The Worst Rap Albums Of 2016

    The shelf lives of albums get shorter with each passing year — which is why a listener’s time is more valuable than ever. It’s too bad not every artist subscribes to this belief.

    Whether it was overhyped marketing, not enough streamlining in the studio or just a flat-out lack of talent, these following projects just didn’t cut it for us.

    Behold, the worst rap albums of 2016.

    Young Dolph – Rich Crack Baby

    Dolph Gabanna’s early 2016 work, King of Memphis, did a bang-up job of pissing Yo Gotti, Pete Rock and Blac Youngsta off. Instead of buckling down and upgrading his street poetry, Dolph smoked himself out with a shoddy follow-up in Rich Crack Baby (save for the title track). It’s time to get serious in 2017!

    Jeezy – Trap Or Die 3

    SnoGlo has done and can do much better than trying to revisit his trap glory days. The fact Trap Or Die 3 was a Billboard No. 1 album speaks to the people’s faith in Jeezy and their eventual disappointment. When’s the last time you heard any of these songs? Exactly.

    Troy Ave – Roland Collins

    If you thought the worst thing Troy Ave did was shoot at someone while on camera in a venue full of people, then you probably didn’t hear his Roland Collins album. Call it a rush job to take some of the heat off from the Irving Plaza fiasco.

    Gucci Mane – Woptober

    Not everything that Gucci Mane touched in 2016 was gold. While he achieved his highest Billboard placement with his literal breakout project, Everybody Looking, his October opus was as forgettable as a 40-degree day. Word to Stringer Bell.

    Desiigner – New English

    Timmy Timmy Timmy Turner he be wishing for a burner? More like: Timmy Timmy Timmy Turner, he be wishing for a way better debut from someone who accidentally stumbled upon a career. Even though “Panda” was hot (thanks to ‘Ye), this album isn’t even close to coherent. Plus, when you’ve got more gun sounds than actual lyrics, it’s time to go back to the drawing board.

    Future – Evol

    Future Hendrix may have finished 2015 on a high note, but he started 2016 with perhaps his most uneventful project to date. Just because you have one good year doesn’t mean you should immediately throw together a watered down version of the exact same projects. And there’s nothing clever or #woke about naming the album “love” backwards.

    Drake – Views

    For every R&B win on Drizzy’s commercially sensational LP (“One Dance” got a billy Spotify streams and became his first Billboard No. 1), there were two steps back on the rap front. As evidence: “You toying with it like Happy Meal” and “Got so many chains they call me Chaining Tatum.” Now sure, we can blame those lousy rhymes on Quentin Miller, but just because you record a track, doesn’t mean it has to make the album — especially one that’s 81 minutes long.

    The LOX – Filthy America … It’s Beautiful

    After 16 years, Jadakiss, Styles P and Sheek Louch could have really kept this one to themselves. That Fetty Wap feature was an abomination and the album title still makes no sense.

    Bow Wow & Soulja Boy – Ignorant Shit

    You got to be outta your damn mind if Bow Wow & Mr. Indict Myself is what you want to hear in 2016. Do yourself a favor and stay ignorant to what this album actually sounded like.

    Yelawolf – Hotel

    Before Michael Wayne Atha had a “moment of clarity,” Yelawolf totally checked out lyrically and released a dud in a supposed comeback project. If this was an actual hotel, it would have a chalk body outline in the middle of the room, a phone that doesn’t dial out and a roach as a doorman.

    Lil Durk – Durk2x

    Chicago’s drill prince is way too young to be releasing albums that sound like he’s at a career crossroads. But on last summer’s sophomore slump, he couldn’t decide if he wanted to be a gangsta (“Glock Up”) or a casanova (“She Just Wanna”). Check for his They Forgot mixtape and actually forget this one ever happened.

    Kari Faux – Lost En Los Angeles

    One day, Kari Faux is going to look at her debut album Lost En Los Angeles as a misstep. For the Arkansas native whose breakout moment came from her far superior 2014 mixtape Laugh Now, Die Later, she seemed to be going through the creative motions for her official introduction.

    RiFF RAFF – Peach Panther/Balloween

    Marcel Williams summed it up best in his 2.4 review of Peach Panther:

    “At the end of the day, Peach Panther harkens imagery from a scene from Adam Sandler’s classic Billy Madison: ‘What you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.’

    Ditto for Balloween.

    Worst Rap Album Of 2016: Cardi B – Gangsta Bitch Music Vol. 1

    We don’t hate Cardi B, but we do hate the common practice of every reality TV or social media star thinking that just because they can upload their music to Datpiff, they deserve to be heard. Well we listened to Cardi B’s debut project and the bars were so bad they made us look forward to her cackle.

    Either step it up or step off.

    ____________________________

    Check out more of DX’s year-end content below.

    The 2016 HipHopDX Year-End Awards

    The 20 Best Rap Albums Of 2016

    The Best R&B Of 2016

    The Best Mixtapes Of 2016

    The Most Slept-On Rap Albums Of 2016

    The 50 Best Songs Of 2016

    The 50 Most Lit Songs Of 2016

    The Steve Lobel “We Working” Artist Of The Year

    The Worst Rap Albums Of 2016

    Remembering Those We Lost In 2016

    120 thoughts on “The Worst Rap Albums Of 2016

      1. Cole got bars and lyrics. You just can’t play his shyt at a party. He makes music that you have a think about. I know ppl don’t want to think anymore.

    1. That Lil B + Metro Boomin – ‘My House’ joint that just dropped is fuckin’ fire. They flipped the ‘Crossroads’ beat. ‘Black Ken’ going to be one of the best albums of 2017

    2. HHDX hit it on the head this time these lack luster albums by Gucci ,Young Jeezy and Yela Wolf who have been around for a min makes no sense now they are trying live off past hits and just throw anything out to the public , and for The Lox sometime you have been apart to long and the fickle public has moved on ,Young Dolph has time to turn it around , and the rest are just luckey to make it on this list they are just light weight

    3. Lmao really there trying to say desiigners shit was ever coherent really panda literaly had to of only had maybe 20 words to the entire song if even every thing this guy sill ever release will be doo doo and the only reason kanye signed him to G.O.O.D is because hes losing his fucking mind having his heart and soul sucked out by the jenner/kardashian clan the fucking guy would sign a loaf of bread and try and make it look hot

        1. With kanyes approvals and kanye already using the panda sample on his life of pablo tune so trust me he had a say pusha may be the CEO but artists arent signed every single day and i guarentee every single artist that is on G.O.O.D is on with kanye’s approval

    4. Happy to say that I haven’t heard a single one of these albums and don’t plan to, and yet I have no doubt that this list is on point.

    5. why the fuck is ‘Hotel’ on this list? That was an incredibly dope album. I get Yelawolf isn’t for everyone but how can you put that on the same list as fuckin’ Desiigner, Soulja Boy, Bow Wow and Young Dolph? To me, you begin to lose any credibility you have as a voice of this rap shit.

    6. Thank you for putting Views up here. Sales do not equal dope lyrics. When I heard this nigga say “chaining” Tatum , I knew exactly why Jay didn’t want to waste the bars he got left on that BS.

      1. Well, on he flip side HHDX thinks Lemonade by Beyoncé is the Hip Hop video of the year because of the number of views.

    7. While I concur with most of this list I must digress when I say that Future EVOL had it’s share of bangers. Although it was not on the DS2 level.

    8. Jeezy album definitely was disappointing. Shyt had one song I liked smh. He got a strong catalog overall.

    9. How does the LOX album make no sense? Yes the Fetty Wap song is horrendous but theres a lot of quality tracks on the album.

      1. just representing the culture to the fullest. you hatin on fonzarelli? go kill yourself bro

    10. Drake is a living legend. You ride his dîck day in day out on here, than you have the nerve to label this album one of the worst? DX is so white washed, not color wise – culture wise. Whack DX

        1. The only white people who listen to Drake are tweens and brain dead wiggers. We have standards.

    11. That Mos Def album should’ve made the list. Production was boring. Singing was bad. Rapping was even worse. Album felt like Mos Def cutting room floor material.

    12. Doulph troy ave jeezy should not be on the list

      Actually they should be on the lookout for best cds same with games

    13. Only album listed i even gave a listen in 2016 was the LOX album and i can fully agree what is said about it. 100% they shouldn’t have released that shit it ruins their entire legacy.

