spirit of the Grateful Dead mixed with party-hearty funk from The Ohio Players spiced by a bit of James Brown’s propulsive, horn-laced grooves, and you’re close to understanding the impact of this 1975 album. Few groups moved more nimbly between the worlds of rock, funk, jazz, and R&B than George Clinton’s Parliament, and Mothership Connection was the apex of their boundary-breaking spirit – an instant classic fueled by Clinton’s trippy, sci-fi-inspired lyrics and jam band style.
JB alums Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley bought muscular horn lines that powered irresistible grooves like P-Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up) and Mothership Connection (Star Child), while bassist Bootsy Collins and keyboardist Bernie Worrell unleashed delightfully weird licks that felt like funk filtered through the craziest acid trip. The monster hit Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Of the Sucker) pulled it all together – hypnotic patter paired with a chorus that was the perfect soundtrack for the most raucous house party. This album would presage everything from Afrofuturism to Hip-Hop and rap, proving that funk could contain multitudes of pop culture influences while daring you to stay off the dance floor. — Eric Deggans
Listen: Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal

2

‘I Want You’ — Marvin Gaye (1976)​

Photo : Motown Records
An open declaration of desire, Marvin Gaye’s I Want You is one of the most sensual albums of all time. Inspired by Janis Hunter, a woman he would later marry, the musical mixture of funk, soul, rock, and gospel marked a departure from Marvin’s signature Motown sound. Gone were the duets and political commentary about climate change and war, revealing a deeply personal plea for love. In I Want You, Marvin is singularly committed to winning the affection of a disinterested lover, while the hypnotized listener, swallowed whole by his lush tenor, heard on lead and background vocals, roots for him to score.
Even the album cover, “The Sugar Shack” painting by Ernie Barnes, evoked a steamy night of R&B enveloping willing bodies. Released in 1976, I Want You reached No. 15 on the Billboard 100 Chart and hit No. 1 on the R&B Chart. The album also found a new audience with disco clubgoers who vibed to the album’s title track and “After The Dance.” Enticing and seductive, his fourteenth studio album ignored whatever else was going on in the world, making the platinum-selling I Want You somehow even more impactful. — Nefertiti Austin
Listen: Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal
3

'Songs in the Key Of Life' — Stevie Wonder (1976)​

Photo : 1976 Motown Records, a division of UMG
Songs in the Key of Life was a moment in Black history where we just knew white folks could no longer deny our musical greatness. And it was by Stevie Wonder—in the throes of his “classic period” or what some labeled as the “greatest creative run in the history of popular music”—who released the album after deciding he wouldn’t retire from music to live a life of seclusion in Ghana. Wonder’s eighteenth studio album took listeners on a ride through the history of Black music.
Wide swaths of genres, including rock, funk, soul, blues, gospel, and R&B, were transformed into avant-pop, the perfect portal for Stevie’s meditation on life as he saw it. The album’s subject matter told stories of Wonder’s childhood, heartbreak, religion, politics, existentialism, hopefulness, social justice for the poverty-stricken, and spirituality.
The album was released in September 1976 to immediate critical acclaim, reimagining what musicians could and should strive for when releasing new music. But the album is much more than a dissertation of sonic greatness. See, Songs in the Key of Life was not just the pinnacle of apt storytelling and masterful production—it was one of the world’s first Black blockbuster albums.
Wonder’s work of genius raked in four Grammy awards and with the sales to match. Songs in the Key of Life spent thirteen weeks atop Billboard 200, became the best-selling album of 1977, and has since been RIAA certified diamond. It’s one of the few great albums—Black or white albums that married album sales, critical acclaim, Grammys, and cultural cache. Iconic. Before everything was Iconic. — Marc Griffin

Listen: Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal
4

'Bad Girls' — Donna Summer (1979)​

Photo : © 1979 UMG Recordings Inc.
Donna Summer is considered the Queen of Disco for all the right reasons. Already holding the crown by the time her seventh album, Bad Girls, dropped in 1979, she solidified her reign with the provocative release. On Bad Girls, the bold beauty indulged her naughty side in a way that frightened conservative listeners while freeing her more liberated fans from the mundanity and outdated mores of everyday life in the seventies. Anthems like “Hot Stuff” and “Bad Girls” rang off everywhere from Baltimore block parties to Studio 54. Summer’s hypnotic tones put the dancefloor in a choreographed trance wherever her voice carried. While most of the album is a party, sweet tunes like “All Through the Night” also find the songstress looking for someone who can “make love to my mind,” while also promising to do right by her bae on “On My Honor.”
Beyond providing the soundtrack for a good time, the album proved particularly impactful for the LGBTQIA+ community, as her music was the soundtrack of Black and Brown gay clubs in Chicago and NYC well before she found mainstream success. And she would be carried to even higher heights by her queer fans for years, and into today, with entertainment writer Lester Fabian Brathwaite asserting that songs like “Hot Stuff” are still “monuments in queer culture, and thus, American culture.”
Bad Girls remains a favorite not only for fans but also for artists who’ve drawn influence from the late star’s boldness. The blueprint she left has been followed by everyone from Diplo and David Guetta to Dua Lipa and Beyoncé, with fellow Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland throwing her hat into the ring to play the icon in a biopic. Whether or not Rowland lands the gig, Summer deserves recognition for her stunning ’79 release, Bad Girls. — Jessica “Compton” Bennett
Listen: Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal

5

'Risque' — Chic (1979)​

Photo : © 2018, 1979 Atlantic Recording Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Largely credited for ushering disco music past disdain and into acceptance, Risqué was Chic’s third album and a soothing antidote for a tumultuous time. Founded by session musicians Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, Chic’s music would become a unique blend of uniquely different genres. The year was 1979 and the world needed a break from history-changing geopolitical events. Chided as frivolous by critics, disco music was still considered an underground fad.
Risqué would prove the critics wrong by having three hit singles, including the number one single “Good Times.” Luci Martin and Alfa Anderson provided the vocals. There was not a roller rink, arcade, or family cookout that wouldn’t have “My Feet Keep Dancing” on repeat. “A Warm Summer Night” was the go-to for the slow dance at any function. The album has been certified platinum and “Good Times” is still sampled by numerous artists in Hip-Hop and R&B more than four decades later. — Crystal Shepeard
Listen: Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal
6

'The Audience With Betty Carter' — Betty Carter (1980)​

Photo : ℗ 1986 Arista Records LLC
The Audience with Betty Carter is a vast, sweeping live album that highlights Ms. Carter’s groundbreaking voice, tenacity, and songwriting. The opening track, “Sounds (Moving On)” is twenty-five minutes of sheer vocal supremacy. Critics thought it was a little much, but history has proven them wrong. She was a visionary, a vanguard, and her greatest advocate. Carter took the reins of her career by creating her own label which is no easy feat.
The fifteen-track, double album was recorded at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. After its twenty-five-minute opening, she slows it down for the next song, “I Think I Got It Now,” which introduces her sharp wit and shows off her audience connection. Her cover of “My Favorite Things” is unique in that it makes you want to get to the dance floor rather than go frolicking through the Alps. Plus, her sense of humor shines through on “Fake.” The Audience with Betty Carter is a history lesson, a master class, and a journey worth taking again and again. — Crystal Shepeard
Listen: Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal
7

‘Thriller’ — Michael Jackson (1982)​

Photo : 1982 MJJ Productions
Michael Jackson stood on business when he sang “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin,’” the opening jam on Thriller. Released on November 30, 1982, the seminal LP defined a new era in music. It became a paragon to future protégés and key to Michael Jackson’s crossover success as the King of Pop.
An incredible fusion of pop, soul, R&B, and funk spawned seven top-10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 including two No. 1s: “Beat It” and “Billie Jean.” The latter made history as the first video by an African-American artist to air on MTV. The opus pioneered music video culture and caused a remarkable spike in record sales at a time when the industry faced a widespread slump. Thriller’s popularity transcended racial barriers proving music from Black artists deserved recognition and respect from mainstream outlets, critics, and record execs. It also captured fans worldwide from multiple generations.

Keen production wrapped around soulful harmonies on songs like “Baby Be Mine,” “Human Nature,” and the vibrant “P.Y.T.” The album’s title track, which is synonymous with Halloween, led to eight Grammy award wins; it has been certified as 34X platinum and sold an estimated 70 million copies worldwide with $100 million in sales, making it the world’s best-selling album of all time. — Raquelle Harris
Listen: Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal

8

‘Private Dancer’ — Tina Turner (1984)​

Photo : 1984 Parlophone Records
It’s tough to imagine now, for a woman twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with more than 100 million records sold over her career. But Private Dancer’s mix of European-influenced dance-pop and soul vocalisms saved Tina Turner’s career from casino stages and the oldies circuit in 1984 after she left her abusive former husband Ike Turner. Synth-spiced reworkings of R&B classics like I Can’t Stand the Rain and Let’s Stay Together reminded fans not only of her legacy but of her vocal power, while the sultry Private Dancer and in-your-face pop of Better Be Good to Me established Turner as a modern bridge between old school soul and slick, ‘80s hits.

