Apple Music's best 100 albums list is done, and it's controversial

Even as the list was announced on May 13, 2024, Apple acknowledged — and even welcomed — the inevitably controversy it was going to cause.

"Putting this list together was a true labor of love, both in that it was incredibly difficult to do and in that we are all so passionate about it," said Zane Lowe, Apple Music's global creative director and lead anchor for Apple Music 1 at the time . "We were tasked with selecting the 100 best — that's practically mission impossible."

Following the unveiling of the list ten albums at a time, this is the complete 100 best:

1. "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" by Lauryn Hill
2. "Thriller" by Michael Jackson
3. "Abbey Road" by The Beatles
4. "Purple Rain" by Prince and The Revolution
5. "Blonde" by Frank Ocean
6. "Songs in the Key of Life" by Stevie Wonder
7. "good kid, m.A.A.d city (Deluxe Version)" by Kendrick Lamar
8. "Back to Black" by Amy Winehouse
9. "Nevermind" by Nirvana
10. "Lemonade" by Beyonce
11. "Rumors" by Fleetwood Mac
12. "OK Computer" by Radiohead
13. "The Blueprint" by JAY-Z
14. "Highway 61 Revisited" by Bob Dylan
15. "21" by Adele
16. "Blue" by Joni Mitchell
17. "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye
18. "1989 (Taylor's Version)" by Taylor Swift
19. "The Chronic" by Dr. Dre
20. "Pet Sounds" by The Beach Boys
21. "Revolver" by The Beatles
22. "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen
23. "Discovery" by Daft Punk
24. "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars" by David Bowie
25. "Kind of Blue" by Miles Davis
26. "My Beautify Dark Twisted Fantasy" by Kanye West
27. "Led Zeppelin II" by Led Zeppelin
28. "The Dark Side of the Moon" by Pink Floyd
29. "The Low End Theory" by A Tribe Called Quest
30. "WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?" Billie Elish
31. "Jagged Little Pill" by Alanis Morissette
32. "Ready to Die" by The Notorious B.I.G.
33. "Kid A" by Radiohead
34. "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" by Public Enemy
35. "London Calling" by The Clash
36. "BEYONCE" by Beyonce
37. "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)" by Wu-Tang Clan
38. "Tapestry" by Carole King
39. "Illmatic" by Nas
40. "I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You" by Aretha Franklin
41. "Aquemini" by Outkast
42. "Control" by Janet Jackson
43. "Remain in Light" by Talking Heads
44. "Innervisions" by Stevie Wonder
45. "Homogenic" by Bjork
46. "Exodus" by Bob Marley & The Wailers
47. "Take Care" by Drake
48. "Paul's Boutique" by Beastie Boys
49. "The Joshua Tree" by U2
50. "Hounds of Love" by Kate Bush
51. "Sign O'the Times" by Prince
52. "Appetite for Destruction" by Guns N' Roses
53. "Exile on Main St." by The Rolling Stones
54. "A Love Supreme" by John Coltrane
55. "ANTI" by Rihanna
56. "Disintegration (Remastered)" by The Cure
57. "Voodoo" by D'Angelo
58. "(What's The Story) Morning Glory" by Oasis
59. "AM" by Arctic Monkeys
60. "The Velvet Underground and Nico (45th Anniversary Edition)" by Velvet Underground & Nico
61. "Love Deluxe" by Sade
62. "All Eyez on Me" by 2Pac
63. "Are You Experienced?" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
64. "Baduizm" by Erykah Badu
65. "3 Feet High and Rising" by De La Soul
66. "The Queen Is Dead" by The Smiths
67. "Dummy" by Portishead
68. "Is This It" by The Strokes
69. "Master of Puppets (Remastered)" by Metallica
70. "Straight Outta Compton" by N.W.A
71. "Trans-Europe Express" by Kraftwerk
72. "SOS" by SZA
73. "Aja" by Steely Dan
74. "The Downward Spiral" by Nine Inch Nails
75. "Supa Dupa Fly" by Missy Elliott
76. "Un Verano Sin Ti" by Bad Bunny
77. "Like A Prayer" by Madonna
78. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" by Elton John
79. "Norman F****** Rockwell!" by Lana Del Rey
80. "The Marshall Mathers LP" by Eminem
81. "After the Gold Rush" by Neil Young
82. "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" by 50 Cent
83. "Horses" by Patti Smith
84. "Doggystyle" by Snoop Dogg
85. "Golden Hour" by Kacey Musgraves
86. "My Life" by Mary J. Blige
87. "Blue Lines" by Massive Attack
88. "I Put a Spell on You" by Nina Simone
89. "The Fame Monster (Deluxe Edition)" by Lady Gaga
90. "Back in Black" by AC/DC
91. "Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1" by George Michael
92. "Flower Boy" by Tyler, The Creator
93. "A Seat at the Table" by Solange
94. "Untrue" by Burial
95. "Confessions" by Usher
96. "Pure Heroine" by Lorde
97. "Rage Against the Machine" by Rage Against the Machine
98. "ASTROWORLD" by Travis Scott
99. "Hotel California" by The Eagles
100. "Body Talk" by Robyn

It is at least a comprehensive list spanning decades, many musical genres, and it will prompt more people to listen to these significant albums. Each of the 100 is of course available to stream on Apple Music, plus Apple has created a mini site that gives biographical details about the albums and the bands that made them.