| Release Date | Artist | Album | Label |
|---|
| January 18 | The Game | The Documentary | Aftermath Entertainment, G-Unit Records, Interscope Records |
| January 25 | Buck 65 | This Right Here Is Buck 65 | V2 |
| Geto Boys | The Foundation | Rap-a-Lot Records, Asylum Records |
| Paul Wall & Chamillionaire | Controversy Sells | Paid In Full |
| Spice 1 | Dyin' 2 Ball | Triple X Entertainment |
| January 31[1] | Pete Rock | | BBE Records |
| February 8 | Krayzie Bone | | Ball'r Records, ThugLine Records |
| Mike Ladd | Negrophilia: The Album | |
| One Be Lo | S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. (Sounds Of Nahshid Originate Good Rhymes And Music) | Subterraneous Records, Fat Beats Records |
| Rapper Big Pooh | Sleepers | 6 Hole Records, Caroline Distribution |
| Sage Francis | A Healthy Distrust | Epitaph Records |
| February 15 | Suburban Noize Records | Sub Noize Souljaz | Suburban Noize |
| February 22 | A Gun Called Tension | A Gun Called Tension | Cold Crush Records |
| Aesop Rock | Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives | Definitive Jux |
| Bone Brothers | Bone Brothers | Koch Records |
| Busdriver | Fear of a Black Tangent | Mush |
| Jumpsteady | Master of the Flying Guillotine | Psychopathic Records |
| Sole | Live from Rome | Anticon |
| TRU | The Truth | The New No Limit Records, Koch Records |
| March 1 | Pimp C | The Sweet James Jones Stories | Rap-a-Lot Records, Asylum Records |
| March 3 | 50 Cent | The Massacre | G-Unit Records, Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, Interscope Records |
| March 7 | Sev Statik | Slow Burn | Pitch Control, Pointman |
| March 8 | Boom Bip | Blue Eyed in the Red Room | Lex Records |
| Celly Cel | It'z Real Out Here | 33rd Street Records |
| Tame One | O.G. Bobby Johnson | Eastern Conference Records |
| March 12 | Evidence | Another Sound Mission Vol. 1 | Audio Fidelity |
| March 22 | Anybody Killa | Road Fools | Psychopathic Records |
| C-Murder | The Truest Shit I Ever Said | Bossalinie Records, Koch Records |
| M.I.A. | Arular | XL Recordings, Interscope Records |
| The Perceptionists | Black Dialogue | Definitive Jux |
| Prefuse 73 | Surrounded By Silence | Warp |
| March 29 | Blueprint | 1988 | Rhymesayers Entertainment |
| Beanie Sigel | The B. Coming | Dame Dash Music Group, Def Jam Recordings |
| Edan | Beauty and the Beat | Lewis Recordings |
| Fat Killahz | Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? | No Tyze Entertainment |
| Will Smith | Lost and Found | Interscope Records |
| April 12 | Z-Ro | Let the Truth Be Told | Rap-a-Lot Records |
| April 19 | Esham | A-1 Yola | Psychopathic Records |
| Mike Jones | Who is Mike Jones? | Swishahouse/Asylum/Warner Bros. |
| Roots Manuva | Awfully Deep | Big Dada |
| Zion I | True & Livin' | Live Up Records |
| May 3 | Quasimoto | The Further Adventures of Lord Quas | Stones Throw Records |
| 13 & God | 13 & God | Alien Transistor, Anticon |
| May 10 | Fannypack | See You Next Tuesday | Tommy Boy Records |
| Jus Allah | All Fates Have Changed | Babygrande Records |
| May 17 | The Away Team | National Anthem | 6 Hole Records, Caroline Distribution |
| Insane Clown Posse | The Calm | Psychopathic Records |
| Memphis Bleek | 534 | Get Low Records, Roc-A-Fella Records, Def Jam Recordings |
| Nobody | And Everything Else... | Plug Research |
| May 24 | Common | Be | GOOD Music, Geffen Records |
| Gorillaz | Demon Days | Virgin Records |
| May 31 | The High & Mighty | The 12th Man | Eastern Conference Records |
| M.E.D. | Push Comes to Shove | Stones Throw Records |
| Sean Price | Monkey Barz | Duck Down Music |
| Ya Boy | Rookie of the Year | SMC, Done Deal Ent. |
| June 14 | Afu-Ra | State of the Arts | Life Force Records, Decon Records |
| Fat Joe | All or Nothing | Terror Squad, Atlantic |
| June 21 | 9th Wonder & Buckshot | Chemistry | Duck Down Music |
| Canibus | Mind Control | Tommy Boy Records |
| Guru | | 7 Grand Records |
| June 27 | Kano | Home Sweet Home | 679 |
