| Release Date[1] | Artist | Album | Notes |
| January 14 | Various Artists | Rhyme & Reason: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | |
| January 28 | Camp Lo | Uptown Saturday Night | |
| Various Artists | West Coast Bad Boyz II | |
| February 4 | Kool Keith | Sex Style | |
| C-Bo | One Life 2 Live | |
| February 11 | Frankie Cutlass | Politics & Bullshit | |
| Funkmaster Flex | The Mix Tape, Vol. II | |
| February 18 | Luniz | Bootlegs & B-Sides | |
| TRU | Tru 2 da Game | |
| March 4 | Soul Assassins | The Soul Assassins, Chapter I | |
| March 11 | Ghetto Mafia | Straight from the Dec | |
| Scarface | The Untouchable | |
| March 25 | The Notorious B.I.G. | Life After Death | |
| Warren G | Take a Look Over Your Shoulder | |
| Tracey Lee | Many Facez | |
| April 8 | 3X Crazy | Stackin' Chips | |
| Big Mike | Still Serious | |
| Crime Boss | Conflicts & Confusion | |
| Us3 | Broadway & 52nd | |
| April 15 | Artifacts | That's Them | |
| April 22 | Ill Al Skratch | Keep It Movin' | |
| May 6 | Steady Mobb'n | Pre-Meditated Drama | |
| May 13 | Juvenile | Solja Rags | |
| May 20 | Boot Camp Clik | For the People | |
| KRS-One | I Got Next | |
| Various Artists | I'm Bout It | |
| June | Esham | Bruce Wayne: Gothom City 1987 | |
| June 1 | Down Ta Erf | Down Ta Erf | |
| June 3 | Wu-Tang Clan | Wu-Tang Forever | |
| Jungle Brothers | Raw Deluxe | |
| World-famous Beat Junkies | The World Famous Beat Junkies Volume 1 | |
| Teflon | My Will | |
| June 10 | Mike Ladd | Easy Listening 4 Armageddon | |
| June 15 | Cru | Da Dirty 30 | |
| June 17 | Capone-N-Noreaga | The War Report | |
| Lil' Keke | Don't Mess wit Texas | |
| The Lost Boyz | Love, Peace & Nappiness | |
| Boogiemonsters | God Sound | |
| June 24 | The Beatnuts | Stone Crazy | |
| Craig Mack | Operation: Get Down | |
| Insane Clown Posse | The Great Milenko | |
| Twista | Adrenaline Rush | |
| Mia X | Unlady Like | |
| The Lady of Rage | Necessary Roughness | |
| Wyclef Jean | Wyclef Jean Presents The Carnival | |
| July 1 | B.G. | It's All on U, Vol. 1 | |
| Ghetto Twiinz | In That Water | |
| July 11 | Slum Village | Fan-Tas-Tic (Vol. 1) | |
| July 13 | Chubb Rock | The Mind | |
| July 15 | DJ Pooh | Bad Newz Travels Fast | |
| Missy Elliott | Supa Dupa Fly | |
| July 22 | Company Flow | Funcrusher Plus[2] | |
| Puff Daddy & the Family | No Way Out | |
| July 29 | Bone Thugs-n-Harmony | The Art of War | |
| D-Shot | Six Figures | |
| Rampage | Scout's Honor... By Way of Blood | |
| Trick Daddy | Based On A True Story | |
| August 5 | Atmosphere | Overcast! | |
| Killarmy | Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars | |
| Mr. Serv-On | Life Insurance | |
| Various Artists | How to Be a Player | |
| August 12 | Hed PE | Hed PE | |
| August 19 | O.C. | Jewelz |
| Royal Flush | Ghetto Millionaire |
| August 26 | Coolio | My Soul | |
| Diamond D | Hatred, Passions and Infidelity | |
| Latryx | The Album | |
| The Mossie | Have Heart Have Money | |
| Tha Alkaholiks | Likwidation | |
| September 2 | Master P | Ghetto D | |
| September 16 | Gravediggaz | The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel | |
| Mack 10 | Based on a True Story | |
| Busta Rhymes | When Disaster Strikes... | |
| September 23 | EPMD | Back in Business | |
| MC Breed | Flatline |
| Mood | Doom | |
| Organized Konfusion | The Equinox |
| The X-Ecutioners | X-Pressions |
| No I.D. | Accept Your Own and Be Yourself (The Black Album) |
| September 30 | Common | One Day It'll All Make Sense | |
| RBL Posse | An Eye for an Eye | |
| October 14 | Kinfusion | Da Unhatched Breed | |
| Jurassic 5 | Jurassic 5 | |
| LL Cool J | Phenomenon | |
| Rawkus Records | Soundbombing | |
| October 21 | The Firm | The Album | |
| Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz | Get Crunk, Who U Wit: Da Album | |
| Salt-n-Pepa | Brand New | |
| October 28 | Hot Boys | Get It How U Live! | |
| Mase | Harlem World |
| Natas | Multikillionaire: The Devil's Contract | |
| Psycho Realm | The Psycho Realm |
| Spice 1 | The Black Bossalini | |
| November 4 | Jay-Z | In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 | |
| Jedi Mind Tricks | The Psycho-Social, Chemical, Biological & Electro-Magnetic Manipulation of Human Consciousness | |
| Mic Geronimo | Vendetta | |
| Rakim | The 18th Letter | |
| Three 6 Mafia | Chapter 2: World Domination | |
| November 10 | MC Lyte | Badder Than B-Fore | |
| November 11 | B.G. | It's All on U, Vol. 2 | |
| Luniz | Lunitik Muzik''[3] | |
| Luke | Changin' the Game | |
| MC Eiht | Last Man Standing | |
| Mystikal | Unpredictable | |
| Timbaland & Magoo | Welcome to Our World | |
| November 18 | 5th Ward Boyz | Usual Suspects | |
| Del the Funky Homosapien | Future Development | |
| MJG | No More Glory | |
| November 25 | DFC | The Whole World's Rotten | |
| Will Smith | Big Willie Style | |
| 2Pac | R U Still Down? (Remember Me) | |
| December 10 | Eminem | Slim Shady EP |
| December 16 | Ice Cube | Featuring...Ice Cube | |
| Queen Pen | My Melody | |
| December 23 | Eightball & MJG | Lyrics of a Pimp | |
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