Showing posts with label beastie boys. Show all posts

Saturday, March 7, 2026

The Top 50 Rap/Hip-Hop Acts of All Time

Rap/Hip-Hop:

Top 50 Acts

This list was created by aggregating more than 50 best-of-all-time lists focused on rap singers and groups. All those acts featured on 3 or more lists were then re-ordered based on their overall status in Dave’s Music Database.

See other lists of Acts/Music Makers by Genre.

1. Drake
2. Eminem
3. Kanye West
4. Jay-Z
5. Dr. Dre
6. Kendrick Lamar
7. Beastie Boys
8. OutKast/André 3000
9. Sean (“Puff Daddy” aka “P.Diddy” and “Diddy”) Combs
10. Tupac Shakur (2pac)

11. Post Malone
12. Lil Wayne
13. Public Enemy
14. LL Cool J
15. 50 Cent
16. Run-D.M.C.
17. The Notorious B.I.G.
18. Ludacris
19. Nicki Minaj
20. Black Eyed Peas

21. T.I.
22. Snoop Dogg
23. Nelly
24. Lauryn Hill
25. Missy Elliott
26. Flo Rida
27. will.i.am
28. Timbaland
29. Nas
30. Ice Cube

31. N.W.A.
32. Busta Rhymes
33. A Tribe Called Quest
34. Cardi B
35. Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five
36. Tyler, the Creator
37. MC Hammer
38. J. Cole
39. Will Smith/DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince
40. Wu-Tang Clan

41. Eric B. & Rakim
42. DMX
43. Fugees
44. Future
45. Arrested Development
46. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
47. Eazy-E
48. Chance the Rapper
49. Salt-N-Pepa
50. Ja Rule

Resources/Related Links:

Dave’s Music Database: Lists of Acts/Music Makers by Genre
Dave’s Music Database: The Top 100 Rap Albums of All Time
Dave’s Music Database: The Top 100 Rap/Hip-Hop Songs of All Time

First posted 5/3/2017; last updated 3/7/2026.

Thursday, February 13, 2025

Grammy Hall of Fame: Albums

Grammy Hall of Fame:

Albums, 1973-2025

From the Grammy Hall of Fame website: “The GRAMMY Hall of Fame was established by the Recording Academy's National Trustees in 1973 to honor recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance that are at least 25 years old. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of the recording arts.”

Dave’s Music Database has listed all the recipients from 1973 to present on two separate pages, one for songs and one for albums. Click here to see songs which have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Check out other Hall of Fame-style album awards here.

Year of Induction: Performer Album (year released)

2013: AC/DC Back in Black (1980)
1999: Cannonball Adderley Live in San Francisco (live, 1959)
2021: Cannonball Adderley Mercy Mercy Mercy! Live at 'The Club' (live, 1967)
1999: The Allman Brothers At Fillmore East (live, 1971)
2020: The Allman Brothers Band Eat a Peach (studio/live, 1972)
2006: Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg, & Herbert Stothart (composers) The Wizard of Oz (soundtrack, 1939)
2012: Harold Arlen/Johnny Mercer (composers) St. Louis Woman (cast, 1946)
2010: Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy (1954)
2001: Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald Porgy and Bess (1958)
1999: Fred Astaire & the Oscar Peterson Quintet The Astaire Story (1952)

