Current:Home > ScamsRoll over Beatles. Lauryn Hill tops Apple Music's new list of top 100 albums of all time. -FundGuru
Roll over Beatles. Lauryn Hill tops Apple Music's new list of top 100 albums of all time.
View
Date:2025-04-18 01:36:03
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! (72829)
Related
- Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
- Alan Arkin, Oscar-winning actor and Little Miss Sunshine star, dies at 89
- Tribes Working to Buck Unemployment with Green Jobs
- Prince Harry Testimony Bombshells: Princess Diana Hacked, Chelsy Davy Breakup and More
- Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
- This Affordable Amazon Cooling Towel Will Help You Beat the Summer Heat
- More Than 100 Cities Worldwide Now Powered Primarily by Renewable Energy
- U.S. Mayors Pressure Congress on Carbon Pricing, Climate Lawsuits and a Green New Deal
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- House Republicans request interviews with Justice Department officials in Hunter Biden probe
Ranking
- Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
- Susan Boyle Shares She Suffered a Stroke That Impacted Her Singing and Speech
- Pence meets with Zelenskyy in Ukraine in surprise trip
- Two Years Ago, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Was Praised for Appointing Science and Resilience Officers. Now, Both Posts Are Vacant.
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- No Drop in U.S. Carbon Footprint Expected Through 2050, Energy Department Says
- Why Tom Brady Says It’s Challenging For His Kids to Play Sports
- Harvard's admission process is notoriously tough. Here's how the affirmative action ruling may affect that.
Recommendation
What to watch: O Jolie night
Drew Barrymore Slams Sick Reports Claiming She Wants Her Mom Dead
To See Offshore Wind Energy’s Future, Look on Shore – in Massachusetts
Biden Signs Sweeping Orders to Tackle Climate Change and Rollback Trump’s Anti-Environment Legacy
Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
Fox News agrees to pay $12 million to settle lawsuits from former producer Abby Grossberg
Al Pacino Breaks Silence on Expecting Baby With Pregnant Girlfriend Noor Alfallah
A Kentucky Power Plant’s Demise Signals a Reckoning for Coal