Top 15 Debut Albums of All Time

The debut album can be one of the most important parts of an artist’s career. Whether it’s a showcase of an artist’s musical proficiency from the start of their career or whether it is used to highlight the artistic growth of an artist. A good debut album can already give an artist a lasting legacy in the industry, whether they continue showcasing their musical capabilities or fall off the face of the earth. There have been a plethora of amazing starting records from artists over the years however I will only be covering my top 15 in this article.

Honourable Mention: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill

Now don’t get me wrong, I think this album is a masterpiece and one of the greatest albums ever created. If it was on the list officially it would probably take the top spot, if not at very least in the top 3. However when looking at the definition of debut it says “A person’s first appearance”. Now whilst this album is TECHNICALLY Ms. Lauryn Hill’s debut album as a solo artist, she had a very prominent role as one third of the hip-hop group ‘The Fugees’, with their debut album ‘The Score’ being the first album she had involvement creating. So whilst I would love to include it on this list, I don’t necessarily believe it deserves a spot here over other debut albums where it is the artist’s very first forte into music or genuinely their debut studio album. 

15.    Diamond Life - Sade

A lush beginning to what would go on to be a stellar career, Diamond Life set the standard high for Sade’s music. This album fully encapsulates Sade’s smooth and sensual style of neo-soul. 

Spearheaded by hits such as the jazz-soul classic ‘Smooth Operator’ and the beautifully sentimental ‘Your Love Is King’, this album really stood out as a more elegant, jazz-influenced effort in an era dominated by more extravagant, contemporary pop music.

The timid yet powerful vocals of the lead singer, who the band is named after, combined with the super smooth, jazzy instrumentation from the rest of the band make for a super comforting listen. 

Favourite Songs: Your Love Is King, Cherry Pie, When Am I Going to Make a Living, Smooth Operator

14.     Is This It - The Strokes

A revolutionary rock album that brought back a sense of personality into mainstream rock culture following the grunge takeover of the 90s - Not that there’s anything wrong with grunge, just that the whole aesthetic can get a bit repetitive after a while.

This album however brought low-fi vibes back into the limelight of rock music. The Strokes gave us a really innovative indie rock album, heavily incorporating in garage elements to create a very unique soundscape.

This helps in no small part due to lead singer Julian Casablancas’ unique, often muffled vocals across the record. He has such a distinct style of singing, making this such an addicting listen every time. 

Favourite Songs: Is This It, Hard To Explain, Barely Legal, Someday

13.     Baduizm - Erykah Badu

As a member of the musical supergroup ‘Soulquarians’, Erykah Badu really helped pioneer the neo-soul wave of the mid-to-late 90s, due in no small part to the impact and overall quality of this record. 

This album is beautifully produced, seamlessly blending soul, jazz and hip-hop into one cohesive unit. This outstanding production is matched perfectly by Badu’s silky vocals and poetic lyricism, touching on themes of love, self-discovery and spirituality across the record.

The production is rich and colourful, yet still minimalist which allows Badu’s smooth, sensual vocals and lyrical content to stand-out, allowing this record to resonate with listeners that seek out more nuance and passion than found in most mainstream music.

Favourite Songs: On & On, Certainly - Flipped It, Next Lifetime, Appletree

12.     channel ORANGE - Frank Ocean

This album is a genre bending classic, taking contemporary R&B vocals and fusing it with hip-hop, funk and even electronic elements across this record.

Frank’s song-writing across every song is so evocative and thorough, with topics ranging from unrequited love on ‘Bad Religion’, juxtaposing the story of Egyptian queen Cleopatra with that of a woman working in a strip club in ‘Pyramids’ to the effects of crack cocaine on individuals and communities on ‘Crack Rock’.

The production here is also super immersive and layered. You obviously have your slower and more timid, stripped back instrumentals such as in ‘Pink Matter’ and ‘Thinkin Bout You’, however you also still have a large selection of more grandiose and extravagantly produced tracks such as ‘Monks’, ‘Sweet Life’ and ‘Pyramids’.

