Apple Music reveals top 10 albums of all time: Lauryn Hill, Michael Jackson, Beatles make the list

Let the debate begin. Who has the best music albums ever?

Apple Music certainly has an idea. The music streaming giant announced on Wednesday their 10 greatest albums of all time with Lauryn Hill’s 1998 iconic “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” claiming the top spot. Hill’s debut album outpaced other classic records from Beyoncé, The Beatles ,Michael Jackson ,Prince ,Stevie Wonder, Kendrick Lamar, Amy Winehouse, Frank Ocean and Nirvana.

“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 after receiving the news.

The top 10 albums culminated Apple Music’s inaugural 100 best albums, which started with a 10-day countdown last week. There's only five artists with two albums on the full list including The Beatles, Wonder, Prince, Radiohead and Beyoncé.

The process started several months ago when Apple Music’s editorial team of editors and music experts — including Zane Lowe (global creative director and lead anchor for Apple Music 1) and Ebro Darden (global editorial head of hip-hop and R&B) — generated a list of candidates from the past 65 years.

“This list isn’t a popularity contest,” Darden said. "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.”

Members from Apple Music’s internal team submitted their personal lists of albums through the company's voting microsite. The votes were weighted according to an album’s placement — the higher the ranking, the more votes assigned.

Apple Music used the same voting methodology for a select group external voters that included artists, songwriters, producers and some media.

And now, we're here. With commentary from Lowe and Darden, here is Apple Music’s top 10 best albums list:

1. Lauryn Hill, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” (1998)

DARDEN: We’re really leaning on what she did on this album. The songwriting, what she shared, what was happening in her life that she effectively put in the music. The fact that she just became a mother. All the R&B vibes. The Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway along with D’Angelo's “Nothing Even Matters.” The social commentary in “Doo Wop (That Thing).” It’s hip-hop. It’s R&B. It’s got a dancehall element. It’s a powerful woman being independent and being like “Yo, I got something to say.” And oh by the way, the son she’s singing about on the album is Bob Marley’s grandson.... It checks so many boxes.

2. Michael Jackson, “Thriller” (1982)

LOWE: It’s the greatest blockbuster album ever. I think everyone I’ve spoken to about this list automatically assumes that it’s going to be No. 1. That’s because we’ve spent decade after decade seeing it basically No. 1. It came out during a time period when music was the top entertainment in the world. People were desperate for this Michael Jackson record even more than going to see a movie. “Thriller” is an incredible record. The whole thing is dialed in. But it didn’t bug me that Lauryn came in at No. 1 and “Thriller” landed at No. 2.

3. The Beatles, “Abbey Road” (1969)

DARDEN: “Abbey Road” has taken on a more modern life of its own in the social media space with TikTok. Maybe that’s why it landed so high. When you go song for song on ”Abbey Road,” I think it musically represents a happy time for the Beatles. It’s very much like more raw Beatles than pop Beatles.

4. Prince and the Revolution, “Purple Rain” (1984)

DARDEN: I love that it was a Black artist making soulful rock and pop records. I loved the movie. It’s phenomenal memories. It’s not my favorite Prince album. I’m more into “Sign O’ The Times.” Dance, music, sex romance. I’m a big Prince fan, so I’m happy this got the votes. I think “Purple Rain” lives on in (iconic fashion).

5. Frank Ocean, “blond” (2016)

LOWE: I had this higher than five. I simply adore this album. I feel like Frank is like Prince. He is like Michael. He is like Lauryn. He is like Marvin (Gaye). He is like Radiohead. He is the great outliers who found a way into our hearts on a massive scale. They do not make music to appeal to a large audience, and yet somehow the music they make reaches us. “Blond” didn't hit the certain sales targets that some of the biggest albums on this list did... But every time I put it on, it moves me different every single time.

6. Stevie Wonder, “Songs in the Key of Life” (1976)

LOWE: It starts with a message, and it ends with a time to process everything that's happened in between. In the end, he finally gives you a moment to just take everything you've listened to and just absorb it. He channeled something major.

7. Kendrick Lamar, “good kid, m.A.A.d city” (2012)

DARDEN: I’m happy this went so high. It was his debut album. He wrote an audio movie about his neighborhood and basically being a reluctant kid who is surrounded by all this toxicity, mayhem and chaos. He’s trying to see his way through it. He created opportunities for him and his friends to survive.

8. Amy Winehouse, “Back to Black” (2006)

LOWE: It talks about heartbreak, rejection, unrequited love and the pain you go through when you have feelings for someone who doesn't have the same feelings back. You don't know what to do with that emotion. It's very human. If we all live long enough, we're going to go through real heartbreak in our life. This album took that experience and made us sing and dance and move. It's one of the most tasteful albums about heartache ever recorded. It's an incredible magic act.

