Rappers With the Most Number One Albums on the Billboard 200
Drake has the most number one albums of any rapper, with 15 Billboard 200 chart-toppers. ICEMAN became his 15th on the chart dated May 30, 2026, moving him past Jay-Z’s 14 for the most No. 1 albums by a solo male artist and tying Taylor Swift for the most by any soloist. Only The Beatles, with 19, have more.
This page ranks the rappers with the most number one albums, shows how Drake caught Jay-Z, and tracks the rapper climbing fastest behind them: Future, who reached 12 in July 2026. All counts follow Billboard, which credits a collaborative album as a No. 1 for every lead artist on it.
Key facts
- Most No. 1 albums by a rapper: Drake, 15
- Previous record holder: Jay-Z, 14
- Third place: Future, 12, after The Real Me debuted at No. 1 in July 2026
- Most weeks at No. 1 for a rap album: MC Hammer, Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em, 21 weeks
- First rap album to reach No. 1: Beastie Boys, Licensed to Ill, 1987
Rappers with the most number one albums, ranked
The ranking below covers every rapper with at least four Billboard 200 No. 1 albums. Shared projects count for each credited lead act, which is why Watch the Throne appears in both Jay-Z’s and Kanye West’s totals, and Her Loss in both Drake’s and 21 Savage’s.
| # | Artist | No. 1 albums | First No. 1 | Latest No. 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drake | 15 | Thank Me Later (2010) | ICEMAN (2026) |
| 2 | Jay-Z | 14 | Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life (1998) | 4:44 (2017) |
| 3 | Future | 12 | DS2 (2015) | The Real Me (2026) |
| 4 | Eminem | 11 | The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) | The Death of Slim Shady (2024) |
| 4 | Kanye West | 11 | Late Registration (2005) | Vultures 1 (2024) |
| 6 | J. Cole | 7 | Cole World: The Sideline Story (2011) | The Fall-Off (2026) |
| 7 | Travis Scott | 6 | Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight (2016) | JackBoys 2 (2025) |
| 8 | Nas | 5 | It Was Written (1996) | Life Is Good (2012) |
| 8 | 2Pac | 5 | Me Against the World (1995) | Loyal to the Game (2005) |
| 8 | DMX | 5 | It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot (1998) | Grand Champ (2003) |
| 8 | Rick Ross | 5 | Port of Miami (2006) | Mastermind (2014) |
| 12 | Kendrick Lamar | 4 | To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) | GNX (2024) |
| 12 | Lil Baby | 4 | My Turn (2020) | WHAM (2025) |
| 12 | 21 Savage | 4 | I Am > I Was (2019) | American Dream (2024) |
| 12 | Tyler, The Creator | 4 | Igor (2019) | Don’t Tap the Glass (2025) |
| 12 | YoungBoy Never Broke Again | 4 | AI YoungBoy 2 (2019) | Sincerely, Kentrell (2021) |
| 12 | Rod Wave | 4 | SoulFly (2021) | Don’t Look Down (2026) |
How Drake passed Jay-Z
Jay-Z built his total over nearly two decades of near-annual releases, starting with Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life in 1998 and topping the chart every year from 1998 through 2004. His 14th, 4:44, arrived in 2017 and he has not released a solo album since, which left the record open.
Drake started later, with Thank Me Later in 2010, but has gone No. 1 with almost every full project since. He tied Jay-Z at 14 with Some Sexy Songs 4 U, his 2025 joint album with PartyNextDoor, and took the record outright with ICEMAN, which arrived alongside HABIBTI and MAID OF HONOUR and made him the first act to debut at Nos. 1, 2 and 3 in the same week.
Every Drake No. 1 album
| # | Album | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thank Me Later | 2010 |
| 2 | Take Care | 2011 |
| 3 | Nothing Was the Same | 2013 |
| 4 | If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late | 2015 |
| 5 | What a Time to Be Alive (with Future) | 2015 |
| 6 | Views | 2016 |
| 7 | More Life | 2017 |
| 8 | Scorpion | 2018 |
| 9 | Care Package | 2019 |
| 10 | Certified Lover Boy | 2021 |
| 11 | Honestly, Nevermind | 2022 |
| 12 | Her Loss (with 21 Savage) | 2022 |
| 13 | For All the Dogs | 2023 |
| 14 | Some Sexy Songs 4 U (with PartyNextDoor) | 2025 |
| 15 | ICEMAN | 2026 |
The streak is close to unbroken. Since 2015, nearly every full-length Drake project has opened at No. 1, and the two companion albums he released with ICEMAN, HABIBTI and MAID OF HONOUR, missed only because ICEMAN sat above them, debuting at Nos. 2 and 3 with 114,000 and 110,000 units.
Future is the rapper closing the gap
Future is third with 12 No. 1 albums, collected in just over a decade, the fastest pace of anyone in the top five. His run began with DS2 in 2015, included three chart-toppers in 2024 alone with We Don’t Trust You, We Still Don’t Trust You and Mixtape Pluto, and continued with The Real Me, which opened with 131,000 units on the chart dated July 25, 2026.
That moved him past Eminem and Kanye West, who share fourth place on 11. Eminem’s latest is The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) in 2024, while Kanye West last reached No. 1 with Vultures 1 alongside Ty Dolla $ign the same year. His 2026 album BULLY debuted at No. 2.
Records beyond the count
The number of chart-toppers is only one way to measure dominance at No. 1. MC Hammer’s Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em spent 21 weeks at the top in 1990, still the longest run for any rap album. In the streaming era, Drake’s Views came closest with 13 weeks in 2016.
The Beastie Boys were first. Licensed to Ill reached No. 1 in March 1987, the first rap album to top the Billboard 200. For the sales side of the same story, see our ranking of the biggest first week rap albums.
Where 2026 stands
Six rap albums reached No. 1 between January and mid-October 2026: ASAP Rocky’s Don’t Be Dumb, Don Toliver’s Octane, J. Cole’s The Fall-Off, Drake’s ICEMAN, which held the top spot for four weeks, Future’s The Real Me and Rod Wave’s Don’t Look Down in September. J. Cole’s win took him to seven, alone in sixth place, and Rod Wave’s moved him to four.
Follow the artists behind these totals on our Drake hub, our Ye albums ranked and Travis Scott albums ranked pages, and our report on Future’s The Real Me. Weekly chart positions are published by Billboard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which rapper has the most number one albums?
Drake, with 15 Billboard 200 No. 1 albums. ICEMAN became his 15th on the chart dated May 30, 2026, moving him past Jay-Z, who has 14.
How many number one albums does Jay-Z have?
Jay-Z has 14 Billboard 200 No. 1 albums, from Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life in 1998 to 4:44 in 2017. He held the rap record until Drake passed him in May 2026.
How many number one albums does Future have?
Future has 12 Billboard 200 No. 1 albums. The Real Me became his 12th in July 2026, putting him third among rappers, behind Drake and Jay-Z.
Which rap album spent the most weeks at number one?
MC Hammer’s Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em, which spent 21 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 1990. In the streaming era, Drake’s Views has the longest run with 13 weeks.
What was the first rap album to reach number one?
Licensed to Ill by the Beastie Boys, which topped the Billboard 200 in March 1987.
