Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by 
babyBlueSedan 
My favorite albums, or "The 100 albums I'd keep if iTunes had a capacity of 100 albums."
The theme of this update, as with the past couple, is upheaval. Every time I update this I claim to be moving new favorite up higher while still stubbornly putting albums I used to love but never listen to anymore near the top. I won't know for sure if I've been more successful this time around until I update this again. But I hope that this current iteration shook things up a bit and added a bit more variety, even if that variety is in the form of albums most people have heard of. I've tried to include as many artists and genres where possible, partially because I want to appear more interesting than I actually am, but in the end this is still very rock and pop oriented. In particular, this iteration makes obvious my current love of plaintive folk/singer-songwriter stuff.
I've also relaxed my artist limits just a bit to highlight the artists I really love, but I still couldn't include everything I wanted because spots are so limited. In some cases I decided what to include based on what I wanted to write about. I recommend checking out my decade charts for more deep cuts.
Also, I appreciate all the kind and generous comments - they're my main motivation for updating this every couple years or so.
- Chart updated: 05/30/2020 02:15
- (Created: 07/31/2013 04:33).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 98 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 94 out of 100 (from 152 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from Kendrick Lamar. (Remove this filter)
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Like walking back into your home town after having your life irreparably changed
I've only been keeping up to date with new music for a few years now, and in that time there's only been one album I've heard and known will be a classic in years to come. I'm not talking about that I know I'll listen to for years to come: those albums aren't hard to find. But in fifty years, there's only one album released in 2015 I've heard that I know people will still be talking about. And it's this one.
How was that for a cliche opening paragraph? I worked really hard on it. It's hard to write about albums that are universally beloved, because it feels like there's nothing new to say about them. But in this case it really is true. I remember hearing King Kunta and i before this album dropped and wondering "will this album be bad?" It was something I was legitimately worried about. I just realized I'm not actually talking about the music here at all. But come one, you've heard this album right? If not, pause your ELO album and give it a listen.
This is a special album because it manages to spin a very personal story out of something that is a very widespread problem. Of course I'm talking mostly about racism, but beneath that there is tons to relate to here. The feeling of moving away from home. Depression. Falling out of touch with friends. The anger comes out on tracks like Blacker The Berry and Complexion, but there's a lot of human emotion throughout that isn't directly related to race. That's still my main takeaway from the album, especially considering when it was released, but there's so much more to it than that.
And musically, it sees Kendrick finding one thing he's always lacked: a musical identity. The production on his records has always been rather scattered, at least to the point where he didn't have one style. Which is good - I like varied production - but it also meant that the focus was always heavily on his lyrics. Here he's found a crazy combination of soul, jazz, funk, and rock, and it really suits him. [First added to this chart: 06/13/2015]
I've only been keeping up to date with new music for a few years now, and in that time there's only been one album I've heard and known will be a classic in years to come. I'm not talking about that I know I'll listen to for years to come: those albums aren't hard to find. But in fifty years, there's only one album released in 2015 I've heard that I know people will still be talking about. And it's this one.
How was that for a cliche opening paragraph? I worked really hard on it. It's hard to write about albums that are universally beloved, because it feels like there's nothing new to say about them. But in this case it really is true. I remember hearing King Kunta and i before this album dropped and wondering "will this album be bad?" It was something I was legitimately worried about. I just realized I'm not actually talking about the music here at all. But come one, you've heard this album right? If not, pause your ELO album and give it a listen.
This is a special album because it manages to spin a very personal story out of something that is a very widespread problem. Of course I'm talking mostly about racism, but beneath that there is tons to relate to here. The feeling of moving away from home. Depression. Falling out of touch with friends. The anger comes out on tracks like Blacker The Berry and Complexion, but there's a lot of human emotion throughout that isn't directly related to race. That's still my main takeaway from the album, especially considering when it was released, but there's so much more to it than that.
