Apple Music has unveiled their 100 Best Albums of All Time, with “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” by Lauryn Hill taking the top spot. “Thriller” by Michael Jackson secured second place, followed by “Abbey Road” by The Beatles in third.
The most-represented genre among the top 100 is hip-hop; over one-fifth of the list consists of albums within that genre. In comparison, 18% of the albums are tagged as rock, and 16% are classified as pop. Apple Music’s top 10 includes four albums from the 21st century. The 1990s emerged as the most-represented decade overall, with 23 albums featured. The oldest album on the list is Miles Davis’s 1959 “Kind of Blue.”
Some of the artists featured in Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums of All Time are Beyoncé, Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna, Drake, Tyler, the Creator, Kanye West, Eminem, Usher, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Notorious B.I.G., Solange, Janet Jackson, Stevie Wonder, 2Pac, D’Angelo, OutKast, Nas, A Tribe Called Quest, Lady Gaga, De La Soul, Sade, Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, Taylor Swift, N.W.A, Marvin Gaye, Dr. Dre, Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, Daft Punk, and more.
Apple Music’s list was compiled with input from artists, songwriters, producers, industry professionals, and Apple’s editorial staff members. Apple Music emphasized that this list is not a reflection of the platform’s most-streamed albums, but rather “a love letter to the records that have shaped the world music lovers live and listen in.”
Fans May has notices some artist who names wasn’t on the list or other albums that could have been on the list instead to represent the artist. For example Micheal Jackson “Bad” or “Of The Wall” instead of “Thriller,” Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly,” or “DAMN.” should replace “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City” album. Usher’s “Raymond v Raymond” instead of “Confessions,” Rihanna’s “Good Girl Gone Bad” instead of “Disintegration,” SZA “Ctrl” instead of “SOS,” Drake’s “Scorpion” or “Views” should replace “Take Care,” Eminem “The Eminem Show” could replace “The Marshall Mathers LP,” and many others.
Some artist who fans feels like the got snubbed are Nicki Minaj, The Weeknd, Lil Wayne, Cardi B, Bruno Mars, Future, XXXTENTACION, J. Cole, Pop Smoke, Lil Uzi Vert, Wiz Khalifa, Young Thug, Metro Boomin, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Celin Dion, Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Shakira, Christina Aguilera, Juice WRLD, Post Malone, Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande, and more.
Here is the full list below of Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums of All Time. Let us know what you think. Was it a fair list, or was their list trash?
Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums of All Time:
| Rank | Album | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill | Lauryn Hill |
| 2 | Thriller | Michael Jackson |
| 3 | Abbey Road | The Beatles |
| 4 | Purple Rain | Prince & The Revolution |
| 5 | Blonde | Frank Ocean |
| 6 | Songs in the Key of Life | Stevie Wonder |
| 7 | Good Kid, M.A.A.D City | Kendrick Lamar |
| 8 | Back to Black | Amy Winehouse |
| 9 | Nevermind | Nirvana |
| 10 | Lemonade | Beyoncé |
| 11 | Rumours | Fleetwood Mac |
| 12 | OK Computer | Radiohead |
| 13 | The Blueprint | Jay-Z |
| 14 | Highway 61 Revisited | Bob Dylan |
| 15 | 21 | Adele |
| 16 | Blue | Joni Mitchell |
| 17 | What’s Going On | Marvin Gaye |
| 18 | 1989 (Taylor’s Version) | Taylor Swift |
| 19 | The Chronic | Dr. Dre |
| 20 | Pet Sounds | The Beach Boys |
| 21 | Revolver | The Beatles |
| 22 | Born to Run | Bruce Springsteen |
| 23 | Discovery | Daft Punk |
| 24 | The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars | David Bowie |
