Rankings of music are often contentious, and Apple Music’s compilation of the Top 100 Albums Of All Time is no different. Throughout the last two weeks, the streaming service has gradually unveiled its selection of the greatest albums through both its platform and social media channels.
Apple Music’s list has been a social media lightning rod since launching. Some have taken issue with the lack of Latin, country, jazz and dance albums that have helped shape contemporary music; others took the ranking itself to task for favoring recent albums over older, more foundational ones.
Though it’s not clear who, specifically, made these rankings, nor the number of people who put the list together, the team was given a strict set of guidelines. According to Ebro Darden, who is the Global Editorial Head of Hip-Hop and R&B for Apple Music, members of the Apple Music team made their picks based on:
* Albums that represented a cultural moment for the artist or genre.
* Albums that were complete thoughts, not just collections of hit songs.
* Albums that thoroughly represent culture in production and lyrics.
* Albums that inspired a generation to want to create more music.
* Albums that represent the BEST in storytelling, musicianship, recording and production.
* Albums that are timeless and reached far beyond the genre categorization.
Voters of the #100Best on @AppleMusic were challenged to not vote for our favorites, but ..
* Albums that represented a cultural moment for the artist or genre.
* Albums that were complete thoughts, not just collections of hit songs.
* Albums that thoroughly represent culture…
— the Old Man Ebro (@oldmanebro) May 21, 2024
Ms. Lauryn Hill’s seminal 1998 debut “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” earning top honors.
Behind Ms. Hill’s iconic album sit Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” the Beatles’ “Abbey Road,” Prince’s “Purple Rain,” Frank Ocean’s “Blonde,” Stevie Wonder’s “Songs in the Key of Life,” Kendrick Lamar’s “good kid, m.A.A.d city,” Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black,” Nirvana’s “Nevermind” and Beyoncé’s “Lemonade,” which rounds out the top 10.
In a statement shared via Apple Music, she stated that her surroundings and influences deserve just as much credit as she does in receiving the honor.
“I appreciate the acknowledgement, I really do, but I’d be remiss not to also acknowledge all of the music and artists who informed and inspired me,” she said. “The leaders of community and movements that sparked me, the social dynamics and music scenes, both older and current at the time that intrigued and inspired me to contribute. The educators, both literal and not so literal, and the experiences that shaped me. My parents, my family, my friends, my community, where I come from, who I come from… I wanted that same flame that inspired me to remain, I couldn’t bare to see it lost. I made what I wanted to see and hear exist in the world at the time. I’m grateful that it connected and continues to connect with so many people. Thank you to EVERYONE who was a part of it, to EVERYONE who supported its release and movement around the world, even those who were reluctant at first, because it unleashed an indomitable creative will which again just exemplifies how much love was invested in me. Thank you tons to every careful listener, thank you to every casual listener, and love to all the artists and those who support them fighting the good, courageous, and noble fight of presenting the art you love to a world that desperately needs it.”
Check out the full list below
Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums Complete List
100. Robyn — Body Talk
99. Eagles — Hotel California
98. Travis Scott — Astroworld
97. Rage Against the Machine — Rage Against the Machine
96. Lorde — Pure Heroine
95. Usher — Confessions
94. Burial — Untrue
93. Solange — A Seat at the Table
92. Tyler, The Creator — Flower Boy
91. George Michael — Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1
90. AC/DC — Back in Black
89. Lady Gaga — The Fame Monster (Deluxe Edition)
88. Nina Simone — I Put a Spell on You
87. Massive Attack — Blue Lines
86. Mary J. Blige — My Life
85. Kacey Musgraves — Golden Hour
84. Snoop Dogg — Doggystyle
83. Patti Smith — Horses
82. 50 Cent — Get Rich or Die Tryin’
81. Neil Young — After the Gold Rush
80. Eminem — The Marshall Mathers LP
79. Lana Del Rey — Norman Fucking Rockwell
78. Elton John — Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
77. Madonna — Like a Prayer
76. Bad Bunny — Un Verano Sin Ti
75. Missy Elliott — Supa Dupa Fly
74. Nine Inch Nails — The Downward Spiral
73. Steely Dan — Aja
72. SZA — SOS
71. Kraftwerk — Trans-Europe Express
70. N.W.A — Straight Outta Compton
69. Metallica — Master of Puppets
68. The Strokes — Is This It
67. Portishead — Dummy
66. The Smiths — The Queen Is Dead
65. De La Soul — 3 Feet High and Rising
64. Erykah Badu — Baduizm
63. The Jimi Hendrix Experience — Are You Experienced
62. 2Pac — All Eyez on Me
61. Sade — Love Deluxe
60. The Velvet Underground & Nico — The Velvet Underground & Nico
59. Arctic Monkeys — AM
58. Oasis — (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?
57. D’Angelo — Voodoo
56. The Cure — Disintegration
55. Rihanna — ANTI
54. John Coltrane — A Love Supreme
53. The Rolling Stones — Exile on Main St.
52. Guns N’ Roses — Appetite for Destruction
51. Prince — Sign O’ the Times
50. Kate Bush — Hounds of Love
49. U2 — The Joshua Tree
48. Beastie Boys — Paul’s Boutique
47. Drake — Take Care
46. Bob Marley & The Wailers — Exodus
45. Björk — Homogenic
44. Stevie Wonder — Innervisions
43. Talking Heads — Remain in Light
42. Janet Jackson — Control
41. Outkast — Aquemini
40. Aretha Franklin — I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
39. Nas — Illmatic
38. Carole King — Tapestry
37. Wu-Tang Clan — Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
36. Beyoncé — Beyoncé
35. The Clash — London Calling
34. Public Enemy — It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
33. Radiohead — Kid A
32. The Notorious B.I.G. — Ready to Die
31. Alanis Morissette — Jagged Little Pill
30. Billie Eilish — When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
29. A Tribe Called Quest — The Low End Theory
28. Pink Floyd — The Dark Side of the Moon
27. Led Zeppelin — Led Zeppelin II
26. Kanye West — My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
25. Miles Davis — Kind of Blue
24. David Bowie — The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars
23. Daft Punk — Discovery
22. Bruce Springsteen — Born to Run
21. The Beatles — Revolver
20. The Beach Boys — Pet Sounds
19. Dr. Dre — The Chronic
18. Taylor Swift — 1989 (Taylor’s Version)
17. Marvin Gaye — What’s Going On
16. Joni Mitchell — Blue
15. Adele — 21
14. Bob Dylan — Highway 61 Revisited
13. Jay-Z — The Blueprint
12. Radiohead — OK Computer
11. Fleetwood Mac — Rumours
10. Beyoncé — Lemonade
9. Nirvana — Nevermind
8. Amy Winehouse — Back to Black
7. Kendrick Lamar — good kid, m.A.A.d city (Deluxe Version)
6. Stevie Wonder — Songs in the Key of Life
5. Frank Ocean — Blonde
4. Prince & The Revolution — Purple Rain
3. The Beatles — Abbey Road
2. Michael Jackson — Thriller
1. Lauryn Hill — The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill
