The Top 100 Hip-Hop First Weeks of All Time (Visualized) [2021 releases included]

[Crumple]

PS whoever made this used Fabolous' 2001 album Ghetto Fabulous in place of Mystikal's 1998 album Ghetto Fabulous.

Spoiler: The numbers

1| Eminem| The Marshall Mathers LP| 2000| 1.76M
2| Eminem| The Eminem Show| 2002| 1.322M
3| 50 Cent| The Massacre| 2005| 1.14M
4| Drake| Views| 2016| 1.075M
5| Lil Wayne| Tha Carter III| 2008| 1.006M
6| Lil Wayne| Tha Carter IV| 2011| 964K
7| Kanye West| Graduation| 2007| 957K
8| 50 Cent| Get Rich or Die Tryin'| 2003| 872K
9| Kanye West| Late Registration| 2005| 860K
10| Snoop Dogg| Doggystyle| 1993| 803K
11| Eminem| The Marshall Mathers LP 2| 2013| 792K
12| Drake| Scorpion| 2018| 749K
13| Eminem| Recovery| 2010| 741K
14| Nelly| Nellyville| 2002| 714K
15| Eminem| Encore | 2004| 710K
16| Eminem| 8 Mile OST| 2002| 702K
17| DMX| ...And Then There Was X| 1999| 698K
18| 50 Cent| Curtis| 2007| 697K
19| The Notorious B.I.G.| Life After Death| 1997| 690K
20| Beastie Boys| Hello Nasty| 1998| 681K
21| Jay-Z| Kingdom Come| 2006| 680K
22| DMX| Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood| 1998| 670K
23| 2Pac| The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory| 1996| 664K
24| Drake| Nothing Was the Same| 2013| 658K
25| Drake| Take Care| 2011| 631K
26| Wu-Tang Clan| Wu-Tang Forever| 1997| 612K
27| Kendrick Lamar| DAMN.| 2017| 610K
28| Eminem| Relapse| 2009| 608K
29| Drake | Certified Lover Boy | 2021| 604K
30| The Game| The Documentary| 2005| 586K
31| T.I.| Paper Trail| 2008| 568K
32| 2Pac| All Eyez On Me| 1996| 566K
33| P. Diddy| No Way Out| 1997| 561K
34| Jay-Z| The Dynasty: Roc La Familia| 2000| 558K
35| Travis Scott | Astroworld | 2018 | 553K
36| 2Pac| R U Still Down? (Remember Me)| 1997| 549K
37| Jay-Z| The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse| 2002| 545K
38| D12| D12 World| 2004| 544K
39| Drake| If You're Reading This It's Too Late| 2015| 535K
40| Outkast| Stankonia| 2000| 530K
41| Jay-Z| Magna Carta Holy Grail| 2013| 527K
42| T.I.| King| 2006| 522K
43| Snoop Dogg| Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told| 1998| 520K
44| Dr. Dre| 2001| 1999| 516K
45| J. Cole| 4 Your Eyez Only| 2016| 511K
46| Outkast| Speakerboxxx/The Love Below| 2003| 510K
47| Drake| More Life| 2017| 505K
48| Juice WRLD| Legends Never Die|2020|497K
49| Kanye West| My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy| 2010| 496K
50| Master P| MP Da Last Don| 1998| 495K
51| The Notorious B.I.G.| Born Again| 1999| 485K
52| Lil Wayne | Tha Carter V | 2018 | 480K
53| Snoop Dogg| Tha Doggfather| 1996| 479K
54| Jay-Z| The Blueprint 3| 2009| 476K
55| Nas| I Am| 1999| 470K
56| T.I.| T.I. vs. T.I.P.| 2007| 468K
57| Jay-Z| The Black Album| 2003| 463K
58| Jay-Z| Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter| 1999| 462K
59| Kanye West| 808's & Heartbreak | 2008| 450K
60| Drake| Thank Me Later| 2010| 447K
61| Kanye West| The College Dropout| 2004| 441K
62| DMX| The Great Depression| 2001| 439K
63| Jay-Z & Kanye West| Watch The Throne| 2011| 436K
64| Eminem| Kamikaze| 2018| 434K
65| Lloyd Banks| The Hunger for More| 2004| 433K
66| 2Pac| Tupac: Resurrection| 2003| 430K
67| Ludacris| Chicken-n-Beer| 2003| 429K
68| 2Pac| Until The End of Time| 2001| 427K
69| Jay-Z| American Gangster| 2007| 426K
70| Lauryn Hill| The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill| 1998| 423K
71| Jay-Z| The Blueprint| 2001| 420K
72| Method Man| Tical 2000: Judgement Day| 1998| 411K
73| 2Pac & Outlawz| Still I Rise| 1999| 408K
74| J. Cole | KOD| 2018| 398K
75| Snoop Dogg| Tha Last Meal| 2000| 397K
76| Nelly| Suit| 2004| 396K
77| Nicki Minaj| Pink Friday| 2010| 395K
78| Bone Thugs-N-Harmony| The Art Of War| 1997| 394K
79| Mystikal| Ghetto Fabulous| 1998| 385K
80| The Game| Doctor's Advocate| 2006| 385K
81| G-Unit| Beg for Mercy| 2003| 377K
82| J. Cole| 2014 Forest Hills Drive| 2014| 375K
83| Drake & Future| What A Time to Be Alive| 2015| 375K
84| D12| Devil's Night| 2001| 372K
85| 2Pac| Better Dayz| 2002| 366K
86| Kendrick Lamar| To Pimp a Butterfly| 2015| 363K
87| Ja Rule| Pain Is Love| 2001| 361K
88| Young Buck| Straight Outta Cashville| 2004| 361K
89| Beastie Boys| To the 5 Boroughs| 2004| 360K
90| Nas| Hip Hop Is Dead| 2006| 356K
91| Young Jeezy| The Inspiration| 2006| 352K
92| Jay-Z| Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life| 1998| 350K
93| Nelly| Sweat| 2004| 342K
94| Nas| Stillmatic| 2001| 342K
95| Mystikal| Let's Get Ready| 2000| 330K
96| 2Pac| Loyal to the Game| 2004| 330K
97| Snoop Doggy Dogg| Murder Was the Case| 1994| 329K
98| Kanye West| Yeezus| 2013| 328K
99| Kanye West| Donda| 2021| 327K
100| Various Artists| Bad Boys II| 2003| 324K

