apple music

How Did Apple Music Make Their Top 100 Albums Of All Time List?

by
lauryn hill TOP
Irma Mchedlishvili

Music ranking lists always prove controversial, and Apple Music‘s Top 100 Albums Of All Time list is no exception. Over the course of the past two weeks, the music streaming platform had taken to the streamer and to its social handles to reveal their picks for best albums of all time, day-by-day.

While the criteria on which the rankings were placed has been kept relatively quiet, those who made the selections were evidently given specific instructions.

How did Apple Music make their Top 100 Albums Of All Time list?

The Apple Music Top 100 Albums Of All Time List was curated by Apple Music’s internal team. Though it’s not clear who, specifically, made these rankings, nor the number of people who put the list together, the team was given a strict set of guidelines. According to Ebro Darden, who is the Global Editorial Head of Hip-Hop and R&B for Apple Music, members of the Apple Music team made their picks based on:

* Albums that represented a cultural moment for the artist or genre.

* Albums that were complete thoughts, not just collections of hit songs.

* Albums that thoroughly represent culture in production and lyrics.

* Albums that inspired a generation to want to create more music.

* Albums that represent the BEST in storytelling, musicianship, recording and production.

* Albums that are timeless and reached far beyond the genre categorization.

The final picks, including Apple Music’s ranking for the best album of all time. You can see the full list here.

Apple Music’s Full List Of The 100 Best Albums Ever Is Here And Some Modern Classics Made The Top 10

by
beyonce
Getty Image

Apple Music has been making noise in recent days as they’ve rolled out their list of the 100 best albums of all time. Heading into today (May 22), only the top 10 entries had yet to be revealed, but now the full list is here.

Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill has the honor of claiming the No. 1 spot, while behind it at No. 2 is Michael Jackson’s Thriller and The Beatles’ Abbey Road is at No. 3.

Frank Ocean’s Blonde comes in at No. 5, making it the highest-ranking album released since 1999. The other projects in the top 10 that were released this current millennium are Kendrick Lamar’s Good Kid, m.A.A.d City (Deluxe Version) at No. 7, Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black at No. 8, and Beyoncé’s Lemonade at No. 10.

Check out the full, raw list below, or get a more interactive look at it via Apple Music’s website.

Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums Complete List

100. Robyn — Body Talk
99. Eagles — Hotel California
98. Travis Scott — Astroworld
97. Rage Against the Machine — Rage Against the Machine
96. Lorde — Pure Heroine
95. Usher — Confessions
94. Burial — Untrue
93. Solange — A Seat at the Table
92. Tyler, The Creator — Flower Boy
91. George Michael — Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1
90. AC/DC — Back in Black
89. Lady Gaga — The Fame Monster (Deluxe Edition)
88. Nina Simone — I Put a Spell on You
87. Massive Attack — Blue Lines
86. Mary J. Blige — My Life
85. Kacey Musgraves — Golden Hour
84. Snoop Dogg — Doggystyle
83. Patti Smith — Horses
82. 50 Cent — Get Rich or Die Tryin’
81. Neil Young — After the Gold Rush
80. Eminem — The Marshall Mathers LP
79. Lana Del Rey — Norman Fucking Rockwell
78. Elton John — Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
77. Madonna — Like a Prayer
76. Bad Bunny — Un Verano Sin Ti
75. Missy Elliott — Supa Dupa Fly
74. Nine Inch Nails — The Downward Spiral
73. Steely Dan — Aja
72. SZA — SOS
71. Kraftwerk — Trans-Europe Express
70. N.W.A — Straight Outta Compton
69. Metallica — Master of Puppets
68. The Strokes — Is This It
67. Portishead — Dummy
66. The Smiths — The Queen Is Dead
65. De La Soul — 3 Feet High and Rising
64. Erykah Badu — Baduizm
63. The Jimi Hendrix Experience — Are You Experienced
62. 2Pac — All Eyez on Me
61. Sade — Love Deluxe
60. The Velvet Underground & Nico — The Velvet Underground & Nico
59. Arctic Monkeys — AM
58. Oasis — (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?
57. D’Angelo — Voodoo
56. The Cure — Disintegration
55. Rihanna — ANTI
54. John Coltrane — A Love Supreme
53. The Rolling Stones — Exile on Main St.
52. Guns N’ Roses — Appetite for Destruction
51. Prince — Sign O’ the Times
50. Kate Bush — Hounds of Love
49. U2 — The Joshua Tree
48. Beastie Boys — Paul’s Boutique
47. Drake — Take Care
46. Bob Marley & The Wailers — Exodus
45. Björk — Homogenic
44. Stevie Wonder — Innervisions
43. Talking Heads — Remain in Light
42. Janet Jackson — Control
41. Outkast — Aquemini
40. Aretha Franklin — I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
39. Nas — Illmatic
38. Carole King — Tapestry
37. Wu-Tang Clan — Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
36. Beyoncé — Beyoncé
35. The Clash — London Calling
34. Public Enemy — It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
33. Radiohead — Kid A
32. The Notorious B.I.G. — Ready to Die
31. Alanis Morissette — Jagged Little Pill
30. Billie Eilish — When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
29. A Tribe Called Quest — The Low End Theory
28. Pink Floyd — The Dark Side of the Moon
27. Led Zeppelin — Led Zeppelin II
26. Kanye West — My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
25. Miles Davis — Kind of Blue
24. David Bowie — The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars
23. Daft Punk — Discovery
22. Bruce Springsteen — Born to Run
21. The Beatles — Revolver
20. The Beach Boys — Pet Sounds
19. Dr. Dre — The Chronic
18. Taylor Swift — 1989 (Taylor’s Version)
17. Marvin Gaye — What’s Going On
16. Joni Mitchell — Blue
15. Adele — 21
14. Bob Dylan — Highway 61 Revisited
13. Jay-Z — The Blueprint
12. Radiohead — OK Computer
11. Fleetwood Mac — Rumours
10. Beyoncé — Lemonade
9. Nirvana — Nevermind
8. Amy Winehouse — Back to Black
7. Kendrick Lamar — good kid, m.A.A.d city (Deluxe Version)
6. Stevie Wonder — Songs in the Key of Life
5. Frank Ocean — Blonde
4. Prince & The Revolution — Purple Rain
3. The Beatles — Abbey Road
2. Michael Jackson — Thriller
1. Lauryn Hill — The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill Claims The Top Spot On The Apple Music 100 Best Albums List

by

On May 13, Apple Music began their 10-day countdown to rattle off their 100 Best Albums list. With any sort of ranking, fans and artists are going to be divided. But, Ebro, famous radio host and hip-hop figure, made sure to explain to the masses that the requirements for each selection were robust. He, along with various other experts and artists were not allowed to choose their favorite records. Instead, they focused on things like cultural impact, fleshed out ideas over hits, storytelling, etc. With all of that in consideration the people over at Apple Music certainly had their work cut out for them.

But the dust has now settled and only one LP is reigning supreme. If you read the title, then you could guess that the album that earned the top spot was The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Lauryn’s one and only solo album claimed the throne over some pretty tough competition. Falling just short of number one was Beyonce’s Lemonade (#10), Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city (Deluxe) (#7), and Frank Ocean’s Blonde (#5). Other notable entries were Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life (#6), Prince & The Revolution’s Purple Rain (#4), and Michael Jackson’s Thriller (#2).

Read More: Cassie’s Former Makeup Artist Reveals Grisly Details About Alleged Diddy Attack

Lauryn Hill Lands At No. 1 For Apple Music

Hip-hop and R&B were represented a lot on this Best 100 Albums list overall too. Nas, The Notorious B.I.G., De La Soul, Travis Scott, Tyler, The Creator, and Dr. Dre, are just a few to name. Even though it seems that a lot of thought went into these rankings, a lot of fans were in an uproar over Nas’ Illmatic only being at number 39. SZA was also quite puzzled over SOS LP placing in the 70 range. “Lmao. 72nd is so disrespectful,” she wrote on IG. While a lot of people will assuredly disagree with the Lauryn Hill pick, this album will never age. It still has a lasting impact on one of the largest genres in the world all these years later.

What are your thoughts on Lauryn Hill claiming the number one spot on Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums list? If you disagree, what project would you put number one all time, and why? Is this the best hip-hop/hip-hop adjacent record ever? What songs do you still revisit from it? We would like to hear what you have to say, so be sure to leave your takes in the comments section. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Lauryn Hill. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.

