Chance the Rapper is making headlines once again because as of today, his third mixtape is now eligible for Grammy nominations. Under the new rules and guidelines for Grammy selection, music that is available on major music streaming services can now potentially earn Grammy nods. Imagine how much these new guidelines could have affected past nominations and Grammy winners? In my opinion, the answer is greatly. Part of me fears, however, that Chance may not actually stand a chance against the 2017 nominations for "Album of the Year." This is because historically, hip hop has been extremely under represented in both Grammy nominations and winners for that category. Don't believe me? Here are three rap albums and mixtapes that should've beaten the Grammy winners for "Best Album."

1. "Tha Carter III"-Lil Wayne

Winner : "Raising Sand"- Robert Plant and Alison Krauss (2007)

"Tha Carter III" was Lil Wayne’s most commercially successful album and was played on middle school iPod nanos everywhere in 2008. Complex named it one of the most classic albums of the last decade and it also won the Grammy for "Best Rap Album" in 2009. Meanwhile, the album's lead single “Lollipop” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks straight. Lil Wayne’s wordplay, delivery, and creativity when combined with production help from hip hop heavyweights like Kanye West and Swizz Beats made "Tha Carter III" one of the most influential rap albums of all time, selling 3.6 million copies in the U.S alone.

Why Should've It Won?

When this album first released, it made hearing or seeing Lil Wayne impossible. He was everywhere from radio to television to clothing; the man was inescapable! "Tha Carter III" literally shot Weezy into superstardom and helped bring hip hop to the forefront of music. Not only was it a quality project, it was also monumental in helping to garner respect for a genre.

On the other hand, "Raising Sand" was a cover album, although a pretty groovy cover album with a late 60’s feel, but still not as creative or important.

Mixtape Honorable Mention: "So Far Gone"- Drake

2. "Good Kid, m.A.A.d City"- Kendrick Lamar

Winner : "Random Access Memories" - Daft Punk

Kendrick Lamar’s second studio album, "Good Kid, m.A.A.d City," helped to make Kendrick Lamar a household name. Selling 242,000 copies in its first week, it was the best male debut album of the year and would eventually go on to be certified platinum by the RIAA. Critics compared Lamar’s work to that of Outkast on their 1998 album "Aquemini." Outkast is one of two hip hop acts to ever win the Grammy for "Album of the Year," the other being the amazingly talented Lauryn Hill. Outkast won this award 12 years ago.

Why Should’ve It Won?

Kendrick Lamar’s album told a story of a young kid surviving in Compton, California dealing with gang influence, petty crime, violence, and death. It was a journey that explained so many issues that plague urban, impoverished, black communities and it does so with quality production and layers upon layers of metaphors and rhyme scheme. Kendrick's work pushed the envelope unlike Daft Punk’s album, which although was commercially more successful, was pretty bland in comparison.

Mixtape Honorable Mention: "Acid Rap" - Chance The Rapper, "Blue Chips 2" - Action Bronson

3. "Kush and Orange Juice"- Wiz Khalifa

Winner: "Fearless" - Taylor Swift

Wiz Khalifa’s iconic mixtape "Kush and OJ" is considered by many “the greatest mixtape of all time.” For me, it’s definitely one of my favorites. Wiz delivers smooth lyrics over mellow—live instrumentation and old school samples that just seem to embrace your eardrums. "Kush and OJ" has over six million page views, two million downloads, and two million streams on mixtape hosting site, "Datpiff", alone. The Pittsburgh native's best work can still be heard blaring through car speakers across the country. If you haven't ever listened to this tape I'd highly recommend you do so now.

Why It Should’ve Won?

Bottom line, if Taylor Swift can sing about shallow teenage romance and win a Grammy for "Album of the Year", Wiz Khalifa should be able to for rapping about weed. Both are on about the same significance level to me.

Mixtape Honorable Mention: N/A