Grammy Award for Best Rap Album

The Grammy Award for Best Rap Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums with rapping at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".

In 1995, the Academy announced the addition of the award category Best Rap Album. The first award was presented to the group Naughty by Nature at the 38th Grammy Awards the following year. According to the category description guide for the 52nd Grammy Awards, the award is presented for "albums containing at least 51% playing time of tracks with newly recorded rapped performances". Award recipients often include the producers, engineers, and/or mixers associated with the nominated work in addition to the recording artists.

As of 2025, Eminem holds the record for the most wins in this category, with six. Lauryn Hill was the first female artist to win in this category, when she won in 1997 with the Fugees. The duo Outkast and rapper Tyler, The Creator have both received the award twice. Jay-Z holds the record for the most nominations, with eleven. Drake became the first non-American winner in this category when he won in 2013. The Roots have received the most nominations without a win, with five. Eminem and Kanye West are the only artists to win the award in consecutive years, with Eminem achieving the feat twice. In 2016, Drake's If You're Reading This It's Too Late became the first mixtape to get nominated for the award, and in 2017, Chance the Rapper's Coloring Book became the first mixtape to win the award. In 2019, Cardi B became the first solo female rapper to win for Invasion of Privacy.

Recipients

right|upright|thumb|[[40th Grammy Awards|1998 winner Sean Combs (credited as Puff Daddy), performing in 2010]]

right|upright|thumb|Six-time award winner [[Eminem, performing in 2014]]

right|upright|thumb|Four-time award winner [[Kanye West]]

right|upright|thumb|[[49th Grammy Awards|2007 award winner Ludacris]]

right|upright|thumb|[[50th Grammy Awards|2009 award winner Lil Wayne]]

right|upright|thumb|[[55th Grammy Awards|2013 award winner Drake]]

right|thumb|upright|Four-time award winner [[Kendrick Lamar]]

right|upright|thumb|[[61st Grammy Awards|2019 award winner Cardi B, the first solo female rapper to win the award]]

1990s

{| class="wikitable"

! width="10%" | Year

! width="45%" | Work

! width="45%" | Artist

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"| 1996 <br/>

| Poverty's Paradise

| Naughty by Nature

|-

| E. 1999 Eternal

| Bone Thugs-n-Harmony

|-

| I Wish

| Skee-Lo

|-

| Me Against the World

| 2Pac

|-

| Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version

| Ol' Dirty Bastard

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"| 1997 <br/>

| The Score

| Fugees

|-

| All Eyez On Me

| 2Pac

|-

| Beats, Rhymes and Life

| A Tribe Called Quest

|-

| Gangsta's Paradise

| Coolio

|-

| Mr. Smith

| LL Cool J

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"| 1998 <br/>

| No Way Out

| Puff Daddy and the Family

|-

| Life After Death

| The Notorious B.I.G.

|-

| Supa Dupa Fly

| Missy Elliott

|-

| Wu-Tang Forever

| Wu-Tang Clan

|-

| Wyclef Jean Presents The Carnival

| Wyclef Jean

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"| 1999 <br/>

| Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life

| Jay-Z

|-

| Capital Punishment

| Big Pun

|-

| Harlem World

| Mase

|-

| Life in 1472

| Jermaine Dupri

|-

| The Love Movement

| A Tribe Called Quest

|-

|}

2000s

{| class="wikitable"

! width="10%" | Year

! width="45%" | Work

! width="45%" | Artist

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"| 2000 <br/>

| The Slim Shady LP

| Eminem

|-

| Da Real World

| Missy Elliott

|-

| E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event): The Final World Front

| Busta Rhymes

|-

| I Am...