A range of producers and songwriters – including David Bowie, Mark Knopfler, Joe Sample, and Heaven 17’s Martyn Ware – pitched in to help Turner prove she was more than an exciting prop for her ex-bandleader/spouse. But it was the anthem What’s Love Got to Do With It that forged her identity as a proud survivor whose story inspired millions and fueled a number-one hit, melding gutsy vocals with ear candy from producer/songwriter Terry Britten to confirm Turner’s status as the undisputed Queen of Rock and Soul. — Eric Deggans
Listen: Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal
9

‘Purple Rain’ — Prince And The Revolution (1984)​

Photo : 1984 NPG Records
Prince‘s footprint within the R&B/pop world was already well outlined when he created the audio-visual vehicle that would carry him into immortality. Purple Rain was his magnum opus, the soundtrack to the semi-autobiographical 1984 film that gave the world a window into his Minneapolis roots and unique character. Regarded as strictly a Black artist, Prince proved more sophisticated and stylistically diverse on Purple Rain than his previous solo albums, thanks to the input of The Revolution.
The album served as both a redemption tale and a showcase of its creator’s prodigious talents, with nods to funk, pop, rock, soul, and electronica. Though the album’s drum machines and synths are distinctly ‘80s, Prince’s vocal virtuosity, inspired guitar licks, innovative instrumentation, and lyrics examining loss, lust, regret, and hope make this a groundbreaking and unforgettable classic. Number one pop singles included “Let’s Go Crazy,” an organ-soaked sermon that morphs into an electronic free-for-all, and the no-bass funk of “When Doves Cry,” a marvel of rhythm and poetry.
The climactic title track – a soulful apology – elevates what is essentially a country tune into something brilliantly profound. Critically hailed, Purple Rain became Prince’s first No. 1 album on the Billboard Top 200 chart and earned him an Academy Award. — Janine Coveney
Listen: Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal
10

'Diamond Life' — Sade (1984)​

Photo : 1984 Sony
Before the band of four released their debut studio album, Diamond Life, the London-based musicians took on the name from their coolly gorgeous lead singer, Nigerian-born Sade Adu.
Enticing listeners with a smooth but intoxicating brew that blended jazz, soul, funk, and rhythms from the African diaspora into a sophisticated global sound, Diamond Life is easily one of the most commercially successful albums (over eight million sold worldwide) from one of the first architects of what would later be called neo-soul movement in music. The group can also lay claim to being forefathers of the acid jazz genre (with two of its original members splitting off on a side project to form the band Sweetback).
Many listeners of Sade’s Diamond Life, who initially swore they hated jazz, converted instantly after first spins of songs like “Your Love is King” or “Smooth Operator.” Yet, it actually isn’t a jazz album, though one can be forgiven for thinking so since complex syncopation and improvisation elements of the genre permeate every song.
In addition to various jazz musicians, the band’s members have listed Curtis Mayfield, Donny Hathaway, saxophonist Junior Walker, guitarist/singer Ernie Isley, and various African musicians as musical influences making this sound firmly R&B and afrobeats as well.
Sade released five more studio albums after Diamond Life. Combined, they’ve sold more than 60 million copies worldwide. —Demetrius Patterson
Listen: Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal

11

'Rapture' — Anita Baker (1986)​

Photo : 1986 Elektra Records
Fans of R&B singer Anita Baker couldn’t get enough of her 1986 breakout second album, Rapture. The eight-song release featured a mix of love songs that demonstrated the power and profitability of R&B music and cemented Baker’s place as the decade’s reigning female vocalist.
The cover featured the sultry songstress in a black slip dress, with eyes closed and that iconic pixie haircut. The 1986 Elektra Records release included the ballads, “You Bring Me Joy” and “Sweet Love.” “Joy”—written by David Lasley and originally recorded by Norman Connors (with vocals by Adaritha)—was a B-side single for his Take It to the Limit album. Baker made the cover her own from the breezy opening line, “…you bring me joy when I’m down.” Both songs were in heavy rotation on Black radio’s Quiet Storm and Top 40 formats. As rap music emerged, the Urban Adult Contemporary format distinguished itself by playing smooth, relaxing tunes by Black artists from a variety of decades. Marketed to ages 35-54, the format was profitable, with crossover white and Latino listeners.
Rapture peaked at #11 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling over eight million copies worldwide. At five times platinum, it remains the best-selling album of Baker’s career, earning two 1987 Grammy Awards: Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female and Best Rhythm & Blues Song for “Sweet Love.” At the height of her career, the three-octave vocalist won eight Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. — Sherri McGee McCovey
Listen: Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal |
12

'Raising Hell' — Run D.M.C. (1986)​

Photo : ℗ 1986 Arista Records LLC
Raising Hell is arguably the most influential album in the history of Hip-Hop. Few musical groups transcend generations like the genre’s legendary pioneers Run D.M.C., and even fewer shatter mindsets or receive critically acclaimed reviews nationwide. Yet that is exactly what producer Russel Simmons and Rick Rubin did with their third studio album Raising Hell. Together with Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell, the Hollis Queens, New York gang unhinged a list of firsts paving the way for generations of future artists.
Released in the spring of 1986, Raising Hell, exalted the Black voice and musical genius of Hip-Hop to mainstream heights. Further solidifying our musical influence and uncanny ability to meld sounds, rhythms, and artistry, its innovative fusion of rap with rock elements transformed how people viewed Hip-Hop. Along with hits like “Walk This Way” with Aerosmith and “My Adidas,” Run-D.M.C. made Hip-Hop a genre to contend with. Their new sound of raw storytelling was, indeed, a clarion call that our music was here to stay.
Raising Hell’s versatility and broad appeal put the album at the top of several charts, selling more than three million copies worldwide. Notably, it was the first Hip-Hop album to go multi-platinum, the first rap album to hit number one on the R&B charts, peak at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, and climb to a top 5 spot on the Billboard 100 chart. Although they didn’t win, they were the first Hip-Hop group to be nominated for a Grammy in 1987, further solidifying the start of Hip-Hop’s golden era. From winning the Soul Train Music Awards’ Best Rap Album category that same year to their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2009, there is no denying this album’s cultural and historical significance. — Ashley Foster
Listen: Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal
13

'Straight Outta Compton' — N.W.A. (1988)​

Photo : Ruthless Records
Incendiary and addictive, hip-shaking and fiercely political, N.W.A.’s 1988 studio debut Straight Outta Compton rocked the music world to its core. Announcing, “You are about to witness the strength of street knowledge,” it exceeded its own hype, rocketing the Compton crew to superstardom and an elite pantheon of groups that defined a genre. When rap was still dominated by the East Coast, the Compton California MCs – Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, MC Ren, DJ Yella, and the late Eazy-E – were disruptors. Love or hate the label, the record’s success helped take so-called “gangsta rap” mainstream.
The wild ride began with the July release of the lead single of the same title. But “F**k the Police” cemented their place in history. More than an anthem, it was and remains a rousing protest— a rallying cry and the soundtrack to a movement against police violence. Today, the album is in the Recording Academy’s GRAMMY Hall of Fame and N.W.A appears on every list of definitive groups including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2016). Beyond the accolades, Straight Outta Compton was also the album that made many love Hip-Hop. It was the tape that teens of every skin color played nonstop in the summer of 1988 when parents were out of earshot. Decades later, we’re still lovestruck, still pumped with every listen. — Carole V. Bell
Listen: Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal

14

‘All Hail The Queen’ — Queen Latifah (1989)​

Photo : ℗ 2004 Tommy Boy Music, LLC
Queen Latifah‘s All Hail the Queen is thee debut album that solidified her status as a trailblazing femcee in Black music and Hip-Hop culture. Released in 1989, the LP showcased the New Jersey icon’s lyrical ability, commanding presence, and unapologetic confidence as a Black woman. All Hail the Queen is both thought-provoking and celebratory, as it highlights themes of female empowerment, self-respect, and social justice. Not only did it cement Latifah’s place as a rapper’s rapper in Hip-Hop, but it also paved the way for future generations of women like Rapsody, Tierra Whack, Missy Elliott, Lil Kim, and others.
Stapling tracks from the project include the feminist anthem “Ladies First” featuring Monie Love, which is one of its most iconic songs known for its positive messaging about women and banding together. “Wrath of My Madness” is another standout bringing the high energy that helped catapult Latifah’s identity in Hip-Hop as a socially conscious rapper. Additionally, “Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children,” featuring De La Soul, advocated for the Black family and the Black community.
The debut received critical acclaim upon its release. It not only celebrated Black culture and identity but also challenged stereotypes that many women rappers received for trying to enter a male-dominated genre. It demonstrated Queen Latifah’s capabilities to blend elements of Hip-Hop, R&B, and dance music and showed that she could chart.
All Hail The Queen’s importance lies in its contribution to the diversification and empowerment of women’s voices, as well as its influence on generations of Hip-Hop artists. While the LP may not have received major mainstream awards, its impact on the culture and its representation of women will always be widely recognized and celebrated. Just last year, the album was selected for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” — Amber Corrine
Listen: Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal
15

'Rhythm Nation 1814' — Janet Jackson (1989)​

Photo : © 1989 A&M Records
If 1986’s Control was Janet Jackson’s coming-of-age album, then her 1990 record-breaking set Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 was the singer’s proof of social consciousness. Showing herself as more than a sweetheart, Jackson used her light-as-a-feather vocals to tackle heavy topics, from homelessness and hunger to racial inequality, substance abuse, and beyond.
The album puts Jackson front and center—a pony-tailed general, leading her unisex squadron as they pledge allegiance to their vision of a better world through songs and interludes. The fearless Jackson’s contemporaries had to have been shaking in their boots. Sure, Whitney Houston and Madonna were stars, but somewhere between the edginess of Jackson’s look, the concept of her album, and the coolness of it all–this was Janet’s moment, and undeniably so.
The single “Rhythm Nation” captures it all–a perfect synergy of planetary peace anthem plus pop star polish. As she charged through genres, Jackson kept a foot in at least one of those worlds, if not both. She produced her fourth studio album, alongside longtime collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Guitar strings growl on “Black Cat,” and new jack swing takes over on “Love Will Never Do (Without You).” Jackson is poised in pop dreamgirl fashion on “Miss You Much” and “Escapade.” And along with singles “Rhythm Nation,” “Alright,” and “Come Back to Me,” all seven songs found their way into coveted high spots on Billboard’s charts.
That said, Rhythm Nation 1814 was big and took the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart in 1990. From a massive tour to unforgettable choreography, the album helped catapult Jackson to icon status as a dancer, an entertainer, and a star who would use her voice and distinguish herself from being her brothers’ adorable little sister. — Melanie J. Sims
Listen: Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal
16

