We list some of the best new rap albums to listen to right now. Hip Hop is still one of the most popular genres in the world. Due to high demand, lots of rappers and hip hop producers have emerged in order to satisfy the thirst of true hip hop fans.
Top 40 New Rap Albums To Listen To Right Now
1. Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers
Following a four-year hiatus, Lamar released his minimalist fifth studio album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers on May 13, 2022. Ben Bryant of The Independent called the album a “tender opus from the defining poet of his generation”, writing, “The rapper’s first album in five years is a haunting and surprising meditation on fatherhood and family”.
Stream Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers album
2. JID – The Forever Story
The Forever Story is JID’s third studio album, following his critically-acclaimed 2018 sophomore album, DiCaprio 2. He said that he was “depressed,” leading him to want to drop some new music. After about two and a half years of obscurity regarding the project, “Surround Sound” was released on January 14, 2022, where he collaborated with fellow Atlanta artists 21 Savage and Baby Tate. Ben Broyd of Clash praised the album, saying “JID’s latest release is a wonderful insight into the rapper’s formative years, and ultimately through the introspective manner allows for an enthralling listen.
Stream JID – The Forever Story album
3. Quavo x Takeoff – Only Built for Infinity Links
Quavo and Takeoff’s collaborative album Only Built for Infinity Links, was released via Quality Control Music/Motown Records. It features hit singles such as — “Hotel Lobby,” “Big Stunna” with Birdman, and “Us Vs. Them” with Gucci Mane. The title is inspired by Raekwon’s solo 1995 debut, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…, and even received the official stamp of approval from the Wu-Tang legend, Takeoff told Complex. The uncle-nephew duo — also billed as Unc and Phew — worked on the project for two years and modeled elements of the cover art on iconic rap pairs Kanye West and Jay-Z circa Watch the Throne and Outkast, while the title itself speaks to their own unbreakable bond and possibly rumors earlier this year of the Migos breaking up.
Stream Quavo x Takeoff – Only Built for Infinity Links album
4. Future – I Never Liked You
Future has released his new album I Never Liked You. The follow-up to 2020’s High Off Life features guest contributions from Kanye West, Drake, Young Thug, Tems, EST Gee, Gunna, and Kodak Black. “I’m putting myself out there,” Future recently said about I Never Liked You in a GQ interview. “Sharing my lifestyle with the world. Sharing my pain with the world. Sharing my ups, sharing my downs with the entire universe. I believe in the energy of the universe and manifestation. That’s why I’m giving myself, because I’m willing to correct myself. I don’t want to just…be wrong. I’m willing to give you all of me, so you can tell me how to build on me, and make me a better me.”
Stream Future – I Never Liked You album
5. Jack Harlow – Come Home the Kids Miss You
After a very quiet 2021, in which Jack Harlow only released the single “SUVs (Black on Black)”, in collaboration with Pooh Shiesty, and was featured on Lil Nas X’s smash hit, “INDUSTRY BABY”, the rapper released Come Home The Kids Miss You. It’s his sophomore studio album from, released on May 6, 2022, and coming two years after his successful debut album Thats What They All Say. Mosi Reeves of Rolling Stone had a mixed review of the album, opining that Harlow “doesn’t seem interested in much beyond dominating the charts” and that what Harlow is trying to say is an “unresolved question.” Andree Gee of the same outlet characterized it as “underwhelming”.
Stream Jack Harlow – Come Home the Kids Miss You album
6. Nas – King’s Disease III
Nas released King’s Disease III, the third installment in his run of Hit-Boy-produced King’s Disease albums. Nas and Hit-Boy released the first King’s Disease back in 2020, ushering in a new era for the legendary rapper after 2018’s uneven, Kanye West produced NASIR. King’s Disease II followed in 2021, as did Magic, another album from the two artists that Nas surprised released later that year. Unlike their past installments of the album series, the third edition of King’s Disease has no features.
