| Release Date[1] | Artist | Album | Label | 
| January 1 | Boosie Badazz | For My Thugz | Trill Entertainment | 
| January 8 | Deepspace5 | The Night We Called It a Day | UpRok | 
| January 22 | KRS-One | Spiritual Minded | Koch Records | 
| X-Raided | Deadly Game | JLM Entertainment | 
| January 29 | C-Bo | Life as a Rider | West Coast Mafia Records, Warlock Records | 
| State Property | State Property Soundtrack | Roc-A-Fella Records, Def Jam Recordings | 
| February 5 | Aesop Rock | Daylight | Definitive Jux | 
| February 12 | Heather B. | Eternal Affairs | Sai Records | 
| PSD | All I Want | Gateway Entertainment | 
| February 24 | Souljahz | The Fault Is History | World Entertainment, LLC. | 
| February 25 | Deep Puddle Dynamics/Anticon | We Ain't Fessin' (Double Quotes) | Anticon | 
| February 26 | The High & Mighty | Air Force 1 | Eastern Conference Records | 
| The X-Ecutioners | Built From Scratch | Loud Records, Columbia Records | 
| Nappy Roots | Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz | Atlantic | 
| Aim | Hinterland | Grand Central Records | 
| March 12 | N.E.R.D. | In Search Of... [Second Version] | Virgin Records, EMI | 
| New Breed | Stop the Music | UpRok, EMI CMG | 
| March 19 | R. Kelly & Jay-Z | The Best of Both Worlds | Roc-A-Fella Records, Def Jam Recordings, Jive Records, Rockland Records | 
| No Limit Records | West Coast Bad Boyz, Vol. 3: Poppin' Collars | No Limit Records | 
| Rasheeda | A Ghetto Dream | D-Lo Entertainment | 
| Edan | Primitive Plus | Lewis Recordings | 
| March 25 | The Streets | Original Pirate Material | Locked On Records, 679 Recordings | 
| March 26 | Eazy-E | Impact of a Legend | Ruthless Records, Epic Records | 
| k-os | Exit | Astralwerks | 
| Non Phixion | The Future Is Now | Uncle Howie Records | 
| Ying Yang Twins | Alley: The Return of the Ying Yang Twins | Koch Records | 
| April 2 | J-Live | All of the Above | Coup D'État | 
| April 5 | Pezet/Noon | Muzyka Klasyczna | T1-Teraz | 
| April 8 | O.S.T.R. | 30 minut z życia | Asfalt Records | 
| April 9 | Twiztid | Mirror Mirror | Psychopathic Records | 
| April 16 | Sage Francis | Personal Journals | Anticon | 
| April 23 | Cee-Lo | Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections | Arista Records | 
| April 30 | Blackalicious | Blazing Arrow | MCA Records | 
| Count Bass D | Dwight Spitz | High Times | 
| May 7 | Kastro & E.D.I. | Blood Brothers | Outlaw Recordz | 
| Naughty by Nature | IIcons | TVT Records | 
| May 14 | Cam'ron | Come Home with Me | Roc-A-Fella Records, Diplomat Records, Def Jam Recordings | 
| El-P | Fantastic Damage | Definitive Jux | 
| May 18 | Noah23 | Quicksand | Plague Language[2] | 
| May 21 | 50 Cent | Guess Who's Back? | Full Clip Records | 
| Big Syke | Street Commando | Riviera Records | 
| Camp Lo | Let's Do It Again | Dymond Crook Records | 
| May 26 | Eminem | The Eminem Show | Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, Interscope Records | 
| May 28 | Lil' Keke | Birds Fly South | Averice | 
| June 4 | People Under the Stairs | O.S.T. | Om Records | 
| June 10 | Ms. Dynamite | A Little Deeper | Polydor Records | 
| June 11 | Atmosphere | God Loves Ugly | Rhymesayers Entertainment, Fat Beats Records | 
| AZ | Aziatic | Motown | 
| Spice 1 | Spiceberg Slim | Hard Tyme Records, Riviera Records | 
| June 14 | 1200 Techniques | Choose One | Rubber Records, Sony Records | 
| June 18 | Wyclef Jean | Masquerade | Columbia Records | 
| June 22 | Baracuda72 | Tetragammoth | Plague Language[3] | 
