numbers ≠ quality of course!

80s:
Licensed to Ill” by Beastie Boys (#54 in the decade) -> Sales: 10,507,000

2.N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton (#249 in the decade) -> Sales: 3,300,033
3.Run-D.M.C. - Rising Hell (#256 in the decade) -> Sales: 3,222,300

90s:
Fugees - The Score (#63) -> Sales: 13,860,000

2.Will Smith - Big Willie Style (#85) -> Sales: Sales: 11,650,000
3.Dr. Dre - 2001 (#96) -> Sales: 10,631,000

(Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill is at #23 with 20,000,000 sales and could also be considered the highest selling of the decade but I didn‘t count it as an pure hip hop album idk)

2000s:

The Marshall Mathers LP by Eminem (also most selling album of the decade) -> Sales: 32,000,000

2.The Eminem Show by Eminem (#6) -> Sales: 20,896,750

(3.Curtain Call - The Hits by Eminem (#13) -> Sales: 15,733,091)

3.Get Rich Or Die Tryin‘ by 50 Cent (#21) -> Sales: 12,000,000

2010s:

Recovery by Eminem (#11) -> Sales: 10,873,795

2.Views by Drake (#17) -> Sales: 7,687,247

3. Beerbongs & Bentleys (#22) -> Sales: 7,116,118

2020s (so far)

1.SHOOT FOR THE STARS, AIM FOR THE MOON by Pop Smoke (#5) -> Sales: 5,047,389

2.My Turn by Lil Baby (#12) -> Sales: 4,100,000

3.Legends Never Die by Juice Wrld (#22) -> Sales: 3,320,000

Data from bestsellingalbums.org

Views not being no.1 in 10s shocked me tbh

Also the 2020s be looking crazy rn

interesting data

Em had the world in a chokehold for almost 2 decades

Em having the #1 album of the entire decade in the 2000s is nuts

These numbers are wrong also some of these seem like worldwide while others are US and not updated.

bestsellingalbums.org/about

Seems like its legit or atleast close to reality I also googled to check these numbers. The only numbers that have been missing are from 2023-now idk why. And yes this is international not US only

Yea then these are way off.

Take care for example is 8x platinum in US which is 8 million.

my turn is over 5.4 million in US

x.com/chartdata/status/1660815568554037249?s=20

Probably last updated in the end of 2022. Idk if that really would change the order that much tho

Recovery being the highest selling hip hop Album of the 2010s is sad as f***

southpawers.com/2023/05/21/eminem-recovery-album-sales-worldwide/amp

Damn it even cracked 20 million in 2023

Siri play White America by Eminem

Not surprising though.

Recovery was Eminem's biggest crossover success since the early 2000's and produced 2 massive hits.

That's one of the reasons why I don't d***ride sales like many others do on KTT.

yea i looked on website and its adding certifications WW but take care for example not updated.

Yeah sales really are the worst way to look at s***

One time I saw one of those corny YouTube comments say “If Drake had the exact same discography but was only as popular as DOOM would he be respected the way DOOM is?”

But I was actually like

Sales matter from a business standpoint but, too often, stans use them as a way of discounting other things that matter in hip hop.

It's just funny that KTT will claim sales determines GOAT status while ignoring that Eminem outsold every rapper in CD sales. MMLP alone outsold many rappers' entire catalogs.

You can't claim popularity and sales determine GOAT status and say that Eminem isn't top 3 DOA at minimum.

But, for other rap fans like myself who look at far more criteria than just sales, we're able to measure the quality and impact of music beyond Soundscan or Spotify.

Good sales compliment an artist‘s legacy but if the art itself isn‘t great nor heavily respected within the genre‘s community (having the "classic" status) it doesn‘t help that much to solidify someones GOAT status either imo

surprised paid in full isn't top 3 for the 80s

beastie boys fire tho

I personally just care If I fw it or not. sales alone won‘t make me like an album more or less yk

Everybody has different criteria for rappers. It all depends on what matters to you more.

MMLP being the only number 1 of all genres 😂 🐐