The Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)

From Lil Baby’s ‘My Turn’ to Lil Uzi Vert’s ‘Eternal Atake,’ these are Complex's picks for the 50 best music albums of 2020 (so far).

Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)
Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)

It’s been a historically brutal year. Black people are continuing to die at the hands of racists and law enforcement, over 100,000 Americans have lost their lives to COVID-19, and tens of millions are unemployed. The world is in a state of unrest, and artists are grappling with appropriate ways to record and share their music. Some have released songs in direct response to the tragedies unfolding across the globe, while others have decided to share music that can comfort listeners looking for a temporary escape from the devastating news cycle. Regardless of the approach, musicians have provided rare bright spots during an otherwise grueling point in history. Over the past six months, we’ve seen artists like the Weeknd, Westside Gunn, and Lil Baby rise to the moment and deliver outstanding projects that we’ve kept in constant rotation since they’ve arrived. We’ve also been lucky enough to witness rappers like Lil Uzi Vert and Jay Electronica finally drop albums that we’ve been anticipating for years. At the midway point of 2020, Complex is highlighting the music that has helped us get through the year. These are the 50 best albums of 2020 (so far).

50. Childish Gambino, ‘3.15.20’

childish gambino blank

49. 070 Shake, ‘Modus Vivendi’

070 shake album

48. Stove God Cooks, ‘Reasonable Drought’

Stove God Cooks

47. Lil Durk, ‘Just Cause Y’All Waited 2’

Lil Durk

46. DaBaby, ‘Blame It on Baby’

Blame It on Baby cover

45. Armand Hammer, ‘Shrines’

Armand Hammer

44. Kamaiyah, ‘Got It Made’

Kamaiyah 'Got It Made'

43. Sada Baby, 'Skuba Sada 2'

Sada Baby

42. Headie One & Fred Again, ‘Gang’

gang

41. Megan Thee Stallion, ‘Suga’

Megan Thee Stallion 'Suga'

40. Key Glock, ‘The Yellow Tape’

Key Glock, The Yellow Tape

39. CHIKA, ‘Industry Games’

Chika, Industry Games

38. Mozzy, ‘Beyond Bulletproof’

mozzy album cover

37. G Herbo, ‘PTSD’

G Herbo 'PTSD'

36. Royce da 5’9,” ‘The Allegory’

Royce Da 5'9" 'The Allegory'

35. Don Toliver, ‘Heaven or Hell’

Don Toliver 'Heaven or Hell'

34. Future, ‘High Off Life’

Future

33. Lil Wayne, ‘Funeral’

lil wayne funeral cover

32. Jhené Aiko, ‘Chilombo’

Jhene Aiko Chilombo Album cover

31. Thundercat, ‘It Is What It Is’

thundercat

30. Dua Lipa, ‘Future Nostalgia’

Dua Lipa

29. Conway the Machine & the Alchemist, ‘LULU’

Conway the Machine, 'Lulu'

28. King Krule, ‘Man Alive!’

King Krule, Man Alive

27. Denzel Curry & Kenny Beats, ‘Unlocked’

Kenny Beats & Denzel Curry, Unlocked

26. Boldy James & the Alchemist, ‘The Price of Tea in China’

Boldy James

25. Young Nudy, ‘Anyways’

Young Nudy, Anyways

24. Drake, ‘Dark Lane Demo Tapes’

Drake

23. Young Thug & Chris Brown, ‘Slime & B’

Sime & B

22. Brent Faiyaz, ‘F*ck the World’

Brent Faiyaz

21. Sheff G, ‘One and Only’

sheff g

20. Rod Wave, ‘Pray 4 Love’

Rod Wave

19. Ka, ‘Descendants of Cain’

Ka, Descendants of Cain

18. Kehlani, ‘It Was Good Until It Wasn’t’

Kehlani

17. The 1975, ‘Notes on a Conditional Form’

notes the 1975

16. Kenny Mason, ‘Angelic Hoodrat’

Kenny Mason

15. Fiona Apple, ‘Fetch the Bolt Cutters’

Fiona Apple

14. Run the Jewels, ‘RTJ4’

rtj4

13. Bad Bunny, ‘YHLQMDLG’

Bad Bunny

12. Gunna, ‘Wunna’

This is a photo of Gunna.

11. Jay Electronica, ‘A Written Testimony’

Jay Electronica album

10. Dvsn, ‘A Muse in Her Feelings’

DVSN

9. Pop Smoke, ‘Meet the Woo 2’

Pop Smoke 'Meet the Woo Vol. 2'

8. Polo G, ‘The GOAT’

Polo G The Goat

7. Lil Baby, ‘My Turn’

Lil Baby 'My Turn'

6. Mac Miller, ‘Circles’

Mac Miller 'Circles'

5. Westside Gunn, ‘Pray for Paris’

Westside Gunn 'Pray for Paris'

4. Freddie Gibbs & the Alchemist, ‘Alfredo’

Alfredo

3. The Weeknd, ‘After Hours’

The Weeknd 'After Hours'

2. Tame Impala, ‘The Slow Rush’

Tame Impala 'The Slow Rush'

1. Lil Uzi Vert, ‘Eternal Atake’

Eternal Atake

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