There's so much to love about 2000s music. Not only did some of the rising stars of the late '90s fully blossom, but we also got a ton of truly great albums, many of which could even be considered the greatest of all time.
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In the hip-hop scene, one can mention 50 Cent's albums "« Get Rich or Die Tryin'’ , JAY-Z «The Blueprint »" and Eminem «The Marshall Mathers LP» . Meanwhile, R&B has given us iconic projects like Aaliyah's self-titled album, «Voodoo » D'Angelo and «Dangerously in Love» Beyoncé. Each project brought something new to their genre, and one could even argue that their influence can still be heard in music released many years later.
Below, REVOLT has compiled a selection of 11 of the most iconic rap and R&B albums of the 2000s (in no particular order). Check them out, and then tell us which one is your favorite.
1. "Voodoo" D'Angelo
Fans have been waiting five long years for the follow-up to D'Angelo's album "« Brown Sugar» , and with the exit «Voodoo» In 2000, he exceeded all expectations. We can confidently say that he deserved his Grammy Award for Best R&B Album the following year. The blues-inspired song "Devil's Pie," which originally appeared on the soundtrack to film "Belly"« , fused R&B and hip-hop in a way that helped define the neo-soul era. "Send It On," meanwhile, was dedicated to his son with Angie Stone, Michael Archer II. Of course, the album's crowning achievement was "Untitled (How Does It Feel)," which inevitably became an anthem for the early 2000s. D'Angelo was a true star, to say the least.
2. Eminem's "Marshall Mathers LP"«
Marshall Mathers LP played a crucial role in popularizing the term "stan" in the cultural context and turning one of rap's greatest artists into a true phenomenon. It features several iconic Eminem songs, including "The Real Slim Shady" and "The Way I Am," with Dr. Dre clearly contributing to much of the arrangement. While songs like "Kim" and "Drug Ballad" confirm that the Detroit lyricist wasn't in the best of mental health, the project as a whole offered listeners a deeper insight into his flawed psyche. Marshall Mathers LP — one of the defining albums of the 21st century!
3. Outkast's "Stankonia"«
Outkast Album "« Stankonia» made REVOLT's list of the most iconic hip-hop covers, and rest assured, the music was equally unforgettable. Beyond classic hits like "Ms. Jackson," "BOB," and "So Fresh, So Clean," Andre 3000 and Big Boi helped open the doors to Southern rap, introduced the world to Killer Mike, and set the bar high for rap duos that followed.
4. JAY-Z's album "The Blueprint"«
JAY-Z Album «The Blueprint» lives up to its name. Featuring tracks like "Renegade" and "The Ruler's Back," Jigga has enlisted some of the best producers of all time—Just Blaze, Kanye West, and Timbaland, to name a few—for his second album of the new millennium. Perhaps it's JAY-Z's attempt to challenge Nas and Mobb Deep on "Takeover," or perhaps it's the added emotional depth of songs like "Song Cry" and "Blueprint (Momma Loves Me)" given the album's September 11th release date—but there's so much here to digest and appreciate.
5. Aaliyah's song«
One can only imagine how devastating it was for Aaliyah to hear the news of what many consider her masterpiece and that she passed away in the same year. The "Are You That Somebody?" singer's third and final album before her tragic death was packed with hits, including "Rock the Boat," "Try Again" (featuring Timbaland), and "I Care 4 U," to name a few. The 16-song album was another reminder that Aaliyah was, indeed, "more than just a woman." She was an icon whose music inspired artists like Kehlani, Jhené Aiko, Rihanna, and countless other R&B stars.
6. 50 Cent's "Get Rich or Die Tryin'"«
«"They say I walk like I got an S on my chest / No, it's a semi-automatic and a bulletproof vest on my chest," 50 Cent raps in the first verse of his debut album. Get Rich or Die Tryin'’ . If that's not a terrific start, what is? On the original 18-track album, Fif gave us "Many Men (Wish Death)," "In da Club," which still gets the party started, and "21 Questions," because apparently gangster love songs were his thing. Plus, the album is packed with guest appearances: G-Unit protégés Tony Yayo, Young Buck, and Lloyd Banks, as well as Eminem, Uncle Snoop, and Destiny's Child. We have no complaints about the project that instantly catapulted 50 Cent to stardom.
7. Usher's "Confessions"
Few R&B albums of the 2000s achieved diamond status, let alone one as iconic for the era as Confessions Usher. Released after his recent split from TLC's Chilli (though she claimed the album wasn't about her), this 19-song project proved Usher had everything working for him: charm, a knack for lyricism, and quality arrangements to support his smooth vocals. Songs like "Yeah!" featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris, "Burn," and more sounded just as good in 2004 as they did two decades later during the Super Bowl LVIII halftime performance. Few artists can boast an album that remains culturally relevant for so long, which speaks to how popular Usher was. Confessions from the very beginning.
8. "The College Dropout" by Kanye West
When you think of Kanye West's career heyday, you probably think of The College Dropout or one of the many other albums he released in the 2000s - including Graduation и 808s & Heartbreak . We'd say his debut album surpasses anything released during that era, primarily because it countered the gangster archetype that dominated rap at the time. Ye's production and lyricism were also on another level, as evidenced by "Through The Wire," "Last Call," "Slow Jamz"—need I go on? There's not much more to say about the 2004 album, but at least it proved the Chicago multi-project artist's genius from the start.
9. Beyoncé's "Dangerously in Love"«
Beyoncé's debut solo album, Dangerously in Love , proved she was the bona fide superstar they thought she was. She followed it with "Crazy in Love," which earned her and Jay-Z two of the album's five Grammy Awards, and then two more hits: "Baby Boy" featuring Sean Paul and "Me, Myself and I." And that's not even mentioning the gems scattered throughout the tracklist, like "Naughty Girl," her duet with Luther Vandross, "The Closer I Get to You," and, of course, "Dangerously in Love 2." Simply put, Dangerously in Love — This is Beyoncé, who showed herself in all her glory from the very beginning. Although we never had any reason to doubt her.
10. "Tha Carter III" by Lil Wayne
Weezy F. Baby, and the "F" stands for incredibly gifted lyricist. Tha Carter III — is truly one of Lil Wayne's greatest albums, so much so that it sold 1 million copies in its first week (the first to achieve this feat since the aforementioned Get Rich or Die Tryin'’ (by 50 Cent). While sales alone don't fully capture the extent of Tunechi's influence on the music industry, his near-ubiquitous singles demonstrate it: "Lollipop," "A Milli," "Mrs. Officer" featuring Bobby V, and "Mr. Carter" with another of the greatest Carter's of all time, JAY-Z. The 2000s were Wayne's creative peak, and no, we won't argue.
11. "Country Grammar" by Nelly
Show some respect to the name Nelly! Another release from 2000, Country Grammar album, He gave us hits like "Ride with Me," "EI," and "Hot S**t," as well as collaborations with Lil Wayne and the St. Lunatics, plus a few hilarious sketches from Cedric the Entertainer. At the time, no one represented St. Louis quite like Nelly.
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