Rap Groups, Ranked

Debut 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)' is a foundational East Coast classic, and the nine-member roster launched solo careers for RZA, GZA, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, and Raekwon. No group did more to redefine the collective in rap.

1988's 'Straight Outta Compton' pushed West Coast gangsta rap into the mainstream and drew an FBI warning letter over 'Fuck tha Police.' Members Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and Eazy-E became genre-defining figures.

André 3000 and Big Boi won the Grammy for Album of the Year with 2003's 'Speakerboxxx/The Love Below,' and 'Hey Ya!' became a global smash. They put Southern rap on equal artistic footing with the coasts.

'The Low End Theory' (1991) fused jazz sampling with lyrical dexterity and is routinely cited among the greatest hip-hop albums ever. Q-Tip and Phife Dawg's chemistry anchored the Native Tongues movement.

Their 'Walk This Way' collaboration with Aerosmith crossed rap onto MTV and rock radio, and in 2009 they became one of the first hip-hop acts inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Foundational to the genre's crossover.

'It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back' (1988) set the standard for politically charged rap, and the Bomb Squad's dense production was revolutionary. Chuck D's booming delivery and Flavor Flav's foil remain iconic.

'Licensed to Ill' (1986) was the first rap album to top the Billboard 200, and 'Paul's Boutique' is a sample-collage landmark. They evolved from bratty punks into respected genre-crossers and Hall of Famers.

'The Infamous' (1995), especially 'Shook Ones, Pt. II,' defined hardcore East Coast rap's bleak, cinematic sound. Prodigy and Havoc's production-and-rhyme partnership was airtight.

'Culture' (2017) hit No. 1 and 'Bad and Boujee' topped the Hot 100, and their triplet flow shaped a generation of trap. Massive commercial run, though catalog depth is thin next to the legends.

'Tha Crossroads' won a Grammy and their rapid-fire sung-rap style was genuinely new in the mid-'90s. A signature sound, but an uneven catalog after their peak.

First Latino hip-hop group to go platinum, with B-Real's nasal delivery and DJ Muggs' psychedelic production making 'Insane in the Brain' a crossover hit. Later got a Hollywood Walk of Fame star.

The duo of Guru and DJ Premier are boom-bap royalty, and Premier's chopped-sample production is among the most influential in rap history. A purist favorite that never chased crossover fame.

One of the few hip-hop acts built on live instrumentation, with 'Things Fall Apart' going platinum and winning a Grammy for 'You Got Me.' Now the house band on 'The Tonight Show.'

First rap group to win an Academy Award, for 'It's Hard out Here for a Pimp' in 2006, and their dark Memphis sound heavily influenced modern trap. Uneven albums keep them out of the top tiers.

'The Score' (1996) sold over six million copies and launched Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, but the group made only two albums before splintering. A brilliant peak with almost no longevity.

One of the first commercially successful female rap acts, with 'Push It' and 'Whatta Man' as enduring hits and a Grammy win in 1995. Historically important, though their run was fairly short.

'Black Beatles' hit No. 1 riding the Mannequin Challenge, and 'SremmLife' produced a string of radio hits. Fun and catchy, but light on the depth that defines the higher tiers.

Rode 50 Cent's early-2000s dominance to a platinum debut with 'Beg for Mercy,' but the group functioned mostly as a vehicle for its star and fizzled amid internal beefs. Little that stands on its own.

Best known for 'Wait (The Whisper Song),' a novelty crunk hit widely mocked for its crude, repetitive lyrics. A ringtone-era footnote with almost no lasting critical standing.