The year started with so much promise. Drake, J. Cole, Cardi B—in 2020, fans of rap were expecting new albums from most of the major heavyweights at the time.
Then, on March 11, 2020, everything changed. That’s the day COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). Within days, lockdowns began. Movie theaters, bars, and venues shut down, and we were all largely confined to our homes.
Of course, there were ripple effects. Being stuck at home meant that rappers couldn’t be on the road, and with touring income nonexistent, A-list rappers were mostly sidelined. This disruption shaped the albums released during the pandemic era. While some superstar figures would eventually drop albums, for the most part, the terrain was dominated by a mix of rising stars and veteran rap acts stepping up to the plate.
The irony, of course, is that it was the perfect time to release an album. Listeners were stuck at home in quarantine, with ample free time. And being alone in your room—listening to music while doing a simple task or just hanging out—is the perfect way to fully engage with an album.
Below are the best rap albums released during the pandemic. Before coming up with this list, we had to define the parameters. We consider the pandemic period to span from March 2020—when COVID-19 was labeled a pandemic—to April 2021, when vaccines became widely available and people started going outside again.
From Pop Smoke’s Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon to Freddie Gibbs and Alchemist’s Alfredo, here is the 20 best rap albums released during the pandemic era.
Release date: April 23, 2021
Moneybagg Yo may rep Memphis but he goes slow-motion sprinting across the south on A Gangsta’s Pain. The effortless blend of humor and pathos sets the stage for Bluff City shit-talking street rap and grimy ATL trap. Throw in a few Louisiana blues ballads and you’ve got the Moneybagg gumbo with a Michelin star to boot. —Will Schube
Release date: July 23, 2020
Spanning less than 30 minutes, Flo Milli’s debut mixtape is as confrontational and direct as its title. Throughout, she fully develops the promise she showcased on her breakout, TikTok-boosted single, “Beef FloMix,” marrying the femininity of an Ariana Grande with the bite of a Chief Keef. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo
Release date: March 30, 2020
Some things just go perfect together: McDonald’s fries and a large Sprite; Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns; Conway the Machine and The Alchemist, Beverly Hills’ most blunted. This is music for empire builders—con artists with half-baked schemes need not listen. —Will Schube
Release date: May 1, 2020
Ah, the good old days, when Drizzy could drop a surprise treat for his fans and we didn’t immediately go scouring for perceived disses, clever retorts, and deeply buried Easter eggs. —Will Schube
Release date: October 2, 2020
With a marketing budget bigger than the GDP of some small countries, 21 and Young Metro announced Savage Mode 2 with a trailer from music video king Gibson Hazard and narration from an actor so powerful he’s played God himself: Morgan Freeman. Somehow, SM2 lived up to this (very expensive) hype. —Will Schube
Release date: December 11, 2020
There was a time when Jack Harlow was the hypothetical No. 1 draft pick on everyone’s “who’s next” rap draft. Part of it was the charm, part of it was because he’s white. But most importantly, he has the skills—enough verve to hang with a wide spectrum of MCs, from the gangstas (EST Gee on “Route 66”) to the legends (Lil Wayne on “Whats Poppin (Remix)” ). —Dimas Sanfiorenzo
Release date: November 20, 2020
After years of anticipation and months following a traumatic incident that left her wounded, Megan Thee Stallion dropped her debut—an album that spent some time addressing the pipsqueak in the room, but mostly functioned as music for the Hotties to enjoy. In a year lacking star power, Good News was one of the true blockbusters, featuring everyone from Beyoncé to Young Thug to SZA. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo
Release date: May 22, 2020
Remember when Gunna and his Drip Harder partner Lil Baby actually appeared on tracks together? Ah, simpler times. The WUNNA cut “BLINDFOLD” isn’t their best work together, but at least we could rely on their sturdy relationship while the world was stuck inside. Now? We can’t even enjoy “Drip Too Hard” without someone being labeled a “rat.” —Will Schube
Release date: March 26, 2021
Betrayal! Heartbreak! Intricate storylines! Describing a Rod Wave album is kind of like describing a soap opera—you know the beats, but how can you not get invested? Rod Wave has been a successful rapper for a decade, but this is where the lore truly begins. Released on March 26, 2021, SoulFly also serves as a great nightcap to the pandemic era: one final cry before we could go outside again. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo
