The Jambar
The recent release of “Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums” combines both old and newly released albums to its list.
With its initial release May 13, the ranking garnered a lot of negative criticism by avid music listeners, critics and media publications.
Times change and with the vast growing popularity of music, there is bound to be an up-and-coming artist that could take the No. 1 spot.
From The Beatles to SZA, the ranking felt jumbled at times, as it seemed to favor the younger generation of music artists. Frank Ocean’s 2016 hit-album “Blonde” was ranked higher than “Rumours” by Fleetwood Mac and “Nevermind” by Nirvana.
After seeing the list, The Jambar asked: if we set the older albums aside, how do 21st Century releases rank against each other.
To start the list off at No. 5 is the fourth studio album by Marshall Mathers III, commonly known as Eminem, “The Eminem Show.” Eminem released the album after the turn of the 21st Century in 2002.
As an artist, it can be hard to outdo your best-selling album “The Marshall Mathers LP,” but Eminem went on to top that success as “The Eminem Show,” stood at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart for six non-consecutive weeks.
At the No. 4 spot, Kendrick Lamar’s 2015 album “To Pimp A Butterfly” lands on the list. In 2016, the album earned seven Grammy nominations and won “Best Rap Album.”
Widely regarded by several publications as the greatest rap album, “TPAB” contains several tracks that are staples in the hip-hop discography. From the funky bass-grooves in “Wesley’s Theory” to powerful lyricism behind “The Blacker The Berry,” Lamar tackled hard-hitting themes such as depression and racial inequality.
In the middle of the list stands a shining star at No. 3 with “Back to Black.” The 2006 album by Amy Winehouse was her second, last and most commercially successful album.
Tracks such as “Rehab” and her self-titled track paved the way for several power pop singers who followed after. From Billie Elish to Lana Del Rey, Winehouse’s influences on the music industry are still seen today.
A controversial pick at No. 2 is “The Blueprint” by Shawn Carter, known as Jay-Z. The 2001 album arguably cemented Jay-Z as one of the top 10 rappers of all time. It also catapulted up-and-coming artist Ye known professionally as Kanye West to pursue his own music career after he produced the hit “Izzo (H.O.V.A.).”
To complete the list at No. 1, West went on to release “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” in 2010.
Regarded by several critics as the greatest album of the 2010s, “MBDTF” had four songs top the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. West’s use of both hip hop and R&B as well as signature Auto-Tune helped the album.
Several artists and producers appeared as guests on the album, most notably Mike Dean. After his work on the triple-platinum album, Dean went on to work with several other artists such as Travis Scott, Frank Ocean and Jay-Z.
Although this is The Jambar’s list, each album is available on Spotify or Apple Music for a personal synopsis.
(The Jambar does not condone Kanye West’s words and actions)