Stream Nas – King’s Disease III album
7. DJ Khaled – God Did
DJ Khaled released his 18-track compilation album God Did. In his 13th studio album, there are collaborations with many A-listers, from Kanye West to Drake and Future, John Legend and R&B artists SZA, Jamaican dancehall stars Eminem, Rick Ross, Jay-Z, and Latto. It also includes a contribution from the late American rapper Juice WRLD. An Ambrosia For Heads article called Jay-Z’s verse on “God Did” the best verse of 2022.
Stream DJ Khaled – God Did album
8. Megan Thee Stallion – Traumazine
Traumazine is the second studio album by American rapper Megan Thee Stallion, released on August 12, 2022. She dropped the sophomore album amid ongoing label issues. Megan signed a contract with 1501 Certified Entertainment, with whom she faced off in court earlier in 2022. In the lawsuit, 1501 alleged that Megan’s October 2021 mixtape, “Something for Thee Hotties,” did not meet the definition of an album and therefore did not fulfill her contract. The album’s release could mark the end of what she’s long contended is an unfair contract with 1501 Entertainment, she claimed. “WE ALMOST OUT ,” she tweeted the day before she announced the album.
Stream Megan Thee Stallion – Traumazine album
9. Earl Sweatshirt – Sick!
Earl Sweatshirt returned in 2022 with his fourth studio album, Sick!. Produced by the Alchemist, Black Noise, Ancestors, Samiyam, and Alexander Spit, among others, Sick! sees Earl once again keeping things short and sweet. Sick! was recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic and found Earl “lean[ing] into the chaos” as peoples’ health deteriorated and their anger and restlessness grew. Tom Breihan of Stereogum named Sick! “Album of the Week”, stating, “SICK! is the first Earl Sweatshirt album that doesn’t sound more freaked-out and withdrawn than the one that came before. It’s a dense, rich, contemplative piece of work… [it’s] a strange and insular rap record, but it’s a rap record nonetheless, and it’s a great one”.
Stream Earl Sweatshirt – Sick! album
10. Pusha T – It’s Almost Dry
GRAMMY-nominated hip-hop legend and multi-platinum artist Pusha dropped his fourth album It’s Almost Dry in 2022. The album is produced entirely by Ye and Pharrell Williams. The album features “Neck & Wrist,” “Diet Coke,” and “Hear Me Clearly,” and has already been praised by Charlamagne Tha God as Pusha’s “best body of work.” TiVo Staff of AllMusic wrote that “with fourth solo album It’s Almost Dry, Pusha T does what he does best — deliver larger than life storytelling rhymes about drug dealing and street struggles — only bigger, better, and more polished to perfection than before” and “upgrading significantly from 2018’s brief and scattered-feeling Daytona, It’s Almost Dry finds Pusha T in the role of the cool, collected, bulletproof rapper”. It also debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart.
Stream Pusha T – It’s Almost Dry album
11. Drake & 21 Savage – Her Loss
Drake and 21 Savage dropped their new album Her Loss. The 16-track release features an appearance from Travis Scott on a song called “Pussy & Millions.” A cut titled “Circo Loco” features a sample and vocal interpolation of Daft Punk’s Discovery hit “One More Time.” They also released a music video for their collaborative track “Jimmy Cooks,” which appears on Drake’s most recent solo LP, Honestly, Nevermind. Vernon Ayiku of Exclaim! praised the album, stating, “While Her Loss houses no immediate street bangers or Billboard hits, it’s the sum that makes it Drake’s best record this decade. From the comical fake promos during its rollout to the memorable one-liners and aggressive diss verses or the TikTok memes it will generate for months to come, Her Loss has a lot of meat on its bones”.