How we feeling about this? Any unexpected inclusions? Surprising exclusions?

Em on the cover of of one of raps best selling albums as homeless on the street is some fukked up parallel reality.

Crackhead takes 3 hits off a crackpipe.

I'm the best rapper of all time!

* Wakes up in the hospital - nurse says - you almost died.

Meanwhile Eminem really did that in reality.

And ya @Low End Derrick as you know it's a big difference between ppl running to stores taking hours of their days to cop a physical album vs ppl clicking buttons to buy albums on their cell phones on their bed before sleep.

But bro, thank you SOOOO much for this post! I love these visual boards. Repped!!!

 

[Harry B]

He’s also not in the top 20…He’s never been the cultural phenomenon that some of these other guys have been at some point

Cultural phenomenon or Chet and Chad from Montana as fans a long with the culture.

Just cause Post Malone moves more units than Lil Baby doesn’t mean that he’s bigger in the culture. His biggest first week is kingdom come, is that his biggest cultural album?

Very lazy analysis, as usual.

 

[Devil Plisken…CMS]

Cultural phenomenon or Chet and Chad from Montana as fans a long with the culture.

Just cause Post Malone moves more units than Lil Baby doesn’t mean that he’s bigger in the culture. His biggest first week is kingdom come, is that his biggest cultural album?

Very lazy analysis, as usual.

There isn’t one single year when Jay-Z was the biggest thing in music. He never had that kind of peak. In fact he was rarely the biggest act in rap. The man has said it himself. A part of being the biggest thing in pop culture is having honkeys in Montana

 

[thekidfromqueens]

Can't believe the Carter 4 is even in there

 

[Harry B]

There isn’t one single year when Jay-Z was the biggest thing in music. He never had that kind of peak. In fact he was rarely the biggest act in rap. The man has said it himself. A part of being the biggest thing in pop culture is having honkeys in Montana

That’s your opinion, some magazine said 2 different years, not in music but in hiphop.

But more than that, dominating over 10 year and 20 year periods. Is a lot more impressive than being one album, one hit wonders

 

[dubsmith_nz]

HE WAS ALSO A PRODUCER FOR JAY-Z’S HIGHEST RANKING ALBUM

UNDENIABLE

Yeah but unfortunately that's also one of Jay's worst albums

 

[Sccit]

Yeah but unfortunately that's also one of Jay's worst albums

I DISAGREE I ACTUALLY THINK ITS HIS MOST UNDERRATED

 

[dubsmith_nz]

I DISAGREE I ACTUALLY THINK ITS HIS MOST UNDERRATED

I agree its underrated but his catalogue is so strong its at the bottom end. Jay/Dre at that time should have been a home run.

"Prelude", "Kingdom Come", "I Made It", "Minority Report", "Lost Ones", "Beach Chair", "Do You Wanna Ride". It had some great songs.

But Jay wasn't in his bag lyrically and you can tell it was recorded in a rush while he was sick.

Dre's mixing on the non Dre joints was underwhelming as well. "Oh My God" sounds really muddled sonically no matter what you play it on.

Dre is the GOAT to me but I gotta be honest about this album.

 

[CrimsonTider]

I DISAGREE I ACTUALLY THINK ITS HIS MOST UNDERRATED

I agree its underrated but his catalogue is so strong its at the bottom end. Jay/Dre at that time should have been a home run.

"Prelude", "Kingdom Come", "I Made It", "Minority Report", "Lost Ones", "Beach Chair", "Do You Wanna Ride". It had some great songs.

But Jay wasn't in his bag lyrically and you can tell it was recorded in a rush while he was sick.

Dre's mixing on the non Dre joints was underwhelming as well. "Oh My God" sounds really muddled sonically no matter what you play it on.

Dre is the GOAT to me but I gotta be honest about this album.

album is

 

[50CentStan]

Including streaming albums?

 

[Low End Derrick]

Including streaming albums?

Like it or not, it still counts.