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In the Bronx, New York, on August 11, 1973, an 18-year-old Jamaican-American DJ named Kool Herc organized a back-to-school jam at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue. Eager to do something different, he introduced a unique approach. Rather than playing entire songs, he exclusively spun the instrumental segments, known as «breaks,» which made the crowd go crazy. His friend Coke La Rock amplified the energy further with a microphone during these pivotal moments. And that’s how hip-hop was born.

Now in 2023, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop approaches and various outlets, platforms, artists, festivals, and commentators have been seeking innovative and thrilling means to commemorate this milestone. Spotify, for instance, has chosen to pay tribute by recognizing the 50 most popular rap albums of all time based on their streaming numbers.

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On the list, the undisputed top spot belongs to the late raper XXXTENTACION and his album ‘?’ (2018),  although Drake stands out as the most frequent name, with eight of his albums making it into the Top 50. Following him, other renowned artists have multiple entries on the list, including Eminem with six albums, Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar with three each, and Travis Scott with two. Notably, iconic figures like Tupac, 50 Cent and Dr. Dre have also secured their spots on the list. We also see some girl power in the ranking, with Cardi B at #16 with ‘Invasion of Privacy’ (2018) and Nicki Minaj at #39 with ‘The Pinkprint’ (2014).

Here is the official ranking of the top 50 most streamed albums of all time on the platform.

1. ? – XXXTENTACION
2. Scorpion – Drake
3. Views – Drake
4. Goodbye & Good Riddance – Juice WRLD
5. ASTROWORLD – Travis Scott
6. 17 – XXXTENTACION
7. Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon – Pop Smoke
8. DAMN. – Kendrick Lamar
9. More Life – Drake
10. Legends Never Die – Juice WRLD
11. The Eminem Show – Eminem
12. Luv is Rage 2 – Lil Uzi Vert
13. Death Race for Love – Juice WRLD
14. 2014 Forest Hills Drive – J. Cole
15. Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight – Travis Scott
16. Invasion of Privacy – Cardi B
17. good kid, m.A.A.d. city – Kendrick Lamar
18. The Life of Pablo – Kanye West
19. Take Care – Drake
20. Graduation – Kanye West
21. The Heist – Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
22. Certified Lover Boy – Drake
23. Black Panther The Album: Music From and Inspired By – Kendrick Lamar
24. Recovery – Eminem
25. 2001 – Dr. Dre
26. Nothing Was the Same – Drake
27. Get Rich or Die Tryin’ – 50 Cent
28. The Marshall Mathers LP – Tour Edition – Eminem
29. The Marshall Mathers LP2 – Eminem
30. Music to be Murdered By – Side B (Deluxe Edition) – Eminem
31. Eternal Atake (Deluxe) – LUV vs. The World 2 – Lil Uzi Vert
32. Culture II – Migos
33. Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial – Roddy Ricch
34. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy – Kanye West
35. If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late – Drake
36. Kamikaze – Eminem
37. Meet the Woo 2 – Pop Smoke
38. We Love You Tecca – Lil Tecca
39. The Pinkprint – Nicki Minaj
40. DUMMY BOY – 6ix9ine
41. Hoodie SZN – A Boogie wit da Hoodie
42. THE GOAT – Polo G
43. Culture – Migos
44. My Turn – Lil Baby
45. IGOR – Tyler, the Creator
46. All Eyez On Me – Tupac
47. BLAME IT ON BABY – DaBaby
48. Dark Lane Demo Tapes – Drake
49. Grateful – DJ Khaled
50. Legendary (Deluxe Edition) – Tyga

 

And you? Have you listened to any of these albums on repeat? Which one is your favorite?