Apple Music’s Top 100 Albums list has been causing quite a stir. Lauryn Hill’s 1998 LP The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill topped the list, followed by Michael Jackson’s Thriller, The Beatles’ Abbey Road, and Prince and the Revolution’s Purple Rain. A controversial choice was Frank Ocean’s Blonde in fifth place.
Joe Budden recently shared his thoughts on his podcast, agreeing with some rankings, such as Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city making the top 10. However, he believes Apple Music did R&B dirty. He pointed out the low rankings or omissions of iconic R&B albums like Sade’s Love Deluxe, Usher’s Confessions, SZA’s Ctrl, and albums by Prince and Michael Jackson.
“Just talking about solely R&B, what they did with Love Deluxe, Confessions, Ctrl, Prince, and Michael Jackson is egregious,” Budden explained. “This list is disrespectful to a lot of R&B actually. There’s a lot of phenomenal R&B albums missing. Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On not making the Top 10 tells you that they disrespected the rest of R&B.”
Jermaine Dupri also expressed his dissatisfaction on Twitter/X, saying, “Looking at this @AppleMusic top 100 albums list is sad, the disrespect to R&B is CR*ZY!!!!! It’s giving not worthy.”
The debate over Apple Music’s rankings continues as more voices join in to criticize the list for overlooking significant R&B contributions. The conversation has sparked a broader discussion about the genre’s place in music history and how it is recognized.
As reactions pour in, it’s clear that Apple Music’s Top 100 Albums list has ignited a passionate debate over its treatment of R&B. Only time will tell if the streaming giant will address these criticisms in future rankings.
