| 1996 | 1995 | Me Against the World | 2Pac | Album | 4.1 | 14 |
| 1996 | 1995 | Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version | Ol’ Dirty Bastard | Album | 4.5 | 11 |
| 1996 | 1995 | I Wish | Skee‐Lo | Album | 4 | 8 |
| 1996 | 1995 | E. 1999 Eternal | Bone Thugs‐n‐Harmony | Album | 4.35 | 12 |
| 1996 winner | 1995 | Poverty’s Paradise | Naughty by Nature | Album | | 9 |
| 1997 | 1995 | Gangsta’s Paradise | Coolio | Album | 3.4 | 13 |
| 1997 | 1995 | Mr. Smith | LL Cool J | Album | 4 | 12 |
| 1997 | 1996 | All Eyez on Me | 2Pac | Album | 4.6 | 21 |
| 1997 | 1996 | Beats, Rhymes and Life | A Tribe Called Quest | Album | 3.65 | 11 |
| 1997 winner | 1996 | The Score | Fugees (Refugee Camp) | Album | 3.3 | 24 |
| 1998 | 1997 | Life After Death | The Notorious B.I.G. | Album | 4 | 15 |
| 1998 | 1997 | Wu‐Tang Forever | Wu‐Tang Clan | Album | 4.35 | 11 |
| 1998 | 1997 | The Carnival | Wyclef Jean featuring Refugee Allstars | Album | 3 | 5 |
| 1998 | 1997 | Supa Dupa Fly | Missy Misdemeanor Elliott | Album | 3.65 | 8 |
| 1998 winner | 1997 | No Way Out | Puff Daddy & the Family | Album | 2 | 11 |
| 1999 | 1997 | Harlem World | Mase | Album | | 5 |
| 1999 | 1998 | Capital Punishment | Big Pun | Album | 4.5 | 8 |
| 1999 | 1998 | Life in 1472 | Jermaine Dupri | Album | 5 | 2 |
| 1999 | 1998 | The Love Movement | A Tribe Called Quest | Album | 3.5 | 10 |
| 1999 winner | 1998 | Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life | Jay‐Z | Album | 4 | 8 |
| 2000 | 1998 | Extinction Level Event: The Final World Front | Busta Rhymes | Album | 3.65 | 22 |
| 2000 | 1999 | Things Fall Apart | The Roots | Album | 3.8 | 11 |
| 2000 | 1999 | I Am… | Nas | Album | 3.5 | 9 |
| 2000 | 1999 | Da Real World | Missy Misdemeanor Elliott | Album | 4 | 6 |
| 2000 winner | 1999 | The Slim Shady LP | Eminem | Album | 3.95 | 17 |
| 2001 | 1999 | 2001 | Dr. Dre | Album | 4.2 | 17 |
| 2001 | 1999 | Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter | JAY‐Z | Album | 3 | 8 |
| 2001 | 1999 | …And Then There Was X | DMX | Album | 3 | 10 |
| 2001 | 2000 | Country Grammar | Nelly | Album | 3.8 | 7 |
| 2001 winner | 2000 | The Marshall Mathers LP | Eminem | Album | 4.1 | 28 |
| 2002 | 2000 | Back for the First Time | Ludacris | Album | 4 | 2 |
| 2002 | 2001 | Scorpion | Eve | Album | 3 | 6 |
| 2002 | 2001 | The Blueprint | Jay‐Z | Album | 3.65 | 8 |
| 2002 | 2001 | Pain Is Love | Ja Rule | Album | | 9 |
| 2002 winner | 2000 | Stankonia | OutKast | Album | 3.8 | 21 |
| 2003 | 2001 | Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry | Petey Pablo | Album | | 5 |
| 2003 | 2001 | Word of Mouf | Ludacris | Album | 4 | 6 |
| 2003 | 2001 | Tarantula | Mystikal | Album | | 5 |
| 2003 | 2002 | Nellyville | Nelly | Album | 4.75 | 18 |
| 2003 winner | 2002 | The Eminem Show | Eminem | Album | 4.1 | 20 |
| 2004 | 2002 | Under Construction | Missy Elliott | Album | 3.6 | 10 |
| 2004 | 2002 | The Blueprint²: The Gift & The Curse | Jay‐Z | Album | 3.45 | 15 |
| 2004 | 2002 | Phrenology | The Roots | Album | 3.75 | 9 |
| 2004 | 2003 | Get Rich or Die Tryin’ | 50 Cent | Album | 3.7 | 16 |
| 2004 winner | 2003 | Speakerboxxx / The Love Below | OutKast | Album | 3.4 | 12 |
| 2005 | 2003 | The Black Album | Jay‐Z | Album | 3.2 | 9 |
| 2005 | 2004 | To the 5 Boroughs | Beastie Boys | Album | 3.65 | 16 |
| 2005 | 2004 | THE DEFinition | LL Cool J | Album | 4 | 4 |
| 2005 | 2004 | Suit | Nelly | Album | 4.35 | 5 |
