My favourite 100 albums

December 2024

My favourite 100 albums of all time. At least at this moment. Now, these are my favourite albums, not necessarily the best albums. That would be a different list. This list is based on my personal taste, experience with- and emotional connections to these albums. I decided that they had to be albums that I enjoy as a whole. So a lot of albums that have some of my favourite songs on it are not in here simply because I don't like the full album that much. And of course there’s still a lot of albums that I haven’t listened to, or not enough to have a connection with. Making the top 20 was quite easy, but putting the next 80 in order became a bit more difficult. Deciding what becomes number 65 or 72 is much harder than deciding what becomes number 3 or 7 somehow. Still, I really enjoyed doing this and I’m happy to have this list as a reference point for whatever reason. Feel free to listen to some albums of this list. Or not. That’s up to you. But at least give Blonde a try.

  1. Frank Ocean - Blonde (2016)

  2. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (1959)

  3. Maze ft. Frankie Beverly - Live in New Orleans (1981)

  4. D'angelo - Brown Sugar (1995)

  5. J Dilla - Donuts (2006)

  6. A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders (1993)

  7. Erykah Badu - Baduizm (1997)

  8. Kanye West - Graduation (2007)

  9. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN. (2017)

  10. Gregory Porter - Be Good (2012)

  11. Guru - Jazzmatazz. Vol. 1 (1993)

  12. Common - Be (2005)

  13. Q-Tip - The Renaissance (2008)

  14. Robert Glasper Experiment - Black Radio (2012)

  15. Chance the Rapper - Coloring Book (2016)

  16. Zwangere Guy & Lander Gyselinck - Pourriture Noble (2022)

  17. Frank Ocean - channel ORANGE (2012)

  18. Solange - When I Get Home (2019)

  19. Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - The Main Ingredient (1994)

  20. Logic - No Pressure (2020)

  21. Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak (2008)

  22. D'Angelo - Voodoo (2000)

  23. Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007)

  24. Snoh Aalegra - Ugh, Those Feels Again (2019)

  25. Madvillain - Madvillainy (2004)

  26. Nas - Illmatic (1994)

  27. Logic - Everybody (2017)

  28. Flying Lotus - Until the Quiet Comes (2012)

  29. A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory (1991)

  30. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out (1959)

  31. James Brown - The Payback (1973)

  32. Mac Miller - Circles (2020)

  33. Typhoon - Tussen Licht en Lucht (2007)

  34. Little Brother - The Listening (2003)

  35. Silk Sonic - An Evening with Silk Sonic (2021)

  36. The RH Factor - Hard Groove (2003)

  37. Michael Jackson - Off the Wall (1979)

  38. Jeru the Damaja - The Sun Rises in the East (1994)

  39. InI - Center of Attention (2003)

  40. Opgezwolle - Vloeistof (2003)

  41. Restoring Poetry in Music - Dream Awake (2004)

  42. Ahmad Jamal Trio - The Awakening (1970)

  43. The xx - xx (2009)

  44. Little Simz - NO THANK YOU (2022)

  45. Daft Punk - Discovery (2001)

  46. Chance the Rapper - Acid Rap (2013)

  47. Lupe Fiasco - The Cool (2007)

  48. Dela - Changes of Atmosphere (2008)

  49. Joey Bada$$ - 1999 (2012)

  50. Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life (1976)

  51. Mount Kimbie - Cold Spring Fault Less Youth (2013)

  52. OutKast - Aquemini (1998)

  53. St Germain - Tourist (2000)

  54. D'Angelo and the Vanguard - Black Messiah (2014)

  55. Drake - Nothing Was the Same (2013)

  56. The Jacksons - Destiny (1978)

  57. Sister Sledge - Love Somebody Today (1980)

  58. Goodie Mob - Soul Food (1995)

  59. Rodriguez - Cold Fact (1970)

  60. Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)

  61. Solange - A Seat at the Table (2016)

  62. Masta Ace - MA_DOOM: Son of Yvonne (2012)

  63. Kanye West - The College Dropout (2004)

  64. Motor City Drum Ensemble - Raw Cuts Vol.1 (2009)

  65. Curtis Mayfield - Curtis (1970)

  66. Drake - Views (2016)

  67. The Roots - Things Fall Apart (1999)

  68. José James - No Beginning No End (2013)

  69. The Internet - Ego Death (2015)

  70. A Tribe Called Quest - We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service (2016)

  71. John Coltrane - Blue Train (1957)

  72. Craig David - Born to Do It (2000)

  73. Black Moon - Enta da Stage (1993)

  74. A Tribe Called Quest - People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990)

  75. Loleatta Holloway - Cry to Me (1975)

  76. Nina Simone - Wild Is the Wind (1966)

  77. Kern Koppen - ÉÉN (2009)

  78. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On (1971)

  79. The Pharcyde - Labcabincalifornia (1995)

  80. Cleo Sol - Rose in the Dark (2020)

  81. Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder & Kamasi Washington - Dinner Party (2020)

  82. Bonobo - The North Borders (2013)

  83. Nightmares on Wax - In a Space Outta Sound (2006)

  84. King Krule - 6 Feet Beneath the Moon (2013)

  85. Common - Like Water for Chocolate (2000)

  86. Michael Jackson - Thriller (1982)

  87. Black Star - Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star (1998)

  88. Jazz Liberatorz - Clin d'Oeil (2008)

  89. Eric B. & Rakim - Don't Sweat the Technique (1992)

  90. Main Source - Breaking Atoms (1991)

  91. Funkadelic - Maggot Brain (1971)

  92. Disclosure - Settle (2013)

  93. Illa J - Yancey Boys (2008)

  94. Loyle Carner - Not Waving, but Drowning (2019)

  95. Chase and Status - No More Idols (2011)

  96. Bahamadia - Kollage (1996)

  97. Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek - Train of Thought (2000)

  98. KC and The Sunshine Band - KC and The Sunshine Band (1975)

  99. Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)

  100. Childish Gambino - Awaken, My Love! (2016)