| Nas

|-

| Things Fall Apart

| The Roots

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"| 2001 <br/>

| The Marshall Mathers LP

| Eminem

|-

| 2001

| Dr. Dre

|-

| Country Grammar

| Nelly

|-

| ...And Then There Was X

| DMX

|-

| Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter

| Jay-Z

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"| 2002 <br/>

| Stankonia

| Outkast

|-

| Back for the First Time

| Ludacris

|-

| The Blueprint

| Jay-Z

|-

| Pain Is Love

| Ja Rule

|-

| Scorpion

| Eve

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"| 2003 <br/>

| The Eminem Show

| Eminem

|-

| Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry

| Petey Pablo

|-

| Nellyville

| Nelly

|-

| Tarantula

| Mystikal

|-

| Word of Mouf

| Ludacris

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"| 2004 <br/>

| Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

| Outkast

|-

| The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse

| Jay-Z

|-

| Get Rich or Die Tryin

| 50 Cent

|-

| Phrenology

| The Roots

|-

| Under Construction

| Missy Elliott

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"| 2005 <br/>

| The College Dropout

| Kanye West

|-

| The Black Album

| Jay-Z

|-

| The DEFinition

| LL Cool J

|-

| Suit

| Nelly

|-

| To the 5 Boroughs

| Beastie Boys

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"| 2006 <br/>

| Late Registration

| Kanye West

|-

| Be

| Common

|-

| The Cookbook

| Missy Elliott

|-

| Encore

| Eminem

|-

| The Massacre

| 50 Cent

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"| 2007 <br/>

| Release Therapy

| Ludacris

|-

| Game Theory

| The Roots

|-

| In My Mind

| Pharrell

|-

| King

| T.I.

|-

| Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor

| Lupe Fiasco

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"| 2008 <br/>

| Graduation

| Kanye West

|-

| Finding Forever

| Common

|-

| Hip-Hop Is Dead

| Nas

|-

| Kingdom Come

| Jay-Z

|-

| T.I. vs. T.I.P.

| T.I.

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"| 2009 <br/>

| Tha Carter III

| Lil Wayne

|-

| American Gangster

| Jay-Z

|-

| Lupe Fiasco's The Cool

| Lupe Fiasco

|-

| Paper Trail

| T.I.

|-

| Untitled

| Nas

|-

|}

2010s

{| class="wikitable"

! width="10%" | Year

! width="45%" | Work

! width="45%" | Artist

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"| 2010 <br/>

| Relapse

| Eminem

|-

| The Ecstatic

| Mos Def

|-

| The Renaissance

| Q-Tip

|-

| R.O.O.T.S.

| Flo Rida

|-

| Universal Mind Control

| Common

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"| 2011 <br/>

| Recovery

| Eminem

|-

| The Blueprint 3

| Jay-Z

|-

| B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray

| B.o.B

|-

| How I Got Over

| The Roots

|-

| Thank Me Later

| Drake

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"| 2012 <br/>

| My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

| Kanye West

|-

| Lasers

| Lupe Fiasco

|-

| Pink Friday

| Nicki Minaj

|-

| Tha Carter IV

| Lil Wayne

|-

| Watch the Throne

| Jay-Z and Kanye West

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=6, style="text-align:center;"| 2013 <br/>

| Take Care

| Drake

|-

| Based on a T.R.U. Story

| 2 Chainz

|-

| Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1

| Lupe Fiasco

|-

| God Forgives, I Don't

| Rick Ross

|-

| Life Is Good

| Nas

|-

| Undun

| The Roots

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"| 2014 <br/>

| The Heist

| Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

|-

| Good Kid, M.A.A.D City

| Kendrick Lamar

|-

| Magna Carta Holy Grail

| Jay-Z

|-

| Nothing Was the Same

| Drake

|-

| Yeezus

| Kanye West

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=6, style="text-align:center;"| 2015 <br/>

| The Marshall Mathers LP 2

| Eminem

|-

| Because the Internet

| Childish Gambino

|-

| Blacc Hollywood

| Wiz Khalifa

|-

| The New Classic

| Iggy Azalea

|-

| Nobody's Smiling

| Common

|-

| Oxymoron

| ScHoolboy Q

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"| 2016 <br/><br/>

| To Pimp a Butterfly

| Kendrick Lamar

|-

| 2014 Forest Hills Drive

| J. Cole

|-

| Compton

| Dr. Dre

|-

| If You're Reading This It's Too Late

| Drake

|-

| The Pinkprint

| Nicki Minaj

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=6, style="text-align:center;"| 2017 <br/>

| Coloring Book

| Chance the Rapper

|-

| And the Anonymous Nobody...

