Current:Home > ScamsRoll over Beatles. Lauryn Hill tops Apple Music's new list of top 100 albums of all time. -Blueprint Money Mastery
Roll over Beatles. Lauryn Hill tops Apple Music's new list of top 100 albums of all time.
View
Date:2025-04-18 10:18:15
Lauryn Hill's "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" has been named the best album ever made, according to a new list released by Apple Music. And the rest of the top 10 shows a strong push toward hip-hop and R&B artists, and away from the classic rock titans that have long dominated similar canonical roundups.
Apple Music called Hill's 1998 LP a "stunningly raw, profound look into the spiritual landscape not just of one of the era's biggest stars, but of the era itself," praising Hill for being a "once-in-a-generation talent whose inspiration and innovation can be heard through the decades."
Hill's album, her solo debut after reaching international success with The Fugees, won five Grammy Awards upon its initial release, setting a new record for the most Grammys won by a female artist in a single ceremony.
Apple Music's new list was determined with the participation of artists, songwriters, producers, industry professionals and Apple's own editorial staff members. Apple Music emphasized that it was not meant to be taken as a reflection of the platform's most-streamed offerings, but rather "a love letter to the records that have shaped the world music lovers live and listen in."
Top 100 album lists have long been a staple of music industry media, popularized by such outlets as Rolling Stone, whose own lists throughout the decades have cemented the "all-timer" reputations of such Baby Boomer stalwarts as the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and The Beach Boys.
In contrast, Apple Music's new list is more strongly centered around female artists, and artists of color. Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Kendrick Lamar and Frank Ocean are all ranked high up among Hill's runners-up, though The Beatles' "Abbey Road" and Nirvana's "Nevermind" ensured rock its position in the overall top 10:
- Lauryn Hill, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" (1998)
- Michael Jackson, "Thriller" (1982)
- The Beatles, "Abbey Road" (1969)
- Prince and the Revolution, "Purple Rain" (1984)
- Frank Ocean, "Blonde" (2016)
- Stevie Wonder, "Songs in the Key of Life" (1976)
- Kendrick Lamar, "good kid, m.A.A.d city" (2012)
- Amy Winehouse, "Back to Black" (2006)
- Nirvana, "Nevermind" (1991)
- Beyoncé, "Lemonade" (2016)
Beyoncé, Prince, Stevie Wonder, The Beatles and Radiohead are the only acts with more than one album represented in the overall list of 100.
Apple Music's top 10 features four albums from the 21st century, whereas even the most recent edition of Rolling Stone's top albums list (which positioned Hill's album in 10th place) remained a predominately pre-Y2K zone. The 1990s were the most-represented decade overall, with 23 albums included. The oldest album on the list: Miles Davis's 1959 "Kind of Blue."
As for Bob Dylan, Beach Boys and Rolling Stones, their included albums ranked 14th ("Highway 61 Revisited"), 20th ("Pet Sounds") and 53rd ("Exile on Main Street").
The most-represented genre among the top 100, according to Apple Music's own tags, is hip-hop; more than one-fifth of the list is made up of albums within that genre, compared to the 18% of albums tagged as rock, and the 16% filed under pop.
Those following Lamar's beef with rapper Drake will note that the latter, while on the overall list of 100 albums, ranks much further down than his sparring partner — Drake's 2011 album "Take Care" shows up in 47th place.
Swifties can rest easy that Taylor Swift made the list, landing in 18th place with "1989 (Taylor's Version)."
- In:
- Michael Jackson
- Beatles
- Prince
- Music
- Lauryn Hill
Eric Henderson is Managing Editor, Midwest for CBSNews.com. He has won three Emmy Awards, an Eric Sevareid Award and two Edward R. Murrow Awards.
veryGood! (6238)
Related
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- Ex-gang leader accused of killing Tupac Shakur won’t be released on bond, judge rules
- Tulsi Gabbard, who ran for 2020 Democratic nomination, endorses Trump against former foe Harris
- Jenna Ortega Slams “Insane” Johnny Depp Dating Rumors
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Pacific Islands Climate Risk Growing as Sea Level Rise Accelerates
- Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce Score Eye-Popping Podcast Deal Worth at Least $100 Million
- 21-year-old celebrating baptism drowns saving girl in distress in Texas lake: Police
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- Who Is Kick Kennedy? Everything to Know About the Actress Linked to Ben Affleck
Ranking
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- 21-year-old celebrating baptism drowns saving girl in distress in Texas lake: Police
- Judge orders Martin Shkreli to turn over all copies of unreleased Wu-Tang Clan album
- Harris campaign releases new ad to highlight plans to build 3 million homes and reduce inflation
- The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
- Comic Relief US launches new Roblox game to help children build community virtually and in real life
- Patients suffer when Indian Health Service doesn’t pay for outside care
- Kentucky dispute headed to court over access to database that tracks handling of abuse cases
Recommendation
Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
Two workers killed in an explosion at Delta Air Lines facility in Atlanta
Ballerina Farm Influencer Hannah Neeleman Returns to Mrs. American Pageant to Crown Successor
PBS documentary delves into love story of Julie Andrews and filmmaker Blake Edwards: How to watch
SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
Karen Read now faces civil suit as well as murder charge in police officer boyfriend’s death
RHOC's Vicki Gunvalson Details Memory Loss From Deadly Health Scare That Nearly Killed Her
21-year-old celebrating baptism drowns saving girl in distress in Texas lake: Police