Beyoncé, Radiohead and Carole King highlight Apple Music 100 Best Album entries 40-31

James Powel, USA TODAY
Updated ·2 min read
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The Apple Music 100 Best Albums of all-time list entered the home stretch Sunday as the tech giant released entries 40 to 31.

The set of albums sees Beyoncé enter the list with her self-titled 2013 album, along with Soul legend Aretha Franklin and folk icon Carole King. Three landmark hip-hop albums — "Illmatic" by Nas; "Enter the Wu-Tang (38-Chambers)" by The Wu-Tang Clan; and "Ready to Die" by the Notorious B.I.G. — are also included in Apple's fresh release.

Apple Music will release new album rankings every day for the next three days. Albums 30 to 21 are set to be released Monday at noon ET, while the number one album will be announced Wednesday.

Here are the latest entries in Apple Music's 100 Best Albums list.

Apple Music 100 Best Albums 40 to 31

  • 40: "I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You" - Aretha Franklin

  • 39: "Illmatic" - Nas

  • 38: "Tapestry" - Carole King

  • 37: "Enter the Wu-Tang (38-Chambers)" - The Wu-Tang Clan

  • 36: "BEYONCÉ" - Beyoncé

  • 35: "London Calling" - The Clash

  • 34: "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" - Public Enemy

  • 33: "Kid-A" - Radiohead

  • 32: "Ready to Die" - The Notorious B.I.G.

  • 31: "Jagged Little Pill" - Alanis Morissette

Beyonce is pictured accepting the Innovator Award onstage during the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Beyonce is pictured accepting the Innovator Award onstage during the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

What is the Apple 100 Best Albums list?

In a news release, Apple said that the list was chosen by a committee that included artists, Apple Music employees, and industry insiders and that it is a "love letter to the records that have shaped the world we live and listen in." The California-based company said that it did not factor in streaming statistics when compiling the list.

Notable albums that have not made an appearance in Apple's list include "Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and "Bad", The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Harts Club Band" and Frank Sinatra's "In the Wee Small Hours."

Artists Nile Rodgers and Maggie Rogers will take part in a roundtable discussion with Zane Lowe, Apple Music’s global creative director, and radio personality Ebro Darden when the top 10 are revealed on May 22. Apple has a website to help fans keep track of the countdown and has produced shoulder content on Apple Music Radio.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Apple Music 100 Best Album list: Beyoncé and Nas enter the mix