    14. If Lil Yachty’s Lil Boat album is not on a worst of 2016 list, the list should then by default be rendered invalid…

    15. I think y’all should give that Troy Ave another listen , wasn’t even a fan of dude , but that project had him spitting some real shit. Unfortunate he had to go through what he did , but it made him step it up

      1. I mean it shouldn’t … maybe because it’s not rap album… literally, it’s the same pop shit as Justin Bieber or Taylor Swift… if you consider views as a rap album… than you haven’t ever listen to rap music.

    16. This should be a list of official albums and not mixtapes. 90% of mixtapes are full of fillers or throwaway tracks so of course they probably gonna suck.

    17. Finally i lost all my respect for dx putting yelas hotel on that list, just ridiculous… sure fans miss the trunk muzik yelawolf which was one of the hardest albums since the 2010s, hands down. But the man has chosen another direction for his music, love story had some great tracks and hotel is listenable all the way through. Def far from classic but even more far from being one of the worst releases this year. Saying this is like saying dx is the best source for hiphop on the internet haha, done with yall.

      1. Cause you don’t have ears that work properly. Drake doesn’t rap anymore so he shouldn’t even be a part of this website is lazy and cole is hungry

    18. putting “VIEWS” on here is just plain ridiculous and just shows hiphopdx’s bitterness at the same time. typical critics wallowing in your own self-pity. even as a hiphop head, completely ignoring Drake’s loosies and killer guest verses from Summer 16, No Shopping, Sneakin, Why You Always Hating, Wanna know is one unforgivable thing but dismissing Views? the album that despite hating, you heard all summer?..You can argue it wasn’t his best album, sure, but the worst album of the year was the most sold in 25 years? Cmon now….We understand Drake has dominated too long and is too much for your hipster needs for esoteric indie artists but be real…”Controlla”, “Weston Road Flows”, “Faithful”, “Redemption”, “Still Here”, “Child’s Play”, “Grammys”, “Feel No Ways”…are you kidding me ? you have such a weak understanding of songwriting that you can’t understand obvious talent when you see it. if these songs were on anyone’s album not named Drake especially a new emerging indie artist, they would easily be considered classics by your website. Your dream that Drake will be one day buried by your suburban white-boy hipster hiphop mentality is delusional but look…the silver lining is: all your lingering hatred is the best thing for Drake and his continued dominance. he obviously rides off the hate, lets it motivate him and continues to defy expectations. Remember the Beatles first album was dismissed as pop garbage and Black Sabbath’s Paranoid which invented heavy metal was similarly trashed. As reviewers, you should worry less about how popular and how clean the image of an artist is and more about actually content, innovation and what risks he is taking musically. Your not evaluting Drake’s music, you are looking at his image and background. Drake can easily do a straight digestible hiphop album that can be swallowed and understood on first listen. instead, he always pushes for unusual sounds. At the least, you can’t deny 40’s production work either even if u hate a couple of Drake’s lines while ignoring many of his amazing ones. afterall, no one says Kanye’s “College Dropout” is garbage because on Jesus Walks he has some terribly corny rhymes like “The way Kathie Lee needed Regis that’s the way I need Jesus”. In fact, Jay-Z and Kanye both have countless cheesy lines here and there on plenty of albums but it’s never enough to dismiss a whole song or album. (Plus lyrically “Views” And “Weston Road Flow” are both monsters) you are reaching attacking Drake goes he owns hiphop and you can’t take it… …But mostly, your exposing your bitterness over your bullied tennage years as an outsider rather than showing your understanding of how powerful forward-thinking music is made. Buckle up: 2017 will be another tough year for you Drake haters.

      1. Did….did you just compare Drake to The Beatles? There are no words. You literally just compared a freshly shit turd to a bar of gold. No words.

    19. Panda was hot because of Kanye? Really?? That song was HUGE before Kanye signed him to steal his hit for his own album

    20. Thank you for putting “Views” on this list. It is simply not a good album and is mostly R&B as is. The actual rap cuts weren’t all that grand either (dude really left 0-100 off the album???!) and again, you wanna claim to be the Jay-Z of this generation based on mostly singing? Nope. And either way, as an R&B album with some rap peppered in, it isn’t memorable. Drake capitalized HEAVY off pop/R&B hit singles, this doesn’t make an album critically great just cause this generation’s equivalent version of the N’Sync fans went and bought/streamed the album. This album was a big win for his marketing team, that’s it. It’s already been universally panned by every notable outlet, even the ones that dickride artists of the moment.

