# What is the best New York rap album of all time?

> New York City is the birthplace of hip-hop, and its artists have produced some of the genre's most celebrated albums. Which NYC rap album is the best ever?

*By YPB Team · Published April 17, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-is-the-best-new-york-rap-album-of-all-time*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Nas – Illmatic**
   Nas's 1994 Queensbridge portrait, the most celebrated New York rap album of all time.
2. **The Notorious B.I.G. – Ready to Die**
   Biggie's 1994 debut that immortalized Brooklyn street life and elevated New York rap to global dominance.
3. **Jay-Z – Reasonable Doubt**
   Jay-Z's 1996 debut, a sophisticated meditation on hustling in New York, now a cornerstone of the city's rap canon.
4. **Wu-Tang Clan – Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)**
   Wu-Tang Clan's 1993 Staten Island-born debut that united nine MCs into hip-hop's most iconic collective.
5. **Mobb Deep – The Infamous**
   Mobb Deep's 1995 Queensbridge classic, the sound of New York in its darkest, most uncompromising form.
6. **Eric B. & Rakim – Paid in Full**
   Eric B. and Rakim's 1987 Long Island debut that redefined what an MC could be through lyrical complexity and flow.
7. **Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...**
   Raekwon's 1995 Staten Island crime epic, an immersive Mafioso-rap world built alongside Ghostface Killah.
8. **GZA – Liquid Swords**
   GZA's 1995 Wu-Tang solo album, a cold and intricate album of chess metaphors and cinematic lyricism.
9. **Slick Rick – The Great Adventures of Slick Rick**
   Slick Rick's 1988 debut, full of vivid storytelling and British-inflected delivery from the Bronx's finest narrator.
10. **Big Daddy Kane – Long Live the Kane**
   Big Daddy Kane's 1988 Brooklyn debut, a showcase of elite MC skill that influenced countless rappers.
11. **Big Pun – Capital Punishment**
   Big Pun's 1998 debut from the Bronx, the first Latin rap album to go platinum, with jaw-dropping lyrical ability.
12. **Big L – Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous**
   Big L's 1995 Harlem debut showcasing one of hip-hop's most gifted punchline artists in his element.
13. **A Tribe Called Quest – The Low End Theory**
   ATCQ's 1991 Queens album, one of the most critically beloved New York rap records ever made.
14. **Jay-Z – The Blueprint**
   Jay-Z's 2001 New York opus featuring soulful Kanye West beats and a career-defining statement of artistry.
15. **Boogie Down Productions – Criminal Minded**
   BDP's 1987 Bronx debut that pioneered hardcore hip-hop with KRS-One's philosophical street verses.
16. **Joey Bada$$ – B4.DA.$$**
   Joey Bada$$'s 2015 debut album channeling 1990s New York boom-bap for a new generation.

Tags: hip-hop, music, rap