Travis Scott, Jeezy & More: Timeless Rap Albums That Turn 10 In 2026

2016 was an incredible year for some of the biggest names in hip-hop, from top-charting acts like J. Cole, Drake, and Travis Scott to legends like Ye, De La Soul, and A Tribe Called Quest.

First thing's first, rest in peace Phife Dawg. The 5 Foot Assassin passed away in March 2016 due to complications of diabetes. Phife, born Malik Taylor, appeared on all six albums ATCQ released during the group's nearly 30-year tenure in the rap game. Several months after Phife's death, Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and Jarobi White reunited to honor their fallen member on their final album, We Got It From Here... Thank You 4 Your Service.

In addition to ATCQ's final LP, plenty of other classic albums were released in 2016. Drake dominated the airwaves with songs like "Hotline Bling," "One Dance," and "Controlla" from his Views album. Despite its mixed reviews at the time, Drizzy's fourth studio album sold 110,000 units and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Kendrick Lamar had fans hype when he performed some untitled tracks following the success of his 2015 album To Pimp A Butterfly. After keeping fans at the edge of their seats for weeks, K.Dot finally released untitled unmastered. on March 4, 2016.

“I got a chamber of material from the album that I was in love [with] where sample clearances or something as simple as a deadline kept it off the album,” Lamar said in an interview. “But I think probably close to ten songs that I’m in love with that I’ll still play and still perform that didn’t make the cut.”

Other artists like Future, Chance The Rapper, Mustard, Ab-Soul and Jeezy also dropped albums in 2016. Relive some iconic hip-hop albums as they celebrate their 10th anniversary below.