10 Best Hip-Hop Double Albums

Double albums have a dubious history in hip-hop.

On one hand, it’s more bang for your buck – at least, back in the days when we actually PAID for music. Getting twice the amount of music from artists is a dream come true for fans hungry to hear more from their faves.

The tradeoff? More songs means longer album runtimes – and a greater margin of error.

Sometimes there IS such a thing as having too much of a good thing.

I think many artists realize this, which is why there haven’t been a ton of double albums over the course of rap’s 50-year lifespan. And among that small field, even fewer accomplish the tricky balancing act of maintaining consistency across bloated runtimes.

Luckily, you have me! Join me as I break down the 10 best double albums in rap history to date.

And before I begin, shout out to the homies at Shatter the Standards, who beat me to the punch on this post by a couple of weeks. Consider their list a companion piece to this one.

Honorable Mentions:

Jay Z, Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse

Lupe Fiasco, Drogas Wave

Cypress Hill, Skull & Bones

Blu, Good to be Home

2pac, All Eyez on Me

10. UGK, Underground Kingz (2007)

Underground Kingz has the sobering legacy of representing both a new beginning and the beginning of the end. While it stands as the final proper UGK album (the follow-up, UGK 4 Life, preceded Pimp C’s tragic passing), it’s also the first UGK LP to follow Sweet James Jones’ prison stint. And clearly he had a lot to say. Bun B and Pimp C restate their claim as one of the greatest duos of the South, effortlessly gliding over soulful production and beating down the block with harder-edged beats. There’s a lot going on across the set’s 130-minute runtime, but the pair never lose their focus. Pimp C will forever be missed.

9. Vince Staples, Summertime 06 (2015)

Making your debut record a double LP is a pretty risky proposition, but Vince Staples has never been one to pump the breaks on his creativity. Fresh off of a buzzworthy EP and mixtape run, No ID’s production led the way for a surprisingly insightful release. Though the atmosphere is heavy, Vince’s vivid bars turn Summertime 06 into a passionate coming of age story. It was the beginning of a great career and proof that great double albums won’t collapse under their own weight.

8. The Diplomats, Diplomatic Immunity (2003)

File this one under guilty pleasures. When DipsetMania began to take over hip-hop in the early 00s, I was very hesitant. Sure I loved Cam’ron’s insane rhyme schemes, but a double album filled with Cam’s nonsensical bars backed by his upstart buddies seemed like the audio version of a brain freeze. But thanks to Dipset’s infectious charisma – along with incredible production from heavyweights like The Heatmakerz and Just Blaze – what resulted was an undeniable release that defined a generation of fans. Dipset is the very definition of “you had to be there,” and sometimes I miss those days.

7. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, He’s the Rapper, I’m the DJ (1988)

Will and Jeff made tons of history in 1988 – not only is their sophomore LP the duo’s most commercially successful record of their career, it’s also the very first double album in hip-hop history. Modern ears may scoff at the set’s lighthearted rhymes but real heads who are willing to dig deeper will find lots of gems. Jeff’s ahead-of-his-time production and Fresh Prince’s underrated knack for storytelling shine through, reminding us that rap didn’t always take itself so seriously. But make no mistake, both guys are masters of their craft.

6. Nas, Street’s Disciple (2004)

A lot of Nas’ albums have aged much better in the years that succeeded their release, and Street’s Disciple is one of the greatest examples. Like many double albums, it can feel a bit long in the tooth about 3/4ths through the set, but you can’t deny what Esco brings to the table – and I’m not just talking about that album cover. From intriguing concept tracks that tackled the toll of AIDS (I’m surprised he never brought “Scarlett” back…) to a touching look at Black love and marriage (which hits a lot differently in hindsight…) and of course, trademark tracks for the streets, Street’s Disciple shows just how diverse Nas’ game is. It was the early stages of the maturation of Nasir Jones. It took awhile for fans to catch up, but Nas has always been 10 steps ahead.

5. Big K.R.I.T., 4eva is a Mighty Long Time (2017)

Big KRIT is really tired of being rap’s most underrated artist. And the frustration that comes with being immensely talented yet constantly overlooked fuels 4eva Is A Mighty Long Time, a double album that wrestles with the duality of being a braggadocious, overachieving rap star and an insecure black man still searching for direction. 4eva Is A Mighty Long Time is a bridge between fame and frailty, giving us a look inside KRIT’s life as a rap celebrity and his very human struggles. As always,  his stories are presented over authentic Southern production, from system rattling trunk bangers to laid back soul samples. 4eva Is A Mighty Long Time is KRIT’s best – and most important – LP thus far.

4. Outkast, Speakerboxx/The Love Below (2003)

I remember Outkast fans being a little nervous about this one back in ’03. Wouldn’t two solo albums divide the chemistry and creativity that Dre and Big Boi spent a decade building? How dare we question the Mighty O. Speakerboxxx and The Love Below were two vastly different albums, but both were spectacular in their own right. 3 Stacks took on the role of a 21st century Jimi Hendrix while Big Boi proved that outside of Andre’s shadow he’s one of the greatest MCs of all time. The level of creativity here couldn’t be contained to just one disc. If you take it as one piece of work it can be a bit bloated, but look at it as two solo albums and it’s a double dose of genius.

3. Wu-Tang Clan, Wu-Tang Forever (1997)

How do you follow up on one of the greatest rap albums of all time? If you’re the Wu, you release a classic single – the groundbreaking “Triumph” –  drop a double album, and win. Again. Hovering around 30 tracks, Wu-Tang Forever was definitely robust and is even a bit overwhelming on first listen. But the set is just so cohesive and engrossing that you keep coming back for more. This album could have been a disaster, instead it just added to the Clan’s mythical legacy.

2. Kendrick Lamar, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers (2022)

I feel like I’ve spent the past calendar year screaming to the heavens “Mr. Morale is a REALLY good album, y’all!” But I get it – you have to have lived a bit to truly understand what Kendrick went through in creating this incredible body of work. Playing out like an open therapy session over two discs, Kendrick bares his soul as only he can – blatantly admitting his faults and fears while empowering listeners to not look to celebrities for leadership, but to look within. Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers is a mature, thoughtful tome of an artist staring in the mirror, confronting his own demons. It’s by no means an easy listen, and that’s probably why this is the most divisive album in his catalog. The radio cuts and club bangers are all but nonexistent but Kendrick’s brutal honesty and next-level artistry make Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers one of the best albums the genre has seen in years.

1. The Notorious B.I.G., Life After Death (1997)

As I mentioned earlier, double albums are always a gamble — in nearly all cases, it’s just too much of a good thing. Thankfully, Biggie defies conventions and single-handledly rewrote the rules of rap with his final album. While gangsta rap had seen commercial success in the past, Life After Death thrust the subgenre into the mainstream for good, paving the way for a decade’s worth of artists. Even its production style marked a change for the genre — instead of sticking with one or two producers for the entire album, this set flaunted a wide array of superproducers, a practice that soon became commonplace. And, of course, BIG’s impeccable delivery was at its zenith here, creating 24 tracks that have been endlessly quoted and sampled since. It’s Bad Boy’s crown jewel — and hip-hop’s greatest double album of all time.

What are your favorite double albums? Yell at me about snubbing that Pac album in the comments below.