The top ten trap albums of the modern era.
Now an inescapable subgenre of hip-hop, trap music originated in early 2000s Atlanta, its name derived from the prevalence of “traps” — places set up for illicit production and movement of drugs — and its lyrics full of hyper-realistic depictions of life in and around them. 808 drum packages are usually the star of the show. Bass kicks boom, hi-hats rattle, and snares implode as the songs, flush with abrasive deliveries and boastful lyrics, overwhelm the senses. Thanks to pioneers T.I., Young Jeezy, and Gucci Mane, the scene developed from the Atlanta underground into the dominant force behind rap’s growth. To this day, trap continues to reach new commercial heights: even acts otherwise divorced from the sound borrow its instrumentation (think: Morgan Wallen’s country-trap “Wasted on You,” or Ed Sheeran’s Lil Baby-assisted “2step”).
artwork by Sally North.
It’s this continued growth that motivates me to recognize the crème of the crop. In this list, I’m looking at projects released after 2010, as disparate eras make it difficult to retroactively rank projects like T.I.’s foundational Trap Musik (2003) with this newer age of trap. Here’s my top ten. And yes, I hate your favorite album.
#10. Chief Keef - Finally Rich (2012)
Highlights: “Love Sosa;” “Diamonds;” “I Don’t Like”
Chief Keef was only 16 when he dropped “Love Sosa.” A foundational contribution to Chicago drill, Finally Rich sees Keef being unapologetically himself. Stacked with bangers that can take the top off of any room, an incredible strength of this record is its anthemic choruses. Hits like “Love Sosa” and “I Don’t Like” may be somewhat one-note, but those hooks keep you coming back. Keef’s delivery is as gruff as his lyrical content is gritty. His style, along with explosive beats primarily from the innovative Young Chop, has inspired many imitators. How often do you hear the autotuned flows of “Kay Kay” today? It’s impossible to understate Chief Keef’s impact, best represented across the twelve tracks of Finally Rich.
#9. 2 Chainz - Pretty Girls Like Trap Music (2017)
Highlights: “Saturday Night;” “OG Kush Diet;” “Poor Fool”
Buoyed by a prominent guitar line, “Saturday Night” starts Pretty Girls Like Trap Music off with a bang. 2 Chainz cements his veteran status: “Double salute anybody who made it out the trap \ … \ This a new kinda kitchen, marble countertops, see through fridge.” The Atlanta rapper’s fourth studio album supplies this kind of perspective in droves, unique to the then-39-year-old. If you blink, you might miss his clever blending of hyper-realism and downright ludicrous lyricism. He balances them masterfully on “Poor Fool”: “I’m addicted to the rice at Benihana’s \ Raised by a single parent Black woman \ They call me Tity Boi ‘cause she used to spoil me.” At an age where many rappers are past their prime, Pretty Girls sees an OG effortlessly adapting to new-age trap rap, maintaining his gritty perspective and signature laid-back absurdism. Play this on a late night drive.
#8. Migos - Culture (2017)
Highlights: “T-Shirt;” “Call Casting;” “Slippery”
Atlanta group Migos entered the mainstream with 2016’s chart-topping “Bad and Boujee” off the back of infectious, meme-able opening lines from Offset. Culture is chock-full of earworms: this trio’s unrelenting triplets have an uncanny way of sticking with you. Speeding over luscious beats with, yes, that trademark flow, Culture sees the trio at the top of the mountain, reflecting on viral success and newfound fame and riches. Takeoff shines on the standout “T-Shirt,” his rapid yet staccato delivery complimented by glossy production and Quavo’s background hums. Quavo leads on the laid-back “Kelly Price,” crooning alongside frequent collaborator Travis Scott. And Offset’s girl is, in fact, “Bad and Boujee.” Fans love to argue about which Migo is the best, but if the triumphant energy of Culture is any indication, they’re best together.
#7. Drake - If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late (2015)
Highlights: “6PM in New York;” “Know Yourself;” “Legend”
No one can question Drake’s confidence. He opens If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late with a declaration: “If I die, I’m a legend.” And on “6PM in New York,” he closes out the album with even more self-assuredness, saying on the project’s most diaristic offering: “Decadent flow and I still got a decade to go.” At this point, it’s hard to argue he was wrong. Unabashed confidence summarizes a lot of this surprise-release commercial mixtape, as Drake confronts naysayers who doubted him in the past, can’t believe his success in the present, and question his legacy into the future. His rap-heaviest solo outing, IYRTITL finds the Toronto megastar at his sharpest. It’s Drake’s best project.
#6. Metro Boomin - HEROES & VILLAINS (2022)
Highlights: “Superhero (Heroes & Villains);” “Metro Spider;” “Raindrops (Insane)”
HEROES & VILLAINS only has a few months to its name, but Metro Boomin sure knows how to put together an album. Even while recruiting an all-star team of trap tastemakers, Metro’s thematic cohesion prevents his offering from being a half-baked cameo fest (looking at you, DJ Khaled). Balancing all these artists would be a tall task for most, but Metro transports you into each of their worlds: you wouldn’t be shocked to hear “Superhero” on Future’s next solo outing, or “Creepin’” on The Weeknd’s. The tracklist moves effortlessly from Travis Scott’s dizzying “Raindrops (Insane)” to the menacing “Umbrella” with 21 Savage and Young Nudy. Usually, compilation albums come from some well-connected producer deciding to call every artist they know for a verse, creating a glorified playlist. That isn’t the case here: let HEROES play, from top to bottom.