‘Fear Of A Black Planet’ — Public Enemy (1990)​

Photo : Def Jam
With its third studio album, Public Enemy went all in against racism and discrimination, producing arguably their best and most cohesive body of work as well as one of the greatest albums of all time. Delivering on the promise of the number one single “Fight the Power” from the now Spike Lee classic Do The Right Thing, Fear of a Black Planet remains a complete musical and political assault more than 30 years since its 1990 release.
The Bomb Squad (Hank Shocklee, his brother Keith Shocklee, Chuck D, Eric “Vietnam” Sadler, Gary G-Wiz, and Bill Stephney) puts on a masterclass of its signature collaging and song layering here. The 15 detectable samples and soundbites of “Brothers Gonna Work It Out,” an updated flip to Willie Hutch’s 1973 song from The Mack soundtrack, for instance, morph into a cultural time capsule of nostalgia and immediacy that’s also innovative and futuristic.
Thematically, its many songs, especially “911 Is a Joke,” “Burn Hollywood Burn,” “Who Stole the Soul,” and “Brothers Gonna Work It Out,” explore and expose the subpar medical care Black communities receive, stereotypical depictions in film and TV, cultural appropriation, police violence, and the need for Black unity, feeling as timely as ever. — Ronda Racha Penrice
Listen: Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal

17

'The Chronic' — Dr. Dre (1992)​

Photo : ℗ 2023 ARY, Inc., under exclusive license to Interscope Records
Dr. Dre’s solo debut The Chronic is a frequent inclusion on ‘Greatest Rap Albums’ lists, and for good reason. The album came after a tumultuous time within NWA, with Dre exiting the group leaving many fans unsure of his future within Hip-Hop. After all, how could a beatmaker find solo success after splitting from one of the most successful acts the genre had ever seen?
With The Chronic, however, Dre completely hushed the naysayers who’d labeled him as nothing more than a boardsman and solidified himself as one of the greatest composers in Hip-Hop. While influenced by East Coast producers who loved sampling jazz and traditional soul records, Dr. Dre used his love of funk to craft his own sound, G-Funk, with samples from the likes of George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic and other staples of the sub-genre. This spawned an entire movement that traveled up and down the coast, giving California Hip-Hop a newly polished, more refined, cohesive, and signature sound that eventually spread beyond the Golden State and around the world.
Thanks to Dre’s influential techniques picked up by those studying at his feet, the album also paved the way for many up-and-coming artists who went on to become icons themselves, especially Snoop Doggy Dogg -– as he was once known –- who appeared on 11 of the album’s 16 tracks. Daz Dillinger, Kurupt, Nate Dogg, Warren G, and The Lady of Rage also became stars, proving the album to be a liaison between the masses and some of Hip-Hop’s most legendary artists.
Thematically, The Chronic is not a flawless work, as its undercurrent of misogyny reflects the state of Hip-Hop at the time and Dre’s own shameful history of abusing women, for which he’s since apologized. What it did do perfectly, however, was chronicle the experience of Black inner-city youth, particularly, but not exclusively, in Los Angeles. The “Lil Ghetto Boy” would never need to feel alone again. “The Day The Ni**az Took Over” spoke to those who witnessed the 1992 LA Riots. And, of course, there are the singles, “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang,” “F**k With Dre Day,” and “Let Me Ride,” which earned the Compton King his first Grammy in 1994 for Best Rap Solo Performance.
A complex, brash, and brilliant work, The Chronic remains one of the best Hip-Hop albums of all time. Unafraid to examine the poor Black urban experience warts and all, there is a beauty in its raw honesty that allows the listener to come to grips with realities that are often denied, which, if you ask us, is a beautiful thing. — Jessica “Compton” Bennett
Listen: Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal
18

‘Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)’ — Wu-Tang Clan (1993)​

Photo : 1993 Sony Music Entertainment
The phrase “strength comes in numbers” is an oft-used cliche when a group of gifted individuals band together. In the case of the Wu-Tang Clan, that saying is simply true and emblematic of the legacy they’ve built over three decades and counting, and it can be traced back to the crew’s debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).
Released in November 1993, Enter the Wu-Tang arrived at a time when East Coast Hip-Hop was in the midst of an identity crisis, with the nine-member collective effectively restoring the sound’s emphasis on grimy beats, gritty raps, and hometown pride. Comprised of emcees RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa, the Wu’s all-hands-on-deck mentality is evident throughout the proceedings, beginning with “Bring Da Ruckus,” a salvo that clearly lays out their intent to create a paradigm shift while putting Staten Island on the map.
Heavily inspired by classic Kung-Fu flicks like Shaolin and Wu Tang, Enter the Wu-Tang plays as a series of iron duels, with each artist utilizing the style and sound unique to them. Ol’ DIrty Bastard’s zany persona looms larger than life on “Shame on a Ni**a,” Raekwon and Ghostface Killah’s crime epics take form on “Can It Be All So Simple,” and Method Man’s charismatic delivery and wordplay are evident on his eponymous solo track. Contributions from Inspectah Deck (“C.R.E.A.M.”), GZA (” Clan in da Front”), and U-God and Masta Killah (“Da Mystery of Chessboxin'”) prove indispensable, with Enter the Wu-Tang providing listeners a smorgasbord of rhymes while introducing music lovers to a dynastic juggernaut unlike no other. — Preezy Brown
Listen: Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal
19

'Midnight Marauders' — A Tribe Called Quest (1993)​

Photo : 1993 Zomba Recording LLC

A Tribe Called Quest‘s third album was instantly hailed as a sonic and cultural masterpiece. Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and Jarobi White issued their follow-up to 1990’s critically acclaimed People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm and 1991’s The Low End Theory with 1993’s Midnight Marauders. For this record, the group fused various Black American genres, such as jazz, soul, and R&B, into Hip-Hop with layers and layers of complex sampling.
In fact, it’s here where Q-Tip would debut his signature jazz chord and vocal chopping technique on the LP, which helped pave the way and inspire future geniuses like Kanye West, Pharrell, and even J Dilla. The record is the crown jewel of the legendary Native Tongues movement, which helped usher in what many considered to be the ’90s “second golden age,” where rappers fused the rugged sensibilities of the time with a Black classicism, per music historian Tony Green.
Midnight Marauders is full of celebratory samples referencing past Black heroes, subject matter that explored the Black state of being, all tied together through drum machines, record scratches, and callbacks to Hip-Hop’s “first golden era.” The result is a love letter to the likes of Minnie Ripperton, Milt Jackson, Ronnie Foster, and more, narrated by Jive Records’ Laurel Dann—who serves as the perfect guide for your tour into this heart of Afrocentricism. — Marc Griffin

Listen: Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal

20

‘Diary Of A Mad Band’ — Jodeci (1993)​

Photo : Uptown Records
Back in the day, the two pairs of Charlotte, North Carolina-based brothers known as Jodeci were the roughneck, leather-and-combat-boot-rocking yin to dapper, Philly nice guys Boyz II Men’s yang. After strongly hitting the R&B scene with Forever My Lady (co-produced by Al B. Sure!) in 1991, the follow-up Diary of a Mad Band solidified their status as the bad-boy band of color two years later. Lead singers/siblings K-Ci & JoJo brought church-bred vocals that were nasty and angelic, while background vocalists/resident producers DeVante Swing and Mr. Dalvin (aka the other bros) created a scratchy, spaced-out, synth-heavy sound.
Diary is basically a 66-minute seduction: the boys start off all vulnerable and sensitive (“Cry for You,” “Feenin’”), then they slide into smooth-talking slow jams (“Ride & Slide, “Alone”) before filling the rest of the album with sexually aggressive club thumpers (“You Got It,” “In the Meanwhile”). A few of these thumpers feature debut appearances from future superstar producers/rappers Timbaland and Missy Elliott, who were Swing’s protégés at the time. Diary of a Mad Band is Jodeci at their badass best, full of bold, Black bops that put Boyz’s crossover ballads to shame. — Craig D. Lindsey
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21