And musically, it sees Kendrick finding one thing he's always lacked: a musical identity. The production on his records has always been rather scattered, at least to the point where he didn't have one style. Which is good - I like varied production - but it also meant that the focus was always heavily on his lyrics. Here he's found a crazy combination of soul, jazz, funk, and rock, and it really suits him. [First added to this chart: 06/13/2015]
Year of Release:
2015
Appears in:
Rank Score:
33,772
Rank in 2015:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
366
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Like walking out of your home town after having your life irreparably changed
I'm a big fan of concept albums. Albums are always better when they have a unifying theme holding them together, right? I'm less of a fan of albums that tell a story, as I often feel they spend too much precious time trying to advance the story. Autobiographical stories, on the other hand, seem much more effortless, which is the case here. Good Kid MAAD City is a complete story with a resolution and character development, and it's told almost entirely through Kendrick's rapping (and even the parts that are told by skit don't overstay their welcome). Really it plays out like a movie, but even better because it features sweet rhymes and sick beats.
And Kendrick is an amazing poet - it's cliché to say it but he's probably the best rapper of the new millennium and maybe of all time. Perhaps the thing that makes this most clear is that this is not an album that is driven by production - many modern hip hop albums have distinctive production, or the beats are at least at the forefront of the album's sound. That is by no means the case here; in fact, in many cases the production is entirely forgettable. I'm reading the list of producers right now and I hardly recognize any names. On this album Kendrick takes a collection of average beats with no discernible connection and ties them together into a cohesive album. No small feat.
But back to Kendrick's rapping. The sequencing on this album is masterful, starting off with a few tracks about Kendrick's struggles on the street, culminating with the bravado of "Backstreet Freestyle" and the height of his run ins with the law in "The Art of Peer Pressure." "Money Trees" is one of the best songs here, and the 1-2 punch of "good kid" and "m.A.A.d. city" highlights the main theme of the album. "m.A.A.d. city" also features some of Kendrick's most impressive technical skill - the most interesting feature of his rapping is how he never sticks to one cadence very long and jumps between different flows mid-song. He takes this in another direction on "Swimming Pools," where he raps as several different personas and manages to make them all sounds incredible. But the biggest highlight on the album is definitely "Sing About Me," a 12 minute long song exploring life, death, and redemption. The line "what if the rapture came and you completely tarnished" is what this album is about in a nutshell, and the spoken outro (featuring Maya Angelou of all people) is one of the best examples of Kendrick exploring religion without sounding preachy. Wise beyond his years, this is the rap album to show your friends who wonder what the genre has to offer. [First added to this chart: 01/30/2014]
I'm a big fan of concept albums. Albums are always better when they have a unifying theme holding them together, right? I'm less of a fan of albums that tell a story, as I often feel they spend too much precious time trying to advance the story. Autobiographical stories, on the other hand, seem much more effortless, which is the case here. Good Kid MAAD City is a complete story with a resolution and character development, and it's told almost entirely through Kendrick's rapping (and even the parts that are told by skit don't overstay their welcome). Really it plays out like a movie, but even better because it features sweet rhymes and sick beats.
And Kendrick is an amazing poet - it's cliché to say it but he's probably the best rapper of the new millennium and maybe of all time. Perhaps the thing that makes this most clear is that this is not an album that is driven by production - many modern hip hop albums have distinctive production, or the beats are at least at the forefront of the album's sound. That is by no means the case here; in fact, in many cases the production is entirely forgettable. I'm reading the list of producers right now and I hardly recognize any names. On this album Kendrick takes a collection of average beats with no discernible connection and ties them together into a cohesive album. No small feat.
