The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill has landed on another list of the greatest feats of recorded music in human history, this time from a team of experts and artists assembled by Apple Music.
As you’ve hopefully seen by closely following along in recent days, the streamer, has been rolling out its 100 Best Albums list a chunk at a time, all leading up to Wednesday’s big reveal of the final top 10. Lauryn Hill's 1998 classic, which achieved Diamond status (i.e. 10 million units) from the RIAA back in 2021, tops Apple Music's list.
In a statement shared by Apple Music, Hill pointed to "how much love was invested in me" at this point in her career.
"I made what I wanted to see and hear exist in the world at the time," she said. "I’m grateful that it connected and continues to connect with so many people."
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Fans will note that this is far from the only such list to feature the celebrated singer’s lone solo studio album. The Album of the Year winner has previously been honored with a No. 10 ranking on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, inclusion in the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry, and more.
The full top 10 on Apple Music's list is as follows: Beyoncé’s Lemonade (No. 10), Nirvana’s Nevermind (No. 9), Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black (No. 8), Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city (No. 7), Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life (No 6), Frank Ocean’s Blonde (No. 5), Prince and the Revolution’s Purple Rain (No. 4), The Beatles’ Abbey Road (No. 3), Michael Jackson’s Thriller (No. 2), and Miseducation at No. 1.
Other highlights from across the full list of 100 albums include Jay-Z’s The Blueprint (No. 13), Dr. Dre’s The Chronic (No. 19), Ye’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (No. 26), A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory (No. 29), The Clash’s London Calling (No. 35), Drake’s Take Care (No. 47), The Cure’s Disintegration (No. 56), SZA’s SOS (No. 72), 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (No. 82), Kacey Musgraves' Golden Hour (No. 85), Lady Gaga’s The Fame Monster (No. 89), Tyler, the Creator’s Flower Boy (No. 92), and Travis Scott’s Astroworld (No. 98).
Put another way, it's a hell of a list. For those wondering, the people behind this ranking include artists like Pharrell Williams, blink-182’s Mark Hoppus, Maren Morris, Charli XCX, Honey Dijon, and more. Above, see Ebro Darden and Zane Lowe lead a nearly hour-long discussion on the list, with help from Nile Rodgers and Maggie Rogers.
Given the gravity of the moment, it's no surprise that fans have had plenty to say about Apple Music's 100 selections. As you may have guessed, some have grievances with where certain entries landed on the final list. For example, among the most repeated arguments is that the King of Pop's Thriller should have landed the No. 1 spot instead. Ye fans were also not happy with the No. 26 placement of MBDTF.
Get a closer look at what people are saying below.
