Year Recipients Work Nominees Ref. Naughty by Nature Poverty 's Paradise! Poverty 's Paradise 2Pac -- Me Against the World Bone Thugs - n - Harmony -- E. 1999 Eternal Ol ' Dirty Bastard -- Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version Skee - Lo -- I Wish 1997 Fugees Fugees, producers The Score! The Score 2Pac -- All Eyez On Me A Tribe Called Quest -- Beats, Rhymes and Life Coolio -- Gangsta 's Paradise LL Cool J -- Mr. Smith 1998 Puff Daddy and the Family Puff Daddy And The Family & Stevie J. producers No Way Out! No Way Out Missy Elliott -- Supa Dupa Fly Wyclef Jean -- Wyclef Jean Presents The Carnival The Notorious B.I.G. -- Life After Death Wu - Tang Clan -- Wu - Tang Forever 1999 Jay - Z Joe Quinde, engineer / mixer Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life! Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life A Tribe Called Quest -- The Love Movement Big Punisher -- Capital Punishment Jermaine Dupri -- Life in 1472 Mase -- Harlem World 2000 Eminem Eminem, Jeff Bass & Marky Bass, producers Mr. B, engineer / mixer The Slim Shady LP! The Slim Shady LP Busta Rhymes -- E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event): The Final World Front songer / DAE_W30david abdelmohsen Missy Elliott -- Da Real World Nas -- I Am... The Roots -- Things Fall Apart 2001 Eminem Dr. Dre & Richard Huredia, engineers / mixers The Marshall Mathers LP! The Marshall Mathers LP DMX --... And Then There Was X Dr. Dre -- 2001 Jay - Z -- Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter Nelly -- Country Grammar 2002 Outkast David Sheats, producer John Frye, engineer Stankonia! Stankonia Eve -- Scorpion Ja Rule -- Pain Is Love Jay - Z -- The Blueprint Ludacris -- Back for the First Time 2003 Eminem Steve King, engineer / mixer The Eminem Show! The Eminem Show Ludacris -- Word of Mouf Mystikal -- Tarantula Nelly -- Nellyville Petey Pablo -- Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry Outkast John Frye, engineer / mixer Speakerboxxx / The Love Below! Speakerboxxx / The Love Below 50 Cent -- Get Rich or Die Tryin ' Missy Elliott -- Under Construction Jay - Z -- The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse The Roots -- Phrenology 2005 West, Kanye Kanye West Manny Marroquin, engineer / mixer The College Dropout! The College Dropout Beastie Boys -- To the 5 Boroughs Jay - Z -- The Black Album LL Cool J -- The DEFinition Nelly -- Suit 2006 West, Kanye Kanye West Jon Brion, producer Andrew Dawson, Anthony Kilhoffer & Tom Biller, engineers Mike Dean, engineer / mixer Late Registration! Late Registration 50 Cent -- The Massacre Common -- Be Missy Elliott -- The Cookbook Eminem -- Encore 2007 Ludacris Joshua Monroy & Phil Tan, engineers / mixers Release Therapy! Release Therapy Lupe Fiasco -- Lupe Fiasco 's Food & Liquor Pharrell -- In My Mind The Roots -- Game Theory T.I. -- King 2008 West, Kanye Kanye West Kanye West, producer Andrew Dawson, Anthony Kilhoffer & Mike Dean, engineers Graduation! Graduation Common -- Finding Forever Jay - Z -- Kingdom Come Nas -- Hip - Hop Is Dead T.I. -- T.I. vs. T.I.P. 2009 Lil Wayne Darius "Deezle '' Harrison & Fabian Marasciullo, engineers Tha Carter III! Tha Carter III Jay - Z -- American Gangster Lupe Fiasco -- Lupe Fiasco 's The Cool Nas -- Untitled T.I. -- Paper Trail Eminem Andre Young, producer Andre Young, Mauricio "Veto '' Iragorri & Michael Strange, engineers / mixers Relapse! Relapse Common -- Universal Mind Control Flo Rida -- R.O.O.T.S. Mos Def -- The Ecstatic Q - Tip -- The Renaissance 2011 Eminem Eminem & Mike Strange, engineers / mixers Recovery! Recovery B.o.B -- B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray Drake -- Thank Me Later Jay - Z -- The Blueprint 3 The Roots -- How I Got Over 2012 West, Kanye Kanye West Kanye West, producer Andrew Dawson, Anthony Kilhoffer, Mike Dean & Noah Goldstein, engineers / mixers My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy! My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Lupe Fiasco -- Lasers Jay - Z and Kanye West -- Watch the Throne Nicki Minaj -- Pink Friday Lil Wayne -- Tha Carter IV 2013 Drake Noah "40 '' Shebib, producer Noel "Gadget '' Campbell & Noah "40 '' Shebib, engineers / mixers Take Care 2 Chainz -- Based on a T.R.U. Story Lupe Fiasco -- Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1 Nas -- Life Is Good Rick Ross -- God Forgives, I Do n't The Roots -- Undun 2014 Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Ben Haggerty & Ryan Lewis, engineers / mixers The Heist Drake -- Nothing Was the Same Jay - Z -- Magna Carta Holy Grail Kendrick Lamar -- Good Kid, M.A.A.D City Kanye West -- Yeezus 2015 Eminem Tony Campana, Joe Strange & Mike Strange, engineers / mixers The Marshall Mathers LP 2! The Marshall Mathers LP 2 Iggy Azalea -- The New Classic Common -- Nobody 's Smiling Childish Gambino -- Because the Internet Wiz Khalifa -- Blacc Hollywood ScHoolboy Q -- Oxymoron 2016 Kendrick Lamar Derek "MixedByAli '' Ali & James "The White Black Man '' Hunt, engineers / mixers To Pimp a Butterfly J. Cole -- 2014 Forest Hills Drive Dr. Dre -- Compton Drake -- If You 're Reading This It 's Too Late Nicki Minaj -- The Pinkprint 2017 Chance the Rapper Coloring Book De La Soul -- And the Anonymous Nobody... DJ Khaled -- Major Key Drake -- Views ScHoolboy Q -- Blank Face LP Kanye West -- The Life of Pablo 2018 Kendrick Lamar Damn Jay - Z -- 4: 44 Migos -- Culture Rapsody -- Laila 's Wisdom Tyler, the Creator -- Flower Boy
who won the grammy for best rap album in 2001
Eminem Eminem Eminem Eminem Eminem Eminem Eminem Eminem Eminem Eminem Eminem