The UK's Official Top 40 biggest rap albums of the Millennium revealed

With rapper Post Malone atop the Official Albums Chart, we look back at other big rap albums to grace the UK Top 40.

Since its founding in America in the 1970s, rap and hip-hop music has rarely strayed from the charts. With rap reigning supreme once again on this week's Official Albums Chart thanks to Post Malone's beerbongs & bentleys, we look back at the UK's biggest rap albums of the Millennium.

Unsurprisingly, Eminem dominates the list, with a mighty ten albums in the Top 40, including his work on the 8 Mile Original Soundtrack, and D12's album Devils Night.

Slim Shady is responsible for the biggest album in the Top 40, his third record The Marshall Mathers LP featuring the UK Number 1 singles The Real Slim Shady and Stan. With a combined total of 2.52m (2.46m sales and 58,000 streaming units), it is one of only two rap albums to shift over 2 million copies since the turn of the century.

The other? Eminem's Curtain Call: The Hits (2.07m). Check out Eminem's biggest songs on the Official Chart.

In fact, the top seven albums on the chart have also sold over one million copies in pure sales, including Dr Dre's iconic 2001 in fifth place (1.2m) and 50 Cent's Get Rich Or Die Tryin' from 2003 (1.17m).

Elsewhere, Jay-Z, who has more Number 1 albums than any other soloist on the US charts, features four times in the rap Top 40. His best-selling work since 2000 is 2004's Collision Course, his collaborative album with Linkin Park at Number 31.

Rap's origins are in the America, but homegrown UK talent also appears in the all-time rap best-sellers. The Streets chart highest at Number 7 with their second album A Grand Don't Come For Free (1.18m), with their debut record Original Pirate Material in 17th place.

Elsewhere, Tinie Tempah's first record Disc-Overy is the 11th biggest rap album since 2000 (873,000), while duo Rizzle Kicks appear at Number 35 with Stereo Typical.

Kanye West almost makes multiple appearances in the chart, lead by 2005's Late Registration at Number 12 (846,000), and Nicki Minaj's debut album Pink Friday from 2010 sneaks in at Number 36.

The UK's Official Top 40 biggest rap albums of the Millennium:

POS	TITLE	ARTIST	CHART PEAK	YEAR
1	THE MARSHALL MATHERS LP	EMINEM	1	2000
2	CURTAIN CALL - THE HITS	EMINEM	1	2005
3	THE EMINEM SHOW	EMINEM	1	2002
4	2001	DR DRE	4	1999
5	ENCORE	EMINEM	1	2004
6	GET RICH OR DIE TRYIN'	50 CENT	2	2003
7	A GRAND DON'T COME FOR FREE	STREETS	1	2004
8	THE SLIM SHADY LP	EMINEM	10	1999
9	RECOVERY	EMINEM	1	2010
10	SPEAKERBOXXX/THE LOVE BELOW	OUTKAST	8	2003
11	DISC-OVERY	TINIE TEMPAH	1	2010
12	LATE REGISTRATION	KANYE WEST	2	2005
13	SHOCK VALUE	TIMBALAND	2	2007
14	THE COLLEGE DROPOUT	KANYE WEST	12	2004
15	THE MASSACRE	50 CENT	1	2005
16	8 MILE	ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK	1	2002
17	ORIGINAL PIRATE MATERIAL	STREETS	10	2002
18	THE MARSHALL MATHERS LP 2	EMINEM	1	2013
19	GREATEST HITS	2PAC	17	1998
20	RELAPSE	EMINEM	1	2009
21	TROUBLE	AKON	1	2004
22	PAIN IS LOVE	JA RULE	3	2001
23	VIEWS	DRAKE	1	2016
24	FREEDOM	AKON	6	2008
25	GRADUATION	KANYE WEST	1	2007
26	TAKE CARE	DRAKE	5	2011
27	THE SCORE	FUGEES	2	1996
28	COLLISION COURSE	JAY-Z & LINKIN PARK	15	2004
29	TONGUE N'CHEEK	DIZZEE RASCAL	3	2009
30	DEVILS NIGHT	D12	2	2001
31	THE DOCUMENTARY	GAME	7	2005
32	R & G - THE MASTERPIECE	SNOOP DOGG	12	2004
33	WATCH THE THRONE	JAY-Z & KANYE WEST	3	2011
34	THE BLUEPRINT 3	JAY-Z	4	2009
35	STEREO TYPICAL	RIZZLE KICKS	5	2011
36	PINK FRIDAY	NICKI MINAJ	16	2010
37	THE BLACK ALBUM	JAY-Z	34	2003
38	STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON	NWA	35	1993
39	MORE LIFE	DRAKE	2	2017
40	NOTHING WAS THE SAME	DRAKE	2	2013