Read More: Cardi B Pops Out For Surprise Performance, Teases “Wanna Be” Remix With Megan Thee Stallion & GloRilla

[Via]

The post Lauryn Hill Claims The Top Spot On The Apple Music 100 Best Albums List appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ Takes No. 1 Spot On Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums List

by
Screenshot 2024 05 22 at 9.24.39 AM

Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums list culminates today with the much-anticipated reveal of the top 10 albums of all time and The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill crowned No. 1. 

Upon receiving the news, Lauryn Hill told Apple Music, “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.”

To celebrate, Apple Music’s Zane Lowe and Ebro Darden sat down with legendary record producer, writer, and performer Nile Rodgers and Grammy-nominated artist and producer Maggie Rogers to reflect on the list during a special roundtable broadcasting globally today on Apple Music. Watch the full roundtable at music.apple.com.

Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums is a modern 21st-century ranking of the greatest records ever made, crafted by Apple Music’s team of experts alongside a select group of artists, songwriters, producers, and industry professionals. The list is an editorial statement, fully independent of any streaming numbers on Apple Music — a love letter to the records that have shaped the world music lovers live and listen in.

Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums – Top 10

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

The post ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ Takes No. 1 Spot On Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums List first appeared on The Source.

The post ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ Takes No. 1 Spot On Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums List appeared first on The Source.

Kendrick Lamar Lands At No. 7 In Apple Music’s Top 100 Albums Of All-Time List With This Iconic Project

by

Kendrick Lamar is one of the most iconic rappers of all-time. Overall, there are some who believe he should be in the GOAT discussion. Although not everyone is there with him right now, one more iconic album could certainly put him over the edge. After his recent feud with Drake, he has proven himself as a formidable battler. In fact, taking the win against Drake has made his GOAT case that much more legitimate. Furthermore, he is now being recognized by Apple Music through their Top 100 Albums of All Time list.

For those who don’t know, Apple Music has slowly but surely been revealing its Top 100 albums. This list has been garnering a lot of controversy. Only a few artists are being allowed multiple entries, which means some truly incredible albums aren’t making the list. Well, as time went on, it was becoming clear that Kendrick would either be in the Top 10, or get completely snubbed. On Wednesday, it was revealed that the former was true. As you can see, good kid, m.A.A.d city has been dubbed the seventh greatest album of all time.

Read More: Kendrick Lamar “6:16 In LA”: The Best Bars

Kendrick Lamar Deserves The Placement

Albums like Lemonade by Beyonce were ranked 10th. Meanwhile, number one has gone to Lauryn Hill and her solo masterpiece, The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill. Overall, these are all great picks, although the placements will cause quite a bit of debate. As for Kendrick fans, many thought To Pimp A Butterfly would be on the list instead. However, Apple Music decided to go with the fan favorite as opposed to the critical darling.

Let us know what you think of this placement, in the comments section down below. Do you believe that this was an appropriate placement for the album? Do you believe that Apple Music should have chosen a different Kendrick album for this one? Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the music world. We will continue to keep you informed on all of your favorite artists and their upcoming projects.

Read More: Kendrick Lamar Shares Bizarre Message On His Finsta

The post Kendrick Lamar Lands At No. 7 In Apple Music’s Top 100 Albums Of All-Time List With This Iconic Project appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Ebro Reveals Criteria For Voters On Apple’s Top 100 Albums List

by

Music fans online have spent days debating and feverishly anticipating new reveals from Apple Music’s Top 100 Albums Of All Time List. The streaming platform sought out a definitive list of the greatest albums ever made. Consequently it’s been revealing the entire list in chunks for days now. With just 10 albums left to unveil fans are predicting what will make the list and where some of their favorites will land. Some major stars of contemporary music like Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and Adele have already found their spots on the list. Subsequently, Ebro has taken fans behind the scenes on some of the criteria albums were being evaluated by.

In a recent tweet he listed off the six different things voters were asked to look for in their ballots. Most notably, they were asked to not just pick their favorite records. The list includes, albums that represented a cultural moment for the artist or genre, albums that were complete thoughts not just collections of hit songs, albums that thoroughly represent culture in production and lyrics, albums that inspired a generation to want to create more music, albums that represent the BEST in storytelling, musicianship, recording and production, and finally albums that are timeless and reached far beyond the genre categorization. Check out his full tweet below.

