This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 1988.
| Release Date | Artist | Album |
|---|
| February 17 | Geto Boys | Making Trouble |
| February 23 | Biz Markie | Goin' Off |
| March 29 | DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince | He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper |
| April 12 | Boogie Down Productions | By All Means Necessary |
| April 17 | Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five | On the Strength |
| May 17 | Run-D.M.C. | Tougher Than Leather |
| May 31 | Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew | The World's Greatest Entertainer |
| June 7 | Audio Two | What More Can I Say? |
| EPMD | Strictly Business |
| June 21 | Stetsasonic | In Full Gear |
| June 28 | Big Daddy Kane | Long Live the Kane |
| Public Enemy | It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back |
| July 26 | Eric B. & Rakim | Follow the Leader |
| Salt-n-Pepa | A Salt with a Deadly Pepa |
| August 8 | N.W.A | Straight Outta Compton |
| August 17 | 2 Live Crew | Move Somethin' |
| September 1 | Sir Mix-A-Lot | Swass |
| September 13 | Eazy-E | Eazy-Duz-It |
| Ice-T | Power |
| MC Lyte | Lyte as a Rock |
| Steady B | Let the Hustlers Play |
| September 20 | Marley Marl | In Control, Volume 1 |
| Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock | It Takes Two |
| October 4 | Ultramagnetic MC's | Critical Beatdown |
| October 21 | Kid 'n Play | 2 Hype |
| October 25 | MC Shan | Born to be Wild |
| November 1 | Slick Rick | The Great Adventures of Slick Rick |
| November 8 | Jungle Brothers | Straight out the Jungle |
| November 15 | King T | Act a Fool |
| November 22 | Lakim Shabazz | Pure Righteousness |
| December 15 | Various Artists | Basement Flavor |
| Unknown | M.C. Cool Rock & M.C. Chaszy Chess | Boot the Booty |
| Unknown | Derek B | Bullet From a Gun |
| Unknown | MC Shy-D | Comin' Correct in 88 |
| Unknown | The 7A3 | Coolin' In Cali |
| Unknown | Tuff Crew | Danger Zone |
| Unknown | J.V.C. F.O.R.C.E. | Doin' Damage |
| Unknown | Masters of Ceremony | Dynamite |
| Unknown | Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud | Girls I Got 'Em Locked |
| Unknown | K-9 Posse | K-9 Posse |
| Unknown | Rodney-O & Joe Cooley | Me and Joe |
| Unknown | Def IV | Nice & Hard |
| Unknown | The Krown Rulers | Paper Chase |
| Unknown | Various Artists | Rhyme Syndicate Comin' Through |
| Unknown | Bass Patrol | Rock This Planet |
| Unknown | The Skinny Boys | Skinny (They Can't Get Enough) |
| Unknown | Schoolly D | Smoke Some Kill |
| Unknown | Tall Dark & Handsome | Tall Dark & Handsome |
| Unknown | Cash Money & Marvelous | Where's the Party At? |
| Unknown | J. J. Fad | Supersonic |
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