Apple Music Reveals Top 10 Albums of All Time

Apple Music today unveiled its list of the top 10 albums of all time, with Lauryn Hill's "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" securing the number one spot.

apple music 100 best albums
The announcement is part of a 10-day countdown event culminating in a special finale featuring discussions with prominent artists and ‌Apple Music‌ hosts. "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill," released in 1998, was praised for its impact and relevance. Hill was given an award made of blasted anodized aluminum sourced from recycled Apple products. The top 10 albums list is as follows:

  • 1. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998), Lauryn Hill
  • 2. Thriller (1982), Michael Jackson
  • 3. Abbey Road (1969), The Beatles
  • 4. Purple Rain (1984), Prince & The Revolution
  • 5. Blonde (2016), Frank Ocean
  • 6. Songs in the Key of Life (1976), Stevie Wonder
  • 7. good kid, m.A.A.d city (2012), Kendrick Lamar
  • 8. Back to Black (2006), Amy Winehouse
  • 9. Nevermind (1991), Nirvana
  • 10. Lemonade (2016), Beyoncé

The selection process involved ‌Apple Music‌ experts and a group of artists, songwriters, producers, and industry professionals. This ranking is described as a modern, 21st-century evaluation of the greatest records ever made, created independently of streaming statistics.

In addition to the top 10 list, ‌Apple Music‌ has created 100 audio vignettes to accompany each album on the list, providing context and stories behind the records. These vignettes, along with additional content, are available across ‌Apple Music‌, Apple Podcasts, and Apple Books.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon: New Features for Your iPhone and Release Date

Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1. Release Date Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
iOS 26

6 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.1

Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below. Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...
maxresdefault

Apple TV 4K Could Still Launch Before 2025 Ends: All the Rumored Features

Monday October 27, 2025 4:51 pm PDT by
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors. ...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.1 Release Candidates

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:07 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1 updates for testing purposes. The RCs betas come a week after Apple released the fourth betas. The new betas can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software...
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

M6 MacBook Pro: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Monday October 27, 2025 9:15 am PDT by
Apple this month refreshed the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, and higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are expected to follow in early 2026. However, these machines will represent the final update to the current design, with Apple reportedly developing a completely new version of the MacBook Pro packed with next-generation hardware...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

8 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday October 30, 2025 4:42 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
macos tahoe

Here Are Apple's Release Notes for macOS Tahoe 26.1

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:21 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of macOS Tahoe 26.1, which means the update will likely see a public launch next week. The release candidate includes notes on what's in the update, so we have a full picture of the new features that Apple has included. macOS Tahoe 26.1 adds AutoMix support over AirPlay, improved FaceTime audio...
ipad mini 7 feature blue

OLED iPad Mini: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Wednesday October 29, 2025 7:13 am PDT by
Rumors are stoking excitement for the next-generation iPad mini that Apple is reportedly close to launching. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out. Processor and Performance Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to...
iPhone Car Key Kia

Another Vehicle Brand Gaining iPhone Car Keys Support

Tuesday October 28, 2025 5:27 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to bring support for its digital car key feature to Jetour vehicles, according to evidence uncovered on Apple's backend by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. Introduced in 2022, Car Keys allows an iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock a vehicle through the Wallet app. A digital version of a car key is stored in Wallet, and unlocking can be done by holding an Apple Watch or...

Top Rated Comments

blairh Avatar
19 months ago
Ridiculous list.
Score: 80 Votes (Like | Disagree)
StudioMacs Avatar
19 months ago
This is like a list of the best books for people who can’t read.
Score: 52 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Crowbot Avatar
19 months ago
No Pink Floyd? Absurd.
Score: 51 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RumorConsumer Avatar
19 months ago

Cue the boomers in this thread whining that their terrible taste in music wasn't represented lol
Not even a boomer and while this may not be the list based on streaming numbers or anything, this is the music of everybody watching Ted Lasso.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Timo_Existencia Avatar
19 months ago
I used to think lists like this mattered in some way, and would argue about them with my friends. Much like I used to think the Academy Awards mattered in some way.

These lists don't matter. Like what you like. No lists such as this represents anything of any consequence outside of the organization that promotes it trying to sell you something ;)
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dulcimer Avatar
19 months ago
I’ve somehow never heard #1. Not even on other top album lists. O_o
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)