On 11th August 1973, hip hop was born, at a birthday party in the Bronx. Ever since this day, the music genre has had a monumental impact on the creative arts.
Over the years, we’ve listened to the likes of Jay-Z, Outkast, 2pac, Snoop Dogg and The Notorious B.I.G. express themselves over head-bopping beats and intoxicating rhythms.
Today, we still can’t get enough as the likes of Lil Baby, Cardi B, Travis Scott, Roddy Rich, Megan Thee Stallion and, of course, Drake and Kanye who are carrying the torch, keeping the storied genre alive.
Unfortunately, the numbers are pretty unclear when it comes to the best-selling hip hop albums, but are enough stats out there for us to compile a rough list of the best-selling hip hop albums of all time, at least.
Below, we get nostalgic about albums such as Fugees’ The Score and 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’, and pick out the key hip hop records set to drop in 2022.
30 Best-Selling Hip Hop Albums of All Time
- The Eminem Show – Eminem
- The Score – Fugees
- The Marshall Mathers LP – Eminem
- The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill – Lauryn Hill
- Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em – MC Hammer
- Crazy Sexy Cool – TLC
- To the Extreme – Vanilla Ice
- Devil Without a Cause – Kid Rock
- Curtain Call: The Hits – Eminem
- Speakerboxxx/The Love Below – Outkast
- Get Rich or Die Tryin’ – 50 Cent
- Big Willie Style – Will Smith
- Encore – Eminem
- Nellyville – Nelly
- Doggystyle – Snoop Dogg
- The Massacre – 50 Cent
- 2001 – Dr. Dre
- Greatest Hits – 2Pac
- Life After Death – Notorious B.I.G.
- E. 1999 Eternal – Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
- Licensed to III – Beastie Boys
- All Eyez on Me – Tupac Shakur
- Country Grammar – Nelly
- Recovery – Eminem
- The Slim Shady LP – Eminem
- Monkey Business – The Black Eyed Peas
- Elephunk – The Black Eyed Peas
- No Way Out – Puff Daddy
- Vol.2…Hard Knock Life – Jay-Z
- Very Necessary – Salt-n-Pepa
The Eminem Show – Eminem
Estimated worldwide album sales: 27 million
Label(s): Shady, Aftermath and Interscope
Release date: 26th May 2002
Spotify streams: 3 billion
The Score – Fugees
Estimated worldwide album sales: 22 million
Label(s): Ruffhouse and Columbia
Release date: 13th February 1996
Spotify streams: 890 million
The Marshall Mathers LP – Eminem
Estimated worldwide album sales: 21 million
Label(s): Aftermath and Interscope
Release date: 23rd May 2000
Spotify streams: 2.2 billion
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill – Lauryn Hill
Estimated worldwide album sales: 20 million
Label(s): Ruffhouse and Columbia
Release date: 25th August 1998
Spotify streams: 815 million
Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em – MC Hammer
Estimated worldwide album sales: 18 million
Label(s): Capitol and EMI Records
Release date: 12 February 1990
Spotify streams: Unknown
CrazySexyCool – TLC
Estimated worldwide album sales: 15 million
Label(s): LaFace and Arista
Release date: 15th November 1994
Spotify streams: 267 million
To the Extreme – Vanilla Ice
Estimated worldwide album sales: 15 million
Label(s): SBK and EMI
Release date: 3rd September 1990
Spotify streams: Unknown
Devil Without a Cause – Kid Rock
Estimated worldwide album sales: 15 million
Label(s): Atlantic, Lava and Top Dog
Release date: 18th August 1998
Spotify streams: Unknown
Curtain Call: The Hits – Eminem
Estimated worldwide album sales: 13 million
Label(s): Shady, Aftermath and Interscope
Release date: 6th December 2005
Spotify streams: 5.1 billion
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below – Outkast
Estimated worldwide album sales: 13 million
Label(s): Arista
Release date: 23rd September 2003
Spotify streams: 1.2 billion
Get Rich or Die Tryin’ – 50 Cent
Estimated worldwide album sales: 12 million
Label(s): Interscope, Aftermath, Shady and G-Unit
Release date: 6th February 2003
Spotify streams: 2.3 billion
Big Willie Style – Will Smith
Estimated worldwide album sales: 12 million
Label(s): Columbia
Release date: 25th November 1997
Spotify streams: 612 million
Encore – Eminem
Estimated worldwide album sales: 11 million
Label(s): Aftermath, Shady and Interscope
Release date: 12th November 2004
Spotify streams: 1.4 billion
Nellyville – Nelly
Estimated worldwide album sales: 11 million
Label(s): Universal and Fo’ Reel
Release date: 25th June 2002
Spotify streams: 929 million
Doggystyle – Snoop Dogg
Estimated worldwide album sales: 11 million
Label(s): Death Row and Interscope
Release date: 23rd November 1993
Spotify streams: 746 million
The Massacre – 50 Cent
Estimated worldwide album sales: 11 million
Label(s): Shady, Aftermath, G-Unit and Interscope
Release date: 3rd March 2005
Spotify streams: 1.1 billion
2001 – Dr. Dre
Estimated worldwide album sales: 10 million
Label(s): Aftermath and Interscope
Release date: 16th November 1999
Spotify streams: 2.6 billion
Greatest Hits – 2Pac
Estimated worldwide album sales: 10 million
Label(s): Amaru, Death Row and Interscope
Release date: 24th November 1998
Spotify streams: 2 billion
Life After Death – The Notorious B.I.G.