Release date: July 10, 2020
Juice WRLD died on December 8, 2019, just days after his 21st birthday, and only months before the world entered lockdown. Legends Never Die, released in the summer of 2020, is doubly heartbreaking. You can hear the raw angst and despair in the lyrics and themes, while also mourning the loss of an incredible talent—one who was still evolving as a songwriter. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo
Release date: April 17, 2020
Few albums were truly of the pandemic like Westside Gunn’s Pray For Paris. The Griselda leader went all method actor for the project, revealing upon its release that COVID-19 put him in critical care: “I went to the hospital feeling like I was breathing my last breath,” he revealed. Pray for Gunn, it turns out. —Will Schube
Release date: March 13, 2020
Upon its release, Don Toliver referred to his debut Heaven or Hell as “the greatest album to come out this decade.” It’s not as presumptuous as it sounds, considering it dropped just a couple of months into 2020. Still, it’s an impressive debut, with Don incorporating his own melodic talents into the expansive production quirks developed by his mentor, Travis Scott. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo
Release date: March 13, 2020
Good things take time, but 15 years? Jay Electronica had to deliver an album that justified the decade-plus-long wait. So he brought in the GOAT, Jay-Z, crafting a new Watch the Throne but swapping the globe-trotting energy of the Ye collab with something more introspective, spiritual, and verbose. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo
Release date: May 15, 2020
Like a prime 2Pac, Polo G is a rapper who can be tough but, frankly, works better when he’s in his feelings. The GOAT is an album about how trauma manifests in our lives and the ways we can overcome it. It arrived at a perfect time, too, given the circumstances, but it’s not a downer. In fact, the album closes on a hopeful note, with “Wishing For a Hero”—a remake of 2Pac’s “Changes.” —Dimas Sanfiorenzo
Release date: September 11, 2020
While all of us were complaining about being stuck inside for months on end, YoungBoy Never Broke Again was spitting about being about that life, banished to his own home on house arrest. Is it really a pandemic record if YoungBoy had to spend his days inside anyways? “House Arrest Tingz” would suggest COVID lockdown is child’s play for the Baton Rouge star. —Will Schube
Release date: May 29, 2020
Anyone who had “Freddie Gibbs, Grammy Award nominee” on their DraftKings ticket could have copped a private jet with the winnings. It was that unlikely. Gangsta Gibbs turned his career around thanks to a shrewd linkup with Al, going from major-label dropout relegated to indie cred to red-carpet regular off the strength of Alfredo’s 10 perfect songs. —Will Schube
Release date: March 6, 2020
In Lil Uzi lore, few projects were as anticipated, delayed, postponed, almost released, and agonizingly teased quite like Eternal Atake. In hindsight, it makes sense it took a generational pandemic to get the album to see the light of day. Despite the hype, it remains an all-timer from Baby Pluto. —Will Schube
Release date: February 28, 2020
Technically, this dropped before the pandemic began, but it deserves to be considered part of the pandemic era. Few rap albums dominated those early months like this one. The camera-shy melodic dynamo got his moment with 2020’s My Turn. He took the throne and held it down for most of the pandemic, leaving peers and fans alike to simply marvel at his ruthless rise. —Will Schube
Release date: July 3, 2020
Pop Smoke followed 50 Cent’s from-the-block-to-riches formula to a tee. After flooding the streets with gritty Brooklyn drill anthems, he created his own version of Get Rich or Die Tryin’, broadening his sound by embracing melody and exploring different commercial pockets. He tapped into every sonic trend deftly, from Latin-inspired love songs to West Coast bangers to, yes, Brooklyn drill anthems. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo
Release date: December 25, 2020
The Supreme Clientele for zoomers with 18-hour phone screen time: an album that’s part mind-melting, part gibberish, and completely incomprehensible at first—but starts to make sense the more you listen to it. Whole Lotta Red completely changed the landscape of rap when it dropped on Christmas 2020; not only did it set a new benchmark for the genre, but it also completely altered the sound, making wide-ranging inside internet music sound like being outside. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo
View news Source: https://www.complex.com/music/a/dimassanfiorenzo/best-rap-albums-released-during-covid-19-pandemic