Read More: Ebro Calls Nicki Minaj & Megan Thee Stallion’s Feud “Promo”

Ebro Talks Apple Music Albums List

Hip hop has been pretty well represented on the list so far. Right at the start of the unveiling some contemporary stars from the genre popped up. Travis Scott and Tyler, The Creator both appear among the first 10 albums. They were shortly followed by albums from Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent. Eminem, N.W.A, Missy Elliott, De La Soul, Tupac, Beastie Boys, Drake, Outkast, Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, Public Enemy, Biggie, A Tribe Called Quest, Dr. Dre, and Jay-Z have also appeared on the list. Additionally many suspect that Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly will be revealed in the top 10.

What do you think of the criteria behind the new Apple Music Top 100 Albums Of All Time List? What album to you think will take the very top spot when the full list is revealed tomorrow? Let us know in the comment section below.

Read More: Lil Meech Was Really Helping Cousin With The Groceries, He Assures To Ebro

[Via]

The post Ebro Reveals Criteria For Voters On Apple’s Top 100 Albums List appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Apple Music’s Top 100 Albums Of All Time List Has Fans In Disbelief At Who Will Seemingly Get Snubbed

by
Kendrick Lamar Primavera Sound 2023
Getty Image

Apple Music has been slowly rolling out its list of the 100 best albums over the past week, and it’s definitely reactions (which is, of course, the point). Not only are people debating the placements of the albums that have been revealed so far, but some conspicuous absences also have them predicting which albums are going to make it into the top 10, which has yet to be revealed.

Naturally, there’ve been plenty of classics, but more than a few controversial picks, with Travis Scott’s Astroworld and SZA’s SOS being called examples of recency bias on X (RIP, Twitter.com).

Among those artists whose albums haven’t been seen in the list so far are Kendrick Lamar, Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande, Lauryn Hill, Mariah Carey, and even Michael Jackson. As one commenter put it on X, “we’ve reached the top 10 portion of this apple music 100 best albums list and they’ve yet to include a kendrick album or a michael jackson album. also no college dropout or miseducation of lauryn hill yet. they fill up the remaining spots right??”

Meanwhile, only one band has more than one entry and that’s Radiohead, with both “Kid A” and “OK Computer” making into the list.

You can check out the list for yourself here.

Apple Music’s Ranking Of Nas’ “Illmatic” On Their Top 100 Albums List Has Fans Outraged

by

Without a shadow of a doubt, Nas created one of hip-hop’s greatest bodies of work, Illmatic. The status of this album is elevated by the fact that it was his debut offering. It spawned some of the best writing and performances the genre has ever seen. Prime examples include “N.Y. State of Mind,” “The World Is Yours,” and “It Ain’t Hard To Tell.” Illmatic is so amazing that it is now in the Library of Congress. With the widespread recognition of how important this project is to music at large, the placement in the Apple Music Best 100 Albums list has fans expectedly up in arms.

The streaming giant announced about a week ago that over the next 10 days, they would be ranking what they feel are the greatest LPs ever. On May 22, the full list will be available. According to Apple Newsroom, their experts, along with artists, producers, industry pros, and more all collaborated on this already hotly debated list. In fact, SZA voiced her confusion about her most recent album, SOS, receiving the 72nd spot. A fair number of rap/R&B sets have cracked the ranking such as ASTROWORLD (98), Flower Boy (92), Doggystyle (84), and more. The next 10 (40-31) were released today and Illmatic slotted in at number 39.

Read More: Diddy Issues Formal Apology For Cassie Assault As Footage Goes Viral: Watch

Fans DO NOT Agree With Nas’ Illmatic At 39

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by RapTV (@rap)

There were a few notable works ahead of it and its led to a lot of angry fans. They include Beyonce’s self-titled at 36, Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) at 37, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back by Pulic Enemy holds down 34th, and Biggie slides in at 32 with Ready to Die. A lot of people were commenting “should be top 10” or that it should not be behind Beyonce. Some are even predicting that Yeat, Ice Spice, Cardi B, and Taylor Swift albums will place higher. If that happens, prepare for burning buildings and protests outside of Apple Music HQ. If you want, you can track the list with the second “[Via]” link below.

