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Apple Music 100 Best Albums

Apple Music 100 Best Albums is a ranked list published in 2024 — one of the 9 sources behind the music canon, weighted as critics' canon. 67 of its 100 entries appear in the aggregated canon.

  1. 1The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill — Ms. Lauryn Hill (1998)Canon #33
  2. 2Thriller — Michael Jackson (1982)Canon #6
  3. 3Abbey Road — The Beatles (1969)Canon #1
  4. 4Purple Rain — Prince and the Revolution (1984)Canon #8
  5. 5Blonde — Frank Ocean (2016)
  6. 6Songs in the Key of Life — Stevie Wonder (1976)Canon #5
  7. 7Good Kid, M.A.A.D City — Kendrick Lamar (2012)
  8. 8Back to Black — Amy Winehouse (2006)Canon #51
  9. 9Nevermind — Nirvana (1991)Canon #9
  10. 10Lemonade — Beyonce (2016)
  11. 11Rumors — Fleetwood Mac (1977)
  12. 12OK Computer — Radiohead (1997)Canon #38
  13. 13The Blueprint — Jay-Z (2001)Canon #75
  14. 14Highway 61 Revisited — Bob Dylan (1965)Canon #21
  15. 1521 — Adele (2011)Canon #128
  16. 16Blue — Joni Mitchell (1971)Canon #23
  17. 17What's Going on — Marvin Gaye (1971)Canon #4
  18. 181989 (Taylor's Version) — Taylor Swift (2023)
  19. 19The Chronic — Dr. Dre (1992)Canon #46
  20. 20Pet Sounds — The Beach Boys (1966)Canon #3
  21. 21Revolver — The Beatles (1966)Canon #2
  22. 22Born to Run — Bruce Springsteen (1975)Canon #7
  23. 23Discovery — Daft Punk (2001)Canon #160
  24. 24The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars — David Bowie (1972)Canon #43
  25. 25Kind of Blue — Miles Davis (1959)Canon #12
  26. 26My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy — Kanye West (2010)Canon #63
  27. 27Led Zeppelin II - Led Zeppelin — 1969
  28. 28The Dark Side of the Moon — Pink Floyd (1973)Canon #24
  29. 29The Low End Theory — A Tribe Called Quest (1991)Canon #73
  30. 30When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? — Billie Eilish (2019)
  31. 31Jagged Little Pill — Alanis Morissette (1995)Canon #115
  32. 32Ready to Die — The Notorious B.I.G. (1994)Canon #61
  33. 33Kid a — Radiohead (2000)Canon #56
  34. 34It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back — Public Enemy (1988)Canon #13
  35. 35London Calling — The Clash (1979)Canon #10
  36. 36Beyoncé — Beyoncé (2014)
  37. 37Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (Wu-Tang Clan, 1993),
  38. 38Tapestry — Carole King (1971)Canon #14
  39. 39Illmatic — Nas (1994)Canon #67
  40. 40I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You — Aretha Franklin (1967)Canon #37
  41. 41Aquemini — Outkast (1998)Canon #184
  42. 42Control — Janet Jackson (1986)
  43. 43Remain in Light — Talking Heads (1980)Canon #39
  44. 44Innervisions — Stevie Wonder (1973)Canon #19
  45. 45Homogenic — Björk (1997)
  46. 46Exodus — Bob Marley and the Wailers (1977)Canon #54
  47. 47Take Care — Drake (2011)
  48. 48Paul's Boutique — The Beastie Boys (1989)Canon #42
  49. 49The Joshua Tree — U2 (1987)Canon #47
  50. 50Hounds of Love — Kate Bush (1985)Canon #71
  51. 51Sign O' the Times — Prince (1987)Canon #77
  52. 52Appetite for Destruction — Guns N' Roses (1987)Canon #41
  53. 53Exile on Main Street — The Rolling Stones (1972)Canon #30
  54. 54A Love Supreme — John Coltrane (1965)Canon #69
  55. 55ANTI — Rihanna (2016)
  56. 56Disintegration — The Cure (1989)Canon #79
  57. 57Voodoo — D'Angelo (2000)Canon #207
  58. 58(What's the Story) Morning Glory? — Oasis (1995)Canon #82
  59. 59AM — Arctic Monkeys (2013)
  60. 60The Velvet Underground & Nico — The Velvet Underground and Nico (1967)
  61. 61Love Deluxe — Sade (1992)
  62. 62All Eyez on Me — Tupac (1996)
  63. 63Are You Experienced — The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)Canon #11
  64. 64Baduizm — Erykah Badu (1997)
  65. 653 Feet High and Rising — De La Soul (1989)Canon #196
  66. 66The Queen Is Dead — The Smiths (1986)Canon #64
  67. 67Dummy — Portishead (1994)Canon #102
  68. 68Is This It — The Strokes (2001)Canon #91
  69. 69Master of Puppets — Metallica (1986)Canon #93
  70. 70Straight Outta Compton — N.W.A (1988)Canon #50
  71. 71Trans-Europe Express — Kraftwerk (1977)Canon #86
  72. 72Sos — Sza (2022)
  73. 73Aja — Steely Dan (1977)Canon #101
  74. 74The Downward Spiral — Nine Inch Nails (1994)Canon #149
  75. 75Supa Dupa Fly — Missy Elliott (1997)Canon #177
  76. 76Un Verano Sin Ti — Bad Bunny (2022)
  77. 77Like a Prayer — Madonna (1989)Canon #199
  78. 78Goodbye Yellow Brick Road — Elton John (1973)Canon #92
  79. 79Norman Fucking Rockwell! — Lana Del Rey (2019)
  80. 80The Marshall Mathers LP — Eminem (2000)Canon #106
  81. 81After the Gold Rush — Neil Young (1970)Canon #44
  82. 82Get Rich or Die Tryin' — 50 Cent (2003)
  83. 83Horses — Patti Smith (1975)Canon #20
  84. 84Doggystyle — Snoop Doggy Dogg (1993)Canon #241
  85. 85Golden Hour — Kacey Musgraves (2018)
  86. 86My Life — Mary J. Blige (1994)Canon #213
  87. 87Blue Lines — Massive Attack (1991)Canon #131
  88. 88I Put a Spell on You — Nina Simone (1965)
  89. 89The Fame Monster — Lady Gaga (2009)
  90. 90Back in Black — AC/DC (1980)Canon #59
  91. 91Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 — George Michael (1990)
  92. 92Flower Boy (Tyler, the Creator, 2017)
  93. 93A Seat at the Table — Solange (2016)
  94. 94Untrue — Burial (2007)
  95. 95Confessions — Usher (2004)
  96. 96Pure Heroine — Lorde (2013)
  97. 97Rage Against the Machine — Rage Against the Machine (1992)Canon #240
  98. 98ASTROWORLD — Travis Scott (2018)
  99. 99Hotel California — Eagles (1976)Canon #104
  100. 100Body Talk — Robyn (2010)

List compiled and published by its original authors; positions shown as published. Canon ranks link to each entry's full evidence page.