| 25 | Kind of Blue | Miles Davis |
| 26 | My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy | Kanye West |
| 27 | Led Zeppelin II | Led Zeppelin |
| 28 | The Dark Side of the Moon | Pink Floyd |
| 29 | The Low End Theory | A Tribe Called Quest |
| 30 | When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? | Billie Eilish |
| 31 | Jagged Little Pill | Alanis Morissette |
| 32 | Ready to Die | Notorious B.I.G. |
| 33 | Kid A | Radiohead |
| 34 | It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back | Public Enemy |
| 35 | London Calling | The Clash |
| 36 | Beyoncé | Beyoncé |
| 37 | Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) | Wu-Tang Clan |
| 38 | Tapestry | Carole King |
| 39 | Illmatic | Nas |
| 40 | I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You | Aretha Franklin |
| 41 | Aquemini | OutKast |
| 42 | Control | Janet Jackson |
| 43 | Remain in Light | Talking Heads |
| 44 | Innervisions | Stevie Wonder |
| 45 | Homogenic | Björk |
| 46 | Exodus | Bob Marley & The Wailers |
| 47 | Take Care | Drake |
| 48 | Paul’s Boutique | Beastie Boys |
| 49 | The Joshua Tree | U2 |
| 50 | Hounds of Love | Kate Bush |
| 51 | Sign o’ the Times | Prince |
| 52 | Appetite for Destruction | Guns N’ Roses |
| 53 | Exile on Main Street | The Rolling Stones |
| 54 | A Love Supreme | John Coltrane |
| 55 | Anti | Rihanna |
| 56 | Disintegration | The Cure |
| 57 | Voodoo | D’Angelo |
| 58 | (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? | Oasis |
| 59 | AM | Arctic Monkeys |
| 60 | The Velvet Underground and Nico | The Velvet Underground & Nico |
| 61 | Love Deluxe | Sade |
| 62 | All Eyez on Me | 2Pac |
| 63 | Are You Experienced? | The Jimi Hendrix Experience |
| 64 | Baduizm | Erykah Badu |
| 65 | 3 Feet High and Rising | De La Soul |
| 66 | The Queen Is Dead | The Smiths |
| 67 | Dummy | Portishead |
| 68 | Is This It | The Strokes |
| 69 | Master of Puppets | Metallica |
| 70 | Straight Outta Compton | N.W.A |
| 71 | Trans-Europe Express | Kraftwerk |
| 72 | SOS | SZA |
| 73 | Aja | Steely Dan |
| 74 | The Downward Spiral | Nine Inch Nails |
| 75 | Supa Dupa Fly | Missy Elliott |
| 76 | Un Verano Sin Ti | Bad Bunny |
| 77 | Like a Prayer | Madonna |
| 78 | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | Elton John |
| 79 | Norman Fucking Rockwell! | Lana Del Rey |
| 80 | The Marshall Mathers LP | Eminem |
| 81 | After the Gold Rush | Neil Young |
| 82 | Get Rich or Die Tryin’ | 50 Cent |
| 83 | Horses | Patti Smith |
| 84 | Doggystyle | Snoop Dogg |
| 85 | Golden Hour | Kacey Musgraves |
| 86 | My Life | Mary J. Blige |
| 87 | Blue Lines | Massive Attack |
| 88 | I Put a Spell on You | Nina Simone |
| 89 | The Fame Monster | Lady Gaga |
| 90 | Back in Black | AC/DC |
| 91 | Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 | George Michael |
| 92 | Flower Boy | Tyler, the Creator |
| 93 | A Seat at the Table | Solange |
| 94 | Untrue | Burial |
| 95 | Confessions | Usher |
| 96 | Pure Heroine | Lorde |
| 97 | Rage Against the Machine | Rage Against the Machine |
| 98 | Astroworld | Travis Scott |
| 99 | Hotel California | Eagles |
| 100 | Body Talk | Robyn |
Genre Distribution:
| Genre | Number of Albums | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Hip-Hop/Rap | 21 | 21% |
| Rock | 18 | 18% |
| Pop | 16 | 16% |
| Alternative | 14 | 14% |
| R&B/Soul | 11 | 11% |
| Electronic | 4 | 4% |
| Hard Rock | 3 | 3% |
| Jazz | 3 | 3% |
| Motown | 2 | 2% |
| Punk | 2 | 2% |
| Singer/Songwriter | 2 | 2% |
| Country | 1 | 1% |
| Latin | 1 | 1% |
| Metal | 1 | 1% |
| Roots Reggae | 1 | 1% |
Decade Distribution:
| Decade | Number of Albums | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1 | 1% |
| 1960s | 10 | 10% |
| 1970s | 18 | 18% |
| 1980s | 17 | 17% |
| 1990s | 23 | 23% |
| 2000s | 11 | 11% |
| 2010s | 17 | 17% |
| 2020s | 3 | 3% |
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