‘My Life’ — Mary J. Blige (1994)​

Photo : © 1994 MCA Records Inc.
Mary J. Blige‘s album My Life is a highly influential work in Black music that resonates deeply with listeners of all genders due to its raw emotion, poignant lyrics, and soulful sound. Released in 1994, MJB’s sophomore LP gave a soul-baring journey through personal struggles and triumphs, love and relationships, good and bad. Blige’s powerful voice showcased an exploration of resilience and self-empowerment while speaking to the experiences familiar to most women in the Black community.
The New York native’s beautifully raspy vocals and heartfelt delivery — coupled with masterful production from producers like Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs, Chucky Thompson, Herb Middleton, and more — all came together to create a sonic masterpiece. Blige’s candid lyrics gave listeners solace and strength, turning her into a voice of healing for her fans and musical peers. My Life highlighted Mary’s ability to channel personal struggles into musical works of vulnerability and art that still transcends boundaries— and started her reign as the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul.
On the album, standout singles like “Be Happy,” offer an uplifting message as MJB sings about finally finding peace within herself. “I’m Goin’ Down”—a cover of Rose Royce’s 1977 classic—is a soulful bop that captures the pain of heartbreak and is still one of the album’s most popular singles. Its titular track is a deeply brooding song where the 53-year-old reflects on her struggles and journey toward self-acceptance and healing. “You Bring Me Joy” is an appreciation of the positive influences in her life, whereas, “Mary Jane (All Night Long)” gave listeners a smooth and seductive track that also served as a club hit and yet another classic in her vast discography.
My Life debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 chart and went on to become certified triple-Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It also sold over 3 million copies in the United States, leaving an undeniable mark on R&B, Hip-Hop, and beyond. — Amber Corrine
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22

‘Illmatic’ — Nas (1994)​

Photo : Columbia
Hip-Hop, like many other fields in the arts & letters, holds a heightened amount of reverence for prodigious phenoms. The genre’s generational talents are expected to not only showcase the breadth of their brilliance but also to praise the giants whose shoulders they stood on and raise the bar for those following in their footsteps. Released during the spring of 1994, Illmatic presented a poetic and sweeping glimpse into life in the Queensbridge housing projects, as well as the innermost thoughts of one of its native sons. At the time, Nas‘ rhyme technique (considered ahead of its time and an extension of the template previously set by Rakim,) was on full display throughout the album’s nine tracks, beginning with the brooding opener “N.Y. State of Mind.”
Conjuring images of pissy project stairwells and the sense of danger lurking around every corner, Nas’ realism in his depiction of the five boroughs and the mentality the poverty there fostered made the track NYC’s quintessential anthem. A constant theme throughout Illmatic is the fragility of life and the illusion of freedom, which is examined through classic salvos “The World Is Yours,” “Memory Lane (Sittin’ in da Park),” “One Love,” and the album’s lone collaboration, “Life’s a Bi**h” featuring AZ.
Yet beyond his acknowledgments of crime and economic despair, Nas’ hope for the future and resilient stoicism in the face of adversity resonated with listeners of all generations and backgrounds. Illmatic is regularly touted as one of the definitive bodies of work in the history of Black music and a masterclass in emceeing. — Preezy Brown
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‘CrazySexyCool’ — TLC (1994)​

Photo : LaFace/Arista Records
The trio formed by T-Boz, Left Eye, and Chili in Atlanta in 1990 perfectly blended R&B and Hip-Hop, with the moment. While their debut album Ooooooohhh… On The TLC Tip laid the foundation for the girl group’s success, CrazySexyCool defined them as young women and artists. Providing the soundtrack for a generation’s coming-of-age, the album freely and audaciously explores the topics that can make early adulthood so fraught: sexuality, friendship, independence, ambition, and the pursuit (or not) of love. It balances confidence and talent with the vulnerability and rawness of three twentysomethings living life, love, fame, fortune, and everything in between.
Their sophomore effort, which became the first album by a girl group to be certified diamond by the RIAA, was, itself, not created without growing pains. As the group evolved and its members grew and changed, personal issues plagued their creative process, with Left Eye recording her contributions on day releases from an alcohol rehab center following felony arson charges for the infamous burning of then-boyfriend Andre Rison’s property.
Still, the women’s passion, talent, and hard work prevailed, and the collective efforts of Babyface, Jermaine Dupri, Dallas Austin, Organized Noize, and more resulted in the career-defining moment and global superstardom. Significant tracks include the two No. 1 records “Creep” and “Waterfalls” as well as the chart-topping singles “Red Light Special,” and “Diggin’ On You.” Additionally, CrazySexyCool was nominated for six Grammy Awards at the 1996 Grammy Awards.
On CrazySexyCool, it’s clear why TLC is the best-selling female band in US history —through 16 tracks, the album exemplifies the group’s talent, uncovers the truth, and makes their raw reality relatable to fans worldwide.
In a 2019 interview with BBC, Chili explained the album as “our version of “I’m Every Woman,” continuing, “Every woman has a crazy or a sexy or a cool side. You can be all three, but one is definitely more prominent than the other,” In T-Boz’s raspy tone and unwavering confidence, Chilli’s sultry, personable ease, and Left Eye’s raw, innovative creativity, all crazy, sexy, and cool united to present sound in its sweetest but still most complex nature—providing space for listeners to rediscover themselves on every listen. — DeMicia Inman
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‘Brown Sugar’ — D’Angelo (1995)​

Photo : Virgin Records
D’Angelo and his album Brown Sugar are the literal reason the term neo-soul even exists. In the early nineties, when Hip-Hop and R&B were in a happier sonic marriage as seen in Mary J. Blige’s My Life and TLC’s CrazySexyCool, Afrocentrism merged with the soul of the ‘70s to forge another new wave.
Former Motown executive Kedar Massenburg managed D’Angelo at the time, signed Erykah Badu, and coined the phrase “neo-soul” in an attempt to distinguish his sound from other, lesser creative efforts. Neo-soul shone in acts like Badu, Jill Scott, and Musiq Soulchild, but its defining characteristics were formed on D’Angelo 1995 debut.
In a Rolling Stone review of the crooner’s first album, writer Cheo H. Coker wrote, “Brown Sugar is a reminder of where R&B has been and, if the genre is to resurrect its creative relevance like a phoenix rising from the ashes, where it needs to go.”
With Brown Sugar, we got a brilliantly reimagined version of Smokey Robinson’s “Cruisin’” (that’s arguably better than the 1979 original), the sultry personification of marijuana as brown sugar, and the beautiful nature of “Lady.” The LP also slipped into pop culture with “S**t, Damn, Motherf**ker” becoming an essential track in the cult classic film, The Best Man. It may not have topped any charts and wasn’t a massive commercial success, but Brown Sugar stood out when a lot of R&B sounded the same. Eventually, D’Angelo’s bold move paid off and birthed a new sound. — Mya Abraham
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‘Waiting To Exhale’ — Various Artists (1995)​

Photo : Arista Records
The Bodyguard soundtrack may be the best-selling soundtrack of all time, but Waiting To Exhale set a new standard by revamping the movie soundtrack’s statement as a masterclass in R&B expounding on the film’s themes.
It landed in the middle of Whitney Houston’s glorious cinematic triumvirate (1992-1996). Sandwiched between The Bodyguard and The Preacher’s Wife, Houston initially had no intention of doing the soundtrack for the Forest Whitaker-directed film Waiting To Exhale. She initially turned down requests from him and Babyface, who wrote and produced the album, and ultimately agreed under one condition: Babyface create a soundtrack using only Black female singers. The resulting LP featured legendary acts like Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, and Patti LaBelle with blossoming artists like TLC, Toni Braxton, Mary J. Blige, and Brandy.
The 11-time Grammy-nominated album topped the Billboard 200 for five weeks and was No. 1 on the Top R&B Albums chart for 10 weeks. Houston’s Grammy-winning ballad, “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” and Braxton’s “Let It Flow” topped the Hot 100. Brandy’s “Sittin’ Up in My Room,” Blige’s “Not Gon’ Cry” and Houston’s duet with CeCe Winans “Count on Me” also became top 10 hits. It also made history as the first film soundtrack to produce three simultaneous top 10 hits in Billboard charting history.
Babyface wrote and produced each record on the LP, making iit feel more like a classic R&B album as opposed to just a collection of songs used in a film. It’d later serve as the blueprint for future soundtracks of similar caliber— see Kendrick Lamar and Sounwave’s Black Panther soundtrack for reference. Over 25 years later, Face used the Waiting To Exhale soundtrack formula for his comeback album, 2022’s Girls Night Out. We all know that using one’s own genius as inspiration for more is a flex many do not possess. — Mya Abraham
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‘All Eyez On Me’ — 2Pac (1996)​

Photo : © 1996 Amaru Entertainment, Inc., Interscope Records
Like pressure, adversity, if applied correctly, also has the potential to cultivate the rarest of gems. After being subjected to five bullet wounds, a criminal conviction, and perceived abandonment by former associates in the industry and beyond, 2Pac took those experiences and shaped them into his magnum opus, All Eyez on Me. Released mere months after posting a prison bond and signing with Death Row Records, All Eyez on Me showed that Pac was not only a riveting orator at the peak of his powers but also an artist comfortably at the center of a cultural vortex, even while expressing his defiance and disdain in its face.
Rhyming with an unbridled fury after months of being pent up in a prison cell, Shakur unleashed with full force on “Ambitionz az a Ridah,” “Heartz of Men,” “Can’t C Me,” and “Holla at Me,” taking aim at his detractors and professing his standing as Hip-Hop’s man of the moment. Revered for his insight and introspect, Pac’s vitriol and bombast are tempered on “Life Goes On,” “I Ain’t Mad at Cha,” and “Shorty Wanna Be a Thug,” which examines the heaviest of topics such as death, evolution, and the ill effects of the gangster ethos and lifestyle. Bonafide hits like “California Love” and “How Do U Want It” are countered by essential deep cuts like “Picture Me Rollin,'” “Check Out Time,” and the album’s title track. In its totality, All Eyez on Me presents the essence of 2Pac. It was a bittersweet reality given the tragic events some believe it foreshadowed. — Preezy Brown
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'The Score' — Fugees (1996)​