Favourite Songs: Pink Matter, Bad Religion, Pyramids, Forrest Gump

11.     Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous - Big L

The first hip-hop album of the list (there are many more to come), and it is an album that in my first draft of the list I had landing much higher up. Regardless of that fact, this album is fantastic.

Big L was a master on the pen, having an all-time lyrical showcase on this record with his unbelievable rhyming ability, buttery smooth flow and clever punchlines, delivering all of this with so much personality and charisma in his delivery.

He accurately portrays the realities of street life through his vivid imagery and storytelling on songs like ‘Danger Zone’ and the title track ‘Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous’.

It’s just a shame that we couldn’t get another release from Big L before he passed as he could have definitely gone down as one of the all-time greats.

Favourite Songs: Danger Zone, Da Graveyard, Put It On, All Black

10.     CTRL - SZA

I have already summarised my thoughts on this album in my last Feature Friday post so if you want a slightly more in depth synopsis of CTRL go to my Top 25 Albums of the 2010s.

To summarise even further though this is an outstanding debut record. SZA displays a very deep level of vulnerability on this record, discussing topics relating to love, lust and personal changes.

SZA has a deep vocal bag, shown by her consistent tonal shifts and sporadic breaking into high octaves throughout songs like ‘Supermodel’ and ‘Prom’.

Favourite Songs: Drew Barrymore, Supermodel, Prom, 20 Something

9.     Brown Sugar - D’Angelo

Another album that not only helped define the genre of neo-soul, but is thought to be the album that pretty much introduced the genre as a whole. 

This album is a beautiful fusion child of soul, jazz, funk and even hip-hop, blending beautifully to create a soothing, soul-enriching atmosphere. The lush production supports D’Angelo’s soft yet still very distinct vocals in the best way, allowing them to take centre stage. This soundscape perfectly compliments the topics of love and romance discussed across the album.

D’Angelo was involved with every single part of this album’s construction, contributing to the production by playing a significant number of instruments himself across the entire record. This allowed his artistic vision to be expressed as accurately as he could.

Favourite Songs: Me And Those Dreamin’ Eyes Of Mine, Higher, Smooth, Brown Sugar

8.     Ready To Die - Notorious B.I.G

This album not only put Biggie on the map as one of the most talented emcees in the world at the time, but at the same time established him as a legend of the industry already.

Biggie shows a great variety of substance across the tracks club bangers like ‘Juicy’ and ‘Big Poppa’, emotional and introspective cuts such as ‘Everyday Struggle’ and ‘Suicidal Thoughts’ to just straight displays of lyrical prowess like ‘Who Shot Ya?’ and ‘Gimme The Loot’.

Biggie really showcases his natural talent for rapping on every inch of this album. Whether it’s his unique and recognisable delivery, his super clever rhyming and wordplay or the fact he has the smoothest flow of any rapper ever, this is an overall fantastic display of the art of rapping.

This record is not just a showcase of Biggie’s elite pen game however, you can tell it’s an insight to Biggie’s troubled mindstate. Covering various topics like street life, poverty, mortality, death and his own vulnerability, Biggie makes it clear on this record how the street life has affected him mentally.

Favourite Songs: Gimme The Loot, Ready To Die, Warning, Who Shot Ya?

7.     The College Dropout - Kanye West

This album had to get a mention, although it might be lower than some were expecting it’s still an exceptional debut effort.

Containing some of the catchiest rap songs I have personally ever heard in songs like ‘Slow Jamz’, ‘All Falls Down’ and ‘We Don’t Care’, this album is just so much fun to listen to. Even further emphasised through Kanye’s revolutionary use of soul samples, this allows you to enjoy the listening experience even if you can’t grasp the topics he covers.

This record is a reflection of Kanye’s own personal experiences and ambitions, tackling issues of consumerism, faith and identity. An emotional highlight of the tracklist would be ‘Through The Wire’, which was recorded whilst Kanye was in hospital following a near-fatal car-crash, however it was spun into an up-lifting track about overcoming adversity in life. Plus it would be even harder to take it seriously anyways when it contains lines such as “The doctor said I had blood clots, but I ain't Jamaican, man”. 