      Drake could have dropped a legit hip hop classic but instead dropped a weak album.

    21. Evol was one of futures better cds maybe even his best so your wild for that. Views had bangers although I didn’t like the whole thing.

      1. So you give both Future and Drake props but shit on J. Cole’s album which was way better than anything these two bums could do. Are you a Drake stan?

    22. J cole for your eyes only was the absolute worst album of the year and it is not even listed. Dick Ryder’s. Payolla is a muthafucka

      1. Low IQ listeners be bashing. You an idiot. I understand if you don’t know what talent is, but shut the fuck up. I guarantee you didn’t listen to that album. Sorry he doesn’t have a million features or rap about sex or girls the entire time. I would say it’s the most underrated album, not getting the love it deserces

    23. Anything from Gucci will be TRASH!
      Anything from Future will be TRASH!
      Drake has NEVER made a good album, Views was TRASH!
      Gucci is not a rapper, he has NO lyrics.
      Future is not a rapper, he has NO lyrics.
      Drake is a pop sensation not a rapper.
      Jeezy’s Trap Or Die 3 was TRASH and disappointing and he needs to leave this trap rap to these younger niggas now.
      People shit on J. Cole’s album which was damn near a classic and better than anything these clowns on this list made or could make. Honorable mention should be Chance the Rapper’s Coloring Book.

    24. Completely disagree with the Lox album….point blank, that joint was hot.. I agree the Fetty Wap feature was not their best but the rest of that project goes..

    25. Great list. Thank you for having the balls to put these trash “artists” on blast. Every other blog dick rides the new wave of what every trendy rapper puts out.
      The only one I disagree with is Yelawolf’s: Hotel. That shit was fire, but it was more than just a hiphop album so I understand. Though, techically it wasn’t even released as an album..

    26. Views absolutely belongs on the list. And i’m someone who enjoys the majority of Drake’s music. Forget the numbers for a second. Think of every Drake album (not including the mixtapes). Every other album is better than this one. He can do better. If you’re tripping on Cole then oh well. Cole is a top 5 mc in the game right now. Maybe you like the newer sound. That’s on you. But the album that was left off was The Life of Pablo. That is by far one of the most overrated albums. Incomplete sounding songs. Mumbling. Production was so-so. Kanye hasnt really impressed me since Dark Twisted Fantasy. Pablo is not good at all. I think he’s made so much amazing music in the past that people just accept the trash he’s putting out now. Put Pablo and Views at the top of this list. Along with anything Riff Raff does.

    27. Actually a fair list. The Lox album should definitely be here. The Cole album should’nt, didn’t like it. It was a mediocre album but not among the worst, that’s too harsh.

    28. Nas,Cormega,Ghostface,Jay,Royce,Camron,Lupe,Pusha T are the features you would be interested in hearing wit D-Block says:

      The Lox album had 1 awful track (fetty wap smh) and 1 generic trap track(gucci mane) the rest was a solid album it was only another 8 tracks people always want more which i can understand it definitely wasnt a worst album of the year contender FOH. They got another 2 albums already made swizz beatz, Just Blaze and Timberland have produced on them. People want a more grimey sound dark beats(Go Head,Holiday,Not To Be Fucked With,Breathe Easy,Recognize) Rza,Alchemist,Statik Selektah,9th Wonder,Havoc would be a better sound for them.Daringer is a real dope producer from Buffalo they would be perfect for his beats.Soul samples and bangers they can rhyme on pretty much anything Premo should throw them more heat but the down south autotune new music sound is not what people want from The L.O.X they are the streets not the skinny jeans in the club B.S

    29. Funny how DX get called haters whenever they write about something negative about drake and lovers whenever they write anything else…

    30. This list is trash ! Jeezy joint is rocking ION know what you talking about. The LOX joint wasn’t bad but if you heard their interviews you would know they can drop 3 or 4 albums right now. Mad work completed. It was OK. I am in NC Chicago bumps here ..I’ll say “OK”. But they were on that Lil Durk. The streets killed EVOL..ION what that was. And Views was a good album I am just tired of that style from Drake. But the album was good music and got blasted all over the place. Last but not least…you left off Kanye Pablo…the wackest of the year to me. All that noise for that…and NO ONE is playing it.

