2010 turned out to be a phenomenal year for black music. Kanye West, Nicki Minaj and Drake all had huge smashes with highly anticipated albums. But old favorites like Sade, R. Kelly and the late Michael Jackson held their own as well. Meanwhile, breakout performers like Janelle Monáe and J-Cole got that much closer to superstardom. In a year so full of tremendous music it’s hard to pick just 20 albums to single out as the best, but we gave it a try. Check out our picks for the most enjoyable and exciting music of this past year and see if your favorites made the list.
Slideshow: theGrio’s top 20 albums of 2010
