What is the best alternative hip-hop album of all time?

Left-of-center, experimental, and unapologetically original — alternative hip-hop has always pushed boundaries. Which album is the greatest?

1

De La Soul – 3 Feet High and Rising

De La Soul's 1989 debut that introduced hip-hop's playful, psychedelic alternative with groundbreaking sampling.

2

A Tribe Called Quest – The Low End Theory

ATCQ's 1991 jazz-rap landmark that remains the defining record of alternative hip-hop's golden era.

3

The Pharcyde – Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde

The Pharcyde's 1992 debut, a warm and humorous West Coast alternative rap classic full of vibrant storytelling.

4

Outkast – Aquemini

Outkast's 1998 double-platinum album pushing their sound to sprawling, cosmic alternative rap territory.

5

MF DOOM – Madvillainy

MF DOOM and Madlib's 2004 collaborative masterpiece, a dense, psychedelic underground classic.

6

MF DOOM – Operation: Doomsday

MF DOOM's 1999 debut, recorded while living in a parking garage, that launched one of hip-hop's most beloved personas.

7

Tyler, the Creator – Flower Boy

Tyler's 2017 lush and emotionally open album, a sonic departure into neo-soul and introspective hip-hop.

8

Childish Gambino – Because the Internet

Donald Glover's 2013 concept album exploring internet culture, identity, and alienation with avant-garde ambitions.

9

Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly

Kendrick's 2015 jazz-funk masterpiece that transcended genre boundaries and redefined what rap could be.

10

Digable Planets – Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space)

Digable Planets' 1993 debut blending jazz, soul, and hip-hop into a relaxed, politically progressive soundscape.

11

Aesop Rock – Labor Days

Aesop Rock's 2001 El-P-produced album tackling labor, identity, and modern alienation with dense lyrical complexity.

12

Atmosphere – God Loves Ugly

Slug and Ant's 2002 Minneapolis album of confessional rap that became a cult bible for alternative hip-hop fans.

13

Danny Brown – Old

Danny Brown's 2013 album split between party-rap hedonism and darker reflections on addiction and Detroit street life.

14

Gorillaz – Demon Days

Damon Albarn's 2005 virtual band opus blending hip-hop, rock, and electronics into a dystopian concept album.

15

Run the Jewels – RTJ2

Killer Mike and El-P's 2014 free-released punk-rap assault praised as one of the most exciting records of the decade.