Controversial #1 In Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums List
Apple Music's 100 Best Albums list has been described as a "love letter" to albums that have shaped our world.
Lauryn Hill holding her Apple Music #1 album award (Credit: Irma Mchedlishvili)
After ten days, Apple Music has revealed the top ten albums on its 100 Best Albums list. Of course, like any ranked album list, not everyone is happy with who’s at #1 or with other choices.
Described as an “editorial statement” free from streaming numbers on the music platform, the 100 Best Albums list is a “love letter” to records that have shaped our world and the panel of judges voting for the albums.
Artists including Maren Morris, Pharrell Williams, J Balvin, Charli XCX, Mark Hoppus, Honey Dijon, and Nia Archives have joined forces with songwriters, producers, and industry professionals to share Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums.
At #1 is Lauryn Hill’s 1998 debut album, The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill. Upon hitting #1 on the countdown, Hill 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.”
Responding to her win, some X (formerly known as Twitter) users believed other albums, including Michael Jackson's Thriller, should’ve taken the top spot. “I love Lauryn Hill but this is the Best Album ever made in human history. It should be #1,” one person wrote.
Another X user commented, “I love Lauryn Hill's (ONE ALBUM) but Mariah Carey, Beyoncé and Mary J Blige have better albums (in their entirety) than her. And its not close.” Someone else quipped, “There’s not a reality where The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is a better album than Thriller or Songs In The Key Of Life.”
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Others believed The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill is the perfect choice for #1, arguing, “Now all of a sudden the miseducation of lauryn hill isn’t that good…” and “all i can say is that listening to the miseducation of lauryn hill as a teen was like coming to life, it changed everything.”
Apple Music also received criticism for putting Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) – an album released just last year – at #18, above The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, The Beatles’ Revolver and Bruce Springsteen’s Born To Run, just to name a few.
Similarly, other X users didn’t believe the debut album from Billie Eilish, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? belonged at #30, above Radiohead’s Kid A. Others didn’t believe SZA’s SOS belonged on the list, either, as it’s another very recent release.
I love Lauryn Hill but this is the Best Album ever made in human history. It should be #1 https://t.co/HTDlmYOMN6
— YORUBA BOY 🇳🇬 (@dirtyboyjameso) May 22, 2024
now all of a sudden the miseducation of lauryn hill isn’t that good…
— Sirenity🤍 (@3ternalsirenity) May 22, 2024
I love Lauryn Hill's (ONE ALBUM) but Mariah Carey, Beyoncé and Mary J Blige have better albums (in their entirity) than her. And its not close
— MAY18TH (@jiggyjayy2) May 22, 2024
all i can say is that listening to the miseducation of lauryn hill as a teen was like coming to life, it changed everything
— amil (@amil) May 22, 2024
There’s not a reality where The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is a better album than Thriller or Songs In The Key Of Life.
— Yahzmine🤍 (@yahzmineyael) May 22, 2024
Ah yes, the inferior re-record of her fourth best album, better than Born to Run, Pet Sounds, or Revolver. This list is so hilariously dumb. pic.twitter.com/rWMvL4Ib2E
— Craig Manning (@FurtherFromSky) May 21, 2024
I mean, that’s a good album, but “Thriller” has it all. All the hit songs like 'Beat It,' 'Billie Jean,' 'Thriller,' etc., in one album. “Thriller” is the best-selling album of all time for a reason. 121 million copies worldwide, 8 Grammys in one night, 34 platinum certifications… https://t.co/UUBvrUT02u pic.twitter.com/YGgdpJBMUJ
— ⭐️| MJ biopic april 2025 (@mjislovely7) May 22, 2024
this should have been the wild card “recent album placed controversially high” pick over Taylor and Billie https://t.co/ecMDi5xXwg
— ernest baker (@ernestbaker) May 22, 2024
MMLP being #80 on the Apple Music list and Billie being at #30 is criminal
— Rebrand (@RebrandHipHop) May 22, 2024
Especially when The Eminem Show wasn't on the list AT ALL pic.twitter.com/0GrJkpZt0l
love billie love this album but top 30 is not a bit insane yall think? https://t.co/soYYPn7ddG
— HEEDlE (@heyheedie) May 20, 2024
Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums of ALL TIME does not include ANY entry from: Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Patty LaBelle, Céline Dion, Willa Ford, OR Tina Turner
— Meech (@MediumSizeMeech) May 22, 2024
It DOES include: William Eyelash, Taylor Swift, Travis Scott, SZA
Not the end of the world, but what a joke LOLOL
You can check out the complete 100 Best Albums list from Apple Music below.
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
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
75. Supa Dupa Fly — Missy Eliott
74. The 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 Hill
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