5 Best Rap Albums of October 2025

So much rap music comes out all the time, and especially with frequent surprise releases, it can be hard to keep track of it all. So, as a way to help keep up with all of it, here’s a roundup of the 5 rap albums from October 2025 that stood out to us most. We also probably still missed or haven’t spent enough time with some great October rap albums that aren’t on this list, and we’ve got a list of honorable mentions with more albums at the bottom of this post. What were some of your favorites of last month? Let us know, and read on for the list (unranked, in no particular order).

Dave – The Boy Who Played the Harp (Neighbourhood)

After taking some time to team up with Central Cee for their hit 2023 EP Split Decision, UK rapper Dave is now finally back with his first solo album since 2021’s remarkable We’re All Alone In This Together. Dave’s music tends to be dead serious, and as you’d probably expect from the biblical album title The Boy Who Played the Harp (a reference to David playing the harp in the Book of Samuel, and a double entendre because of the rapper’s own given name), this one is no different. Dave gets deeply reflective and personal over a series of melancholic instrumentals and hooks, with help from James Blake (who’s on two songs), Tems, Jim Legxacy, Kano, and upstart UK rapper Nicole Blakk. On the song “My 27th Birthday,” Dave asserts that the reason the album took so long to come out is actually because of how long it took him to tweak and perfect everything, and it’s a believable claim. The Boy Who Played the Harp is cohesive from start to finish, with 10 no-filler songs that sound meticulously crafted on every level.

Aesop Rock – I Heard It’s A Mess There Too (Rhymesayers)

Aesop Rock is on a roll right now. He already released one great album this year with Black Hole Superette, and this week he followed it with the surprise release of I Heard It’s A Mess There Too. While the indie-rap lifer’s first LP of the year is an ambitious, 18-song concept album, I Heard It’s A Mess There Too goes for something leaner. “Sonically, I wanted a reset,” Aes said, “cleaner beats, more space, fewer layers. Just enough to get a wave rolling and not much more.” That’s what he did, and these 12 self-produced songs find him reminding the world that he remains one of the most compelling MCs of his generation, whether he’s building a grand surrealist concept album or just rapping. And because it’s Aesop Rock, even this more stripped-back LP has plenty of parts that’ll keep your third eye open.

Fatboi Sharif & Roper Williams – Goth Girl On The Enterprise (POW Recordings)

Fatboi Sharif remains one of the most prolific and one of the strangest rappers around, and the Roper Williams-produced Goth Girl On The Enterprise is not beating the “strange” allegations. The eight-song, 12-and-a-half-minute project is closer to noise music than to traditional hip hop, and the whole thing is a total head trip. Even in the context of the Fatboi Sharif catalog that’s full of trippy, far-out records, this one stands out as especially out there.

Bruiser Wolf & Harry Fraud – Made By Dope (Fake Shore Drive)

Having already released one great album this year with Potluck, Bruiser Wolf is back with another, this time entirely produced by Harry Fraud (who was one of the several producers on Potluck). Harry Fraud’s smooth-sounding batch of jazz and soul samples make for a distinct foil to Bruiser Wolf’s erratic rapping style, and the way they come together is very pleasing to the ears. Great guests too: Mick Jenkins, Benny the Butcher, Curren$y, Zelooperz, and Yung Mehico.

YUNGMORPHEUS & Dirty Art Club – A Spyglass to One’s Face (Known Agitators)

If you’re looking for a smoky, blissed-out, permastoned rap album from this past month, look no further than A Spyglass to One’s Face. Producer Dirty Art Club provides a hazy backdrop with echoes of slowed-down jazz and vintage film scores, and YUNGMORPHEUS’ unbothered delivery fits the mood perfectly. (Guest verses from Cavalier, Lukah, Zeroh, YL, and Ba Pace fit right in too.) It’s the kind of rap album where the vibes can suck you in before you even start to dig into the lyrics, and those are full of depth as well.

—

Honorable Mentions
CupcakKe – The BakKery
DJ Premier & Ransom – The Reinvention
Mobb Deep – Infinite
Monaleo – Who Did The Body
Offset – Haunted By Fame
OsamaSon – Psykotic
Princess Nokia – Girls
Saba – COFFEE!
TiaCorine – Corinian
Westside Gunn – Heels Have Eyes 3