Stream Drake & 21 Savage – Her Loss album
12. Run the Jewels – RTJ Cu4tro
RTJ Cu4tro is a re-mix album of RTJ4 featuring an amazing line up of Latin artists. Orestes Gomez and Nick Hook are behind the new “Caminando en la Nieve” remix. Hook also curated and co–executive produced RTJ Cu4tro, which has additional contributions from Bomba Estéreo, Mas Aya, Lido Pimienta, and others. The album also includes Mexican Institute of Sound’s version of “Ooh La La” and Toy Selectah’s remix of “Ju$t.”
Stream Run the Jewels – RTJ Cu4tro album
13. Saba – Few Good Things
Few Good Things is Saba’s third studio album, released on February 4, 2022, almost exactly four years since his previous full-length LP, CARE FOR ME. Consequence wrote that “Few Good Things builds on Saba’s quest to just live life while acknowledging that’s a loaded proposition at times. It’s hard telling someone else to pull themselves up by their bootstraps when they don’t even have a boot, when there are fewer straps upon which to tug. Saba lives with that feeling every day, doing his best to enjoy the fruits of his labor, help as many as he can, and not get depressed knowing he can’t save everyone.”
Stream Saba – Few Good Things album
14. The Game – Drillmatic Heart vs. Mind
DRILLMATIC – Heart vs. Mind is Compton, California native The Game’s tenth studio album. Released on August 12, 2022, the album follows his November 2019 album, Born 2 Rap. This was followed the release of the Kanye West-accompanied viral single “Eazy,” released on May 29, 2022.
Stream The Game – Drillmatic Heart vs. Mind album
15. DRAM – What Had Happened Was…
DRAM (formerly known as Shelley FKA DRAM) released his new album What Had Happened Was… via Waver Records. It’s the follow-up to Shelley FKA DRAM, which was among Rated R&B’s 30 Best R&B Albums of 2021 list. What Had Happened Was… includes the previously shares tracks “Let Me See Your Phone” and the BJ the Chicago Kid-featured “PPL.”
Stream DRAM – What Had Happened Was… album
16. Logic – Vinyl Days
Vinyl Days is an album by Maryland rapper Logic. “Decades” and “Tetris” were released as the first two singles of the project on April 22. Logic spoke out on social media about mistreatment by his label, DefJam, detailing that they had messed up his release plans for the singles and subsequent music video. Riley Wallace from HipHopDX gave the album a positive review stating, “Conceptually, the sequencing and pace of the LP is stellar; it sounds excellent, the features show up and show out and the skits, though maybe overkill, do help give things a ’90s college radio mixtape feel (complete with Funk Flex as a de facto host and hype man).”
Stream Logic – Vinyl Days album
17. Mavi – Laughing so Hard, it Hurts
Mavi’s new album Laughing so Hard, it Hurts is not only a masterclass of emotive lyricism and lullaby-esque production, but an ascension altogether for the North Carolina emcee. The album explores his ability to heal from the hurt he’s perpetually endured. It came a few weeks after the release of “Baking Soda” and “Doves,” the follow-up to his 2019 effort, Let the Sun Talk — which was met by critical acclaim from the underground hip-hop community.
Stream Mavi – Laughing so Hard, it Hurts album
18. R.A.P. Ferreira – 5 to the Eye With Stars
R.A.P. Ferreira dropped his new album, 5 To The Eye With Stars, via his own Ruby Yacht label. It’s got nine songs, including the lead single “Mythsysizer Instinct,” which was produced by Kenny Segal and features a sung hook by Future Islands’ Samuel T. Herring (aka Hemlock Ernst).
Stream R.A.P. Ferreira – 5 to the Eye With Stars album
19. Smino – Luv 4 Rent
Luv 4 Rent is the third studio album by American St. Louis based rapper Smino, released on October 28, 2022. The album includes guest appearances from Doechii, Lucky Daye, Phoelix, Ravyn Lenae, Lil Uzi Vert and Reggie. The 15-track project also features the Rap Song of the Week “90 Proof” with J. Cole, along with the Karl Banx-produced “Matinee,” in which Smino boasts about how easily he’s able to turn up the romance on potential love interests.
Stream Smino – Luv 4 Rent album
20. Ka – Languish Arts
Brownsville rapper Ka released his new rap album Languish Arts. Ka also released the music video for the Languish Arts song “Ascension.” Ka produced Languish Arts, and the album was recorded by Christopher Pummill at Studio City Sound in California. One of the LP’s tracks, “Unhinged,” was produced by Animoss and features Chuck Strangers. Another, “Still Holding,” was produced by Preservation and features Joi and GoneToHeaven.
Stream Ka – Languish Arts album
21. Conway The Machine – God Don’t Make Mistakes
Conway the Machine dropped his Shady Records second studio album God Don’t Make Mistakes. The Buffalo lyricist’s latest album stands at 12 tracks and boasts features from Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Benny the Butcher, Westside Gunn, T.I., Jill Scott, and others. It also includes production from The Alchemist, Daringer, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, and Hit-Boy, among others. In the review for Exclaim!, Luke Fox compared the album to other releases from Eminem’s label, declaring that it “avoids the mistakes some of Slim Shady’s other find-and-signs have fallen victim to. That’s due to an ear for dope beats in his wheelhouse and a willingness to, occasionally, get thug emo.”
Stream Conway The Machine – God Don’t Make Mistakes album
22. Cakes da Killa – Svengali
NJ artist Cakes Da Killa dropped his hip-hop infused house album, Svengali. The album features recent singles “Drugs Du Jour” and “Sip Of My Sip,” along with the just-released “Rabbit Hole.” Warped synths and classic house percussion lay out the red carpet for Cakes’ effortless raps that bounce in perfect time. Svengali follows previously released singles “Drugs du Jour” and “Sip of My Sip.” The LP features 15 tracks that chronicle a love affair from hookup to breakup.
Stream Cakes da Killa – Svengali album
23. Lupe Fiasco – Drill Music in Zion
Drill Music in Zion is the eighth studio album by Lupe Fiasco, released on June 24, 2022 and was entirely produced by Soundtrakk. A review from Clash characterized the album as “deliver[ing] an emotionally controlled, thought-provoking display of virtuosic lyricism” that “merges the modern with the classic”.
Stream Lupe Fiasco – Drill Music in Zion album
24. Roc Marciano x The Alchemist – The Elephant Man’s Bones
The Elephant Man’s Bones is a collaborative album from Roc Marciano & The Alchemist, fully produced by The Alchemist, featuring Action Bronson, Boldy James, Ice-T, & Knowledge The Pirate. The album isn’t Roc Marciano and The Alchemist’s first full-length collaboration. In 2011, they teamed up for the Greneberg EP with Al’s Gangrene partner Oh No (the brother of fellow beat wizard Madlib). Since then, they’ve remained prolific collaborators, working tother on Roc Marci albums like Reloaded, The Pimpire Strikes Back and Behold a Dark Horse, as well as various Alchemist projects. The duo released four songs together in 2018 alone, including one featuring Black Thought.
Stream Roc Marciano x The Alchemist – The Elephant Man’s Bones album
25. Denzel Curry – Melt My Eyez See Your Future
Melt My Eyez, See Your Future is Denzel Curry’s fifth studio album, which was released on March 25, 2022. Denzel has said that the album is inspired by “a combination of what’s going on right now in the world” and films by the infamous Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, while also stating that it’s the best project in his discography. Robin Murray of Clash described the album as a “breathless, breath-taking experience” and awarded it a score of nine out of ten.
Stream Denzel Curry – Melt My Eyez See Your Future album
26. They Hate Change – Finally, New
They Hate Change, the Tampa Bay duo of Dre and Vonne, released Finally, New, their third studio LP and their debut album with Jagjaguwar. The album follows 2018’s Now, and Never Again and 2019’s Juices Run Clear, both released via Deathbomb Arc. The LP makes a grand statement with swaggering rhymes and an unparalleled sound drawing equal parts inspiration from East Coast hip-hop, Miami bass, and drum ‘n’ bass, as well post-punk, prog, and krautrock.
