Eminem: SSLP, MMLP, TES, and Relapse all won in the years they came out. So, basically, all his Grammy-worthy albums won. (I loved Encore but it's not AOTY material)
Kanye: College Dropout, Late Registration, and Graduation all won in the years they came out. So, basically, all of Kanye's rap albums won.
They've never had an album in the same year before.
I think it's pretty indisputible these are the two front runners, with Thank Me Later as a distant third. Who do you pick? I personally go with Kanye. It's weird, I listened to Recovery nonstop after it came out. MBDTF, I've listened to it a lot, but not nearly as much as Recovery. However, I think it's because when I listen to it, I want to listen to it the whole way through. It's a true ALBUM, not a collection of songs. Like, I'll throw on a Recovery track in the car for a 5 minute drive, but I have to listen to MBDTF when I know I won't be interupted, preferably with good headphones or in a quiet room. Recovery is great, the lyrics are (mostly) deep, but soundwise, it just sounds like a rap album. A very good one, but just a rap album. MBDTF sounds like nothing anyone has ever done. The production is beautiful. The features are perfect, minus Fergie (I actually really enjoyed Ross for once, Kanye brings out the best in people). The skits made it feel like a coherent piece of artwork. And, the 35 minute Runaway video just adds to the grandiosity of it all.
NOTE: FUCK I HAVE INSOMNIA RIGHT NOW, TYPED ALL THIS UP, AND THEN REMEMBERED MBDTF WON'T BE NOMINATED TIL NEXT YEAR. WELL, EM IS THE OBVIOUS WINNER NOW BUT JUST ANSWER THIS THREAD AS IF MBDTF IS IN THE RUNNING. DAMN IT!!!!!!!!