One of the biggest genres of music, hip-hop, had a very interesting and chaotic year to say the least. You cannot talk about this year in hip-hop without bringing up the beef between two of the biggest powerhouses in the genre, Drake and Kendrick Lamar. Both artists went back-and-forth on various songs, trading heinous remarks about one another like it was a heavyweight boxing match. A full dissection of the beef will have to be another story for another day, but you cannot deny the lasting impact that this rivalry had on hip-hop. This year, it felt like artists were incentivized to rap like they have not rapped before and dropped amazing projects to keep hip-hop fans engaged. So, I decided it would be a grand idea to join in on the fun and create my own list. So, without further ado, here are Rome Kadi’s top 10 hip-hop albums of 2024.

10. “Take Care” by BigXThaPlug

Most hip-hop fans would not recognize who BigXThaPlug is at first, but the Texas rapper has put together smash-hit songs throughout the last couple of years. Songs like “Mmhmm,” “Texas,” and “Levels” have all been certified platinum and his first LP “Amar” is certified gold. So, when he released “Take Care,” there was some hype around it considering the fame that he has garnered. However, when he spoke to Apple Music, this album meant more to him than any project he has created because of the people that inspire him most. “My kids is what drives me,” BigXThaPlug told Apple Music host Ebro Darden. “That’s the reason when I’m tired and I get up every day when I don’t want to get up, they’re the reason,” he said. That work ethic he has built opens up endless amounts of inspiration for him to write and rap at his best. That is  especially shown in the intro title track in the beginning of the album. “Got to that bag, needed chips like a Ruffle, it double/Now I can take care of my mother,” he raps. Throughout this album, he shows his emotion and puts together some of his most polished work to date. People may laugh now, but watch out when BigXThaPlug continues to become a star in the rap industry.          

9. “Dark Times” by Vince Staples 

Staples has not been regarded as the most mainstream rapper in the world, but he creates music that the diehard and traditional hip-hop fans can appreciate. The Long Beach-native has many songs on this album that call back to his roots where the subgenre, G-funk, ruled with icons like Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. However, you can also tell that he tries to create his own sound with robust and unique production choices. Throughout much of this album, Staples gets introspective and talks about his life experience. Specifically, on songs like “Black&Blue,” “Little Homies,” “Étouffée” and “Government Cheese,” Staples shares what it is like to live in the projects of the greater Los Angeles area and how difficult it can be for his mental health. “Dark Times” is not the most hyped project, and it is not filled with trap drums that you would hear on most hip-hop albums. However, if you are on a chill, late-night drive, this is the perfect album to spin from top to bottom and set the mood.  

8. “Alligator Bites Never Heal” by Doechii

If there was a breakout rapper of the year award in 2024, Doechii would win it in a landslide. She was not on anyone’s radar coming into the year, and by the end, she is on everyone’s radar. Doechii is leading the charge when it comes to reserving the narrative of female rappers in the 2020s decade. She strays away from the raunchy side of hip-hop and pays tribute to the rappers who inspired her, including Missy Elliott and Nicki Minaj. On this album, she wears her heart on her sleeve and discusses her own life experiences. On “DENIAL IS A RIVER,” she is talking to a therapist alter-ego about how her ex-boyfriend was cheating on her with another guy and how Doechii has since bounced back from that. Later on in the song, she talks about how even though she makes a lot of money, she still tends to fall back to her vices, but she is trying to fix that part of herself. It is safe to say that “DENIAL IS A RIVER” is one of the more raw songs that has come out this year. On the Grammy-nominated song, “NISSAN ALTIMA,” she brags about herself and her riches while rapping at a million miles an hour. It is one of those songs that makes you scrunch your face in amazement and is the best representation of who Doechii is as an artist. Speaking of Grammy nominations, “Alligator Bites Never Heal” was nominated for Best Rap Album alongside legendary artists, including J.Cole, Future and Eminem. “Alligator Bites Never Heal” is Doechii’s magnum opus to date, but you should not be surprised if her next album is better than this one.

7. “Blue Lips” by ScHoolboy Q

This placement might be the most controversial on this list because most people have this album in their top five or even top three best hip-hop albums of 2024. However, the reason why this album is placed here is because of personal preference. ScHoolboy Q is one of the most experimental rappers in the industry right now, and most of the time it works in his favor. Even though there were a couple really great standouts on this album, there are more cohesive and listenable albums than this one, in my opinion. However, that should not take away from the fact that he had multiple fan-favorite songs in the genre with “Blueslides” and “THank god 4 me.” “Blueslides” is a rap song that does not sound like a rap song at all. ScHoolboy Q raps over this orchestral beat that sounds like it is plucked straight out of something that Frank Sinatra or Sammy Davis Jr. would use. This song transports you into this feeling of laying on the beach with your sunglasses on and enjoying life to the fullest. Not to mention, Lauren Santi’s angelic vocals in the beginning of this song sound like a combination of Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald. When ScHoolboy Q begins his rapping, he becomes really introspective and talks about the struggles he has gone through and how he has risen to the occasion. Along with that, he has one of the catchiest hooks of 2024, where he raps, “Blue slides, I been sliding through your whole s---/Yeah, presidential rollies, I took big risks/We split the profit with the people, we be all lit/Top ten, not ten, b----, we all in.” “THank god 4 me” is the exact opposite in terms of production. The song starts with a similar beat to “Blueslides,” but transitions to a beat with hard-hitting drums and loud horns that will get anyone jumping around and dancing. In his lyrics, ScHoolboy Q flexes his materialistic items that most rappers tend to rap about these days. Overall, even though “Blue Lips” might not be the outright favorite for some hip-hop fans, there are a few standouts on this album that anyone will appreciate.

