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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minutePusha T’s It’s Almost Dry is the strongest consensus pick for the best rap album of 2022. It placed first on Rolling Stone’s 25 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2022, third on Complex’s overall list, 10th on NPR’s 50 Best Albums, 17th on NME’s 50 Best Albums and fifth on TIME’s 10 Best Albums. Nas’s King’s Disease III is the strongest late-year alternative, while Megan Thee Stallion’s Traumazine belongs in the central shortlist alongside acclaimed releases from Kendrick Lamar, JID, Denzel Curry, Vince Staples, Freddie Gibbs and Conway the Machine.
How to interpret “best rap albums of 2022”
There is no universally accepted statistic for the year’s best rap album. Year-end lists use different editorial standards, so the fairest comparison combines four measures:
- Cross-publication consensus: how often an album appears, and how highly, on major year-end lists.
- Critic score and review depth: the aggregate score and number of reviews recorded by Album of the Year.
- Sonic lane: the hip-hop subgenres and production traditions an album occupies.
- Subject matter and lyrical approach: what the rapper emphasizes and how the writing is delivered.
That framework separates a consensus winner from an album that may be the best fit for a particular listener.
The leading candidates at a glance
| Album | Release date | Album of the Year critic record | Year-end evidence | Documented sonic lane |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| It’s Almost Dry — Pusha T | 2022; exact date not stated in the cited material | 81 from 14 reviews | #1 Rolling Stone hip-hop albums; #3 Complex; #10 NPR; #17 NME; #5 TIME | Gangsta rap, Southern hip-hop, hardcore hip-hop, chipmunk soul and experimental hip-hop |
| King’s Disease III — Nas | November 11, 2022 | 84 from 12 reviews | Strongest late-year alternative; no comparable multi-list placement stated | East Coast hip-hop, boom bap and conscious hip-hop |
| Traumazine — Megan Thee Stallion | 2022; exact date not stated in the cited material | Not stated | #8 Rolling Stone hip-hop albums; #17 Rolling Stone overall albums; #47 NME | Not stated |
| Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers — Kendrick Lamar | May 13, 2022 | 88 from 36 reviews | Recurring presence in Pulse’s compilation of major lists | Not stated |
| Melt My Eyez See Your Future — Denzel Curry | March 25, 2022 | 84 from 11 reviews | Recurring presence in Pulse’s compilation of major lists | Not stated |
| The Forever Story — JID | August 26, 2022 | 82 from 6 reviews | Recurring presence in Pulse’s compilation of major lists | Not stated |
| Ramona Park Broke My Heart — Vince Staples | April 8, 2022 | 79 from 13 reviews | Recurring presence in Pulse’s compilation of major lists | Not stated |
| $oul $old $eparately — Freddie Gibbs | 2022; exact date not stated in the cited material | Not stated | Supported contender in the wider shortlist | Not stated |
| God Don’t Make Mistakes — Conway the Machine | 2022; exact date not stated in the cited material | Not stated | Supported contender in the wider shortlist | Not stated |
Why Pusha T’s It’s Almost Dry leads the field
It’s Almost Dry has the broadest high-level agreement among the named albums. Its placements span specialist hip-hop coverage and general best-album lists, and it reaches the top five on three of the cited publications’ rankings. That spread matters more than any single list position when the question is the best rap album of 2022 overall.
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NPR contributor Sheldon Pearce described Pusha T’s established strengths as “brevity, snarkiness and wit.” The album’s documented genre range—gangsta rap, Southern and hardcore hip-hop, chipmunk soul and experimental hip-hop—also explains why it can appeal across more than one rap audience without losing a clear identity.
TIME’s A.R.C. offered the most vivid critical shorthand: “If the rapper and impresario Pusha T is the ‘Martin Scorsese of street rap,’ as he hopes to be, then It’s Almost Dry might just be his Goodfellas.” That is a critic’s analogy, not an objective measurement, but it captures why the record became the consensus choice.