| De La Soul

|-

| Blank Face LP

| ScHoolboy Q

|-

| The Life of Pablo

| Kanye West

|-

| Major Key

| DJ Khaled

|-

| Views

| Drake

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"| 2018 <br/><br/>

| Damn.

| Kendrick Lamar

|-

| 4:44

| Jay-Z

|-

| Culture

| Migos

|-

| Flower Boy

| Tyler, the Creator

|-

| Laila's Wisdom

| Rapsody

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"| 2019 <br/>

| Invasion of Privacy

| Cardi B

|-

| Astroworld

| Travis Scott

|-

| Daytona

| Pusha T

|-

| Swimming

| Mac Miller

|-

| Victory Lap

| Nipsey Hussle

|-

|}

2020s

{| class="wikitable"

! width="10%" | Year

! width="45%" | Work

! width="45%" | Artist

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"| 2020 <br/>

| Igor

| Tyler, the Creator

|-

| Championships

| Meek Mill

|-

| I Am > I Was

| 21 Savage

|-

| The Lost Boy

| Cordae

|-

| Revenge of the Dreamers III

| Dreamville

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"| 2021 <br/>

| King's Disease

| Nas

|-

| Alfredo

| Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist

|-

| The Allegory

| Royce Da 5'9"

|-

| Black Habits

| D Smoke

|-

| A Written Testimony

| Jay Electronica

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"| 2022 <br/>

| Call Me If You Get Lost

| Tyler, the Creator

|-

| Certified Lover Boy <small>(withdrawn)</small>

| Drake

|-

| Donda

| Kanye West

|-

| King's Disease II

| Nas

|-

| The Off-Season

| J. Cole

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"| 2023 <br/>

| Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers

| Kendrick Lamar

|-

| Come Home the Kids Miss You

| Jack Harlow

|-

| God Did

| DJ Khaled

|-

| I Never Liked You

| Future

|-

| It's Almost Dry

| Pusha T

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"| 2024 <br/>

| Michael

| Killer Mike

|-

| Her Loss

| Drake and 21 Savage

|-

| Heroes & Villains

| Metro Boomin

|-

| King's Disease III

| Nas

|-

| Utopia

| Travis Scott

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"| 2025 <br/>

| Alligator Bites Never Heal

| Doechii

|-

| The Auditorium Vol. 1

| Common and Pete Rock

|-

| The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)

| Eminem

|-

| Might Delete Later

| J. Cole

|-

| We Don't Trust You

| Future and Metro Boomin

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"| 2026 <br/>

| GNX

| Kendrick Lamar

|-

| Chromakopia

| Tyler, the Creator

|-

| Glorious

| GloRilla

|-

| God Does Like Ugly

| JID

|-

| Let God Sort Em Out

| Clipse

|-

|}

 Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.

Artists with multiple wins

;6 wins

• Eminem

;4 wins

• Kendrick Lamar
• Kanye West

;2 wins

• Outkast
• Tyler, the Creator

Artists with multiple nominations

11 nominations

• Jay-Z

8 nominations

• Kanye West
• Eminem

7 nominations

• Nas
• Drake

5 nominations

• The Roots
• Common
• Kendrick Lamar

4 nominations

• J. Cole (1 with Dreamville)
• Lupe Fiasco
• Missy Elliott
• Tyler, the Creator

3 nominations

• Ludacris
• Nelly
• T.I.
• Pusha T (1 with Clipse)

2 nominations

• Nicki Minaj
• Dr. Dre
• Lil Wayne
• LL Cool J
• 50 Cent
• Outkast
• ScHoolboy Q
• A Tribe Called Quest
• 2Pac
• DJ Khaled
• Travis Scott
• 21 Savage
• Future
• Metro Boomin
• JID (1 with Dreamville)

See also

• Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance
• Grammy Award for Best Rap Song
• Hip hop music

References

General

• Note: User must select the "Rap" category as the genre under the search feature.

Specific