That pretty much summarises the album itself, Kanye covers very deep and personal topics but it’s hard to keep a serious tone throughout the tracks when he includes lines like “She got a light-skinned friend look like Michael Jackson, Got a dark-skinned friend look like Michael Jackson” and “If my manager insults me again, I will be assaulting him”.

Last thing, I can’t do this little summary without mentioning ‘Two Words’. This is one of Kanye’s greatest verses ever, being one of his most lyrically dense. Also you can never go wrong with a Mos Def feature.

Favourite Songs: Two Words, Family Business, Spaceship, Slow Jamz

6.     Black On Both Sides - Mos Def

Speaking of Mos Def, he released one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time as his debut album, establishing himself as one of the most respected voices in the rap industry. Yasiin Bey brings so much personality in his delivery which almost masks the severity and importance of the topics he's discussing. 

Addressing themes of race, identity, political awareness, black lifestyle and culture, Yasiin never simply just complains about whatever issues he's discussing. He aims to seek out solutions to resolve society’s issues as mentioned in ‘Mathematics’ where he states "For every situation, there's a solution, but they never wanna see us find it”. 

He also delves into themes of spirituality and empowerment on ‘Climb’, self-reflection and growth on ‘Umi Says’ and how love can act as a guiding principle in trying times in ‘Love’.

Moving aside from the lyrical content, this album is the definition of all killer, no filler. The production reflects what 90s hip-hop is all about, straight drums with soul and jazz-infused looping samples which make way for Yasiin to shine. He is so sharp lyrically yet he still sounds so relaxed, like it’s second nature to him. He has such a cool flow, hitting every pocket possible in the instrumentals and matching his production choice to a tee.

Favourite Songs: Mathematics, Umi Says, Brooklyn, Mr. N****

5.     Definitely Maybe - Oasis

An absolute landmark achievement for britpop. Becoming one of the most beloved albums ever amongst British music fans, and it’s very clear to see why. 

This whole record is fueled with the unbridled confidence of a british band looking to stand out in an era of rock that has fully been taken over by the iconic grunge sound of the 90s. Oasis, alongside bands like Blur, successfully helped to form the britpop movement and subsequently help bring it to the forefront of rock music in the mid-90s. 

Oasis would fuse classic rock elements with the band’s own quirks and characteristics to create a soundscape that is sometimes quite hazy and almost shoegaze-esque and other times brash and in-your-face.

The main selling points of the album however would be the fact it’s littered with catchy melodies as shown on ‘Live Forever’ and addictive guitar melodies like on ‘Supersonic’ and ‘Up In The Sky’, especially the latter. Noel puts his all into every riff across this record.

Another reason this album is so amazing and will forever stay iconic will be because of frontman Liam’s vocals. His eclectic tonalities bring so much personality to each song. Whether it’s the voice crack effect in the chorus of ‘Shakermaker’, his talent for holding a note as shown in ‘Live Forever’ or his iconic cadences such as whenever he pronounces “sunshine”. 

Favourite Songs: Supersonic, Slide Away, Columbia, Bring It On Down

4.     Reasonable Doubt - Jay-Z 

This album is one of the most polished and sophisticated debuts in music history. The production captures the harsh and gritty nature of the themes Jay-Z discusses throughout the album whilst still sounding so crisp and refined.

Jay-Z delves into street life by discussing both the dangers that come with pursuing a life of crime whilst also highlighting the ambition of succeeding, giving an insight into the moral dilemmas he once faced when he was a hustler. The topics combined with Jay-Z’s confident, almost boastful delivery just goes to show he knows what he is talking about.

He further showcases this lifestyle through his in-depth storytelling in songs like ‘Friend or Foe’ and ‘Dead Presidents’ and through vivid imagery in songs like ‘D’evils’ and ‘Regrets’.

Outside of the themes he discusses, his overall pen game is possibly the best of his career. His rhyming is top-notch, he has a really sporadic flow that constantly jumps across each beat which makes for an interesting listen and he is really just one of the greatest when it comes to wordplay.

