Hip-Hop Albums of the Year

26 February, 2026

Killah Priest — The Psychic World of Walter Reed


After a three-year hiatus, his longest since releasing an album, Killah Priest returned to solo material in 2013 with a massive and impressive double CD.

05 January, 2026

Prince Markie Dee — Love Daddy


This guy, Mark Morales, arrives with a ten-year delay to deliver one of the top rap albums of 1985. Morales is best knows as Prince Markie Dee, rapper born in New York that debuts in 1992 with a LP released by Columbia and distributed by Sony.

23 November, 2025

Benny the Butcher — Tana Talk 3


Debut studio album by Jeremie "Benny the Butcher" Pennick, rapper from Buffalo, New York. He's the second Griselda MC to make his debut after Westside Gunn, with "Flygod" (2016). The production is entirely performed by Daringer, three rhythms are reserved for The Alchemist. The guests are Keisha Plum, Westside Gunn, Meyhem Lauren, Royce da 5'9", Melanie Rutherford and Conway the Machine. The title refers to Montana Avenue, the street in Buffalo where Benny grew up, the third chapter of his series. The cover is a painting that portrays Machine Gun Black as a child, brother of the rapper who died in 2006.

21 November, 2025

Group Home — Livin' Proof


First, best-known and most popular studio album by Group Home, a New York duo formed by James "Lil' Dap" Heath and Jamal "Melachi the Nutcracker" Felder. Both part of the Gang Starr Foundation, both guests on Gang Starr's 1994 album "Hard to Earn", Lil Dap debuts on their previous album, "Daily Operation". The production of the disc is almost entirely created by DJ Premier, while Guru and Big Jaz have a beat each. Guests are members of the Gang Starr Foundation Guru, Big Shug, Jeru the Damaja, Absaloot, and the relatives of the two main rappers, Smiley AKA the Ghetto Child, Melachi's cousin, and Jack the Ripper, Lil Dap's younger brother.

07 November, 2025

Coolio — Gangsta's Paradise


The song "Gangsta's Paradise" is the foundation stone of three different albums released over two summers: the soundtrack of the movie "Dangerous Minds", this self-titled album by Artis Leon "Coolio" Ivey Jr. and the debut of Larry "LV" Sanders.
 

24 October, 2025

Da Youngsta's ILLY Funkstaz — I'll Make U Famous


The poor sales result of their previous effort convinces EastWest, which is currently switching from Atlantic to Elektra, to leave the young group of rappers. The boys find themselves without a label, and take refuge under the one founded over a decade earlier by their parents, Pop Art Records. This is considered Philadelphia's first hip-hop label, founded by Lawrence and Ann Goodman in the early 1980s. Da Youngsta's released their fourth studio album in four years, changing their name to ILLY Funkstaz (sometimes referred to as "Da Youngsta's ILLY Funkstaz" or "Da Youngsta's / ILLY Funkstaz"). Production is mainly done by Qu'ran and Emanuel Parks, with six and five beats respectively, Dante Barton produces a song, while Al B. Sure! and Kyle West are the authors of the final remix. Guests are Kim Branch, Mobb Deep, Mentally Gifted, and Big Tabb.

16 October, 2025

Benny the Butcher — Burden of Proof


About a month after Conway's last release and two weeks after Westside Gunn's third project of the year, Benny the Butcher is back to releasing a solo work 16 months after the last. The record immediately takes on more commercial contours, with guests such as Rick Ross, Freddie Gibbs, Lil Wayne, Big Sean, Dom Kennedy and Queen Nalja, in addition to the Griselda MCs Conway and Gunn; the production is entirely made by Hit-Boy, who during the year worked on the albums of Mick Jenkins, Lil Baby, Jay Electronica, Polo G, Nas, Big Sean, ASAP Ferg and Conway.

18 September, 2025

Armani Caesar — The Liz


Second studio album for Armani Caesar, the first since the Buffalo rapper joined Griselda Records in March 2020. The beats are provided by JR Swiftz, DJ Premier, Animoss, Camoflauge Monk, Elijah Hooks, Denny LaFlare, Bone8 and Stlndrms. The guests are Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine, Benny the Butcher, and 808 Mafia.

31 August, 2025

Eminem — Kamikaze


Tenth studio album by Detroit rapper Eminem. Behind the keyboards there are the same author along with Illa da Producer, Ronny J, Mike Will Made It, Jeremy Miller, Boi-1da, Jahaan Swwet, LoneStarrMuzik, S1, Tay Keith, Suby, Ball and Luis Resto. The guests are Paul Rosenberg, Joyner Lucas, Royce da 5'9" e Jessie Reyez.

05 August, 2025

Big Ghost Ltd. & Conway the Machine — No One Mourns the Wicked


After the success of "Griselda Ghost", extended play signed by Hall N Nash aka Westside Gunn & Conway with the production of Big Ghost Ltd, and one of my favorite hip-hop records ever, the beatmaker comes back to collaborate again together with Conway the Machine for this tape, sometimes labeled as EP sometimes labeled as album (or mixtape). Elcamino and Flee Lord are the guests.

04 August, 2025

The Juggaknots — The Juggaknots


In 1996, Bobbito Garcia's Fondle 'Em publishes the second project in its catalog, which coincides with the first official work of the Juggaknots, a Bronx group made up of brothers Paul "Breeze Brewin'", Peridot "Queen Herawin" and Kevin "Buddy Slim" Smith.

03 August, 2025

Jungle Brothers — J. Beez Wit the Remedy


After the 1989/90 and 1991 seasons, 1993 is the third and also one of the last years of the hippie hip-hop, which died soon and was already starting to disappear completely from mainstream game.
 

02 August, 2025

Fu-Schnickens — Nervous Break Down


Brutal and catastrophic sophomore jinx for hip-hop group Fu-Schnickens, from East Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York City. The guys have never been the best MCs even at their peak and they've never sucked up to this point, bringing their own almost original style to the game.

01 August, 2025

AAVV — Wild Pitch Classics


Wild Pitch Records collection of cuts, featuring artists such as Gang Starr, Latee, The Coup, Main Source, O.C., UMC's, Lord Finesse, Chill Rob G, Ultramagnetic MC's, N-Tyce and Jamose. Production is handled by DJ Premier, The 45 King, Boots, Main Source, Buckwild, Hass, RNS, Diamond D, Godfather Don, 4th Disciple, Wu-Tang Clan and Louie Louie.

19 July, 2025

Conway the Machine — Look What I Became


This album is a face of the whole "Look What I Became, God Don't Make No Mistakes" medal. While "God Don't Make Mistakes" will be his debut album with Shady Records, "Look What I Became" anticipates it by several months, falling in autumn 2019. And it's a good, surprisingly versatile effort by Conway. The production is realized by Daringer, The AlchemistDJ Muggs, K-Sluggah, JR Swiftz, Rick Hyde and Statik Selektah. The guests are Griselda rappers Westside Gunn and Benny the Butcher, along with Jim Jones, Dave East, Elcamino, DJ Muggs and Amber Simone.

Killah Priest — The Psychic World of Walter Reed

After a three-year hiatus, his longest since releasing an album, Killah Priest returned to solo material in 2013 with a massive and impress...