What are your thoughts on Illamatic by Nas ranking 39th on Apple Music’s Top 100 Albums of All Time list? Do you think it should be ranked higher or lower and why? If higher, where would you place it? Do you consider this the greatest rap album in the history of the genre? What songs do you revisit the most from the record? We would like to hear what you have to say, so be sure to leave your takes in the comments section. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Nas and Apple Music’s list. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the world of music.

Read More: Drake KO’D By Kendrick & Now Oleksandr Usyk After Losing $500,000 Bet On Tyson Fury

[Via] [Via]

The post Apple Music’s Ranking Of Nas’ “Illmatic” On Their Top 100 Albums List Has Fans Outraged appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

SZA Thinks “SOS” Is Too Low On Apple Music’s Greatest Albums List

by

SZA is ruthless when it comes to critiquing herself. Part of what makes her such a good songwriter is her ability to pinpoint her insecurities and express them with lyrics that connect with the masses. It’s what’s led to her first two albums being hailed as modern classics. SZA is, conversely, very confident about the music she puts out. She knows she’s one of the best R&B artists working today. The confident side came out on May 16, when SZA was informed that SOS cracked Apple Music’s list for the greatest albums of all time. She was flattered, but she expected higher.

Apple Music is slowly rolling out its ranking for the greatest albums of all time on its streaming platform. There have already been some heavy hitters that have made the list, including Usher’s Confessions and Tyler, The Creator’s Flower Boy. SZA’s second album had the honor of placing much higher than these albums AND classics like people like George Michael and Solange. Rather than celebrate, SZA made it clear she was underwhelmed. “Lmao,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “72nd is so disrespectful.”

Read More: SZA Shows Off Her Twerking Skills In Her MET Gala After-Party Fit

SZA Spent Several Years Working On SOS

SZA’s comments drew mixed reactions from fans. Some felt the singer was being ungrateful, despite having placed higher than several notable artists. Others championed her confidence, and felt that SOS was indeed one of the greatest albums of all time. The singer’s took several years making SOS, which is probably why she feels so proud of it. “I never thought in a million years that people would like it,” she told Variety. “Everybody came down to make sure I didn’t lose my mind if the album went bad once it came out. And now we’re just hanging out, ’cause it didn’t go badly.”

“Didn’t go badly” is an understatement. SOS earned nine Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year, and won Best Progressive R&B Album. It spawned a number one single with “Kill Bill” and a number two single with “Snooze.” The latter the distinction of being the only song to chart on Billboard for all of 2023. SOS was also ranked 351 on Rolling Stone’s 500 greatest albums of all time list. If you ask SZA, though, she probably felt that placement was too low as well.

Read More: SZA Believes People Label Her As An R&B Artist Only Because She’s Black

The post SZA Thinks “SOS” Is Too Low On Apple Music’s Greatest Albums List appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

When Will Gunna’s New Album ‘One Of Wun’ Be On Apple Music?

by
gunna
Getty Image

One Of Wun, Gunna’s new album, is just hours away from release. Here’s when you can stream it on Apple Music.

With a due date of May 10, 2024, One Of Wun will hit DSPs at midnight tonight, Eastern time (or 9 PM Pacific).

The album, which features appearances from Leon Bridges, Normani, Offset, and Roddy Ricch, is Gunna’s fifth studio album, following 2023’s A Gift & A Curse. Gunna released two singles from the album ahead of its release: “Prada Dem” with Gunna and “Whatsapp (Wassam).”

The album shares a release date with Future’s upcoming mixtape, prompting some fans online to speculate that the two Atlanta rappers might have a feud brewing.

Gunna is currently on tour promoting his last album, although the setlist for the Bittersweet Tour does include a handful of tracks from One Of Wun.

You can see the tracklist for One Of Wun below.

1. “Collage”
2. “One Of Wun”
3. “Neck On A Yacht”
4. “Whatsapp (Wassam)”
5. “Hakuna Matata”
6. “Prada Dem” Feat. Offset
7. “Treesh”
8. “On One By Tonight”
9. “Back In The A”
10. “Trio”
11. “Still Prevail”
12. “Blackjack”
13. “$$$” Feat. Normani
14. “Clear My Rain” Feat. Leon Bridges
15. “Conscience”
16. “The Time”
17. “Let It Breathe” Feat. Roddy Ricch
18. “Life’s Changing”
19. “Today I Did Good”
20. “Time Reveals, Be Careful What You Wish For”