Rolling Stone has compiled its picks for the 250 greatest albums of the 21st century, and Beyoncé‘s Lemonade reigns supreme. The album’s praised for having the best “storytelling, revelation, and cultural resonance” in comparison to her other projects, as well as Bey’s vulnerability.
“Lemonade has always been … more than just an album,” the mag writes. “It’s a music film as layered, gorgeous, and haunting as a canonical drama, a matrix of generational heartbreak, a celebration of legacy, and a hand-drawn map to the intersections of many Black women’s interpersonal and political lives.”
Also making the top five is Frank Ocean‘s 2016 album, Blonde, at #3 and Outkast‘s Stankonia from 2000 at #4. “The wildest, most out-there hip-hop blockbuster ever made,” as Rolling Stone calls it, partially went viral because of “André 3000’s outrageous evolution away from any concept of style or genre,” and was the last time he and Big Boi “truly connected on a single CD.”
Good kid, m.A.A.d city, the 2012 album by Kendrick Lamar, came in at #6, followed by SZA‘s SOS at #7, which continues to break records following the release of its Lana deluxe.
Kanye West lands at #8 with 2010’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, while D’Angelo‘s Voodoo secured the 11th spot.
Jay-Z‘s The Blueprint, released in 2001 with “so many quotable lines it ought to have its own section in the Library of Congress,” was picked for #12, while his wife, Bey, secured a second spot on the list: her self-titled album was chosen as the 16th greatest of the 21st century.
Missy Elliott‘s Under Construction came in at #18, Rihanna‘s Anti is #21 and Take Care by Drake is #22.
The full list is on RollingStone.com.
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