What is the best music album of all time?
07.06.2025 01:46
2. Thriller from Michael Jackson
I loved the first six songs, and I loved how the second half of this album is literally split into 6 parts but it flows so well and it’s…. beautiful. I can’t describe it. I hated Rock, and this song literally makes me LIKE Rock. Every single rock album I listen to has to be compared to this album. The only album that comes close is Nevermind by Nirvana
Every single female musician you can think of has been influenced by this album. Ariana Grande, Beyonce, Clairo, Rihanna, Cardi B, Nicki Minaj, Due Lipa, Alicia Keys, Zendaya, Adele, Amy Winehouse have publicly stated how this album is their favorite and they took heavy influence on it.
The Jazz rap instrumentals, the funky sounds, and how Kendrick Lamar teamed ups ith African bands to create some insane otherworldly sounds. My favorite songs from this album are Alright, I, and King Kunta.
It completely changed the hip hop game, and Kendrick Lamar broke the barrier. This talked about police brutality, the struggles of being Black, depression, Systemic instutionalism, and being proud of African culture.
This in my humble opinion is the best Rap album of all time, no question asked. The reason why Nas recent works arent that well-liked is that we compare it to Illmatic.
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8. Okay Computer by Radiohead
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Okay, I know that it’s my favorite album of all time, but this is basically the gate keeper of best albums I hear. It’s my favorite West coast concept album of all time, and has my favorite song (Backseat Freestyle) while it’s very accessible. This is the gatekeeper of best album, Every single album I listen to has to go through Good Kiid Maad city before it can be on my Best album list.
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This song literally has my favorite Emiem song of all time, which is Stan. It’s arguably the best rap song of all time, but maybe thats because I’m a basic person. I just love the storytelling and wordplay.
The fact that Michael Jackson somehow surpassed my extremely unrealistic high expectations is unfathomable. Fantano may point out while this is just Michael Jackson’s greatest hits, and Michael Jackson has other albums that are better.
Lets go on down the list
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It’s not just the female artists too. Kendrick Lamar, Jay Cole, Lil Wayne, Drake, Jay Z, Kid Cudi, Kanye West, Maroon 5, and Lupe Fiasco have stated this album is either their favorite or they took heavy influence on it.
My favorite three songs from this album personally are come Together, Here comes the sun, Oh Darling.
And finally number one
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5. Beyonce’s Lemonade
This song literally made me open my third eye. I went on a god damn Beatles phase where I listened to every song. Yet nothing comes close to this album in my opinion. Maybe it’s like watching Logan before the previous two Wolverine movies, but I completely appreciate the Beatles. This album is still influential to this day, and thats 60 years In the future.
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The only cons I can think of are the lows, and it’s not that the songs were bad, but it just pales in comparison to the highs. Gorgeous, Hell of a Life were decent, but I really couldn't remember Blame Game, or Lost in the World melodies. But people have to keep in mind: Those songs are GOOD. It’s just that those songs I listed arent that impressive compared to Runaway.
Now, next up is
So thats my ranking of best albums of all time. I hope people enjoy my list, and check this out.
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9. To Pimp A Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar
I mentioned in my previous answer that I personally enjoyed Good Kid Mad City more because it’s accessible, relatable, and hype instrumentals. That said…. this is Kendrick Lamar’s Masterpiece and Magnus Opus. This is objectively his best work, no question asked.
Now, I knew Michael Jackson was top 3 best musical artists of all time, but I also heard this was the best selling musical album of all time. So I had high expectations.
The production on this music album is extremely high quality, to the point it still sounds fresh 15 years later. This had amazing East Coast hip hop melodies, took inspiration from Kanye’s College Trilogy, has maximalist style (super produced) and it feels like a rap opera. This album explored celebrity culture, self-doubt, romance, escapism, and acknowledged drug/alcohol abuse.
The best way to describe this album is like if Fight Club film was turned into an album. While I wasnt a big fan of it, I got to say that the songs and instrumentals feel so futuristic and almost alien-like. It has really deep mature dark themes like Social alienation, consumerism, capitalism, political division, and globalization/anticapitalism.
And I want to point out that these are very competitive list as well. It took a while for me to narrow it down, and it was pretty tough. I know there are more albums that I need to hear, so while my list of favorite album is set in stone, this list will fluctuate.
6. Purple Rain by Prince
I remember thinking to myself “How are the Beatles this praised. They’re probably overrated”. Then I listen to this song.
10. The Marshall Matters LP by Eminem
While I did listen to her other albums, I dont think any album really gripped me as hard as this album. This album was made in 2016, and is currently the only recent album to snag the dub. This is my favorite female Concept album of all time, and it completely changed the game. Maybe this is because this was my first Beyonce album.
This was the first concept album in the streaming era, it literally feels like a film, it explores black feminism, African culture, her relationship to Jay Z, the Black Family, Grief, Trauma, perseverance. This album expertly juggles R&B, Soul, Pop, Hip hop, and Blues. The songs are great, and personally my favorite song is Sorry. This album made me understand why people hype up Beyonce
Nas first work is literally compared to The Dark Knight, Logan, and Into the Spider-Verse, and him trying to follow that up. Do people realize how huge those expectations would be?
