Key Takeaways

• The albums on this list helped define the sonic and cultural landscape of the late 2010s.
• Several artists, including Rihanna and Frank Ocean, dropped major projects in 2016 that wound up being their final releases that decade.
• These albums reflect a shift in genre-blending, streaming dominance, and cultural storytelling.

Looking back, 2016 was an incredible year for Hip Hop and R&B. We saw major albums drop from Drake, Beyoncé, and Kanye West, along with standout releases from then-newcomers — at least on the mainstream level — like 21 Savage and 6LACK.

In many ways, 2016 also became a year of unofficial farewells, with several artists releasing projects that, as it turns out, marked the end of an era for several of them. One of the most prominent examples is Rihanna’s ANTI, which housed “Work,” “Sex With Me,” and a laundry list of other hits. There’s also Frank Ocean’s Blonde and A Tribe Called Quest’s We got it from Here… Thank You 4 Your service, the latter billed as the group’s "final" album.

With that out of the way, here’s a look back at 15 incredible albums that are celebrating their 10-year anniversary in 2026. Check them out below.

1. Drake’s Views

Drake released so many chart-dominating songs (namely “Hotline Bling” and “One Dance”) leading up to his fourth studio album, Views, that fans understandably had high expectations for it. For many of us, he delivered — across multiple genres, too. The Canadian star turned the six upside down on “9,” played with New Orleans bounce on “Child’s Play,” and slipped back into his dancehall bag on the Rihanna-assisted “Too Good.” It’s a reminder of how Drizzy refuses to be boxed in, no matter how much some people would love to see his influence fade.

2. Rihanna’s ANTI

We didn’t know Rihanna’s ANTI would end up being her last album for a very, very long time when it dropped, which is probably why it holds such a special place in our hearts all these years later. The Bajan songstress delivered one bop after another across the 16-song effort, including “Sex With Me,” “Love on the Brain,” and “Needed.” And perhaps the most recognizable of them all, RiRi and Drake’s “Work,” spent nine consecutive weeks atop the Hot 100 chart, which was no easy feat during that era.

3. The Weeknd’s Starboy

Having Kendrick Lamar (who seemed to be everyone’s favorite artist to tap at the time), Daft Punk, Lana Del Rey, and Future all on the same album showed just how wide-ranging The Weeknd’s Starboy was, genre-wise. “I didn’t really care about making an actual body of work,” he admitted. It may not have a clear narrative the way some of his other projects do, but the title track, “Die For You,” and plenty of the other songs proved that cohesion wasn't necessarily needed to make a good LP. In retrospect, The Weeknd was ahead of his time in how innovative and genre-blending Starboy turned out to be.

4. Beyoncé’s Lemonade

You just had to be on the internet the day Lemonade dropped. Not only did Beyoncé’s “Sorry” lyrics send the BeyHive on a hunt to figure out who “Becky with the good hair” was, but she also delivered pure perfection with “Formation” and the Lamar-assisted “Freedom.” It holds the No. 1 spot in REVOLT’s ranking of Queen Bey’s best albums for a reason, people.

5. Mac Miller’s The Divine Feminine

“The Divine Feminine, to me, is the universe… Treating the world how you're supposed to treat a female is awesome,” Mac Miller told Complex of his fourth studio album, which housed collaborations with Lamar, Anderson .Paak, and then-girlfriend Ariana Grande. The project also gave us the Bilal-assisted “Congratulations” and “Cinderella” featuring Ty Dolla $ign. Sadly, The Divine Feminine ended up being the second-to-last album we received from the Philadelphia rapper before his untimely passing. Rest in peace, Mac.

6. Travis Scott’s Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight

Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight is responsible for so many imitators and “Travis Scott type beats,” it’s insane. There’s really not much to complain about with this album, considering the Houston rapper was still on the up-and-up following the previous year’s Rodeo. “goosebumps” featuring Lamar went on to become a massive success, while “biebs in the trap” and “pick up the phone” are more proof that Scott is unstoppable when he’s paired with the right collaborators.