| June 24 | O.S.T.R. | Tabasko | Asfalt Records[4] | 
| June 25 | Cormega | The True Meaning | Legal Hustle Entertainment | 
| N.O.R.E. | God's Favorite | Thugged Out Entertainment, Def Jam Recordings | 
| Nelly | Nellyville | Universal Records | 
| Will Smith | Born to Reign | Columbia Records | 
| Mr. Lif | Emergency Rations | Definitive Jux | 
| July 2 | Eyedea | The Many Faces of Oliver Hart or How Eye One the Write Too Think | Rhymesayers Entertainment | 
| X-Raided | City of Kings | Out of Bounds Records | 
| July 8 | Roots Manuva | Dub Come Save Me | Big Dada | 
| July 9 | Onyx | Bacdafucup Part II | Koch Records | 
| Styles P | A Gangster and a Gentleman | Ruff Ryders, Interscope Records | 
| July 16 | Juicy J | Chronicles of the Juice Man | Hypnotize Minds, North North Records | 
| KJ-52 | Collaborations | BEC Recordings | 
| July 23 | Jean Grae | Attack of the Attacking Things | Third Earth Music | 
| The Beatnuts | The Originators | Landspeed | 
| Jumpsteady | The Chaos Theory | Psychopathic Records | 
| Lil Wayne | 500 Degreez | Cash Money Records | 
| Public Enemy | Revolverlution | Koch Records | 
| Thirstin Howl III | Skilligan’s Island | LandSpeed Records | 
| July 29 | Big Mello | The Gift | KMJ Records | 
| July 30 | Richie Rich | Nixon Pryor Roundtree | Ten-Six Records | 
| Knoc-Turn'al | L.A. Confidential presents: Knoc-Turn'al | Elektra Records | 
| August 6 | Cage | Movies for the Blind | Eastern Conference Records | 
| Project Pat | Layin' da Smack Down | Loud Records | 
| Scarface | The Fix | Def Jam South | 
| August 13 | Do or Die | Back 2 the Game | Rap-A-Lot Records, Virgin Records | 
| Luniz | Silver & Black | Rap-A-Lot Records, Virgin Records, Asylum Records | 
| Slum Village | Trinity (Past, Present and Future) | Capitol Records | 
| August 20 | Angie Martinez | Animal House | Elektra Records | 
| Clipse | Lord Willin' | Star Trak Entertainment, Jive Records | 
| Tray Deee | The General's List | Empire Music Werks | 
| August 27 | Devin the Dude | Just Tryin' ta Live | Rap-a-Lot Records | 
| Eve | Eve-Olution | Ruff Ryders Entertainment, Interscope Records | 
| GRITS | The Art of Translation | Gotee Records | 
| KRS-One | The Mix Tape | Koch Records | 
| Lil Flip | Undaground Legend | Sucka Free, Loud Records, Columbia Records | 
| Promatic | Promatic | Koch Records | 
| Trina | Diamond Princess | Slip-n-Slide Records, Atlantic Records | 
| September 3 | Lil Rob | The Album | Upstairs Records | 
| September 9 | Outlandish | Bread & Barrels of Water | RCA Records, Sony BMG Music Entertainment | 
| Jehst | The Return of the Drifter | Low Life Records | 
| September 10 | Shade Sheist | Informal Introduction | MCA Records | 
| Tech N9ne | Absolute Power | Strange Music | 
| September 12 | DJ Jazzy Jeff | The Magnificent | BBE Records | 
| September 16 | Boom Bip | Seed to Sun | Lex Records | 
| September 17 | Disturbing tha Peace | Golden Grain | Disturbing tha Peace | 
| Mr. Lif | I Phantom | Definitive Jux | 
| September 23 | DJ Vadim | U.S.S.R. The Art of Listening | Ninja Tune | 
| September 24 | Nas | The Lost Tapes | Ill Will Records, Columbia Records | 
| September 25 | Paktofonika | Archiwum kinematografii | Gigant Records | 
| October 1 | Xzibit | Man vs. Machine | Open Bar Entertainment, Loud Records, Columbia Records | 
| 7L & Esoteric | Warning: Dangerous Exclusives | Brick Records | 
| October 7 | K-Gee | Bounce to This | Instant Karma | 
| October 8 | Boot Camp Clik | The Chosen Few | Duck Down Music | 
