For years now, black artists have been impacting the music industry, whether it’s rockstars like Jimi Hendrix or rappers like Kendrick Lamar, black artists have been at the top of the game. So, here are the top 10 albums by black artists:
#10: Stankonia – OutKast
To this day, OutKast, made up of rappers Andre 3000 and Big Boi, remains as one of the most successful hip-hop groups of all time, winning 6 Grammy awards. However, this album remains an all time classic, with tracks like “Ms. Jackson” and “So Fresh, So Clean.” With 26 tracks, this album represents the 1990s and early 2000s culture of Atlanta Hip-Hop. After OutKast, Big Boi and Andre 3000 would become great feature artists, still spitting rhymes on other rappers’ songs around 20 years after their breakup.
#9: The Low End Theory – A Tribe Called Quest
If you were to ask most people what the most influential thing to hip-hop is, odds are that you’d get A Tribe Called Quest as an answer. A Tribe Called Quest, made up of rappers like Q-Tip and Phife Dawg, decided to go in a different direction in the 1990s. At the time, Gangsta Rap was becoming the main subgenre of hip-hop, but A Tribe Called Quest decided to make Jazz Rap instead. This album contains classics like “Check The Rhime” and an explosive feature by Busta Rhymes on “Scenario,” which remains as one of the best posse-cuts of all time and serving as the outro as one of the greatest rap albums of all time.
#8: Catch A Fire – The Wailers
When it comes to reggae artists, there’s no beating Bob Marley, and he and his group “The Wailers” would prove that with this album. At the time, the group, made up of Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh, and others, was stuck in the United Kingdom after a tour, as they didn’t have enough money to return back to their home country Jamaica. When they finally made it home, they started working on this legendary album in Kingston. The album itself was about racial injustice towards blacks in Jamaica at the time, and would contain 9 tracks, including “Stir It Up” and “Concrete Jungle.”
#7: Illmatic – Nas
Back in 1992, a young, 16 year old Nas would step into D&D Studios in Manhattan with DJ Premier to record a song. Little did he know, he would end up recording “N.Y. State Of Mind,” which would become one of the most iconic rap songs of all time. 2 years later, he would drop this legendary album at only 18 years old, starting off his legendary career. This album remains as one of the most influential rap records of all time, showcasing his lyricism and storytelling abilities over fresh boom-bap beats. It would also contain “The World Is Yours,” which would be another iconic rap song. To this day, Nas remains as one of the greatest rappers of all time and a legend in the rap industry.
#6: good kid, m.A.A.d city – Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar is arguably one of the greatest artists of our generation, and this album started his explosive career. In 2012, Kendrick Lamar was the underdog in the rap community after moving on from his hip hop group “Black Hippy,” which was made up of rappers Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, and Jay Rock. Although it wasn’t his first album (Section.80 came first), it was his breakout album and a concept album showing the troubles of his life growing up. This album contains multiple classics, such as “Money Trees”, “maad city”, and “Swimming Pools (Drank)”, and contains the emotional “Sing About Me, I’m Dying Of Thirst,” which is the turning point of the album. It also contains features from rap legends like Dr. Dre, Drake, and Mary J. Blige on the deluxe. This album still remains as one of the best rap albums of all time, and at the time of this article, sits at the 12 spot on Billboard’s Top 200 chart for albums roughly 13 years after its release.
#5: Songs in the Key of Life – Stevie Wonder
Although Stevie Wonder was blind, he had a different type of vision: his vision for his albums. For this album, he wanted to express his wants for a better world. Prior to this album, he was thinking about quitting music and moving to Ghana to assist handicapped kids. However, he signed a contract with Motown, and went on to release this album, which would be his best-selling album in his career. This album contains 21 tracks of straight funk, including songs like “Pastime Paradise” (which would famously be sampled into Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise”), “As,” and “Isn’t She Lovely.” This album would end up also winning a deserved Grammy for album of the year.
#4: Are You Experienced? – The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Back in the 60s, psychedelic rock was slowly turning into mainstream rock. Prior to this album, Hendrix was a backup guitarist for an R&B group, but was noticed by someone and signed a contract with a record label and was sent to London to recruit people for his group, which would be famously named “The Jimi Hendrix Experience.” The album only took 5 months to record, but the feedback would be very positive. The album contains classics like “Are You Experienced?,” “Fire,” and “Purple Haze.” This album would have a huge effect on the psychedelic rock scene, and still remains as one of the greatest rock albums of all time.
#3: Purple Rain – Prince
Prince is known for having one of the best halftime shows of all time, but none of that would exist without this album. Prior to this album, Prince had success for his previous music, but not as big as this one. According to Prince, this album is about “the end of the world and being with the one you love and letting your faith/god guide you through the purple rain.” Prior to the album’s release, he had 5 singles, which would all lead up to the success of this album. This album contains classics like “When Doves Cry,” “Baby I’m A Star”, and, of course, “Purple Rain.” To this day, Prince remains as one of the most influential artists of our decade and a hands-down legend.
#2: What’s Going On – Marvin Gaye
Prior to this album, Gaye was seriously thinking about becoming a football player and worked out with multiple NFL teams. However, he thankfully turned back to music and released this album in 1971. Like Kendrick Lamar’s “good kid, m.A.A.d city,” this album is a concept album about a Vietnam War soldier returning home from the war, only to be met with hate and discrimination. This album is also a protest album against the Vietnam War and disrespect towards the veterans who fought in the war. Prior to the album, he had released 4 singles, including “What’s Going On,” which would be the intro track and his most successful on the album. Although this album didn’t have as much success as others on the list, it still remains as one of the greatest protest albums and soul albums of all time.
#1: Thriller – Michael Jackson
When it comes to Michael Jackson, there’s not many singular musicians who can top him. Nicknamed the “King of Pop” for a reason, this album tops my list for best albums by black artists, and deservingly so. This album set the record for most top 10 hits with 7 hits and became the best selling album of all time at the time. But it’s not just the success that makes this album great, it’s the tracklist. Although this album only contains 9 songs, it has many recognizable classics, like “Thriller,” “Billie Jean,” and “Beat It,” 3 of his most successful songs of all time. This album would go platinum 34 times according to RIAA, and would end up giving him 8 Grammys.