| June 28 | Bizarre | Hannicap Circus | Sanctuary Urban |
| Twiztid | Man's Myth (Vol. 1) | Psychopathic Records |
| Ying Yang Twins | USA (United State Of Atlanta) | TVT Records |
| July 5 | Missy Elliott | The Cookbook | The Goldmind Inc., Atlantic Records |
| July 12 | Felt | | Rhymesayers Entertainment |
| Frayser Boy | Me Being Me | Hypnotize Minds |
| July 26 | Buck 65 | Secret House Against the World | WEA |
| Jeezy | | CTE World, Def Jam Recordings |
| Trey Songz | I Gotta Make It | Atlantic |
| Twiztid | Mutant (Vol. 2) | Psychopathic Records |
| 7L & Esoteric | Moment of Rarities | Babygrande Records |
| August 2 | Necro | The Sexorcist | Psycho+Logical-Records |
| August 9 | Proof | Searching for Jerry Garcia | Iron Fist Records |
| August 16 | Vanilla Ice | Platinum Underground | Ultrax Records |
| August 23 | Jim Jones | | Diplomat, Koch |
| Kurupt | Against the Grain | Death Row Records, Koch Records |
| Pumpkinhead | Orange Moon Over Brooklyn | Soulspazm Records, Rawkus Records |
| Skrapz | The 12 Step Program | Genetic Soil LLC |
| August 30 | Kanye West | Late Registration | Roc-A-Fella Records, Def Jam Recordings |
| Tony Yayo | Thoughts of a Predicate Felon | G-Unit Records, Interscope Records |
| September 6 | AZ | A.W.O.L. | Quiet Money Records |
| September 13 | Big Shug | Who's Hard? | Sure Shot Recordings |
| DJ Quik | Trauma | Mad Science Records |
| Little Brother | The Minstrel Show | ABB Records, Atlantic Records |
| Paul Wall | The Peoples Champ | Swishahouse, Asylum, Atlantic |
| Smif-n-Wessun | | Duck Down Music |
| U-God | Mr. Xcitement | Free Agency Recordings |
| September 20 | Cage | Hell's Winter | Definitive Jux |
| David Banner | Certified | SRC Records, Universal Records |
| September 27 | Bizzy Bone | Speaking in Tongues | 845 Entertainment |
| Blackalicious | The Craft | Anti- |
| Three 6 Mafia | Most Known Unknown | Hypnotize Minds, Sony Urban Music, Columbia Records |
| Lil' Kim | The Naked Truth | International Rock Star Records, Atlantic Records |
| October 3 | Ms. Dynamite | Judgement Days | Polydor |
| October 4 | Twista | The Day After | Atlantic Records |
| Atmosphere | You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having | Rhymesayers Entertainment |
| Why? | Elephant Eyelash | Anticon |
| Spice 1 | The Truth | High Powered Entertainment |
| Tragedy Khadafi | Thug Matrix | Fastlife |
| October 11 | DANGERDOOM | The Mouse and the Mask | Epitaph Records |
| Warren G | In the Mid-Nite Hour | G-Funk Entertainment |
| October 18 | Black Milk | Sound of the City | Music House, Fat Beats |
| Bun B | Trill | Rap-a-Lot Records, Asylum Records |
| Circle of Tyrants | The Circle of Tyrants | Psycho+Logical-Records |
| Ninja High School | Young Adults Against Suicide | Tomlab |
| Rev. Run | Distortion | Def Jam Recordings |
| October 25 | DJ Muggs and GZA | Grandmasters | Angeles Records |
| November 1 | Canibus | Hip-Hop for Sale | Babygrande Records |
| Fatlip | The Loneliest Punk | Delicious Vinyl |
| Public Enemy | New Whirl Odor | Slam Jamz Records |
| Tha Dogg Pound | | Gangsta Advisory Records |
| November 8 | Bigg Jus | Poor People's Day | Mush |
| Sheek Louch | After Taxes | D-Block Records, Koch Records |
| November 15 | Mike Ladd | Father Divine | ROIR |
| November 22 | Talib Kweli | Right About Now | Koch Records |
| Chamillionaire | The Sound of Revenge | Universal |
| Juelz Santana | What the Game's Been Missing! | Diplomat Records, Roc-A-Fella Records, Def Jam Recordings |
| Nelly | Sweatsuit | Derrty, Fo' Reel, Universal |
| Rich Boyz | Young Ballers: The Hood Been Good to Us | Guttar Music |
| December 6 | Eminem | | Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, Interscope Records, Web Entertainment |
| Flame | Rewind | Cross Movement Records |
| Lil Wayne | Tha Carter II | Cash Money Records, Universal Records |
| December 13 | Snoop Dogg | | Doggystyle Records, Koch Records |
| December 27 | Trick-Trick | The People vs. | Motown Records | |