Favourite Songs: Dead Presidents, D’evils, Can’t Knock Tha Hustle, 22 Two’s

3.     Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) - Wu-Tang Clan

The debut appearance in the music industry for every member of the clan, and they all manage to shine in their own way whilst not taking too much away from their companions. 

Each member has their own quirks they bring and artistic specialties they possess: GZA’s intricate wordplay, Method Man’s ability to glide on any instrumental, Raekwon’s vivid story-telling, Masta Killa’s methodical approach to rapping, Ghostface Killah’s passionate yet sometimes cryptic lyricism, Inspectah Deck’s technical proficiency, U-God’s gritty delivery and Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s unfiltered energy, which are all brought together cohesively by RZA’s fantastic production.

RZA’s gritty, haunting, sample-driven production sets a perfect base layer for the narratives and themes of street-life and Shaolin martial arts, creating an encompassing atmosphere that not only hooks the listener from start to finish but forces them to listen to every single lyric and feel their effect.

The clan’s performance on this record serves as a proving ground for how diverse hip-hop can be stylistically due to the stark tonal differences from track-to-track.

Favourite Song: Protect Ya Neck, Da Mystery Of Chessboxin’, C.R.E.A.M, Bring Da Ruckus

2.     Grace - Jeff Buckley

This is by far and away one of the most beautiful singer-songwriter albums I have ever heard. Providing a seamless blend of rock, jazz, folk and classical influences all into one atmospheric, emotional masterpiece.

Jeff’s voice is absolutely breathtaking, spanning an impressive range and accurately conveying any emotion he needs, from aching vulnerability to a triumphant belt. In my opinion, his vocal range is shown best in ‘Mojo Pin’, the roar he lets out at the end of the chorus is so powerful and impressive.

The production is also exactly what it needs to be. When Jeff is singing at his softest, the production becomes more minimalistic and as he starts to scream his heart out in songs like ‘Grace’ the production builds alongside him, perfectly capturing the feeling he seeks to portray whether it’s heartbreak, longing or vulnerability. 

Thematically, Jeff addresses love, longing, spirituality, heartbreak and vulnerability. He encapsulates the universal feeling of experiencing highs and lows in life so vividly through his detailed imagery and wonderful vocal ability. Jeff had a crystal clear artistic vision, and this album perfectly conveys both his current capabilities and how he could still expand artistically. Thus leaving his first and only album with a legacy that will stand the test of time.

Favourite Songs: Last Goodbye, Lover You Should’ve Come Over, Mojo Pin, Grace

1.     Illmatic - Nas

The greatest hip-hop album ever released. Nas’ first forte into rap was so perfect it’s hard to grasp. Releasing this at just 20 years old, potentially recording the verses as a teenager still, he displays a level of lyrical depth and poetic complexity that is unheard of for an artist's debut album. This is especially shown on the classic track ‘NY State Of Mind’, often referred to as one of the greatest songs in hip-hop history.

His storytelling and imagery is so crystal clear that the listener can actively envision the pictures Nas is painting with his words. His vivid imagery is matched by a level of introspective and philosophical depth on topics such as societal issues and self-determination on tracks like ‘The World Is Yours’. 

The proficient lyricism is matched perfectly by the often harsh and rugged production, accurately capturing the atmosphere of the streets of New York. This instrumental soundscape is thanks to an absolutely stacked line-up of producers: DJ Premier, Large Professor, Q-tip and Pete Rock. 

To produce such a high quality album that has garnered classic status and will leave a long-lasting legacy in the genre as a fresh adult is an incredible feat that may never be replicated. There have been glimpses of this quality in debut albums from modern rappers such as Joey Bada$$ with ‘B4.DA.$$’ and Denzel Curry with ‘Nostalgic 64’, but none are even close to as hungry and technically elite as Nas was when creating Illmatic.

Favourite Songs: NY State Of Mind, One Love, It Ain’t Hard To Tell, The World Is Yours