Photo : Columbia Records
The Score by the Fugees is more than an album. It is a spiritual movement that captivated the music industry well beyond the confines of Hip-Hop culture. Disrupting the prevailing dominance of gangsta rap, The Score offered a profound blend of socially conscious lyricism and spiritual musings. The sophomore album for the New Jersey trio, Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, and Pras Micheal debuted on February 13, 1996. The outlaw fantasies of a refugee were never so eloquently juxtaposed with hard-core rap, soul-stirring melodies, and political messages infused by Jean, the group’s musical mastermind.
Dubbed the “Booga Basement” studio, the three MCs perfected their lyrical prowess after a lackluster debut album in 1994, Blunted Reality. This time, the headlining, soulful songstress Lauryn Hill seduced the world with her deep-rooted vocals and raw storytelling. Topping off the mainstream invasion was the third member, Pras Micheal, who was instrumental in getting the group off the ground.
The Score produced several hits that dominated the charts, including “Fu-Gee-La,” “Ready or Not,” “No Woman, No Cry,” and their unique take on Roberta Flack’s cover, “Killing Me Softly.” The album’s success was ground-breaking, selling an estimated 22 million copies worldwide and earning multiple accolades. It won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and was nominated for Album of the Year at the 39th Grammy Awards. Additionally, it topped the US Billboard 200 chart and was later ranked 134 on Rolling Stone‘s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” list in 2001.
Beyond question, the impact of The Score extends far beyond its commercial success. Despite the disbandment of the group and each member’s pursuit of solo careers, The Score is a bona-fide classic that has left a lasting impression on the genre. — Ashley Foster
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'Hard Core' — Lil' Kim (1996)​

Photo : ℗ 1996 Atlantic Recording Corp. Marketed by Rhino Entertainment Company, a Warner Music Group Company.
Lil’ Kim is the most influential female rapper to ever touch a mic.
Whether or not you’ve personally picked up what she’s put down in Hip-Hop over the last three decades, the Brooklyn icon’s work is, without doubt, and by far, the most imitated by rappers of the fairer sex. And Hard Core, her debut solo album, is the epitome of what the bombshell would come to represent: a grown-a** woman moving with confidence and embracing her sexuality in a way once only found in the raunchiest of male Hip-Hop acts at the time.
Refusing to let the 2 Live Crews of the world have all the fun, Kim—with guidance from The Notorious B.I.G.—carved out her own lane as a lyricist unafraid to embrace the beast with two backs on wax. Following in the footsteps of provocative divas like Millie Jackson, Betty Davis, and Donna Summer, Kim added a Hip-Hop flare to the formula that made way for any number of girls now waxing poetic about the undeniable power of the pu**y, both in and out of the bedroom.
Not only was the album influential musically but Kim’s aesthetic during this era has also been heavily replicated. From her colorful wigs to the furs to that famous Hard Core spread-eagle promo shot, the girls simply couldn’t resist embracing her bad bi**h aesthetic while the men fawned over the designer-clad MC who refused to dim her shine for anyone.
Features from fellow Brooklynites like Jay-Z and her fellow Junior Mafia members ensured the album was New York through and through, even as records like “Queen Bitch,” “Crush on You,” and “No Time” became undeniable earworms across the country, and eventually the globe. Beyond sex talk, Kim also hit us with melodies, mafioso bars, clever punchlines, and a delivery so potent that it might have been smuggled from Colombia. In other words, while selling sex within her music helped shape her reputation, she was skilled beyond simply being a vixen on wax, even if her more sensual side is what drew in the masses.
With Hard Core, Lil’ Kim gave the women of Hip-Hop culture room to dress how they want, write what they want, and f**k who they want without fear of being slut-shamed. Kim took those hits way back when so the women of today can twerk in peace. Not that they care, because who has time for fake ni**as who talk sh*t while we countin’ up bank figures anyway? — Jessica “Compton” Bennett
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[DC_Dude]

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‘Baduizm’ — Erykah Badu (1997)​

Photo : ℗ 1997 Universal Records Inc.
Erykah Badu so perfectly blended elements of jazz, Hip-Hop, and R&B on her self-produced Baduizm, the album that served as a mirror of both self and society. Released in 1997, her debut album instantly became foundational to the neo-soul movement, a subgenre coined by Motown’s Kedar Massenburg. With Baduizm, Badu made the definition of the litigious term super-clear: soulful nuanced storytelling, liberal spiritual motifs, and proudly intentional Afrocentric aesthetics. The Dallas-born musician initiated a movement with a distinct style and sound.
Opening and closing 4th album with the “boom. Clack. Boom. Clack.” of “Rim Shot,” Baduizm highlights the Dallas-born musician’s passion for music and her ability to match her poignant, colorful lyrics with the perfect horn, string, and percussion-work. The entire album is a sit-down, straight-through listen with no skips necessary. A 58-minute trip into the mind of Badu is an eye-opener for anyone. Listen closely for life lessons, hopeful manifestations, and declarations of independence.
Standout tracks include the singles “On & On,” “Next Lifetime,” “Otherside of the Game,” and “Appletree.” Additionally, Baduizm won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for “On & On” at the 40th Grammy Awards, where she was also nominated for Best New Artist.
Baduizm would also serve as the blueprint for several neo-soul albums, including works from Jill Scott, Lauryn Hill, India Arie, Common, and The Roots. “I was always a little ahead of my time, as they say,” recalled Badu in a 2017 interview with Billboard. “So I’d have to wait for people to catch up.” — DeMicia Inman
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'Life After Death' — The Notorious B.I.G. (1997)​

Photo : 1997 Bad Boy Records, LLC.
Life After Death was The Notorious B.I.G.’s second studio album. We reiterate that point because it’s crazy to consider that someone could be so sharp and refined at rapping and music-making by their second effort. The 1997 LP, released just sixteen days after the Brooklyn rapper was murdered, produced records that are the blueprint for Hip-Hop that gets played regularly to this day. It almost feels like calling songs like “Hypnotize,” “What’s Beef?,” “Mo Money Mo Problems,” “Ten Crack Commandments,” and “Sky’s The Limit” classics doesn’t do them enough justice. It certainly doesn’t even begin to touch on what feelings they continue to evoke from listeners. To this day, people rap, sing, dance, and reflect on what was and what could have been if Biggie wasn’t taken from the world so soon, and they always will.
When one considers the best flows and cadences in rap, The Notorious B.I.G is near the top of the list and many people try to recreate it. Hov paid homage to “What’s Beef?” on Meek Mill’s 2018 track “What’s Free?” with Rick Ross and did the best Big Poppa impersonation; he would likely say himself that, despite how good it was, it pales in comparison to the original. Biggie rapped alongside R&B singers like 112 and Carl Thomas, wordsmiths like The LOX and Mase, and hitmakers like D.M.C and Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony with ease. It is almost eerie that he considers his mortality so often on an album titled Life After Death, especially because he died soon after its release. However, this album is the ideal representation of the phrase, “The flesh is not eternal, but your deeds are.” And what a deed these 25 songs were. — Armon Sadler
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'God's Property' — Kirk Franklin’s Nu Nation (1997)​

Photo : Interscope
Traditional gospel music (of the choir-belting variety) has always been described as uplifting, inspirational, and faith-centered; right up until the end of the 1990s, “fun” had never made the cut. But that all changed when the groundbreaking God’s Property from Kirk Franklin‘s Nu Nation dropped in 1997. The ultimate genre-blending album, God’s Property blended infectious funk, R&B, and Hip-Hop beats, introducing a refreshing twist to the music category. Crowned the “King of Urban Gospel,” Franklin’s songwriting, musical direction, energy, and punchy ad-libs, revolutionized the genre by taking the choir out of the church and into the streets. In turn, the album opened up a whole new audience to gospel music, and church kids the world over were all too happy to show non-Christians that they, too, knew how to cut a rug.
The remix of lead single, “Stomp” (for which Franklin says Christians “crucified” him) featured a dose of Funkadelic, courtesy of a “One Nation Under A Groove” sample. “Stomp” propelled the album to number three on the Billboard 200 and the number one spot on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for five consecutive weeks, an unprecedented feat for a gospel album. Another first? “Stomp’s” heavy rotation on MTV. The accompanying music video saw Kirk Franklin and GP swap traditional choir robes for baggy jeans and football jerseys, a Soul Train Line, and even headbanging (a move which at the time, belonged exclusively to heavy metal and rock music). Cheryl “Salt” James of the matchless female rap trio Salt-N-Pepa also made an appearance while rapping her verse, adding to the song’s broad appeal.
Beyond “Stomp,” the rest of the album offers a balanced mixture of both bouncy and soothing contemporary gospel tunes. The combination of Franklin’s simple, raw, and sincere lyrics with GP’s impeccable, raise-the-dead harmonies makes for a perfect palliative that people today still turn to for comfort during dark times. Overall, the album’s message managed to speak directly to youth culture, break barriers, and bridge gaps, without ever compromising its core identity. Today’s gospel music would look and sound a lot different if this album had never been made. — Michelle Duncan
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‘Supa Dupa Fly’ — Missy Elliot (1997)​