6. “Hardstone Psycho” by Don Toliver

When Don Toliver first came onto the scene, he made bubbly and euphoric songs like “After Party,” “Cardigan,” “No Idea,” and “Private Landing” from his first few projects. Those songs put him on the map as one of the best rappers in the game. Nevertheless, he decided to switch things up when he released “Hardstone Psycho.” This album is made for hardcore bikers and is filled with grunge rock production, which is the most unique production choice the genre has seen not just this year, but maybe ever. Some standouts include “KRYPTONITE,” “TORE UP,” “BROTHER STONE,” “ATTITUDE,” “BANDIT,” “GLOCK,” “NEW DROP,” “DEEP IN THE WATER” and his collaboration with Teezo Touchdown “BACKSTREETS.” Although there are definitely some head-scratching songs and inconsistencies within the tracklist, these songs are a great representation of the album’s mission: to provide a refreshing, new sound to Toliver’s artistry, while also calling back to what got him to this point.    

5. “We Don’t Trust You” by Metro Boomin and Future

The producer-artist tandem has curated some of the best trap songs of the 2010s and 2020s decades, including “Monster,” “Thought It Was A Drought,” “Where Ya At,” “Jumpman” and The Weeknd collaboration “Low Life.” So, when this album’s rollout began, there was a gargantuan amount of anticipation among many rap fans. When it was released, not only did it exceed that anticipation and hype, but it will also leave a lasting impact on the genre decades into the future. Do you remember the Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar beef from earlier? That beef began on one song called “Like That,” where Lamar was a surprise feature on the song. In his verse, he called out Drake and J.Cole and disregarded the whole “Big 3” conversation between the rappers. In other words, people were hailing the three rappers as the three best rappers of the 2010s and even a portion of the 2020s. Lamar did not like that moniker because he believes he is the best rapper in the industry and that no one can touch him. The feature started the ripple effect that set the hip-hop industry ablaze and reintroduced the competitive side of hip-hop that fans were missing. The album has other highlights, including “Everyday Hustle” with Rick Ross, “Type S---” with Travis Scott and Playboi Carti, “Young Metro” with The Weeknd and the intro title track “We Don’t Trust You.” There are also some underrated tracks on this album like “Ice Attack,” “Fried (She a Vibe),” “Cinderella” with Travis Scott and “GTA.” Not to mention, these Metro Boomin-produced beats are always solid and the chemistry between him and Future is just as synchronous as it was at the beginning of their careers. Although this album left an impact that cannot be replicated, we are beginning to get to the albums that have little to no misses and “We Don’t Trust You” falls a bit short.  

4. “Might Delete Later” by J.Cole

J.Cole surprise dropped “Might Delete Later” 14 days after “We Don’t Trust You” and shook the rap industry even more. As many highlights as there are on this album (and we will get to those in a second), there is one massive blemish that temporarily tainted J.Cole’s image. The final track on this album was called “7 Minute Drill” which was J.Cole’s response to Lamar’s diss verse of him and Drake, who are long-time friends in the industry and even toured together earlier this year. Once he released the song with the album, he had regrets about how he handled it. “I moved in a way that I feel, spiritually feel bad about it,” J.Cole said during his set at his label’s festival “Dreamville Fest” last spring. A few days later, he took down the song on all streaming platforms. This decision angered some fans at the time that wanted to see J.Cole be competitive and enter the metaphorical “boxing ring” with Drake and Kendrick Lamar. However, in hindsight, fans came to understand why Cole bowed out of the beef because it would have  caused irreparable harm to him and his career. Now, back to this album. With this mixtape, Cole shows why he is one of, if not the, best lyricist in the rap game right now. Some highlights off this album include “Crocodile Tearz,” “3001,” “Trae The Truth in Ibiza” and “Pi” featuring Ab-Soul and Daylyt. All four of the songs are rooted in J.Cole’s tenacious and hungry lyricism  that goes back to his early projects like “Friday Night Lights” and “2014 Forest Hills Drive.” Songs like “Pricey” with Ari Lennox, Gucci Mane, and Young Dro,“Ready ‘24” with Cam’ron and “Stealth Mode” with Bas are solid and underrated tracks on the album. Even when there is doubt circulating around J.Cole, he continues to quiet the doubters and wow hip-hop fans with his masterful lyricism.