7. Chance the Rapper’s Coloring Book

Though it was technically released as a mixtape, Chance the Rapper’s Coloring Book showed the industry that major labels weren’t the only path forward in the streaming era. A huge part of its success came from the project being stacked head to toe with features from Kanye West, Justin Bieber, Jay Electronica, and many others. However, Chance more than carried his weight on tracks like “No Problem,” “Mixtape,” and “Same Drugs.” And hey, it was the first streaming-only project to win a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album — ever.

8. 21 Savage and Metro Boomin’s Savage Mode

Savage Mode, Metro Boomin’s first collaborative project with 21 Savage, is the pinnacle of the producer’s joint LPs. It introduced “X” with Future and “No Heart,” along with several other tracks that underline just how strong the rapper-producer duo is. Part of what made listeners gravitate toward Savage at the time was how blunt and straightforward his lyrics were, and fortunately, he hasn't drafted far from that style. With XXL naming him to its coveted Freshman Class that same year, 2016 was huge for Savage.

9. Childish Gambino’s Awaken, My Love!

Like it or not, Childish Gambino’s “Redbone” had half the world in a chokehold in 2016. Housed on “Awaken, My Love!”, the rapper and actor went in a more funk direction, which turned out surprisingly great. It was also quite the bold move for Gambino to go almost completely featureless while exploring new territory genre-wise.

10. 6LACK’s FREE 6LACK

Although 6LACK’s studio debut album didn’t arrive with the same level of anticipation as some of the other projects on this list, FREE 6LACK is arguably still one of his best LPs. Alongside his breakout track “PRBLMS,” listeners got the Atlanta crooner revealing he was about to be a father on the opener, “Never,” and a moody reinterpretation of Future’s “Perkys Calling” on “Ex Calling.” You don’t see many R&B artists making dark, ambient projects like this anymore.

11. A Tribe Called Quest’s We got it from Here… Thank You 4 Your service

A Tribe Called Quest’s We got it from Here… Thank You 4 Your service hit a bit differently after Phife Dawg’s untimely passing just months before its release. Fortunately, the late rapper’s voice appears on many records across the politically charged project, which also featured multiple guest verses from Consequence and Busta Rhymes. Speaking with The New York Times, Jarobi White said that Phife was “very happy to go out like that.” Cheers to a legend gone too soon!

12. Solange’s A Seat at the Table

A Seat at the Table is very much a product of its time, grappling with various political themes while being rooted in the experiences of Black women. You hear it on records like “F.U.B.U,” where she sings, “All my n**gas in the whole wide world / Made this song to make it all y'all's turn,” and on the self-explanatory “Don’t Touch My Hair.” With Master P interluding much of the project, Solange also gave us the stunning “Cranes in the Sky” and “Mad.” Similar to Rihanna’s ANTI, A Seat at the Table was all Solange fans had to hold onto for the years that followed.

13. Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo

The Life of Pablo sounds very different from how it did when it first came out, but when you’re Kanye West, the world — or at least the music industry — adjusts its expectations. Despite the many production updates and the later addition of the much-appreciated “Saint Pablo,” it’s a great album. Fans got early glimpses of Ye’s Christian era through “Ultralight Beam,” him shaking up the world by claiming he made Taylor Swift famous on, well, “Famous,” and plenty more. Of course, we can't talk about TLOP without mentioning West and Lamar going bar-for-bar on “No More Parties in LA.”

14. Frank Ocean’s Blonde

Frank Ocean pulled off the music industry’s greatest heist with Blonde, released just a day after his final Def Jam album, Endless. Grappling with the duality between masculinity and femininity, the 17-song effort searches for love while refusing to turn away from the emotions that come with it. In many ways, records like “Godspeed” and “Pink + White” justify Ocean taking such long breaks and disappearing from the world.

15. Anderson .Paak’s Malibu

Home to “Come Down” and “Heart Don't Stand a Chance,” Anderson .Paak’s Malibu was met with glowing reviews when it first came out. From the production to the way his vocals meld with collaborators like ScHoolboy Q and Talib Kweli, it’s a really strong entry in .Paak’s discography.