Estimated worldwide album sales: 10 million
Label(s): Bad Boy and Arista
Release date: 25th March 1997
Spotify streams: 1.4 billion
E. 1999 Eternal – Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
Estimated worldwide album sales: 10 million
Label(s): Ruthless and Relativity
Release date: 25th July 1995
Spotify streams: Unknown
Licensed to III – Beastie Boys
Estimated worldwide album sales: 10 million
Label(s): Def Jam and Columbia
Release date: 15th November 1986
Spotify streams: Unknown
All Eyez on Me – 2Pac
Estimated worldwide album sales: 10 million
Label(s): Death Row and Interscope
Release date: 13th February 1996
Spotify streams: 1.9 billion
Country Grammar – Nelly
Estimated worldwide album sales: 10 million
Label(s): Universal and Fo’ Reel
Release date: 27th June 2000
Spotify streams: 620 million
Recovery – Eminem
Estimated worldwide album sales: 10 million
Label(s): Shady, Aftermath and Interscope
Release date: 18th June 2010
Spotify streams: 2.9 billion
The Slim Shady LP – Eminem
Estimated worldwide album sales: 10 million
Label(s): Aftermath and Interscope
Release date: 23rd February 1999
Spotify streams: 1 billion
Monkey Business – The Black Eyed Peas
Estimated worldwide album sales: 9 million
Label(s): will.i.am, Interscope and A&M
Release date: 25th May 2005
Spotify streams: 817 million
Elephunk – The Black Eyed Peas
Estimated worldwide album sales: 9 million
Label(s): A&M, will.i.am
Release date: 24th June 2003
Spotify streams: 865 million
No Way Out – Puff Daddy
Estimated worldwide album sales: 8 million
Label(s): Bad Boy and Arista
Release date: 22nd July 1997
Spotify streams: Unknown
Vol.2…Hard Knock Life – Jay-Z
Estimated worldwide album sales: 8 million
Label(s): Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam
Release date: 29th September 1998
Spotify streams: Unknown
Very Necessary – Salt-n-Pepa
Estimated worldwide album sales: 7 million
Label(s): Next Plateau and London
Release date: 12th October 1993
Spotify streams: Unknown
Hip Hop Albums of 2022
Here are the hip hop albums due this year that we’re most looking forward to. From Kendrick Lamar to Cardi B, we wonder if any of these albums could miraculously surpass Eminem’s current record.
Kendrick Lamar
As one of the undisputed kings of contemporary hip-hop, Kung Fu Kenny’s forthcoming fifth album is one of 2022’s most anticipated releases in any genre.
And if his verses on Baby Keem’s 2021 record The Melodic Blue are anything to go by, we’re in for a real treat.
Cordae
Since dropping the YBN tag from his stage name, Cordae has grown up. Clearly, he’s no longer the lost boy he portrayed himself to be in his debut studio album.
Bearing this in mind, we’re expecting a more mature take on hip hop from his sophomore album, officially titled From A Bird’s Eye View.
Cardi B
Considering that she’s one of the most famous people on the planet, it’s quite astonishing that Cardi B has only dropped one studio album.
Of course, we’ve got extremely high expectations when it comes to her 2022 record – we’re hoping for more Insta caption-worthy lyrics, an assortment of exciting features and an abundance of boss energy.
Gunna
Gunna is constantly attracting attention, whether it’s for his white-hot albums, his unique sense of style or his unlikely friendships with other industry insiders.
Consequently, there’s a lot of talk about his next project, Drip Season 4.
According to his recent Insta post, the record will feature Chlöe Bailey, Kodak Black, Lil Baby, Chris Brown and more. Could we be any more excited?!
Pusha T
Ex-Clipse man Pusha T may be a little controversial at times, but his music always delivers.
It’s no wonder then that we’re chomping at the bit to hear the Virginia-raised rapper’s forthcoming 12-track album, not least because his last LP, DAYTONA, was our favourite Pusha T project to date.
Music for Your Next Project
So, there you have it – the 30 top-selling hip hop albums of all time and the hip hop albums to look out for 2022.
The artist to beat? Eminem, by a (8) mile. Not only does the rapper seemingly have the best-selling album of all time (The Eminem Show), but five more of his albums were also successful enough to make the cut.
Evidently, it is Marshall Bruce Mathers III who aspiring artists should be taking notes from if they’re looking to crack the code of commercial hip hop success.
Aspiring filmmakers, podcasters, vloggers, TV producers and advertisers may be more interested in cracking the code of the perfect production – this is something that we can help with.
Here at Audio Network, we store over 200,000 licensable background music tracks that you can employ for your creative projects.
From pop to rock to hip hop, we’ve got music of every genre to help you evoke any mood imaginable.
Head over to our playlist and discover pages to get better acquainted with our ever-expanding catalogue of high-quality tracks and find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!
