The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →The highest-certified hip-hop album in the cited ranking is Outkast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, at 13× Platinum. The list below is a U.S. certification ranking—not a verified chart of worldwide copies sold—and reflects Boardroom’s October 3, 2023 update. Albums sharing a certification tier are tied; the evidence does not establish their order within that tier.
How this ranking measures “highest-selling”
Here, “sales” means the RIAA certification tiers reported in Boardroom’s ranking. Boardroom describes those tiers as equivalent units shipped, based on units shipped minus returns. They are not a direct count of worldwide copies sold. The evidence supports a U.S. ranking, but does not establish a definitive worldwide top ten.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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| 2 |
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Ultimate Hip-Hop / Various | $17.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Get Rich Or Die Tryin' | $17.26 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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| 5 |
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The RIAA’s Gold & Platinum database is the primary place to check certification records. The RIAA notes that its website lists include only solo titles, and that genre categories were added after 2015; its genre filter should not be treated as a complete historical definition of hip-hop. Boardroom’s list was last updated October 3, 2023, so the tiers below are a dated snapshot, not a claim that no later certification changes have occurred.
The 10 highest-certified hip-hop albums in the cited U.S. ranking
Ranks are grouped by certification tier. The four albums at 11× Platinum and the four at 10× Platinum are ties, not ordered sales positions. Within each tied group, titles are shown in the release-chronology order used by Boardroom.
#1 Best Overall
| Rank | Album | Artist | RIAA tier in Boardroom’s October 2023 snapshot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Speakerboxxx/The Love Below | Outkast | 13× Platinum |
| 2 | The Eminem Show | Eminem | 12× Platinum |
| 3–6 (tie) | All Eyez on Me | 2Pac | 11× Platinum |
| 3–6 (tie) | Life After Death | The Notorious B.I.G. | 11× Platinum |
| 3–6 (tie) | Greatest Hits | 2Pac | 11× Platinum |
| 3–6 (tie) | The Marshall Mathers LP | Eminem | 11× Platinum |
| 7–10 (tie) | Licensed to Ill | Beastie Boys | 10× Platinum |
| 7–10 (tie) | Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em | MC Hammer | 10× Platinum |
| 7–10 (tie) | The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill | Lauryn Hill | 10× Platinum |
| 7–10 (tie) | Country Grammar | Nelly | 10× Platinum |
The table reproduces the tiers in Boardroom’s best-selling rap albums ranking. It lists albums below these tiers as well; retaining ties makes these the first ten titles in that ranking.
Why double albums need a qualification
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below and All Eyez on Me are two-disc albums. Boardroom notes that the RIAA counts a two-disc album as two units. That certification convention matters when comparing their tiers with single-disc releases: a unit in the certification accounting is not necessarily the same thing as one album package purchased.
Rank #2
What the separate U.S. record figures say
Guinness World Records identifies Eminem’s The Eminem Show as the biggest-selling rap album in the United States, reporting 12 million units. Its record is dated March 8, 2022. Guinness also reports 11 million units for The Marshall Mathers LP. These are separate U.S. record figures, not a worldwide comparison or a ranking of every title in the table.
For current certification records, consult the live RIAA database; for the Guinness record and its date, see Biggest-selling rap album (USA).
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #3
- 50 Cent - Get Rich Or Die Tr Brazil Import
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