Nas’s King’s Disease III: the strongest late-year alternative
Released on November 11, 2022, King’s Disease III arrived late enough to shape year-end conversations after much of the calendar had already passed. Album of the Year records an 84 critic score from 12 reviews and classifies it as East Coast hip-hop, boom bap and conscious hip-hop.
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For listeners looking for a traditional New York rap foundation and a more explicitly conscious lane, Nas’s album is the clearest alternative to Pusha T’s record. Its late release makes direct placement-count comparisons with albums available for more of the year less straightforward, but the critic record establishes it as a serious contender.
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Megan Thee Stallion’s Traumazine ranking
Traumazine is part of the core answer, not an afterthought. Pulse’s compilation places it eighth on Rolling Stone’s 25 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2022, 17th on Rolling Stone’s 100 Best Albums and 47th on NME’s 50 Best Albums.
Those results show meaningful recognition across both rap-focused and broader album lists, even though the record appears less consistently in the top five than It’s Almost Dry. If your definition of “best” gives extra weight to Megan’s place in contemporary Southern rap and to a major artist’s ability to turn personal pressure into a widely discussed album, Traumazine deserves a higher personal ranking than its consensus position may suggest.
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The wider shortlist
Kendrick Lamar — Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
Kendrick’s album has the highest recorded Album of the Year critic score in this group: 88 from 36 reviews, following its May 13, 2022 release. Pulse’s compilation shows it recurring across multiple major year-end lists. The larger review sample also makes its aggregate score more heavily reviewed than the scores for the other leading candidates.
JID — The Forever Story
Released August 26, 2022, The Forever Story carries an 82 critic score from six Album of the Year reviews and appears repeatedly in Pulse’s compilation of major lists. It is a strong choice for readers who want a highly regarded 2022 rap release beyond the year’s biggest legacy names.
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Denzel Curry — Melt My Eyez See Your Future
Denzel Curry’s March 25 release has an 84 critic score from 11 reviews and recurring major-list recognition in Pulse’s compilation. Its score matches Nas’s aggregate while drawing on a separate artistic lane, making it one of the most credible alternatives to the top two.
Rank #4
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Vince Staples — Ramona Park Broke My Heart
Ramona Park Broke My Heart, released April 8, earned a 79 critic score from 13 reviews and appears repeatedly across the major lists compiled by Pulse. It is a consensus-supported contender even though its aggregate score sits below the leading records.
Freddie Gibbs and Conway the Machine
Freddie Gibbs’s $oul $old $eparately and Conway the Machine’s God Don’t Make Mistakes complete the wider shortlist. The cited material supports both as contenders, but does not establish comparable critic scores or multi-publication placement totals for either album, so they should not be presented as statistical equals to the front-runners.
Which album should you choose?
- Choose Pusha T if you want the strongest cross-publication consensus and a tightly focused street-rap record.
- Choose Nas if you prefer East Coast hip-hop, boom bap and conscious hip-hop, especially from a late-year release.
- Choose Megan Thee Stallion if you want a major contemporary Southern rap statement with substantial year-end recognition.
- Choose Kendrick Lamar if critic-score strength and a large review base matter most.
- Choose JID, Denzel Curry or Vince Staples when you want acclaimed alternatives that recur across major 2022 lists.
What 2022’s rap year says about the genre
Sheldon Pearce wrote for NPR: “In the wake of everything, rap reunited and revitalized old partnerships, revisited and critiqued old haunts, unearthed powerful new voices and even helped plug a new Minions movie.” The albums above reflect that range: established artists revisiting durable forms, major stars testing personal and creative boundaries, and newer or less universally dominant voices earning repeated critical attention.
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11On the available evidence, the answer to “best rap albums of 2022” is not a single indisputable fact. It is a ranked judgment informed by consensus, review evidence, sound and subject matter. By that standard, It’s Almost Dry is the clearest overall winner, with King’s Disease III and Traumazine essential parts of the conversation.
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