Photo : 1997 Elektra Entertainment Group, a Division of Warner Communications Inc.
Supa Dupa Fly introduced the world to the creative genius that is Missy Elliot. The Virginia native evolved from girl-group beginnings and behind-the-scenes laboring to finally standing in the spotlight as a musical visionary. With features from Busta Rhymes, Lil Kim, Da Brat, 702, Aaliyah, Timbaland, and more, the acclaimed debut incorporated elements of multiple Black music genres rolled into the Hip-Hop and R&B cutting edge.
On Supa Dupa Fly, Missy Elliott refuses to box herself in. From the accompanying music videos to its cover art and her stagewear, she pushed all the creative boundaries and created a unique, larger-than-life aesthetic vocabulary that ranges from the forever-iconic inflated black leather look in the “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” visuals to the vibrant red and white “M” suit in the “Sock It To Me” video. Her finger waves paired with gold hoops are still recognizable anywhere.
Supa Dupa Fly’s impact is not only because of the strength of Elliot’s pen, but also its unrepentant approach to subjects including sex, weed, and the womanhood dictated by male-dominated spaces. With a soothing vocal tone and slick rap delivery, Elliot also makes brilliant use of adlibs, animated tone shifts, and onomatopoeia to underline and empower the lyricism in each track. With Timbaland’s peerless production, the pair crafted original sounds that stand the test of time after nearly 30 years.
The album—which debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart and earned platinum status just two months after its release established Missy Elliot as a timeless icon. Supa Dupa Fly set the tone for decades of relevancy and proves why Elliot inspires generations of artists who approach art from innovative and visionary angles. — DeMicia Inman
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'The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill' — Lauryn Hill (1998)​

Photo : ℗ 1998 Ruffhouse Records LP
Given how elusive the former Fugees singer can sometimes be—from missing concert dates to never creating another solo record after this masterpiece—it makes sense the album begins with audio of a fictional teacher calling roll and noting Hill’s absence from the class. Focused on making a personal artistic statement of her own, Hill wrote and produced a powerfully emotional series of tunes uniting a wide range of black music styles (with help from ace collaborators like New Ark and Roots keyboardist James Poyser).
Nearly every song here is a classic, from the easy, R&B-meets-Hip-Hop groove of hit single “Doo Wop (That Thing)” to the reggae-flavored bop duet with Mary J. Blige on “I Used to Love Him” and a reimagining of The Doors’ “Light My Fire” as a silky hip hop-soul number, “Superstar.” Hill’s voice floats above it all, blending stories of love, motherhood, and spirituality into a groundbreaking stew that influenced legions of singers and beatmakers afterward. Small wonder this triumph became one of the most acclaimed albums of 1998 and was the first Hip-Hop joint to win Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards. — Eric Deggans
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'Aquemini' — OutKast (1998)​

Photo : ℗ 1998 Arista Records LLC
When OutKast won Best New Artist at the 1995 Source Awards, Andre 3000 responded to a chorus of New York boos with the words “The South got somethin’ to say.”
Aquemini completes that thought, telling the world that Hip-Hop artists can say whatever they want without surrendering their rap credentials. OutKast recruited jazz, funk, gospel, and more into Hip-Hop’s army to defend against rap’s increasingly narrow focus on the street, on sampled sound, and a narrow set of subjects. Take “Rosa Parks,” a song about the club: listen to the guitar and harmonica, and it’s arguably a country song performed by a funk band. But it somehow remains unmistakably Hip-Hop.
The skill of Andre 3000 and Big Boi as rappers and — crucially — as writers anchors Aquemini in Hip-Hop’s ocean. Even as the album’s tone and attitude challenge gangster tropes, its subject matter and delivery call back to the founding ethos of Hip-Hop: the storyteller’s art using rhythmic American poetry. The duo makes that point explicit on two of the album’s tracks: “Da Art of Storytellin’ (Pt. 1)” and “Da Art of Storytellin’ (Pt. 2).”
OutKast broke the East Coast-West Coast rap dichotomy with Aquemini, the third successful album of their discography. It has become a permanent guide for other hip-hop artists who want to get weird while staying real. — George Chidi
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'Songs In A Minor' — Alicia Keys (2001)​

Photo : ℗ 2001 Sony Music Entertainment
In 2001, Alicia Keys hit the music world like a beautiful contradiction. A classically trained pianist who knew her way around an 808 machine, she released her debut album, Songs in A Minor, on Clive Davis’s newly-formed J Records, after spending a disappointing few years signed to Columbia Records. The ravishing New Yorker showed off her dynamic skills as an ivory-tickling singer-songwriter who could hit you with Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” one minute, then Prince’s “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore” the next.
Keys stirred in everything from Hip-Hop beats to string and flute arrangements (courtesy of Isaac Hayes!) in this Black music bouillabaisse, a mature contrast to the bubblegum pop that ruled the airwaves at the time. Her classic soul-inspired songs of love and loss, like her bluesy, signature chart-topper “Fallin’,” had folks hailing her as the Aretha Franklin of the new century. With an album that went platinum seven times in the US and eventually won five Grammys, Keys became the pride of the Big Apple, a symbol of hope and beauty at a time when the city — and the country — was at its darkest hour. — Craig D. Lindsey
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'In Search Of...' — N.E.R.D (2001)​

Photo : A Virgin Records Release; 2002 Capitol Records, LLC
N.E.R.D’s In Search Of… is the weird Black kid bible. Pharrell, Chad Hugo, and Shae Haley were inspired by their love for Leonard Nimoy’s ’70s paranormal television series of the same name, AC/DC, Sly Stone, Lenny Kravitz, and the lifestyle of the “other.” The result was a way forward for Black visionaries who saw themselves reflected in the album’s electric, youthful imagery and energy of BMXing, skateboarding, falling in lust (“Lapdance”), sippin’ slurpees (“Tape You”), and even challenging those “posers” in power (“Rock Star”).
While they wanted to create a rebellious and gorgeous body of work, the trio knew the album wouldn’t spawn hits. Hell, P even recalled this sentiment in his 2023 memoir, Carbon, Pressure & Time: A Book of Jewels. However, the producer said there was something infectious about this art and knew the magic they were creating “was different.” And that it was. In Search Of paved the way for the skateboarders, the outcasts, the “weirdos,” and the rest of the alternative Black forces in and around Hip-Hop culture. Upon its release, critics infamously panned N.E.R.D’s debut effort.
Yet, somehow, the LP gave language to people who didn’t believe in being boxed in based on the preconceived notions of their melanin and reimagined the box as a blank canvas for expression instead. In Search of inspired the likes of Virgil Abloh, Tyler the Creator, The Internet, and more. If you’re a Black “oddball” who was in search of your dreams and your “why,” chances are N.E.R.D’s 2002 album helped you discover it. — Marc Griffin
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‘The Blueprint’ — JAY-Z (2001)​

Photo : Roc-A-Fella Records
Certain moments in time are carved into history, in part, by the art it produced and the hits it consumed during that particular period. For New Yorkers and Americans as a whole, the terrorist destruction of the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers on September 11, 2001 was seared into the minds of man as one of the biggest tragedies in modern history. Yet, on that same morning, a slate of high-profile albums were released, one of them being JAY-Z‘s sixth studio album, The Blueprint. Arriving at the height of that nation and city’s despair and uncertainty, The Blueprint was an opportunity to soothe the minds and ears of millions stunned numb by the news reports and instead immerse them in what would prove to be a career-defining project for JAY-Z.
The Brooklynite trades off between boastful proclamations of his kingship and introspective insights into the man behind the music, resulting in rare moments of vulnerability and honesty for the notoriously brash and larger-than-life hitmaker. Having perfected the crafting of a hit single, Hov provided ample radio fare with “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” and “Girls, Girls, Girls,” in addition to the anthemic numbers “U Don’t Know” and “Hola’ Hovito.” From waging war on the scathing “Takeover” to his epic lyrical duel with Eminem on “Renegade,” JAY-Z exudes plenty of panache on The Blueprint.
However, its most masterful inclusions are when the rapper reveals shades of Shawn Carter. From the love-lorne testimonial “Song Cry” to the biographical number “Blueprint (Momma Loves Me),” the rapper put forth some of his most endearing material to date with The Blueprint, an album that touched the hearts and souls of Hip-Hop fans during a juncture when that reprieve equated to more than music. — Preezy Brown
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38

‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’' — 50 Cent (2003)​

Photo : Shady Records
Before he became a TV mogul/Internet troll, 50 Cent was seen as the future of 21st-century Hip-Hop. After signing with Eminem’s Shady Records in 2002, the Queens rapper took over the rap (and pop) world the following year with his debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin’. With a bullet-riddled backstory that was later made into a movie starring himself, of course, 50 established himself as the ultimate gangsta rapper whose ripped-from-the-headlines tales of street hustling, drug dealing, and cap bustin’ made him so much more authentic than the other young-thug MCs out there.
But the dude could also come with the catchy club bangers. His first single, the Dr. Dre-produced “In da Club,” eventually became an iconic party anthem. He had tunes for the ladies (“21 Questions”) as well as the playas (“P.I.M.P.”). He declared his long-standing beef with Ja Rule in a couple of chest-beating tracks (“Back Down” and the bonus tune “Wanksta”). Fif also made sure his partners in the G-Unit clique ate, as Lloyd Banks, Young Buck, and a pre-incarcerated Tony Yayo appear on the album. The nine-times platinum Get Rich or Die Tryin’ marked the meteoric rise of a rap star your kids most likely know these days as Kanan from Power. — Craig D. Lindsey
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39

