2020 has been a popular year for rap music on Irish shores.
This year has already seen five rap albums reach Number 1 on the Official Irish Albums Chart, the joint-most ever, tied with 2018. What's more 2020 has produced two Number 1 debut rap albums in Ireland, something never achieved in years prior. No rapper had gone to Number 1 posthumously before 2020 either, and two have this year, making 2020 truly remarkable for the genre on the Irish Charts.
And with big records potentially on the way in 2020 from Kanye West, J. Cole, Cardi B and Kid Cudi, this year could claim that Number 1s record all for itself.
Following on from the recent chart-topping success of Eminem, Drake, KSI, Pop Smoke and Juice Wrld, we're looking at back at all 30 rap albums to go Number 1 in Ireland, dating back to when modern chart history began in January 1997.
Ladies first as the saying goes, and it was The Fugees' Lauryn Hill who was the inaugural rapper to claim a chart-topping album in Ireland with her game-changing debut solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. In the 21 years that have followed, Lauryn remains the only female rapper to top the Irish Charts, with the likes of Nicki Minaj and Cardi B peaking at Number 2 over the years.
The rapper with the most Irish Number 1 albums is Eminem, with nine of the 30 chart toppers belonging to him. Slim Shady also claims the longest-reigning - Recovery spent six weeks at the top in 2010. Eminem is also the only rapper to take a greatest hits to Number 1 in Ireland.
Four rap collectives has also managed to reach Number 1 on Irish shores: Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, D12 and The Streets.
Every Number 1 rap album on the Official Irish Albums Chart
TITLE | ARTIST | YEAR | WEEKS AT #1 |
THE MISEDUCATION OF LAURYN HILL | LAURYN HILL | 1999 | 1 |
THE MARSHALL MATHERS LP | EMINEM | 2000 | 2 |
CHOCOLATE STARFISH AND THE HOTDOG FLAVOURED WATER | LIMP BIZKIT | 2001 | 1 |
THE EMINEM SHOW | EMINEM | 2002 | 5 |
METEORA | LINKIN PARK | 2003 | 1 |
D12 WORLD | D12 | 2004 | 1 |
A GRAND DON'T COME FOR FREE | THE STREETS | 2004 | 5 |
ENCORE | EMINEM | 2004 | 1 |
THE MASSACRE | 50 CENT | 2005 | 1 |
CURTAIN CALL: THE HITS | EMINEM | 2005 | 4 |
MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT | LINKIN PARK | 2007 | 2 |
CURTIS | 50 CENT | 2007 | 1 |
RELAPSE | EMINEM | 2009 | 1 |
RECOVERY | EMINEM | 2010 | 6 |
THE MARSHALL MATHERS LP 2 | EMINEM | 2013 | 3 |
COMPTON | DR. DRE | 2015 | 1 |
GANG SIGNS & PRAYER | STORMZY | 2017 | 1 |
KOD | J. COLE | 2018 | 1 |
BEERBONGS AND BENTLEYS | POST MALONE | 2018 | 1 |
YE | KANYE WEST | 2018 | 1 |
SCORPION | DRAKE | 2018 | 3 |
KAMIKAZE | EMINEM | 2018 | 4 |
HOLLYWOOD'S BLEEDING | POST MALONE | 2019 | 3 |
MUSIC TO BE MURDERED BY | EMINEM | 2020 | 1 |
DARK LANE DEMO TAPES | DRAKE | 2020 | 1 |
DISSIMULATION | KSI | 2020 | 1 |
SHOOT FOR THE STARS, AIM FOR THE MOON | POP SMOKE | 2020 | 1 |
LEGENDS NEVER DIE | JUICE WRLD | 2020 | 1 |
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