9. Nirvana, “Nevermind” (1991)

LOWE: This was a combination of real skill, beautiful instinct, total courage and vulnerability. It showed the ability to dial into what ( Kurt Cobain ) was feeling and dress it up in a way that made people want to dance, jump, sing and scream. But if you really listen, which tens of millions of people did, it was deeper than that. And we understood it. This album was the start of me being able to sit down and have a conversation about anxiety and depression with my mom, my brother and friends. If he could write about it, why can't I talk about it?

10. Beyoncé, “Lemonade” (2016)

DARDEN: This was the first time we got to see Beyoncé’s personal life. Her sister just beat up her husband on an elevator, and everybody’s in their business now... I like “Lemonade” but it’s not my favorite Beyoncé album. “Renaissance” is one my favorite Beyoncé albums ever. But if you lived in that “Lemonade” moment, it was a big deal.

Apple Music’s Best Albums 11-100

11. “Rumours” — Fleetwood Mac

12. “OK Computer” — Radiohead

13. “The Blueprint” — Jay-Z

14. “Highway 61 Revisited” — Bob Dylan

15. “21” — Adele

16. “Blue” — Joni Mitchell

17. “What’s Going On” — Marvin Gaye

18. “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” — Taylor Swift

19. “The Chronic” — Dr. Dre

20. “Pet Sounds” — The Beach Boys

21. “Revolver” — The Beatles

22. “Born to Run” — Bruce Springsteen

23. “Discovery” — Daft Punk 

24. “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (2012 Remaster)” — David Bowie

25. “Kind of Blue” — Miles Davis 

26. “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” — Kanye West

27. “Led Zeppelin II” — Led Zeppelin

28. “The Dark Side of the Moon” — Pink Floyd 

29. “The Low End Theory” — A Tribe Called Quest

30. “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?” — Billie Eilish

31. “Jagged Little Pill (Remastered)” — Alanis Morissette 

32. “Ready to Die (The Remaster)” — Notorious B.I.G.

33. “Kid A” — Radiohead

34. “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” — Public Enemy

35. “London Calling” — The Clash 

36. “BEYONCÉ” — Beyoncé

37. “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (Expanded Edition) — Wu-Tang Clan

38. “Tapestry” — Carole King

39. “Illmatic” — Nas

40. “I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You” — Aretha Franklin

41. “Aquemini” — OutKast

42. “Control” — Janet Jackson

43. “Remain in Light” — Talking Heads

44. “Innervisions” — Stevie Wonder

45. “Homogenic” — Björk

46. “Exodus (2013 Remaster)” — Bob Marley & The Wailers

47. “Take Care (Deluxe Version)” — Drake

48. “Paul’s Boutique” — Beastie Boys

49. “The Joshua Tree” — U2

50. “Hounds of Love (2018 Remaster)” — Kate Bush

51. “Sign O’The Times” — Prince

52. “Appetite for Destruction” — Guns ‘N Roses

53. “Exile on Main Street (2010 Remaster)” — The Rolling Stones

54. “A Love Supreme” — John Coltrane

55. “ANTI” — Rihanna

56. “Disintegration (Remastered)” — The Cure

57. “Voodoo” — D’Angelo

58. “(What’s The Story) Morning Glory” — Oasis

59. “AM” — Arctic Monkeys

60. “The Velvet Underground and Nico (45th Anniversary Edition)” — Velvet Underground & Nico

61. “Love Deluxe” — Sade

62. “All Eyez on Me” — 2Pac

63. “Are You Experienced?” — The Jimi Hendrix Experience

64. “Baduizm” — Erykah Badu

65: “3 Feet High and Rising” — De La Soul

66: “The Queen Is Dead” — The Smiths

67. “Dummy” — Portishead

68. “Is this It” — The Strokes

69. “Master of Puppets (Remastered)” — Metallica

70. “Straight Outta Compton” — N.W.A

71. “Trans-Europe Express” — Kraftwerk

72. “SOS” — SZA

73. “Aja” — Steely Dan

74. “Downward Spiral” — Nine Inch Nails

75. “Supa Dupa Fly” — Missy Eliott

76. “Un Verano Sin Ti” — Bad Bunny

77. “Like A Prayer” — Madonna

78. “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” — Elton John

79. “Norman F****** Rockwell!” — Lana Del Rey

80. “The Marshall Mathers LP” — Eminem

81. “After the Gold Rush” — Neil Young

82. “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” — 50 Cent

83. “Horses” — Patti Smith

84. “Doggystyle” — Snoop Dogg

85. “Golden Hour” — Kacey Musgraves

86. “My Life” — Mary J Blige

87. “Blue Lines” — Massive Attack

88. “I Put a Spell on You” — Nina Simone

89. “The Fame Monster (Deluxe Edition)” — Lady Gaga

90. “Back in Black” — AC/DC

91. “Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1” — George Michael

92. “Flower Boy” — Tyler, The Creator

93. “A Seat at the Table” — Solange

94. “Untrue” — Burial

95. “Confessions” — USHER

96. “Pure Heroine” — Lorde

97. “Rage Against The Machine” — Rage Against The Machine

98. “ASTROWORLD” — Travis Scott

99. “Hotel California” — The Eagles

100. “Body Talk” — Robyn