Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s
by 
FlorianJones 
Anything with a write-up was in my top 50 at the end of the decade, in December of 2019.
As of today (June 14, 2022), 6 of those original top 50 have dropped into 51-100. None of them have dropped off the list entirely.
- Chart updated: 06/14/2022 23:15
- (Created: 11/26/2014 05:57).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 2 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s has an average rating of 87 out of 100 (from 6 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
View the complete list of 57,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.
This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from Kendrick Lamar. (Remove this filter)
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Top Tracks: These Walls, u, The Blacker the Berry
Every artist strives for excellence. The desire to leave an impact on the world is part of human nature. People want to be remembered. People want to be praised. People want to succeed. Most artists know to temper their expectations. If they can bring joy to themselves and garner an audience large enough to keep a positive balance in their checking account they’ve done enough. With Good Kid M.A.A.D City, Kendrick Lamar achieved more than many ever dream of. That album was a lyrically heady examination of Lamar’s own experience of youth in the often glamorized world of Compton gang life. It landed itself on numerous publications’ year end lists. It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. It has since gone triple platinum. In every regard, Good Kid M.A.A.D City was a success. Kendrick would be remembered regardless of his follow up, but more than possibly anyone else in music, Kendrick Lamar has ambition. To Pimp a Butterfly is about as blatant a bid for masterpiece status as an album can be. Ideologically dense, with narrative complexity guided by multiple through lines, diverse live instrumentation culled from the whole of African American history, and a seventy-nine-minute runtime, this album wasn’t just meant to be listened to – To Pimp a Butterfly was meant to be analyzed. It’s the kind of album that could have been an overreaching and overzealous embarrassment if Kendrick hadn’t found success in everything he pursued here.
For the instrumentals on To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar has surrounded himself with some of the best talents currently around. We’ve got silky smooth bass from Thundercat and vibrant, technically astounding saxophone from Kamasi Washington. Hearkening back to the classics, To Pimp a Butterfly is rich with jazz, soul, funk, and R&B. Lamar himself floats over it all with ease, deploying a vast array of flows all tailor suited to a specific mood. Even on the distinctly off-kilter and organic jazz of For Free? he spits his verse with incomparable dexterity. This man was born to rap.
Kendrick’s lyricism here is right on the money. This is the kind of work that the word zeitgeist exists to describe. On an individual level, there were albums this decade that spoke more succinctly to my experiences, but no one understood the struggles of the nation as a whole better than Lamar. It was a tempestuous decade of widespread discontentment. The decade’s two U.S. presidents could not have been more fundamentally opposite. Civil unrest is as high as it’s been in decades. Ideologically speaking, the solutions are simple. Care about your fellow man. Treat strangers with respect and understanding. In application, there’s a lot more to it. There are systemic problems holding the nation back – problems that could yet take decades to solve. Lamar examines it all. He tackles these problems with nuance, understanding that often concessions need to be made on both sides of an argument. Nowhere does Kendrick do this better than on pre-release single The Blacker the Berry, in which, after tearing white America a new one, he turns and harps on the hypocrisy of his own community. He knows the legitimacy of African American struggles as much as anyone, but he also knows that for things to improve, everyone is going to have to work for it. With this knowledge, Lamar looks inward. He starts with himself on songs like u, opening up his internal dialogue, struggling with grief and depression as he philosophizes on his own failings as not just a man, but a famous one. His own faults become magnified by the millions of young fans looking to him for guidance. That song is complemented later on by the triumphant and self-confident i, which concludes a redemptive arc carried through the album. Kendrick sets up these kinds of payoffs throughout his work, showcasing a deft understanding of the art of storytelling. [First added to this chart: 03/19/2015]
Every artist strives for excellence. The desire to leave an impact on the world is part of human nature. People want to be remembered. People want to be praised. People want to succeed. Most artists know to temper their expectations. If they can bring joy to themselves and garner an audience large enough to keep a positive balance in their checking account they’ve done enough. With Good Kid M.A.A.D City, Kendrick Lamar achieved more than many ever dream of. That album was a lyrically heady examination of Lamar’s own experience of youth in the often glamorized world of Compton gang life. It landed itself on numerous publications’ year end lists. It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. It has since gone triple platinum. In every regard, Good Kid M.A.A.D City was a success. Kendrick would be remembered regardless of his follow up, but more than possibly anyone else in music, Kendrick Lamar has ambition. To Pimp a Butterfly is about as blatant a bid for masterpiece status as an album can be. Ideologically dense, with narrative complexity guided by multiple through lines, diverse live instrumentation culled from the whole of African American history, and a seventy-nine-minute runtime, this album wasn’t just meant to be listened to – To Pimp a Butterfly was meant to be analyzed. It’s the kind of album that could have been an overreaching and overzealous embarrassment if Kendrick hadn’t found success in everything he pursued here.