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Seriously, Lauryn Hill’s album was so good, that she made hip hop/rap mainstream. That’s INSANE. And this is from a Neo-soul album, a genre Im not a big fan of. This is why this album in my opinion is the Perfect album ever. If you ever search up “Masterpiece” or “perfection” it is this album.
While some of the lyrics are too mysognistic and violent, this was definitely Eminem’s Masterpiece. I consider this to be his “The Dark Knight” album, because this was the middle child of his three peat (Slim Shady LP, this, and Eminem Show) of critically acclaimed albums. It’s personally my favorite horror core album, and is very autobiographical and has amazing mood swings, lyrical storytelling, and talks about Eminem’s past. It’s no wonder Kendrick Lamar mentioned Eminem as his GOAT, and how this album changed his life by introducing him to rapping storytelling.
If people want to know my favorite album list, click right here
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This was my first album I listened to Prince thanks to Apple Music ranking , and while I dont really vibe with the music due to Prince’s singing not being engaging…. I got to admit this album is GREAT. It really makes me focus on Prince’s band and instrumentals, and I understand that Michael Jackson is more popular and famous, Prince really was groundbreaking in using guitars, keyboards, synthesizers, and drums. This was the album that made Prince a superstar.
This album is not only well-made, but it’s the MOST consistent. Every single song here are bangers, there’s no weak points. I can remember the melodies. This album was part of literally New York/East Coast trilogy (Enter the Wu Tang Clan, Illmatic, and Ready to Die). This album inspired and influenced Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Lupe Fiasco, Busta Rhymes, Alicia Keyes on their later works.
Like seriously, this was the 1990s New York version of Kendrick’s Good Kid Maad City. I sometimes flip flop on which album I prefer between the two. That’s how good this album is. This album has amazing lyrical story-telling and is the reason why I prefer deep lyricism in my songs. This song describes New York to the point where I can visualize everything Nas says, I love Nas use of poetry and multisyllabic rhymes. The themes for me still resonate with talking about gang violence, Drug, and being an artist.
Like seriously, the songs sound so different and unique in a super technological way. It feels like Yeezus by Kanye West took inspiration from this album, and it reads like a harsh diary. While I personally didnt enjoy it as much, I have to marvel at the production, and admit that it was really well-made.
After Good Kid Mad city, I was hungry for rap albums, and this definitely scratched that list. I listened to Eminem’s old albums, but I mainly know him because of popular songs like Love the way you lie, monster, rap god, not afraid, real slim shady, etc. But this album finally made me realize why people call him the GOAT of modern hip hop.
It includes so many genre into this, yet it doesnt struggle under the weight but thrives under it. I dont like Disco, but this album won me over. It has disco, funk, soul, synth-pop, rock, yet has dark supernatural imagery and anti-violence. This song also got me through a Michael Jackson phase, and I consider Michael Jackson, Elvis, and The Beatles as the greatest musical artists of all time.
Honorable Mention: Good Kiid Maad City
4. Nas Illmatic
And while it’s true, I personally consider Thriller to be his best album. This is the definitive Pop album of all time. Michael Jackson’s voice is literally like a male angel singing from heaven, and the fact that he was only 24 years old and he made this is insane. He’s literally MY AGE right now. This album was literally because Michael Jackson was mad that Off the Wall didnt win a grammy that he went super Saiyan on this.
7. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West
Now, for the top 3 that literally changed my life on listening to music.
3. Abbey Road from The Beatles
Seriously, Just Beat it by Michael Jackson is my favorite Michael Jackson song of all time, but I love Billie Jean, Thriller, as well. This album was so influential and important, that it helped with desegregation and provided racial equality.
That being said, even with Kanye’s trouble history….. this album rocks. Kanye says Yeezus is his masterpiece, and I can see that. But this album had some SEIROUS F*CKING HIGHS. I mentioned how Graduation album was more consistent and didnt have serious lows, but this song came out swinging. Dark Fantasy, All of the Lights, Monster, So appalled, Devil in a Dress were all bangers. And of course Runaway is in my opinion Kanye West’s best song of all time. It’s 9 minutes but I can listen to it without getting tired.
This album is an 11/10. It has dense lyricism, yet it’s easy to understand, and it talks about deep mature topics about feminism. This album was the first time where Lauryn Hill rapped while she sang (Drake was not hte first person to do so, he was the guy who made it mainstream). She was the pioneer of female rappers/singers who made it mainstream, and one of the first singers/rappers to talk about politics and emotions.
Now that I put out my list on favorite music album of all time, I want to put out my list on best music album of all time.
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currently, only Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar are the two artists who appear on both of my favorite and best album list of all time. Fantano may call this overrated, and I do agreee on the fact that I liked Graduation more than this album.
Speaking of Kendrick Lamar
This album is so good, that I consider it to not only be the Greatest Rap album of all time, but it is the GOAT of Hip Hop Album no question.
Kenny Nguyen's answer to What is your favorite album ever?
This was the album that I honestly had no expectations but in my opinion is the Perfect album. No question asked. Why? Because it has almost every single genre of music. It has Jazz, R&B, Hip Hop/Rap, Soul, Reggae, Rock, etc. The only genre it doesnt have is Horrorcore or Scream music.