Complex’s 50 Best Albums of 2021

Gina Alexander

Year-end list season is in full swing, and here's a list that's always worth reading: Complex. As always, the list is heaviest on rap and R&B -- including J. Cole, Tyler the Creator, Doja Cat, Jazmine Sullivan, Mach-Hommy, Summer Walker, Benny the Butcher, Baby Keem, Moneybagg Yo, Westside Gunn, Vince Staples, Maxo Kream, Polo G, Conway the Machine, Armand Hammer, slowthai, Ka, Boldy James, and more -- and it's also got a few fashionable pop choices that fit the vibe, like Adele, Olivia Rodrigo, Kacey Musgraves, James Blake, Halsey, Billie Eilish, WILLOW, and PinkPantheress. If you're looking to catch up on some hip hop you may have missed this year, you'll probably find plenty of good options here. (But also... Donda at #6?)

Read their commentary on each pick here and see the full list below...

Complex's 50 Best Albums of 2021
50. Migos, ‘Culture III’
49. J Balvin, ‘JOSE’
48. Meek Mill, ‘Expensive Pain’
47. Aminé, ‘TwoPointFive’
46. PinkPantheress, ‘To Hell With It’
45. Pi’erre Bourne, ‘The Life of Pi’erre 5’
44. Boldy James & The Alchemist, ‘Bo Jackson’
43. Willow, ‘Lately I Feel Everything’
42. Ransom & Rome Streetz, ‘Coup De Grace’
41. Rod Wave, ‘SoulFly’
40. Ka, ‘A Martyr’s Reward’
39. Slowthai, ‘Tyron’
38. Billie Eilish, ‘Happier Than Ever’
37. Morray, ‘Street Sermons’
36. G Herbo, ’25′
35. Lil Nas X, ‘Montero’
34. Halsey, ‘If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power’
33. James Blake, ‘Friends That Break Your Heart’
32. Nas, ‘King’s Disease II’
31. Young Thug, ‘Punk’
30. Sleepy Hallow, ‘Still Sleep?’
29. Conway the Machine, ‘La Maquina’
28. Armand Hammer & The Alchemist, ‘Haram’
27. Yebba, ‘Dawn’
26. Polo G, ‘Hall of Fame’
25. Wale, ‘Folarin II’
24. IDK, ‘USee4Yourself’
23. Maxo Kream, ‘Weight of the World’
22. Kacey Musgraves, ‘Star-Crossed’
21. Snoh Aalegra, ‘Temporary Highs in the Violet Skies’
20. Justin Bieber, ‘Justice’
19. Vince Staples, ‘Vince Staples’
18. Westside Gunn, ‘Hitler Wears Hermes 8: Sincerely Adolf’
17. Isaiah Rashad, ‘The House Is Burning’
16. Moneybagg Yo, ‘A Gangsta’s Pain’
15. Olivia Rodrigo, ‘SOUR’
14. Silk Sonic, ‘An Evening With Silk Sonic’
13. Baby Keem, ‘The Melodic Blue’
12. Drake, ‘Certified Lover Boy’
11. Benny the Butcher & Harry Fraud, ‘The Plugs I Met 2’
10. Shelley FKA DRAM, ‘Shelley FKA DRAM’
9. Don Toliver, ‘Life of a Don’
8. Mach-Hommy, ‘Pray For Haiti’
7. Summer Walker, ‘Still Over It’
6. Kanye West, ‘Donda’
5. Jazmine Sullivan, ‘Heaux Tales’
4. Doja Cat, ‘Planet Her’
3. Adele, ’30′
2. J. Cole, ‘The Off-Season’
1. Tyler, the Creator, ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’