For the instrumentals on To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar has surrounded himself with some of the best talents currently around. We’ve got silky smooth bass from Thundercat and vibrant, technically astounding saxophone from Kamasi Washington. Hearkening back to the classics, To Pimp a Butterfly is rich with jazz, soul, funk, and R&B. Lamar himself floats over it all with ease, deploying a vast array of flows all tailor suited to a specific mood. Even on the distinctly off-kilter and organic jazz of For Free? he spits his verse with incomparable dexterity. This man was born to rap.
Kendrick’s lyricism here is right on the money. This is the kind of work that the word zeitgeist exists to describe. On an individual level, there were albums this decade that spoke more succinctly to my experiences, but no one understood the struggles of the nation as a whole better than Lamar. It was a tempestuous decade of widespread discontentment. The decade’s two U.S. presidents could not have been more fundamentally opposite. Civil unrest is as high as it’s been in decades. Ideologically speaking, the solutions are simple. Care about your fellow man. Treat strangers with respect and understanding. In application, there’s a lot more to it. There are systemic problems holding the nation back – problems that could yet take decades to solve. Lamar examines it all. He tackles these problems with nuance, understanding that often concessions need to be made on both sides of an argument. Nowhere does Kendrick do this better than on pre-release single The Blacker the Berry, in which, after tearing white America a new one, he turns and harps on the hypocrisy of his own community. He knows the legitimacy of African American struggles as much as anyone, but he also knows that for things to improve, everyone is going to have to work for it. With this knowledge, Lamar looks inward. He starts with himself on songs like u, opening up his internal dialogue, struggling with grief and depression as he philosophizes on his own failings as not just a man, but a famous one. His own faults become magnified by the millions of young fans looking to him for guidance. That song is complemented later on by the triumphant and self-confident i, which concludes a redemptive arc carried through the album. Kendrick sets up these kinds of payoffs throughout his work, showcasing a deft understanding of the art of storytelling. [First added to this chart: 03/19/2015]
Year of Release:
2015
Appears in:
Rank Score:
31,545
Rank in 2015:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Top Tracks: Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe, M.a.a.d. City, Sing About Me I’m Dying of Thirst
It has been said that you have your whole life to make your debut album, and only a few years to make your follow up. Typically, this is used to explain the dreaded “sophomore slump”, an epidemic that has plagued many an artist throughout music history – but it explains quality debuts in equal measure. Now, whether this is Kendrick’s debut or not is up for debate. He’s been quoted saying that he approaches all projects, even mixtapes, with the pacing of an album, and he’s been making those since 2003. 2011’s Section.80 is technically an album (not a mixtape) making it his proper debut, and yet that doesn’t seem to be the typical public perception. To be fair, Good Kid M.A.A.D City was Kendrick’s major label debut, and it peaked at second on the Billboard charts, which positively dwarfs Section.80’s sub top-hundred peak. Of course, public opinion and sales don’t change facts, but the best case to be made for Good Kid M.A.A.D. City’s possible debut status goes back to that old saying. This is the album Kendrick took his whole life to make.
Good Kid M.A.A.D City is a story album in the truest sense. Even at a nearly seventy-minute runtime, this album is wholly devoid of fat. It’s been trimmed to be as lean as they come, with each song filling an essential role in the narrative. How much of said narrative is fact versus fiction may not be officially confirmed, but given what is widely known of Kendrick’s upbringing, it is at the very least plausible, that Good Kid M.A.A.D. City is all fact. Although, even if it was entirely fabricated, that wouldn’t hamper the way it resonates. It’s a story of a Compton kid written for the Compton kids. At its time of release this album felt monumental – later in his career, Lamar would look outward, speaking to the inequalities present in the nation at large – now in retrospect, Good Kid M.A.A.D City feels uniquely small for a Kendrick album. He made this for the kids growing up like him. It’s a message of hope written for those often raised without any. [First added to this chart: 03/14/2015]
It has been said that you have your whole life to make your debut album, and only a few years to make your follow up. Typically, this is used to explain the dreaded “sophomore slump”, an epidemic that has plagued many an artist throughout music history – but it explains quality debuts in equal measure. Now, whether this is Kendrick’s debut or not is up for debate. He’s been quoted saying that he approaches all projects, even mixtapes, with the pacing of an album, and he’s been making those since 2003. 2011’s Section.80 is technically an album (not a mixtape) making it his proper debut, and yet that doesn’t seem to be the typical public perception. To be fair, Good Kid M.A.A.D City was Kendrick’s major label debut, and it peaked at second on the Billboard charts, which positively dwarfs Section.80’s sub top-hundred peak. Of course, public opinion and sales don’t change facts, but the best case to be made for Good Kid M.A.A.D. City’s possible debut status goes back to that old saying. This is the album Kendrick took his whole life to make.