Stream They Hate Change – Finally, New album
27. Joey Bada$$ – 2000
Following the new single “The Rev3nge,” Joey Bada$$ dropped a new album called 2000 on July 22 via Columbia Records. Pitchfork gave a positive review of 2000, praising the album’s production. “The wide-ranging production often makes it easy to ignore the rough spots. Classy instrumental interpolations and crossover beats. It’s a testament to Joey’s growing ear that he sounds good on all of them.” However, Pitchfork also called 2000 “underwhelming” in comparison to the buildup the album had since the release of 1999 in 2012.
Stream Joey Bada$$ – 2000 album
28. Redveil – Learn 2 Swim
Learn 2 Swim by Redveil boasts features from close collaborators in Sam Truth, Fly takin, Ovrkaast., Mekdelwit and Renaissance Mic. The album contains 12 songs spanning 36 minutes. Released on his 18th birthday, every song features production solely by the supremely talented teenager, much like his 2020 breakout LP, Niagara. Learn 2 Swim focuses on the trials of growing older, setting aside childhood and finding yourself as a man. It’s a logical step forward for Marcus Morton, who has been pondering life’s questions for the last couple of years.
Stream Redveil – Learn 2 Swim album
29. Vince Staples – Ramona Park Broke My Heart
Ramona Park Broke My Heart is Vince’s fifth studio album, released on legendary Motown Records. Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Fred Thomas stated, “Staples goes even deeper into memory and self-reflection on Ramona Park Broke My Heart, presenting his pain, glory, and contradictory emotions in sharper definition while turning in some of his most engaging music to date”.
Stream Vince Staples – Ramona Park Broke My Heart album
30. Freddie Gibbs – $oul $old $eparately
$oul $old $eparately is Freddie Gibbs’ fifth solo studio album. Its title is taken from “Education”, a track from his 2019 album Bandana with Madlib. On its closing line, he raps: “Drugs for the free, soul sold separately.” Thomas Hobbs of Telegraph.co.uk characterizes the album’s moods as a balance “between feeling like you’re king of the world, unwinding in a presidential suites, and being… paranoid of jealous enemies.” Paul Attard of Slant comments that Gibbs mostly discusses his controversies “in ways that allow him to avoid explaining himself fully”.
Stream Freddie Gibbs – $oul $old $eparately album
31. billy woods – Aethiopes
Aethiopes is the tenth studio album by the prolific Brooklyn rapper billy woods. In an interview with FADER, billy stated that this is his largest and most broad album conceptually. This is reflected in the album’s title “aethiopes,” a word with an uncertain definition. Historically, the word referred to dark-skinned people living in certain areas (specifically the south of the Sahara but also within the upper Nile). However, modern usage typically alludes to the country of Ethiopia.
Stream billy woods – Aethiopes album
32. Black Thought – Cheat Codes
Black Thought of The Roots and Danger Mouse shared their collaborative album, Cheat Codes. The album is as much a showcase for Black Thought’s rapping ability as it is Danger Mouse’s sturdy production. Cheat Codes is a lean rap album that doesn’t waste a single moment. At just 38 minutes across 12 tracks, the pair cram a lot into the release without it becoming needlessly flashy. The two have been working together for years, but it’s the first time they dropped a full-length project together.
Stream Black Thought – Cheat Codes album
33. Yung Kayo – DFTK
DFTK (an initialism of Down For The Kount) is Yung Kayo’s debut album. It is also his first full-length project released under Young Stoner Life. Paul A. Thompson of Pitchfork reviewed the album stating: “At a time when teenaged songwriters are being praised for their emotional acuity, this—an album that opens and closes with the artist comparing himself to the Joker—is perhaps the most interesting artifact, a reminder of the depth that can be found in what we cannot strictly say.”