#5. Future - DS2 (2015)
Highlights: “Thought It Was a Drought;” “Kno the Meaning;” “Where Ya At”
DS2 is organized chaos. On the surface, the bombastic production and Future’s brutally honest lyrics might lead you to think the album is blindly hedonistic. But there’s so much more going on under the hood. The rapper deals with drug addiction, failed relationships, and the pitfalls of fame: for every high point in his life, it feels like there’s always something dragging him back down. When you really listen, Future’s storytelling, usually in the form of non-sequiturs rather than cohesive narration, is sobering. On “I Serve the Base,” he laments, “I gave up on my conscience, gotta live with it,” and admits on “Trap N****s” that “I’m drinking Actavis, the only thing that relax me.” If you think Future is happy with his constant material dependencies, you didn’t actually listen to the album. A necessary listen within a complete discography.
#4. Young Thug - Barter 6 (2015)
Highlights: “With That;” “Never Had It;” “Halftime”
“If the cops pull up, I’ll put that crack in my crack.” (“Check”)
“I nut on that fish on my sofa.” (“Dome”)
Young Thug has too many iconic lines to count, but it’s astounding how many reside on this tape. Barter 6 sees the rapper as unconventional as ever, employing acrobatic, auto-tuned vocals that are equal parts distinct and confusing. “Halftime” might be the best showcase of this, as Thug slips in and out of whispers, wails, and screeches, each time finding a different pocket to explore. Thug uses his voice as an instrument. The bars he spits are not necessarily meant to blow you away: instead, emphasis is placed on how his vocals phonetically interact with his beats. Notably, “With That” features a nocturnal, incredibly catchy synth line that carries the track’s main melody. Young Thug’s all-over-the-place style might not be for everyone, but Barter 6 remains an essential listen.
#3. 21 Savage & Metro Boomin - SAVAGE MODE II (2020)
Highlights: “Glock In My Lap;” “Runnin;” “RIP Luv”
“Are things better or worse the second time around? Can we really do anything more than once?” asks Morgan Freeman on “Runnin.” By the end of SAVAGE MODE II, the answer is a resounding yes. II takes everything endearing about the Savage Mode formula and adds new wrinkles. If that 2016 LP was dark and brooding, albeit one-dimensional, 2020’s sequel is dynamic and varied. Yes, imposing gun play, complete with Metro Boomin’s behind-the-board wizardry across tracks like “My Dawg” and “Runnin” is the main attraction: but, the inclusion of more emotional, slower moments like “RIP Luv” and “Rich N***a Sh*t” reflects 21 Savage’s progression into a complete artist. SAVAGE MODE II cements this duo’s undeniable chemistry.
#2. Travis Scott - ASTROWORLD (2018)
Highlights: “STOP TRYING TO BE GOD;” “ASTROTHUNDER;” “CAN’T SAY”
What if I told you I didn’t like this album upon its initial release? Scott’s opus gets better on repeated listens. Unlisted features like The Weeknd, Drake, and Frank Ocean add unpredictability to this incredibly consistent effort. Scott is the ring leader of what really does feel like an amusement park, every song its own ride. He knows how to set the vibe with the approachable “YOSEMITE” and “WAKE UP,” lets loose on trunk-rattling bangers “SICKO MODE” and “NO BYSTANDERS,” and inevitably comes down on the sobering “STOP TRYING TO BE GOD” and “ASTROTHUNDER.” He turns introspective on the album’s closer, “COFFEE BEAN,” reflecting on his relationship with Kylie Jenner. Even with these individual standout tracks, the strength of ASTROWORLD remains in the sum of its parts. Atmospheric, haunting, and relaxing all at once, Scott’s latest body of work is aging phenomenally.
And now, with honorable mentions to Young Thug’s JEFFERY and Future’s HNDRXX, let’s get to #1.
#1. Future - Monster (2014)
Highlights: “Throw Away;” “Codeine Crazy;” “After That”
Future has two main approaches to a record: grimy bangers and woozy ballads. His best performances in both lanes reside on Monster. “Throw Away,” my absolute favorite song of his, showcases them phenomenally. The track opens with Future as reckless as ever, exclaiming, “Girl, you know you like a pistol, you a throw away.” He leads you to expect a nihilistic victory lap. After the second chorus, however, Future’s actions catch up to him, and the beat warps with a sleek, almost mournful set of distorted synths. Now full of regret, he’s trying to get back into a past partner’s life, crooning: “Don’t give up on me today / Hold onto me like a true love,” falling on bended knee by the song’s conclusion. Many of the record’s songs capture a cathartic Future embracing his flaws this way, constantly referring to himself as a ‘monster.’
Monster is the best offering from the greatest trap artist of all time, extremely deserving of the #1 spot.
edited by Eric Harwood.
artwork by Sally North.
album artwork believed to belong to either the publisher of the work or the artist.
