Black Music Month 2023: Iconic Albums We Own on Every Platform

Some albums are so essential they aren’t just lifelong favorites, they’re actually the soundtrack to our lives. No matter how many times you listen to them, they always take you back to special moments. From vinyl, to cassette tapes, to CDs, to digital, those memories don’t change with technology. They just become easier to access whenever we want. To celebrate Black Music Month, let’s take a look at some of the influential artists who have created the albums we’ve owned on every platform.

Sometimes an album comes along and it adds such a unique voice to a genre, it changes the way we feel about music forever. When Outkast released ATLiens, it introduced the world to a hip-hop sound they didn’t know they were missing. It’s the literal definition of a game-changer.

How do you follow up the best-selling album of all time? You don’t even try. With the whole world anticipating what he would do after Thriller, Michael went in a new direction, delivering a groundbreaking late ‘80s sound and a whole new crop of instant classics.

Being from Southern California, I can tell you that it’s actually a state requirement that when “Nuthin’ But a G Thang” comes on, you must stop what you’re doing, get up and rap the entire song with Snoop Dogg swagger.

Obviously, we had to include the best-selling album of all time. Name another album where every single track is a single.

There is no better transition between tracks than “I Would Die 4 U” into “Baby I’m a Star” into “Purple Rain.”

This is the greatest album of all time, and it’s not even close. Stevie Wonder is in his full musical genius bag on this one. I listen to this album at least once a month because it just makes me happy.

While I tried to stay away from greatest hits compilations, you can’t skip Legend. This Bob Marley collection is a brilliant representation of not just the Black experience, but the human experience.

Ask a middle-aged Black woman and I guarantee she has a story about how Control changed her life. “Control,” “Pleasure Principle,” “Nasty” and “Let’s Wait Awhile” are generation-defining classics.

This is THE break up record. From “Lost Ones” to “Everything is Everything,” Lauryn Hill brilliantly takes you through every emotional beat of your heartbreak. It’s exactly what you need, when you need it most.

Anita Baker at the peak of her powers, destroying every other R&B singer in the ‘80s. Honestly, this is a masterclass of vocal perfection.

Say what you will about the way Usher confesses to infidelity on the title track, this album was a clear signal that Usher was moving from heartthrob to R&B elder statesman.

This is the breakup album for those early stages when you’re still deep in your heartbreak. This is what you need when you’re working through loss, anger and triumph when you get to “Not Gon’ Cry.”

Has any artist ever given a clearer view of who they are on their debut album? From the moment she started singing on “Rimshot” and “On & On,” Erykah Badu let us know exactly what kind of artist she was, and what we could expect from her music. And she’s never disappointed us since.

Marvin Gaye is such a brilliant artist, he gave us music that made us fall in love, get up and dance and fight the system. And as if that wasn’t enough, all that music is timeless, so it still delivers an emotional release today.

If you’re a fan of smooth, romantic R&B—and why wouldn’t you be—Maxwell’s debut album is probably still your favorite. Don’t tell me you don’t still feel some kind of way when you hear his voice on “Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder).”

Look, you don’t need me to tell you that Earth, Wind & Fire are everything, but just in case, the group lets you know on this classic album featuring “Shining Star” and “Reasons.”

If I’m being honest, this could have just been a list of Prince albums. Every single track demonstrates a different aspect of his genius, but for my money “Adore” is absolute perfection.

From the minute Whitney started singing on “You Give Good Love” we knew we were listening to something special. Every song was a clear signal the we were in the presence of greatness and our musical lives would never be the same.