NEWS
Fans BLAST Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums list as rappers dominate while country gets snubbed… and Taylor Swift barely makes it to the top 20
Lauryn Hill’s 1998 solo debut The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill topped the list at No. 1, while Beyoncé was the only woman on the list to have two albums in the top 100.
Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) cracked the top 20 at No. 18, while the Eagles’ Hotel California barely made the list at all, scraping in at No. 99.
More than 22% of the albums on the list were hip-hop/rap, making it the most represented genre in the top 100.
Rock was second, followed by alternative and pop, while country music made up just 1% of the albums.
Lauryn Hill’s 1998 solo debut The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill topped Apple Music 100 Best Albums list
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Lauryn Hill’s 1998 solo debut The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill topped Apple Music 100 Best Albums list
‘This is my award, but it’s a rich, deep narrative, and involves so many people, and so much sacrifice, and so much time, and so much collective love,’ Hill said in a statement
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‘This is my award, but it’s a rich, deep narrative, and involves so many people, and so much sacrifice, and so much time, and so much collective love,’ Hill said in a statement
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The sole country album on the list was Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour.
Countless music fans on social media were outraged by the results, with many pointing out some of the pop titans that were snubbed.
‘So Apple Music made a list of 100 best albums of all time and didn’t include any of Mariah Carey Whitney Houston and Brandy albums?’ asked one.
‘No Mariah Carey in the Apple top 100 albums list so far……. I know this stuff doesn’t truly matter but people really play with her legacy,’ wrote another.
‘Apple’s 100 Best Album’s List is insane. The Fame Monster being No. 89 but 1989 being No. 18??? Are you joking me??? And it’s Taylor’s Version which isn’t even as good as the original version,’ raged another fan.
‘The only country album in Apple Music’s Top 100 Albums list is Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves? Bruh ain’t no way…’ wrote one.
One music lover even complained that Beyoncé deserved a third entry on the list, despite the fact that her self-titled album ranked No. 36 while Lemonade was an impressive No. 10.
‘Beyoncé is the only female artist with TWO Albums in the Apple Music 100 Best Albums of All Time list….should have been AT LEAST three,’ they posted to X.
Beyonce sends message to the music industry during iHeartRadio
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Beyoncé was the only woman on the list to have two albums in the top 100, with her Lemonade album coming in at an impressive No. 10
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Beyoncé was the only woman on the list to have two albums in the top 100, with her Lemonade album coming in at an impressive No. 10
The sole country album on the list was Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour
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The sole country album on the list was Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour
Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) cracked the top 20 at No. 18
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Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) cracked the top 20 at No. 18
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In addition to Whitney and Mariah, other divas who were snubbed from the list include Diana Ross and Barbra Streisand.
Hip-hop icons like Nicki Minaj and Lil’ Kim were also nowhere to be found, while country superstars like Dolly Parton, Miranda Lambert and The Chicks were all missing.
A number of rock icons were snubbed too, including Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Queen, The Who, and Black Sabbath.
Reacting to taking out the top spot, Fugees superstar Lauryn said, ‘This is my award, but it’s a rich, deep narrative, and involves so many people, and so much sacrifice, and so much time, and so much collective love.’
Lauryn Hill responds to criticism for always being late
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Music fans took to social media to the blast the ranking over some of the major snubs
Music fans took to social media to the blast the ranking over some of the major snubs
The ranking was decided by Apple Music’s editorial team of editors and music experts, which included radio hosts Zane Lowe and Ebro Darden.
‘This list isn’t a popularity contest,’ Darden said earlier this year, according to the Associated Press.
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‘We challenged everyone to not vote based on your favorites. You’re invited into the panel because you have music knowledge beyond what you listen to when you’re on the elliptical machine.’
Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums
100. ‘Body Talk’ — Robyn
99. ‘Hotel California’ — The Eagles
98. ‘ASTROWORLD’ — Travis Scott
97. ‘Rage Against The Machine’ — Rage Against The Machine
96. ‘Pure Heroine’ — Lorde
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95. ‘Confessions’ — USHER
94. ‘Untrue’ — Burial
93. ‘A Seat at the Table’ — Solange
92. ‘Flower Boy’ — Tyler, The Creator
91. ‘Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1’ — George Michael
90. ‘Back in Black’ — AC/DC
89. ‘The Fame Monster (Deluxe Edition)’ — Lady Gaga
88. ‘I Put a Spell on You’ — Nina Simone
87. ‘Blue Lines’ — Massive Attack
86. ‘My Life’ — Mary J Blige
85. ‘Golden Hour’ — Kacey Musgraves
84. ‘Doggystyle’ — Snoop Dogg
83. ‘Horses’ — Patti Smith
82. ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’ — 50 Cent
81. ‘After the Gold Rush’ — Neil Young
80. ‘The Marshall Mathers LP’ — Eminem
79. ‘Norman F****** Rockwell!’ — Lana Del Rey
78. ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ — Elton John
77. ‘Like A Prayer’ — Madonna
76. ‘Un Verano Sin Ti’ — Bad Bunny
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75. ‘Supa Dupa Fly’ — Missy Eliott
74. ‘Downward Spiral’ — Nine Inch Nails
73. ‘Aja’ — Steely Dan
72. ‘SOS’ — SZA
71. ‘Trans-Europe Express’ — Kraftwerk
70. ‘Straight Outta Compton’ — N.W.A
69. ‘Master of Puppets (Remastered)’ — Metallica
68. ‘Is this It’ — The Strokes
67. ‘Dummy’ — Portishead
66: ‘The Queen Is Dead’ — The Smiths
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65: ‘3 Feet High and Rising’ — De La Soul
64. ‘Baduizm’ — Erykah Badu
63. ‘Are You Experienced?’ — The Jimi Hendrix Experience
62. ‘All Eyez on Me’ — 2Pac
61. ‘Love Deluxe’ — Sade
60. ‘The Velvet Underground and Nico (45th Anniversary Edition)’ — Velvet Underground & Nico
59. ‘AM’ — Arctic Monkeys
58. ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory’ — Oasis
57. ‘Voodoo’ — D’Angelo
56. ‘Disintegration (Remastered)’ — The Cure
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55. ‘ANTI’ — Rihanna
54. ‘A Love Supreme’ — John Coltrane
53. ‘Exile on Main Street (2010 Remaster)’ — The Rolling Stones
52. ‘Appetite for Destruction’ — Guns ‘N Roses
51. ‘Sign O’The Times’ — Prince
50. ‘Hounds of Love (2018 Remaster)’ — Kate Bush
49. ‘The Joshua Tree’ — U2
48. ‘Paul’s Boutique’ — Beastie Boys
47. ‘Take Care (Deluxe Version)’ — Drake
46. ‘Exodus (2013 Remaster)’ — Bob Marley & The Wailers
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45. ‘Homogenic’ — Björk
44. ‘Innervisions’ — Stevie Wonder
43. ‘Remain in Light’ — Talking Heads
42. ‘Control’ — Janet Jackson
41. ‘Aquemini’ — OutKast
40. ‘I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You’ — Aretha Franklin
39. ‘Illmatic’ — Nas
38. ‘Tapestry’ — Carole King
37. ‘Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (Expanded Edition) — Wu-Tang Clan
36. ‘BEYONCÉ’ — Beyoncé
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35. ‘London Calling’ — The Clash
34. ‘It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back’ — Public Enemy
33. ‘Kid A’ — Radiohead
32. ‘Ready to Die (The Remaster)’ — Notorious B.I.G.
31. ‘Jagged Little Pill (Remastered)’ — Alanis Morissette
30. ‘WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?’ — Billie Eilish
29. ‘The Low End Theory’ — A Tribe Called Quest
28. ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ — Pink Floyd
27. ‘Led Zeppelin II’ — Led Zeppelin
26. ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ — Kanye West
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25. ‘Kind of Blue’ — Miles Davis
24. ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (2012 Remaster)’ — David Bowie
23. ‘Discovery’ — Daft Punk
22. ‘Born to Run’ — Bruce Springsteen
21. ‘Revolver’ — The Beatles
20. ‘Pet Sounds’ — The Beach Boys
19. ‘The Chronic’ — Dr. Dre
18. ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ — Taylor Swift
17. ‘What’s Going On’ — Marvin Gaye
16. ‘Blue’ — Joni Mitchell
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15. ’21’ — Adele
14. ‘Highway 61 Revisited’ — Bob Dylan
13. ‘The Blueprint’ — Jay-Z
12. ‘OK Computer’ — Radiohead
11. ‘Rumours’ — Fleetwood Mac
10. ‘Lemonade’ — Beyoncé
9. ‘Nevermind’ — Nirvana
8. ‘Back to Black’ — Amy Winehouse
7. ‘good kid, m.A.A.d city (Deluxe Version)’ — Kendrick Lamar
6. ‘Songs in the Key of Life’ — Stevie Wonder
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5. ‘Blonde’ — Frank Ocean
4. ‘Purple Rain’ — Prince & The Revolution
3. ‘Abbey Road’ — The Beatles
2. ‘Thriller’ — Michael Jackson
1. ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ — Lauryn Hil