But back to Kendrick's rapping. The sequencing on this album is masterful, starting off with a few tracks about Kendrick's struggles on the street, culminating with the bravado of "Backstreet Freestyle" and the height of his run ins with the law in "The Art of Peer Pressure." "Money Trees" is one of the best songs here, and the 1-2 punch of "good kid" and "m.A.A.d. city" highlights the main theme of the album. "m.A.A.d. city" also features some of Kendrick's most impressive technical skill - the most interesting feature of his rapping is how he never sticks to one cadence very long and jumps between different flows mid-song. He takes this in another direction on "Swimming Pools," where he raps as several different personas and manages to make them all sounds incredible. But the biggest highlight on the album is definitely "Sing About Me," a 12 minute long song exploring life, death, and redemption. The line "what if the rapture came and you completely tarnished" is what this album is about in a nutshell, and the spoken outro (featuring Maya Angelou of all people) is one of the best examples of Kendrick exploring religion without sounding preachy. Wise beyond his years, this is the rap album to show your friends who wonder what the genre has to offer. [First added to this chart: 01/30/2014]
Year of Release:
2012
Appears in:
Rank Score:
23,833
Rank in 2012:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 2. Page 1 of 1
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 4 | 4% | |
| 1970s | 9 | 9% | |
| 1980s | 8 | 8% | |
| 1990s | 23 | 23% | |
| 2000s | 28 | 28% | |
| 2010s | 28 | 28% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Modest Mouse | 3 | 3% | |
| Songs: Ohia | 2 | 2% | |
| Sufjan Stevens | 2 | 2% | |
| Kendrick Lamar | 2 | 2% | |
| Kanye West | 2 | 2% | |
| Carissa's Wierd | 1 | 1% | |
| At The Drive-In | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 44 from 79th to 35th E•Mo•Tion by Carly Rae Jepsen |
| Up 35 from 45th to 10th Songs About Leaving by Carissa's Wierd |
| Up 29 from 76th to 47th The Glow Pt. 2 by The Microphones |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 32 from 57th to 89th Dig Me Out by Sleater-Kinney |
| Down 29 from 26th to 55th The Suburbs by Arcade Fire |
| Down 29 from 52nd to 81st Crack The Skye by Mastodon |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Favorite Album Covers | babyBlueSedan | Custom chart | 2018 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s | babyBlueSedan | 2000s decade chart | 2021 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s | babyBlueSedan | 2010s decade chart | 2021 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | bkogz | Overall chart | 2021 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums |  Mattdup279 | Overall chart | 2020 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | blackflag29 | Overall chart | 2019 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | babyBlueSedan | 1990s decade chart | 2021 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | gravityrider999 | Overall chart | 2019 |  |
| BEA Forum Regulars' Top 100 (2015) |  HigherThanTheSun | Custom chart | 2015 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums |  ledemoncleaner | Overall chart | 2018 | |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
94/100 (from 152 votes)
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 152 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
100/100  | 03/25/2025 19:59 | DrewHamster | | 79/100 |
100/100 | 01/15/2025 16:18 | Exist-en-ciel | | 99/100 |
100/100 | 06/25/2024 09:53 |  ssteve | | 92/100 |
90/100 | 01/16/2023 22:04 | Johnnyo | | 80/100 |
90/100 | 05/21/2022 09:11 |  Timestarter | | 90/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some charts can have several thousand ratings)
This chart is rated in the top 1% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 93.7/100, a mean average of 93.7/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 94.2/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 7.6.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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90/100
From Johnnyo 01/16/2023 22:05
Great chart and the work that has gone into each entry. Wow! Brilliant stuff
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From leniad 08/31/2021 21:02
good writing and good taste
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From weyesgroove 09/29/2020 16:32
cool chart man. love the descriptions.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
Keatownrodriguez 10/28/2019 21:19
Keatownrodriguez 10/28/2019 21:19
Any chart with this much time put into it is so cool to me
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From pctrooper 10/04/2019 19:23
These notes are so detailed and helpful for advocating your choices. You must really know how to listen to music and listen to it hard. Great albums, too.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From eharrell 07/24/2019 00:02
Best Chart ever
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From tk421ucopy 07/23/2019 19:24
incredible. you have a different taste in music, but wow these descriptions are prime
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
DommeDamian 07/23/2019 12:00
DommeDamian 07/23/2019 12:00
Is there a limit of how much inspiration, this chart can give?
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From xXhermitXx 10/18/2018 04:05
Holy crap what a chart, have a bunch in common with me and a whole list of new ones to check out, i also loved your descriptions.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
jdenny2018 10/18/2018 01:19
jdenny2018 10/18/2018 01:19
This is one of the most amazing things I've ever read
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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