What is the best rap album by a duo or group of all time?

By YPB Team

Wu-Tang, Run-DMC, N.W.A, OutKast — some of hip-hop's greatest moments came from collectives. Which duo or group rap album is the best of all time?

  1. Wu-Tang Clan – Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) — ranked #11
    Wu-Tang Clan – Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
    Wu-Tang Clan's 1993 nine-member Staten Island debut, one of the most influential group albums in hip-hop history.
  2. N.W.A – Straight Outta Compton — ranked #22
    N.W.A – Straight Outta Compton
    N.W.A's 1988 debut, the West Coast group's bombshell that launched gangsta rap and rattled mainstream America.
  3. A Tribe Called Quest – The Low End Theory — ranked #33
    A Tribe Called Quest – The Low End Theory
    ATCQ's 1991 jazz-rap album featuring Q-Tip and Phife Dawg at their most electric, the gold standard of duo rap.
  4. Outkast – ATLiens — ranked #44
    Outkast – ATLiens
    Andre 3000 and Big Boi's 1996 cosmic breakthrough that established them as hip-hop's most visionary duo.
  5. Eric B. & Rakim – Paid in Full — ranked #55
    Eric B. & Rakim – Paid in Full
    Eric B. and Rakim's 1987 debut, a duo masterpiece that set new standards for flow, sampling, and MC skill.
  6. Run-DMC – Raising Hell — ranked #66
    Run-DMC – Raising Hell
    Run-DMC's 1986 third album that crossed hip-hop into rock audiences and featured the era-defining 'Walk This Way'.
  7. Public Enemy – It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back — ranked #77
    Public Enemy – It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
    Public Enemy's 1988 Chuck D and Flavor Flav-led sonic revolution, the most politically charged group rap album ever.
  8. Mobb Deep – The Infamous — ranked #88
    Mobb Deep – The Infamous
    Prodigy and Havoc's 1995 two-man Queensbridge epic, a moody and violent duo masterpiece.
  9. Pete Rock & CL Smooth – Mecca and the Soul Brother — ranked #99
    Pete Rock & CL Smooth – Mecca and the Soul Brother
    Pete Rock and CL Smooth's 1992 debut, a duo classic blending jazzy samples with smooth introspective rapping.
  10. Gang Starr – Step in the Arena — ranked #1010
    Gang Starr – Step in the Arena
    Gang Starr's 1991 album, a landmark pairing of DJ Premier's jazz sampling and Guru's understated wisdom.
  11. Beastie Boys – Licensed to Ill — ranked #1111
    Beastie Boys – Licensed to Ill
    Beastie Boys' 1986 debut, the first rap album to reach number one on the Billboard 200.
  12. De La Soul – 3 Feet High and Rising — ranked #1212
    De La Soul – 3 Feet High and Rising
    De La Soul's trio debut in 1989, a playful psychedelic alternative rap classic built around sampling and humor.
  13. EPMD – Strictly Business — ranked #1313
    EPMD – Strictly Business
    EPMD's 1988 debut, a duo masterpiece of funk-heavy beats and tag-team rapping that was instantly influential.
  14. Clipse – Lord Willin' — ranked #1414
    Clipse – Lord Willin'
    Pusha T and Malice's 2002 debut, a Neptunes-produced cocaine-rap classic with icy precision.
  15. Run the Jewels – RTJ2 — ranked #1515
    Run the Jewels – RTJ2
    Killer Mike and El-P's 2014 free-release, an aggressive punk-rap duo record hailed as one of the decade's finest.
  16. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony – E. 1999 Eternal — ranked #1616
    Bone Thugs-n-Harmony – E. 1999 Eternal
    Bone Thugs' five-member 1995 Cleveland album that blended melodic rap with their signature rapid-fire style.
  17. Boogie Down Productions – Criminal Minded — ranked #1717
    Boogie Down Productions – Criminal Minded
    BDP's 1987 debut that paired KRS-One's street philosophy with DJ Scott La Rock's production to create hardcore hip-hop.

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