3. “The Crossroads” by Cordae

Cordae has been on a winding road throughout his rap career. He started off under the name “YBN Cordae” as he was in the rap group “YBN” with YBN Nahmir and Almighty Jay. He would later release his first project called “The Lost Boy” in 2019, which received a lot of praise and put him on the map in the rap industry. Songs like “Have Mercy,” “Broke As F---,” and “RNP,” his first of multiple collaborations with Anderson .Paak, all have been certified gold in the last few years. However, his career would take a downturn when he released his second solo album, “From A Bird's Eye View” in 2022. Although there were a few decent songs, it did not receive the same amount of appreciation from fans as “The Lost Boy” did and took him away from the public eye for a couple of years. During that time, the lack of praise drove Cordae to “push his pen,” which he told multiple sources, including NFR Podcast and Apple Music. That work ethic he garnered to prove people wrong resulted in “The Crossroads,” which is one of the best rap albums of the year and is celebrated by many fans, even though it will not get the most mainstream success. There are many highlights on this album, creating a near skipless project. These highlights include songs such as “06 dreamin,” “Nothings Promised” and “Shai Afeni,” which are standout solo records on the project. However, most importantly, the collaborations on this album are near-perfection. Cordae does a great job of creating an impeccable chemistry with him and feature artists, including Joey Bada$$ on “Syrup Sandwiches,” Juicy J on “Never See It,” Lil Wayne on “Back on the Road” and the lead single “Saturday Mornings,” and frequent collaborator Anderson .Paak on “Summer Drop” and “Two Tens” (the latter being produced by none other than J.Cole). This album is Cordae’s best project by a wide margin, and do not be surprised if he puts out better albums in the future. However, these next two projects are in a tier of their own.

When deciding between the No. 2 and No. 1 album, it was like splitting hairs. They are both equally fantastic, but for different reasons. One is an album that is a direct tribute to the ones that came before him and the other one is a fresh, new sound for an artist who has taken the rap industry by storm in the last few years. Long story short, you can flip-flop the placement of these two projects and most people would not get mad at you. Without further ado, the No. 2 album of 2024 is…..

2. “Chromakopia” by Tyler, The Creator

A couple months ago, I put together an album review for this project where I break it down song-by-song, so go check it out here if you have not done so already. In this album, Tyler, the Creator calls back to prior standout albums, including “IGOR” and “Call Me If You Get Lost,” but creates a refreshing and different sound that his fans will definitely appreciate. He also shows more maturity on this album and talks about different problems that he endures with being famous in his 30s. Specifically, he talks about the stresses of growing old, the thought of a sudden pregnancy, and if he would be the best father he can be for his future children. Some favorites include “St. Chroma,” “Noid,” the ScHoolboy Q collaboration “Thought I Was Dead” and the Teezo Touchdown featured song “Darling, I.” Although Tyler has better albums in his discography, this one is still great in its own right and one that will stand the test of time.

1. “GNX” by Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar and 2024 went together like peanut butter and jelly. He dropped the “Like That” surprise verse on “We Don’t Trust You” that set the rap game on fire. He then won the highly tense beef with Drake. Lamar dropped “Not Like Us” as a knockout blow to the rivalry while simultaneously making arguably the song of the summer. He was also announced as the headline artist at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans in February 2025. Finally, he dropped “GNX” in late November. This album acts as a direct shoutout to Lamar’s predecessors in the Los Angeles rap scene while also letting Lamar have the most creative freedom he’s ever experienced in his career. This freedom was infectious in many of these songs and made for a fun listen. Similar to “Dark Times,” Lamar uses beats that represent the sound where he comes from with songs like “squabble up,” “hey now,” “tv off,” “dodger blue,” “peekaboo,” and the title track “gnx.” All of these songs are filled with bouncy drums and sharp horns and strings. However, he also goes back to that hard-hitting and hungry rapper in songs like “reincarnated,” in which he uses an old Tupac song as a sample and adopts the same cadence and flow that Tupac would use in many of his songs. Another song like “reincarnated,”  is “wacced out murals,” which is the intro track on the album. In the song, Lamar asks for all the smoke from his competitors in the rap industry while also wanting people to emulate his impeccable work ethic. Furthermore, one interesting song that Lamar decided to put on this album is called “man at the garden.” The song puts you in a place of relaxation. The feeling is as if you are actually sitting in a garden with rain hitting your face as you try to make sense of the world around you. The song is also a tribute to Nas and his song “One Mic” that uses the same whispering cadence and tone that Lamar employs. What is even crazier, is that many people may think this is Lamar’s worst album by his standards, considering how celebrated his albums are in the rap industry, including “good kid, m.A.A.d city”, “To Pimp A Butterfly” and “DAMN.” Yet, “GNX” is still an amazing project. To describe Lamar as an anomaly is an understatement. He is a code that is near impossible to crack, and he leaves listeners on the edge of their seats, wondering what his next move will be.