Stream Yung Kayo – DFTK album
34. Westside Boogie – More Black Superheroes
Compton rapper Westside Boogie released More Black Superheroes, a reflective new album laced with dexterous rhyming, supple melodies, and soul-baring introspection. Chase McMullen gave the album a positive review saying: “MORE BLACK SUPERHEROES is an album that finds its creator trapped between two poles. He’s reaching for the enlightenment and even grandeur that comes from speaking on the issues that he truly wishes to tackle, yet, he’s constantly dragged back down by his very humanity.”
Stream Westside Boogie – More Black Superheroes album
35. Bladee – Spiderr
Spiderr is the eighth studio album by Swedish musician Bladee. It was released on 30 September 2022 via Year0001. Colin Joyce of Pitchfork gave the album a favorable review stating that, “It’s a vision of pop that’s grounded in real emotion but shrouded in otherworldly mystery. In the process, he re-establishes himself as a kind of musical mystic, unspooling hazy spiritual truths to an increasingly devoted cult of followers.”
Stream Bladee – Spiderr album
36. billy woods – Church
billy woods dropped a new album Church which was made with producer Messiah Musik. The 12-song LP includes contributions from woods’ Armand Hammer bandmate Elucid, as well as Fat Ray, Akai Solo, and Fielded. Messiah Musik exclusively produced the album, save for “Fever Grass,” which he co-produced with billy woods. Listen to Church below. According to press materials, Church is an exploration of memory, faith, marijuana, and fate, as well as “the price of love and the cost of doing business.”
Stream billy woods – Church album
37. Open Mike Eagle – Component System With the Auto Reverse
Component System with the Auto Reverse is the eighth studio album by rapper Open Mike Eagle. It was preceded by three singles: “Burner Account”, “Multi-Game Arcade Cabinet”, and “I’ll Fight You”. LA-based emcee, comedian and podcaster, Open Mike Eagle, coined the term “art rap” to describe his whip-smart, literate style of hip-hop. On the album, Open Mike Eagle manipulates time like Dr. Strange. The project is grounded in our dystopian present but structured with the magical randomness of cassette mixtapes he made recording college rap radio shows in the late ’90s.
Stream Open Mike Eagle – Component System With the Auto Reverse album
38. Kenny Beats – Louie
Kenny Beats, the producer best known for collaborating with the likes of Vince Staples, Denzel Curry, Rico Nasty, and more, released his debut solo album, LOUIE. The inspiration for LOUIE came about after Kenny Beats learned of his father’s diagnosis with pancreatic cancer while in the UK amidst the isolation of COVID. While processing the news, Kenny began to revisit the mixtapes his father made for friends and family containing music ranging from Sade to Willie Nelson to Dr. Dre. This gave Kenny Beats the idea to create a gift of his own for his father in the form of LOUIE, an almost entirely instrumental album.
Stream Kenny Beats – Louie album
39. Rod Wave – Beautiful Mind
Beautiful Mind is Rod Wave’s fourth studio album which serves as a follow-up to his third studio album SoulFly which was released in March 2021. Dylan Green of Pitchfork gave the album a 6.9 out of 10, complimenting the variety of topics covered in the songs but complaining of many of them “bleeding together” as well as the “overreliance of piano and guitar beats”.
Stream Rod Wave – Beautiful Mind album
40. Kodak Black – Kutthroat Bill: Vol. 1
Kutthroat Bill: Vol. 1 is the fifth studio album from the Pompano Beach native rapper, Kodak Black. The cover art features an eye-catching design created by award-winning graphic designer Tylerissoepic. Kodak lead up to his album with three hit singles, “Spin” & “Walk” on September 16th of 2022 and “I’m So Awesome” on September 30th, 2022.
Stream Kodak Black – Kutthroat Bill: Vol. 1 album
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