| 2005 winner | 2004 | The College Dropout | Kanye West | Album | 4.25 | 19 |
| 2006 | 2004 | Encore | Eminem | Album | 3.4 | 13 |
| 2006 | 2005 | The Massacre | 50 Cent | Album | 3.8 | 23 |
| 2006 | 2005 | Be | Common | Album | 4.3 | 9 |
| 2006 | 2005 | The Cookbook | Missy Elliott | Album | 4 | 7 |
| 2006 winner | 2005 | Late Registration | Kanye West | Album | 4.3 | 21 |
| 2007 | 2006 | King | T.I. | Album | 5 | 5 |
| 2007 | 2006 | In My Mind | Pharrell | Album | 2.25 | 11 |
| 2007 | 2006 | Game Theory | The Roots | Album | 3.9 | 6 |
| 2007 | 2006 | Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor | Lupe Fiasco | Album | 4.35 | 15 |
| 2007 winner | 2006 | Release Therapy | Ludacris | Album | 3 | 9 |
| 2008 | 2006 | Kingdom Come | Jay‐Z | Album | 3 | 8 |
| 2008 | 2006 | Hip Hop Is Dead | Nas | Album | 3.6 | 10 |
| 2008 | 2007 | T.I. vs. T.I.P. | T.I. | Album | 3.35 | 7 |
| 2008 | 2007 | Finding Forever | Common | Album | 3.75 | 4 |
| 2008 winner | 2007 | Graduation | Kanye West | Album | 3.9 | 25 |
| 2009 | 2007 | American Gangster | Jay‐Z | Album | 3 | 6 |
| 2009 | 2007 | Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool | Lupe Fiasco | Album | 3 | 12 |
| 2009 | 2008 | [untitled] | Nas | Album | 3.75 | 10 |
| 2009 | 2008 | Paper Trail | T.I. | Album | 4.85 | 8 |
| 2009 winner | 2008 | Tha Carter III | Lil Wayne | Album | 3.65 | 18 |
| 2010 | 2008 | The Renaissance | Q‐Tip | Album | 3 | 7 |
| 2010 | 2008 | Universal Mind Control | Common | Album | 4 | 6 |
| 2010 | 2009 | R.O.O.T.S. | Flo Rida | Album | 4.65 | 9 |
| 2010 | 2009 | The Ecstatic | Mos Def | Album | 4.2 | 5 |
| 2010 winner | 2009 | Relapse | Eminem | Album | 3.4 | 19 |
| 2011 | 2009 | The Blueprint 3 | Jay‐Z | Album | 3 | 7 |
| 2011 | 2010 | B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray | B.o.B | Album | 4.5 | 10 |
| 2011 | 2010 | Thank Me Later | Drake | Album | 3.8 | 9 |
| 2011 | 2010 | How I Got Over | The Roots | Album | 4.35 | 8 |
| 2011 winner | 2010 | Recovery | Eminem | Album | 3.6 | 16 |
| 2012 | 2010 | Pink Friday | Nicki Minaj | Album | 3.35 | 26 |
| 2012 | 2011 | Lasers | Lupe Fiasco | Album | 4.35 | 9 |
| 2012 | 2011 | Tha Carter IV | Lil Wayne | Album | 3.6 | 13 |
| 2012 | 2011 | Watch the Throne | Jay‐Z & Kanye West | Album | 3.5 | 18 |
| 2012 winner | 2010 | My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy | Kanye West | Album | 4.25 | 19 |
| 2013 | 2011 | undun | The Roots | Album | 4.5 | 4 |
| 2013 | 2012 | Life Is Good | Nas | Album | 3.6 | 24 |
| 2013 | 2012 | God Forgives, I Don’t | Rick Ross | Album | 5 | 16 |
| 2013 | 2012 | Based on a T.R.U. Story | 2 Chainz | Album | 5 | 10 |
| 2013 | 2012 | Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album, Pt. 1 | Lupe Fiasco | Album | 5 | 6 |
| 2013 winner | 2011 | Take Care | Drake | Album | 4.35 | 11 |
| 2014 | 2012 | good kid, m.A.A.d city | Kendrick Lamar | Album | 4.4 | 37 |
| 2014 | 2013 | Yeezus | Kanye West | Album | 3.85 | 9 |
| 2014 | 2013 | Magna Carta… Holy Grail | Jay‐Z | Album | 2.7 | 7 |
| 2014 | 2013 | Nothing Was the Same | Drake | Album | 4.65 | 20 |
| 2014 winner | 2012 | The Heist | Macklemore & Ryan Lewis | Album | 4.5 | 9 |
| 2015 | 2013 | Because the Internet | Childish Gambino | Album | 3.8 | 8 |
| 2015 | 2014 | Oxymoron | ScHoolboy Q | Album | 5 | 12 |
| 2015 | 2014 | The New Classic | Iggy Azalea | Album | 3.5 | 14 |
| 2015 | 2014 | Nobody’s Smiling | Common | Album | | 5 |
