The Genius Community’s 50 Best Albums of 2020

Pop Smoke, Ariana Grande, and Lil Uzi Vert all made the cut, but who came out on top?
Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 has been a year unlike any other. We spent a good portion of the year quarantining, so many of our listening habits—like playing an album on the way to school, in the gym, before heading out to a party—were altered. While we were stuck at home, projects took on a whole new context; isolation was in vogue, loneliness had new meaning, and escapism had a premium. We still sought out new music to play as we headed out to protest, waited in line to vote, and doomscrolled through Twitter. Just like any other year, we still needed music to provide a soundtrack.

No matter what was happening in the world at large, there were still exciting developments in the world of music. Rappers like Lil Baby, Lil Uzi Vert, and Megan Thee Stallion stepped up as new leaders of the genre, while older artists like Freddie Gibbs, Run The Jewels, and Benny The Butcher proved there is no timeline on rap success. Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, and Ariana Grande gave us the pure pop we still crave. Spanish language artists like Bad Bunny and Anuel AA and K-pop acts like Agust D, BTS (방탄소년단), and BLACKPINK expanded their reach in America.

Still, with so much going on, it’s been hard to keep up with new music. That’s why we came up with this list to help make sense of it all. To create this list, some of our most dedicated and knowledgeable music lovers came together to rank and review the most captivating albums from the past year. Contributors voted on an initial poll, discussed revisions and replacements, and elected to write about their favorite albums, although you might notice some of our blurbs repeat from our mid-year list. Here are the Genius Community’s 50 Best Albums of 2020.

#50. Miley Cyrus – Plastic Hearts
#49. Chris Stapleton – Starting Over
#48. Lianne La Havas – Lianne La Havas
#47. Drakeo the Ruler – We Know the Truth
#46. Mulatto – Queen of Da Souf
#45. Dominic Fike – What Could Possibly Go Wrong
#44. Westside Gunn – Pray For Paris
#43. Jhené Aiko – Chilombo
#42. Lil Keed – Trapped On Cleveland 3
#41. Burna Boy – Twice As Tall
#40. Jessie Ware – What’s Your Pleasure?
#39. Joji – Nectar
#38. SahBabii – Barnacles
#37. Benny The Butcher – Burden of Proof
#36. Kehlani – It Was Good Until It Wasn’t
#35. BTS (방탄소년단) – BE
#34. Flo Milli – Ho, why is you here ?
#33. Anuel AA – Emmanuel
#32. Run The Jewels – RTJ4
#31. Myke Towers – Easy Money Baby
#30. Aminé – Limbo
#29. Lady Gaga – Chromatica
#28. H1GHR MUSIC – Blue Tape
#27. Tame Impala – The Slow Rush
#26. Ariana Grande – positions