The UK's Official Top 40 biggest rap albums of the Millennium revealed
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 |
©2018 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.
Fugees Image: Rex/Shutterstock
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Kriti Punjabi
Eminem has 6 spots in the Top 10 itself lol