Good Kid M.A.A.D City is a story album in the truest sense. Even at a nearly seventy-minute runtime, this album is wholly devoid of fat. It’s been trimmed to be as lean as they come, with each song filling an essential role in the narrative. How much of said narrative is fact versus fiction may not be officially confirmed, but given what is widely known of Kendrick’s upbringing, it is at the very least plausible, that Good Kid M.A.A.D. City is all fact. Although, even if it was entirely fabricated, that wouldn’t hamper the way it resonates. It’s a story of a Compton kid written for the Compton kids. At its time of release this album felt monumental – later in his career, Lamar would look outward, speaking to the inequalities present in the nation at large – now in retrospect, Good Kid M.A.A.D City feels uniquely small for a Kendrick album. He made this for the kids growing up like him. It’s a message of hope written for those often raised without any. [First added to this chart: 03/14/2015]
Year of Release:
2012
Appears in:
Rank Score:
22,462
Rank in 2012:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 10/24/2017]
Year of Release:
2017
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,809
Rank in 2017:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 07/03/2016]
Year of Release:
2016
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,102
Rank in 2016:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 4. Page 1 of 1
Don't agree with this chart? Create your own from the My Charts page!
Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 11 | 11% | |
| 2011 | 6 | 6% | |
| 2012 | 7 | 7% | |
| 2013 | 5 | 5% | |
| 2014 | 9 | 9% | |
| 2015 | 15 | 15% | |
| 2016 | 13 | 13% | |
| 2017 | 12 | 12% | |
| 2018 | 7 | 7% | |
| 2019 | 15 | 15% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Kendrick Lamar | 4 | 4% | |
| Tame Impala | 3 | 3% | |
| Frank Ocean | 3 | 3% | |
| Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | 2 | 2% | |
| Vince Staples | 2 | 2% | |
| Earl Sweatshirt | 2 | 2% | |
| Angel Olsen | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 41 from 52nd to 11th Black Up by Shabazz Palaces |
| Up 34 from 82nd to 48th Reflections by Hannah Diamond |
| Up 26 from 99th to 73rd Moth by Chairlift |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 35 from 26th to 61st Pom Pom by Ariel Pink |
| Down 28 from 21st to 49th The Age Of Adz by Sufjan Stevens |
| Down 24 from 48th to 72nd Benji by Sun Kil Moon |
Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s | jdizzle123456 | 2010s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s |  AvalancheGrips | 2010s decade chart | 2022 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s |  Mattdup279 | 2010s decade chart | 2020 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s | LosWochos | 2010s decade chart | 2020 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s |  Chicken4Sale | 2010s decade chart | 2020 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s | TheNowhereGuy | 2010s decade chart | 2020 |  |
| The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s | Pitchfork | 2010s decade chart | 2019 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s | iamthewalrus | 2010s decade chart | 2024 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s | benfitzuk | 2010s decade chart | 2020 | |
| Pitchfork 200 Best Albums of the 2010s (1-100) | WayneMC | Custom chart | 2019 |  |
Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s similarity to your chart(s)
Not a member? Registering is quick, easy and FREE!
Why register?
- Join a passionate community of over 50,000 music fans.
- Create & share your own charts.
- Have your say in the overall rankings.
- Post comments in the forums and vote on polls.
- Comment on or rate any album, artist, track or chart.
- Discover new music & improve your music collection.
- Customise the overall chart using a variety of different filters & metrics.
- Create a wishlist of albums.
- Help maintain the BEA database.
- Earn member points and gain access to increasing levels of functionality!
- ... And lots more!
Register now - it only takes a moment!
Other decade charts by FlorianJones
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 50 Music Albums of the 2020s | FlorianJones | 2020s decade chart | 2022 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s | FlorianJones | 2010s decade chart | 2022 | |
| Top 80 Music Albums of the 2000s | FlorianJones | 2000s decade chart | 2017 | |
| Top 26 Music Albums of the 1990s | FlorianJones | 1990s decade chart | 2020 | |
| Top 30 Music Albums of the 1980s | FlorianJones | 1980s decade chart | 2020 | |
FlorianJones has created 4 other 2010s decade charts - click here to explore them all.
Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
N.B. The average rating for this chart will not be reliable as it has been rated very few times.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 6 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 02/17/2018 15:30 |  Davy | 441 | 87/100 |
| ! | 06/28/2017 17:14 | weston | 80 | 87/100 |
| ! | 02/20/2017 19:20 | Seab | 2,005 | 93/100 |
| ! | 06/01/2015 22:53 |  Applerill | 974 | 75/100 |
| ! | 04/15/2015 13:21 |  andy_hunter | 87 | 88/100 |
Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s favourites
Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s comments
Showing all 2 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First |
Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
From weston 06/28/2017 17:15 | #193348
Nice! I agree 2015 was the strongest year so are. And I like the stuff you've thrown at the end.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
SaulCortes1992 04/02/2015 20:04 | #138629
SaulCortes1992 04/02/2015 20:04 | #138629
Excellent Chart!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Your feedback for Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s
Let us know what you think of this chart by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!
If you enjoy our site, please consider supporting us by sparing a few seconds to disable your ad blocker.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