| Jurassic 5 | Power in Numbers | Interscope Records | 
| Krumb Snatcha | Respect All Fear None | D&D Records | 
| Large Professor | 1st Class | Matador Records | 
| Tela | Double Dose | Rap-a-Lot Records | 
| UTP | The Compilation | Orpheus Records | 
| 7L & Esoteric | Dangerous Connection | Brick Records | 
| October 10 | Young Buck | Born to Be a Thug | UTP Records, Thug Entertainment | 
| October 15 | Coolio | El Cool Magnifico | Riviera Records | 
| Da Heabussaz (Three 6 Mafia & Fiend) | Dat's How It Happen to'M | Hypnotize Minds, Fiend Entertainment | 
| LL Cool J | 10 | Def Jam Recordings | 
| Supastition | 7 Years of Bad Luck | Freshchest Records | 
| October 21 | Bushido & Fler | Carlo Cokxxx Nutten | Aggro Berlin | 
| October 22 | Big Syke | Big Syke | RideOnUm Records, Rap-A-Lot Records | 
| Jay Tee | High Caliber | 40 Ounce Records | 
| Jel | 10 Seconds | Mush Records | 
| Field Mob | From tha Roota to tha Toota | MCA Records | 
| October 28 | WWO | We własnej osobie | Prosto[5] | 
| October 29 | Bone Thugs-n-Harmony | Thug World Order | Ruthless Records | 
| Jungle Brothers | All That We Do | Jungle Brothers Records | 
| Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz | Kings of Crunk | BME Recordings, TVT Records | 
| Penny | The Clockforth Movement | Plague Language[6] | 
| Various Artists | Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture 8 Mile | Shady Records, Interscope Records | 
| November 5 | Insane Clown Posse | The Wraith: Shangri-La | Psychopathic Records | 
| Soul-Junk | 1957 |  | 
| November 9 | Sev Statik | Speak Life | UpRock, EMI CMG | 
| November 11 | Felt | Felt: A Tribute to Christina Ricci | Rhymesayers Entertainment | 
| November 12 | Indo G | Contact | Blackhouse Entertainment | 
| JAY-Z | The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse | Roc-A-Fella Records, Def Jam Recordings | 
| Fat Joe | Loyalty | Terror Squad, Atlantic | 
| Missy Elliott | Under Construction | The Goldmind Inc., Elektra Records | 
| Swollen Members | Monsters in the Closet | Battle Axe Records | 
| WC | Ghetto Heisman | Def Jam Recordings | 
| November 19 | C-Bo | Desert Eagle | Warlock Records | 
| Canibus | Mic Club: The Curriculum | Mic Club Music | 
| Erick Sermon | React | J Records | 
| Ja Rule | The Last Temptation | Murder Inc Records, Def Jam Recordings | 
| Talib Kweli | Quality | Rawkus Records, MCA Records | 
| November 22 | Fettes Brot | Amnesie | 'Yo Mama's Recording | 
| November 26 | 2Pac | Better Dayz | Amaru Entertainment, Death Row Records | 
| Birdman | Birdman | Cash Money Records | 
| Busta Rhymes | It Ain't Safe No More... | Flipmode Records, J Records | 
| Royce da 5'9" | Rock City | Columbia Records, E1 Music, Game Recordings | 
| Snoop Dogg | Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$$ | Doggystyle Records, Priority Records, Capitol Records | 
| The Roots | Phrenology | Geffen Records, MCA Records | 
| Will Smith | Greatest Hits | Columbia Records | 
| Kool G Rap | The Giancana Story | Koch Records | 
| Nighthawks (Cage & Camu Tao) | Nighthawks | Eastern Conference Records | 
| December 10 | Common | Electric Circus | MCA Records | 
| Proof | Electric Cool-Aid: Acid Testing | Iron Fist Records | 
| 504 Boyz | Ballers | The New No Limit, Universal Records | 
| GZA | Legend of the Liquid Sword | MCA Records, Universal Records | 
| December 13 | Nas | God's Son | Ill Will Records, Columbia Records | 
| December 17 | Indo G | Christmas N' Memphis | Big Face | 
| Lil' Romeo | Game Time | The New No Limit, Universal Records |