      1. Ridiculous comment. Pablo was easily one of the best this year. Drake makes the same album over and over again, and i love the Lox but that was so wack. Unbearable aside from a few Jadakiss verses. Them having the ability to drop 3 or 4 makes me even more angry that they released that shit. Sheek should never be allowed on another song, just stand there in the booth with them or something. Rapping is not for him

          1. I just don’t understand how buddy is even allowed to rap with 2 legit rappers. Every group has that guy, like Yayo for G-Unit, but it pains me to listen to the Lox, get into a song and then have it ruined by that nonsense. I expect garbage from riff raff, it’s in his name, dude is wack. But to see Jada and Styles waste verses is unacceptable

    31. Damn. Don’t know if I agree with everything but I salute the fact that no punches were pulled and nobody was safe. It wasn’t just regional. More shit like this and less of that TMZ stuff y’all been doin’…

    32. What’s wrong with HOTEL, Roland Collins and Durk2X? Also, what is wrong with VIEWS? Drake is far from one of my favorite artists, but his VIEWS album was pretty damn good I must admit. Critics always talk and blog, but can never back their claims up.

      1. The article is for worst rap albums. Drake’s Views is a very popular album, had some very popular songs, his standard average singing, and was terrible in terms of rap. You could have a point I’d you said it was one of the best pop albums no doubt, but rap, no way. It was pure trash, half assed like most of his stuff.

          1. But it’s categorized as a rap album for some reason as Drake is also categorized as a rapper. We haven’t seen Drake legitimately drop bars, like real bars in like 5-6 years. But he’s seen as a rapper, so he makes this list. Not to mention that the album itself is average at best no matter what genre it fits in.

            1. Seriously! Who really gives a fuck about a Grammy these days! The album was nominated based off its popularity. However, Drake is wack as fuck!

    33. DX you losing your shit, worst? Naw you chose the wrong albums and artist, oh wait its opinions so the fuck is this article for? slept on albums makes sense this, this article is shit.

      1. It’s a stretch to even categorize Future as rap, this album is no different. Mumble rap has seen better days, it’s time to call it what it is, trash rap.

    34. Yelawolf – HOTEL really?? you guys are really trying to bring him down ay. Shit was some of his best work in a while. Better than most that will be on your best albums of 2016 id say n its only a EP. if you don’t think it’s lyrical like you said then you probably only heard the album once.
      such an ignorant call on that one dx. i’ve almost given up on your cringy site – get it back to like 6-7 years ago when there were ok witers and editors because if you think someone like Victoria Hernadez is hip hop then this is a sad as site – the only articles she can write is beefs or relationship bullshit staright from other sites.
      SERIOUSLY DX GET SOME PEOPLE WHO REALLY KNOW HIP/HOP & RAP! I Know a few of you do and have good views and articles but there is a handful of writers/ editors who have no idea at all! step your game up dx!

    35. I dont know maybe I cant judge artist like i like to but these albums got good vibes. I would like to think the lox album is old tracks that just outdate the time, aint heard it they just not on my radar

    36. Soo y’all telling me that future album was the worst this year ? I don’t agree it was way better then young thug album which won’t even up here , rich crack baby was flame as well soo I deff don’t agree with that tbh I can’t speak on drake cause nbs idk if he wrote it or someone else wrote the album so no bullshit I can’t even talk that shit about drake but overall I fwi trap or die 3 was cool I still bump from time to time the lox album was solid to tbh who ever made this post was wildn fr I do agree as far as the rest of the album but I did heard that yelawolf shit was flame so I can’t speak on it but yeah cardi b lameeee, designer lameeee I probably spelled that nigga name wrong but oh well

    37. Btw whoever said Cole album was ass is ots Cole album was flame it brings a good vibe, he tells a story it’s just a classic album don’t get me wrong it wasn’t what I expected from Cole but to compare his album to all the others out here ? Yeah Cole got it best album of the year in my opinion but tbh curren$y ran the whole 2016 hands down so tbh it don’t even matter

    38. Hotel by Yelawolf was a fantastic EP. You folks at hhdx hq are sick in the head if you think that belongs on this list.

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