'Confessions’ — Usher (2004)​

Photo : LaFace Records
Usher’s widely considered magnum opus, Confessions, instantly became the standard for contemporary R&B. The Diamond-certified album completed an unofficial trilogy—after My Way and 8701— that cemented Usher’s legacy as a leader of R&B all while he was still ascending to his peak.
Even though the album wasn’t an autobiographical exposé, it did open the door to more vulnerable conversations around love and other complications from the male perspective. When it was crowned as one of Apple Music’s Best 100 Albums, Usher explained, “It was probably the most honest I had been.”
Commercially, Confessions made history as the “highest RIAA certified album by a male soloist released this century.” It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and won three Grammys, but what makes this album a cultural staple is not just the conversations it spawned but the timelessness of the singles (”Yeah,” “Burn,” “Confessions, Pt. II,” “My Boo,” and “Caught Up”) and the B-sides that should’ve been singles like “Do It To Me,” “Throwback,” “Bad Girl,” and “Superstar.”
In 2004, R&B was experiencing a shift away from neo-soul, but Usher, Bryan-Michael Cox, and Jermaine Dupri were in a league of their own in terms of lyricism, musicality, production, and vocal arrangements. They, along with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, combined the worlds of new jack-swing and Hip-Hop soul to create a masterpiece that was relatable, endearing, candid, and only a tiny bit toxic.
Confessions was not only the last R&B album to earn a Diamond certification, it’s also the best-selling album by a Black artist in the 21st century. If that’s not enough to prove its timeless impact on R&B overall, we don’t know what else to tell you. — Mya Abraham
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40

'The Emancipation Of Mimi’ — Mariah Carey (2005)​

Photo : ℗ 2005 The Island Def Jam Music Group and Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey has one of the most technically proficient voices in music and has had no problem displaying it fully throughout her heavily revered discography. That being said, with 2005’s The Emancipation of Mimi, the elusive chanteuse was truly in her bag, tapping into a level of vocal performance we hadn’t heard since the critically- acclaimed Daydream, with all the swag and soul of 1997’s Butterfly.
The project — which earned the diva three Grammy Awards and made its Billboard 200 debut at #1—was thee R&B soundtrack of the year, scoring our lives more than any of her contemporaries’ releases. This spoke volumes, as talented peers ranging from Mary J. Blige and Faith Evans to then-rookies Rihanna and Chris Brown all dropped within the same calendar year. It was Carey’s tenth studio album, however, that truly took hold of the culture, the zeitgeist, and quite frankly, the world, thanks to smash single, “We Belong Together.” A brilliant ballad and one of Carey and producer Jermaine Dupri’s best collaborative works, the song permeated culture from weddings to reunions, proms to post-party kickbacks. It even left the then-inescapable “Trapped in the Closet” phenom in the dust thanks to its relatable lyrics, moving instrumentation, and the vocal prowess of the track’s heartbroken protagonist.
To reduce the beauty of this album to just “We Belong Together,” however, would be an epic disservice. Standouts like “Mine Again,” “Circles,” “I Wish You Knew,” and “Joy Ride” satisfied the R&B fiends looking for that signature Mariah power and tone, while bops like “Shake It Off,” “Say Somethin’,” “Get Your Number,” “One And Only,” and the phenomenal “Stay The Night” provided the score for dancefloor antics and jovial car rides with your crew. The timeless production of the record ensures that today’s listeners are just as impressed almost two decades after its release. The Emancipation of Mimi continues to reign within Mariah’s stacked catalog as one of her greatest efforts, and a shining example of the beauty of Black music. — Jessica “Compton” Bennett
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41

'Late Registration' — Kanye West (2005)​

Photo : Def Jam Recordings
After his monumental College Dropout debut, Kanye West proved he was here to stay by single-handedly defying all “sophomore slump” projections with Late Registration. The August 2005 paragon transcended the boundaries of Hip-Hop and effortlessly blended potent storytelling, soulful samples, daring melodies, and stellar live orchestration — the last of which was largely thanks to working closely with composer Jon Brion.
On this 21-track offering, Ye leaves no stone unturned by delving into social commentary (“Diamonds From Sierra Leone”), and his personal struggles (“Addiction” and “Roses”), all while creating undeniable hits that continue to stand the test of time (“Gold Digger” and “Touch The Sky”). The tracklist also boasts an all-star roster of guest appearances from names like Lupe Fiasco, Adam Levine, Jamie Foxx, Common, Brandy, JAY-Z, Paul Wall, and Nas, among others.
In the additional context of the Late Registration era, Kanye West infamously said, “George Bush doesn’t care about Black people” live on air a few months after the album’s release, exemplifying the lengths the Chicago native was willing to go to stand up to the powers that be. The epic run flawlessly culminated as Late Registration took home the win for Best Rap Album at the 2006 Grammy Awards. To this day, the project remains a cultural touchstone that stands as one of the most replayable bodies of work in Hip-Hop. — Regina Cho
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42

'Food & Liquor' — Lupe Fiasco (2006)​

Photo : 2011 Atlantic Recording Corporation
In 2006, Lupe Fiasco was not only touted as rap’s rhyme-swinging savior, as reported by the Illinois Entertainer, but he also had a significant influence on the genre. When Food & Liquor dropped that year, it served as a musical testament to the emcee’s dexterous flow, raw technical skill, and his eventual future as one of rap’s professors. But it was the album’s unique take on Hip-Hop that many remember it for. While the album’s intricate rhyme schemes were worth wearing out your Walkman’s repeat button, it was Lupe’s innovative portrayal of Blackness as a constantly evolving facet of mass culture that truly stood out.
Tracks like “Kick, Push'” and “Daydreamin'” featuring Jill Scott propelled Carrera Lu into the mainstream and earned him a Grammy Best Urban/Alternative Performance at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. The album’s deep cuts (“American Terrorist,” “The Instrumental,” and “Just Might Be Ok”) could be likened to audible Picassos–each stroke of his genius delved into topics like Islamophobia, food scarcity, poverty, and Black counterculture in a George W. Bush-era. We may not have realized it at the time, but Food & Liquor was more than just an album. It was Lupe Fiasco’s first stride towards becoming one of Hip-Hop’s most astute scholars and influential lyricists in the culture. — Marc Griffin
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43

‘Pink Friday’ — Nicki Minaj (2010)​

Photo : ℗ 2010 Cash Money Records Inc.
Nicki Minaj‘s 2010 debut album Pink Friday still stands as a groundbreaking work exemplifying the resiliency, creativity, and influence of Black women in Hip-Hop. The album not only solidified Minaj as a force to be reckoned with, but also highlighted the power and diversity of her voice. The Queens native broke barriers and challenged stereotypes all while asserting her place in a male-dominated genre. On Pink Friday, Minaj commanded the attention as she introduced fans to larger-than-life personas, playful alter-egos and rapid-fire delivery. With her ear-wormy lyrics, catchy hooks, clever wordplay, and infectious energy — the album has remained a standout in Minaj’s impressive discography.
Singles like “Super Bass” and “Moment 4 Life” featuring Drake, were huge successes for the album and showed her versatility and lyrical prowess. Other tracks like “Fly” featuring Rihanna, “Right Thru Me,” and “Blazin” showed Minaj’s vocal ability. Introspective moments happen on “Save Me” and “Dear Old Nicki,” where she opens up about her personal struggles and journey to success. The LP demonstrated Minaj’s ability to cross genres and appeal to a diverse audience — which ultimately helped expand the boundaries of Hip-Hop and open up new possibilities for artists to experiment with different styles.
As a top MC, Nicki Minaj’s impact on music cannot be denied. The much-copied icon carved out a space for herself in a genre that once marginalized female voices. Pink Friday not only celebrated Minaj’s individual artistry but also served as a testament to the strength of Black women. The Grammy-nominated album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart and eventually peaked at No. 1, defining Minaj’s popularity and impact. Pink Friday went on to become certified triple-Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and sold over 4,000,000 copies worldwide. Additionally, her debut album earned her the honor and flex of becoming the first female solo artist to have seven singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart simultaneously.
Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday success, sound, and her eccentric style inspired a whole generation of Black women music artists. Her bold and unapologetic approach to her artistry encouraged others to be authentic, regardless of industry expectations and supposed limitations. — Amber Corrine
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44

'Take Care' — Drake (2011)​

Photo : 2012 Cash Money Records Inc.
Drake’s Take Care is one of the most impactful and influential albums of recent times because, in the traditional Hip-Hop sense, it should not have been accepted at all. The Toronto superstar fully leaned into emotions that men often don’t admit to having and put them on full display on records that blended rapping and singing. One of its lead singles, “Marvin’s Room,” was one of the most daring decisions ever, yet the relatability of a man calling a woman and telling her “I’m just saying you could do better/ Tell me have you heard that lately/ I’m just saying you could do better/ And I’ll stop hating only if you make me” was undeniable. Then, there’s the triumphant, braggadocious nature of a track like “Headlines” which was fitting for the blockbuster LP.
Drake embraced the duality of man, showing his ego and his insecurities, and opened the door for rappers and singers to dabble in both on a larger scale than ever before. He embodied R&B’s shift to where artists no longer had to lean on powerhouse vocals as much as they had on lo-fi production and crooning. There is also the endless number of memes that the album produced and the fact that it has become synonymous with Drake’s name. When discussing his classics, this is often the first album to come up. It is quintessential within his own canon and a genre-shifter within Hip-Hop and R&B. As much as his brand of music-making is demonized now, one cannot tell the history of music in the 2010s without Take Care. — Armon Sadler

