From their ‘Greatest Singers Ever’ to the ‘Top 200 Songs of the 80s,’ ‘100 Best R&B Songs of the 21st Century,’ and more, Rolling Stone has gotten tongues wagging and side-eyes galore over the years from music lovers and critics for their polarizing rankings on “best-ever” tallies.
After garnering the aforementioned responses when their ‘500 Greatest Albums of All Time’ list was first printed in 2003, the magazine quietly revised the list in December 2023 – an update that not altered the order of the included projects but removed some all together.
Among the surprising placements is Amy Winehouse‘s ‘Back to Black’ and Beyonce’s 2022 smash ‘Renaissance.’
The youngest entrant in the top 100, Bey’s critically acclaimed ‘Renaissance’ project – which infamously lost out at the GRAMMYs for Album of the Year – was listed at #71 on the mag’s updated take on the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The placement marks the highest any album released this decade received.
Among all 500 projects, Bey’s 2016 masterpiece, ‘Lemonade,’- which also lost out on the GRAMMYs AOTY honors the year it was nominated – was crowned the overall greatest female album of the century, besting major titles like Adele‘s ’21,’ Norah Jones’ ‘Come Away with Me,’ Mary J. Blige’s ‘TheBreakthrough,’ Mariah Carey’s ‘Emancipation fo Mimi,’ Alicia Keys’ ‘Songs in A Minor,’ Christina Aguilera‘s ‘Stripped,’ and more.
The news comes shortly after the mag also named Bey’s ‘Dangerously in Love (Part 2)’ the best R&B song of the century.
On the ‘500 Greatest Albums’ tally, Amy Winehouse‘s ‘Back to Black‘ was voted the second greatest female opus to be released since 2000.
See how the three stacked against the all-time greats on the list.
Rolling Stone’s Greatest Albums of All Time (Female)
*updated on December 31, 2023*
- Joni Mitchell’s ‘Blue’ (1971)
- Lauryn Hill’s ‘Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ (1998)
- Aretha Franklin’s ‘I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You’ (1967)
- Carole King’s ‘Tapestry’ (1971)
- Patti Smith’s ‘Horses’ (1975)
- Beyonce’s ‘Lemonade’ (2016)
- Amy Winehouse’s ‘Back to Black’ (2006)
- Liz Phair’s ‘Exile in Guyville’ (1993)
- Kate Bush’s ‘Hounds of Love’ (1985)
- Alanis Morissette’s ‘Jagged Little Pill’ (1995)
- Beyonce’s ‘Renaissance’ (2022)
Click here to see the full list.
Never own an album by a satanic worshipper like her. Next?
Truth…I smell garbage is written all over her.
Mehyonce will hide herself again once Trump get elected
What ‘they’ did to Aliyah is unforgivable!!!!
Yassss!
Aaliyah was sacrificed…it was NOT a coincidence.
Tupac and Biggie too
How OLD is Beyonce REALLY?????
🙄🙄🙄🙄
How many producers and ghost writers?
56???
😆
The female version of Milli Vanilli of Gen X,Y,Z
😆
I rimmed Drake!!
Mariah be laughing hard. How many albums she sold physically? None her song has achieved My All or We Belong Together’s level so far not even Riri’s Umbrella or Diamond. Sorry thats the fact!
The GRAMMYs like Rolling Stone no longer have credibility. They give prizes to whoever they want and it seems that the jury is not the most qualified. And the fact that a project has many writers should not be considered that way, since in the end what they should evaluate would be only the art of the album/EP by itself, not who did or did not do part, as if they were evaluating a college project.
Why? She ended Pariah?
“The GRAMMYs like Rolling Stone no longer have credibility. ”
Agree 💯
Gross. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was way better. Beyonce must be fn Satan. They give this demonic hoh everything.
Laudry Hill who??
Whaaaat? Most of her writing credits are due to sampling. 🙂 This should be common sense by now to BeyHIVs calling her as a queen they should have their brain scanned!
So sadddddd!
‘Break My Soul’ becomes Beyoncé’s First Solo No. 1 on the Hot 100 in 14 Years!!
And it was trash too. I heard nobody playing anywhere.
dry…just like her personality!
According to the website, Madonna has held the record since 2009, with Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé ??
I see no lies sis!!!
🙌
Wheres the post about Renaissance the film is a flop compared to Whitney Houston the movie.
Skeleton Crackney could never dance. Sit…
Whitney I want to dance with somebody still has sold more tickets worldwide……now fetch
Delu…Whitney is dead. Get over it.
Crackney… I love it sis LOL
And Cowyonce is a dancer?? Stiff at best.
Even dead her movie sold more WW
That’s her only legacy… just like your overused panties!
Hahaha and Whitney movie still sold more and that will never change like your dirty panties
Tatay sold more than Rotney’s entire career……go to bed! 🙂
Who gives a sh*t?
Absolutely no one….. 🙁
The 60 million in Whitney movie tix sales …care. ..cause Renaissance movie still sold less..
Nobody cares. Taylor ended this Bencky wannabe!!
Renaissance the movie 44.4 mill. WW
I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY THE MOVIE 60 MILLION WORLDWIDE…
Where the post how Whitney having the top film by a black female music artist..
I slept half way…..snooze fest much
Whitney is a ghost…..
Yep even as a ghost Whitney movie is still selling more tickets
I don’t see her sales in the Guinness World… so sad sis 🥴
Check the facts
Renaissance movie 44.4 million
I want to dance with somebody 60 million
🥱🥱Who cares with the dead called Rotney
What does Whitney death got to do with her selling more movie tickets than Renaissance
Thanks to her long list of engineers and producers…that makes sense! 😉
Married with ex drug pusher, didnt write her 100% of her own songs, bought her Grammys, her tours are boring ..tis gurl shady AF!
Serious Q..
Renonsense sold how many?
😆 😆 :lol
Still a flop….next?
I’m convinced she pays them because they constantly lie for her. Lemonade is a forgotten album and renaissance wasn’t that good. Renaissance film numbers prove everything I’ve said about Beyonce her career is smoke and mirrors. When she can’t control the narrative and numbers she flops.
Bey got the haters SEETHING 😈
C’mon…everyone knows she is a flake!
I will be seething even more hearing Xtina’s multiple flop albums after 10 minutes! ☝️
🙂
Only 5 Number Ones? I cant sis
Renonsense
I cant sisss.. 😆
Hahaha girlll please. Rolling stone keep digging your grave 🪦 it’s already 2 km deep.
You are a joke 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Don’t be naive yall.
Rolling Stones is using this witchcraft to sell magazines thats why!!!
Where’s Falling Into You by Céline Dion, Music Box/Daydream by Mariah, Bodyguard OST by Whitney, Ray of Light/Music by Madonna or, heck, even Craig David’s Born To Do It?!? Looks like staff is made of 20-somethings to whom 2002 albums are oldies. A disgrace.
I’m sick of her music and her projections. She’s boring af to me now. As the years have gone on, her stuff has gotten worse…trying hard haha (since 2014). I don’t get excited about her these days!
She’s got the record for Best Album with zero visual/music video promos. That’s for sure! Ps: peace. I love her album to bits.
She? You mean her team……. right?
No wonder album sales are down!
Sampling, hiring multiple producers and get the album of the century?
I agreed w/ the list until I reached #6
She sucks
🥱🥱Who cares??
This simply shows, that the Rolling Stones Magazine has no idea, about music whatsoever. Simply not…. While she is a major artist and both records were great, there were many many many more relevant and better records. Well, it‘s just another opinion I guess.