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45

'Good Kid, m.A.A.d City' — Kendrick Lamar (2012)​

Photo : 2013 Aftermath/Interscope Records
Kendrick Lamar was crowned the next crown jewel of the West Coast by several rap luminaries in Hip-Hop, and Good Kid, m.A.A.d City was the album that convinced many of his ability to do that rank justice. He took fans on a trip through his mind and Compton with the album’s 12 songs, or 17 if one counts disk two. Though one could never claim to know secondhand what it is like growing up in the harsh city, it is arguable that Good Kid gives an accurate depiction of the hardships and lasting effects of a place that has bred many talented artists out of so little. But K. Dot made that experience so palatable that even people like Carl Chery, the Creative Director and Head Of Urban Music at Spotify, who is from the completely opposite side of the country have been willing to crown the album’s greatness.
His mettle as a lyricist was already well-known, but his layered, nuanced storytelling and the diverse array of sounds that stayed true to his artistry and home state were arguably the most impressive. “Sing About Me, I’m Dying Of Thirst” clocks in at 12 minutes and three seconds, and is worth every second of its runtime. “Real” showed that he could give listeners something to bop to on the surface, while also serving content and concepts one could sit with and think about for years to come. This album has worked its way into college curriculums, endless lists, and the conversation of being the greatest Hip-Hop album of all time, per Apple Music’s recent 100 Best Albums list. — Armon Sadler

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46

‘Channel Orange’ — Frank Ocean (2012)​

Photo : © 2012 The Island Def Jam Music Group
It’s only fitting to revisit Frank Ocean‘s avant-garde debut album, Channel ORANGE. Released in 2012, the critically acclaimed work solidified Ocean as a visionary pushing out the furthest limitations of R&B and Soul. From its minimalistic but rich production to his introspective lyrics and soulful vocals, Channel ORANGE has become a modern classic.
The album delved into the themes of love, identity, and societal issues — offering an honest insight into Ocean’s real life and raw emotions. The Long Branch native’s openness about his sexuality and lived experience as a Black and queer artist paved the way for more LGBTQIA+ voices in Black music to be heard. The album’s success not only helped break down barriers for other Black R&B artists; Ocean also provided proof that creative freedom and artistic expression do not have to be limited by commercial expectations.
CO’s successful singles like “Thinkin Bout You” show Ocean’s emotional depth and songwriting skills. “Pyramids” spotlights his storytelling prowess — seamlessly transitioning between wildly different musical styles and moods. “Bad Religion” dives into themes of unrequited love and possibly his first feelings for another man. “Forrest Gump” blatantly showcases his love for a certain male. “Super Rich Kids” featuring Earl Sweatshirt gave us a more satirical take on the lives of young, wealthy teens, while the dreamy and euphoric single “Pink Matter” featuring André 3000 shows his appreciation and deep respect for women.
Channel ORANGE sparked conversations about themes that resonated deeply with listeners and brought much-needed dialogue and attention to topics often overlooked in Black music. Ocean’s artistry has influenced the direction of R&B and inspired a new generation of artists like Steve Lacey, Pink Sweat$, Brent Faiyaz, Bryson Tiller, and many more. — Amber Corrine
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47

‘Beyoncé’ — Beyoncé (2013)​

Photo : Columbia Records/Parkwood Entertainment
Beyoncé changed the game when her self-titled album dropped. That year, she gave the middle finger to every traditional method for album rollouts—from dropping singles and teasing cover art to doing press and unveiling a release date to boost anticipation. With Beyoncé, she completely shifted the landscape of music industry releases and caused the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) to formally move the music release day from Tuesday to Friday. While the internet was still buzzing and reeling over the explosive winter finale of Scandal’s third season, Beyoncé secretly released her fifth studio album on iTunes without warning. To top it off, the LP was her first visual album and pop culture conversations would never be the same.
Garnering a frenzied 1.2 million tweets within its first 12 hours, Bey’s fifth studio album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and became the fastest-selling album in iTunes history. It dissected topics like monogamy, sexism, and unfair beauty standards, Beyoncé led the listener on a sonic saga of epic proportions. In the three years after 4, Bey secretly created a masterpiece that featured work from Frank Ocean and Drake with production from The-Dream, Pharrell, Ryan Tedder, and more. Despite Columbia Records pushing “XO” and “Drunk In Love” as the album’s lead singles, it was the latter that topped the Billboard Hot 100 and sparked an uptick in radio airplay. Then came “Partition,” the “Flawless” remix with Nicki Minaj, and “7/11” from the extended edition.
Beyoncé ultimately won three of the five Grammys it was up for: Best Surround Sound Album, Best R&B Song, and Best R&B Performance. From a cultural standpoint, Beyoncé is one of the most impactful albums made by a Black woman who became a force and changed the music industry forever. — Mya Abraham
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48

‘A Seat At The Table’ — Solange (2016)​

Photo : ℗ 2016 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
In A Seat At The Table, Solange pours out all the complicated beauty inherent in Black joy, Black pride, and Black rage, with all of it seen specifically through the nuanced lens of Black womanhood. The album explores the whole wheel of emotions and offers brilliant moments of both self-reflection and societal critique. As Solange’s first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart, A Seat At The Table certified the musician’s mainstream appeal with a work that is most declaratively “F.U.B.U.,” a dual intention that doubles its glory.
Solange’s airy vocals breathe new life into its powerful themes exploring despair and dignity as two sides of the same coin across 21 tracks and interludes. The deeply personal lyrics confront trauma not solely as life experiences that hinder progress but also as necessary elements on the journey to liberation. Crafted from centuries of ancestral influence, the deeply contemporary work incorporates jazz, blues, traditional R&B, funk, and southern gospel into a sound that is all Solange.
Featured artists Lil Wayne, Q-Tip, Tweet, and more explore their own identity and existence which also build on traditions instilled in the Houston native through her Texas and Louisiana roots. The release of A Seat At The Table coincided with the dawn of a Donald Trump presidency that super-powered racial tensions across the country.
The devastating loss of both Prince and Muhammad Ali created a sense of ubiquitous grief and public mourning. That same year, the shocking killings of Alton Sterling, and Philando Castile made the album seem not only personal but also sadly universal—buoying a new generation of heartbroken yet determined activists fighting for radical change.
A Seat At The Table provided songs that gave Black people the language to emote the complexity of bitter and sweet existence at a time when anger was often (and rightfully) the default feeling despite the palpable desire for joy. It shared the sadness and grief but also the collective honor and resiliency shared across the Black experience. — DeMicia Inman
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49

'Culture' — Migos (2017)​

Photo : 2017 Quality Control Music
Migos went on an MVP run from 2016 to 2017, and Culture was their championship trophy. The album single-handedly placed them in conversations of being the best rap group of all time and it was warranted. They reached the height of their triplet, staccato-style raps and provided endless quotables. The singles alone—“Bad & Boujee” featuring Lil Uzi Vert, “Call Casting” and “T-Shirt—could have made for a strong EP.” However, they added more classic records to their repertoire with “Slippery” featuring Gucci Mane, “Get Right Witcha,” and “Brown Paper Bag.”
There has always been a debate about who the best rapper was in the group, and many people believe it was the late Takeoff. Culture gave him a strong argument as he had the most standout verses, but Quavo and Offset were no slouch. Atlanta was already taking over the music scene, and Migos took the city to another level with their homage and classic, album cover art. The album title itself took the word “Culture” and turned it into one of the most overused buzzwords on the internet. Migos called out people for trying to copy their musical style on records after Culture; its impact was clearly felt across many arenas, but all the replicas will never compare to the original. — Armon Sandler
Listen: Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal

50

‘Ctrl’ — SZA (2017)​

Photo : Top Dawg Entertainment
SZA stormed onto the music scene in 2017 with her debut studio album, Ctrl., and stuck the landing. The 49-minute masterpiece touched listeners deeply by exploring intoxicatingly relatable questions like, “Is control real? Do we have any? If we don’t, who really does?”
The New Jersey-raised songbird’s lethal pen was on full display as she showed the power of vulnerability by articulating the hard truths of navigating one’s 20s — during a time when a lot of us needed it the most. Cuts like “Normal Girl” and “Garden (Say It Like Dat)” see her coming face-to-face with insecurities about her body, relationships, and place in society. On “The Weekend,” she sings about being a man’s side piece. In essence, Ctrl. possessed the refreshingly raw honesty that was missing in music at the time.
Fast forward to today, SZA’s talents are still being honored and appreciated as her lyrics age like fine wine. Most recently, she was the recipient of the prestigious Hal David Starlight Award at the 2024 Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Ctrl. set the tone for her successful career to follow as one of this generation’s best songwriters, as the album charted on the Billboard 200 for over 350 weeks, received five Platinum plaques, and remains her magnum opus among her unshakable fanbase. — Regina Cho

 

[TheFuser]

This list is amazing. That top 3 is CRAZY!!!!

 

[Van Allen]

I agree with #1

Top several are right on point!!!

 

[doug777]

Purple Rain over Sign? Fear over It Takes A Nation? Thumbs down.

 

[woodchuck]

Not too bad. I would've chosen "It Takes a Nation..." over "Fear of a Black Planet".

 

[woodchuck]

Okay, after looking at the list again, no "That's the Way of the World" or "Harvest for the World"?

 

[playahaitian]

as always F*CK A LIST

But.... that ain't bad

 

[playahaitian]

Not too bad. I would've chosen "It Takes a Nation..." over "Fear of a Black Planet".

Yeah it's weird. One of the very rare occasions that at first glance I was taken aback by how good it looked INTIALLY but with further inspection...

It looks like they did those hiccups on purpose to get attention instead of integrity