1978: Johann Sebastian Bach (composer)/Leopold Stowoski (conductor)/Philadelphia Orchestra (performer) Toccata and Fugue for Organ in D Minor (classical, composed 1708; performed 1927)
1998: Johann Sebastian Bach (composer)/Joseph Szigeti (performer) Violin Sonata No. 1 (classical, composed 1720; performed 1931)
1985: Johann Sebastian Bach (composer)/Pablo Casals (performer) Cello Suites (6) (classical, composed 1719-1723; performed 1936-39)
1983: Johann Sebastian Bach (composer)/Glenn Gould (performer) Goldberg Variations (classical, composed 1741, performed 1956)
1986: Johann Sebastian Bach (composer)/Wanda Landowska (performer) Goldberg Variations (classical, composed 1741, performed 1945)
1977: Johann Sebastian Bach (composer)/Wanda Landowska (performer) The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I (classical, composed 1742; performed 1949-54)
2011: Joan Baez Joan Baez (1960)
1998: The Band Music from Big Pink (1968)
1999: The Band The Band (1969)
2007: Samuel Barber (composer)/Leonard Bernstein (conductor)/New York Philharmonic with Isaac Stern (performers) Violin Concerto Op. 14 (classical, composed 1940; performed 1964)
2008: Lionel Bart (composer) Oliver! (cast, 1960)
1987: Béla Bartók (composer)/Juilliard Quartet (performer) The String Quartets (classical, composed 1908-39; performed 1950)
1989: Béla Bartók (composer)/Joseph Szigeti/Benny Goodman (performers) Contrasts for Violin, Clarinet, & Piano (classical, composed 1940; performed 1940)
1998: Béla Bartók (composer)/Fritz Reiner (conductor)/Chicago Symphony Orchestra (performer) Concerto for Orchestra (classical, composed 1943; performed 1956)
1998: The Beach Boys Pet Sounds (1966)
2021: Beastie Boys Licensed to Ill (1986)
2001: The Beatles Meet the Beatles! (1964)
2000: The Beatles A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
2000: The Beatles Rubber Soul (1965)
1999: The Beatles Revolver (1966)
1993: The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
2000: The Beatles The Beatles (aka “The White Album”) (1968)
1995: The Beatles Abbey Road (1969)
1996: Ludwig van Beethoven (composer)/Jascha Heifetz/Arturo Toscanini (conductors)/NBC Symphony Orchestra (performer) Violin Concerto in D Major (classical, composed 1806; performed 1940)
2008: Ludwig van Beethoven (composer)/Arthur Nikisch (conductor)/Berlin Philharmonic (performer) Symphony No. 5 (classical, composed 1808; performed 1914)
1989: Ludwig van Beethoven (composer)/Artur Schnabel (piano)/Malcolm Sargent (conductor)/London Symphony & London Philharmonic (performers) Piano Concertos (5) (classical, composed 1797-1811; performed 1955)
2008: Ludwig van Beethoven (composer)/George Szell (conductor)/Cleveland Orchestra (performer) Piano Concertos (5) (classical, composed 1797-1811; performed 1959-61)
2007: Ludwig van Beethoven (composer)/Arturo Toscanini (conductor)/New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra (performer) Symphony No. 7 (classical, composed 1812, performed 1936)
1975: Ludwig van Beethoven (composer)/Artur Schnabel (performer) Piano Sonatas (32) (classical, composed 1795-1822; performed 1932-38)
1977: Ludwig van Beethoven (composer)/Arturo Toscanini (conductor)/NBC Symphony Orchestra (performer) The Symphonies (9) (classical, composed 1800-1824; performed 1950-53)
1981: Ludwig van Beethoven (composer)/Budapest String Quartet (performer) String Quartets (16) (classical, composed 1798-1826; performed 1952)
2015: Harry Belafonte Calypso (1956)
1999: Harry Belafonte At Carnegie Hall (1959)
2008: George Benson Breezin’ (1976)
1990: Alban Berg (composer)/Dimitri Mitropoulos (conductor)/New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Mack Harrell, Eileen Farrell (performers) Wozzeck (classical, composed 1922; performed 1952)
1998: Irving Berlin (music & lyrics) Annie Get Your Gun (cast, 1946)
1998: Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim/Richard Wilbur (composers) Candide (cast, 1956)
1991: Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim (composers) West Side Story (cast, 1957)
2004: Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim (composers) West Side Story (soundtrack, 1961)
2019: Leonard Bernstein (composer) Mass: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers (classical, composed 1971)
2007: Big Brother & the Holding Company Cheap Thrills (1968)
2025: Big Star #1 Record (1972)
2008: Georges Bizet (composer)/Fritz Reiner (conductor)/RCA Victor Orchestra et al (performers) Carmen (opera, composed 1873-74; performed 1951)
1999: Blackwood Brothers Quartet Favorite Gospel Songs and Spirituals (1951)
2000: Art Blakey Quintet A Night at Birdland (1954)
1998: Marc Blitzstein (composer) The Cradle Will Rock (cast, 1938)
1999: Ernest Bloch (composer)/Leopold Stokowski (conductor)/Philadelphia Orchestra (performer) Schelomo (classical, composed 1916; performed 1940)
1999: Blood, Sweat & Tears Child Is Father to the Man (1968)
1998: Jerry Bock/Sheldon Harnick (composers) Fiddler on the Roof (cast, 1964)
1999: David Bowie The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
1999: Johannes Brahms (composer)/Jascha Heifetz/Emanuel Feuermann/Artur Rubinstein (performers) Piano Trio No. 1 in B Major (classical, composed 1854; performed 1942)
1998: Lord Benjamin Britten (composer) War Requiem (1962)
1999: Clifford Brown and Max Roach Clifford Brown and Max Roach (1954)
1998: James Brown Live at the Apollo Volume 1 (live, 1962)
2019: Jackson Browne Saturate Before Using (aka Jackson Browne) (1972)
2009: Dave Brubeck Time Out (1959)
2000: The Byrds Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968)

2010: George Carlin Class Clown (comedy, 1972)
1999: Walter Carlos Switched on Bach (1969)
2021: The Cars The Cars (1978)
2018: Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison (live, 1968)
2004: Johnny Cash At San Quentin (live, 1969)
1999: Ray Charles In Person (live, 1959)
1997: Ray Chares The Genius of Ray Charles (1960)
2011: Ray Charles Genius + Soul = Jazz (1961)
1999: Ray Charles Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (1962)
2011: Clifton Chenier Bogalusa Boogie (1976)
2014: Chicago Chicago Transit Authority (1969)
2004: Frédéric Chopin (composer)/Artur Rubinstein (performer) Nocturnes (21) for Piano (classical, composed 1846; performed 1965)
1998: Frédéric Chopin (composer)/Dinu Lipatti (performer) Waltzes (14) (classical, composed 1847; performed 1952)
2006: Frédéric Chopin (composer)/Artur Rubinstein (performer) Waltzes (14) (classical, composed 1847; performed 1965)
2003: Frédéric Chopin (composer)/Artur Rubinstein (performer) Mazurkas (58) (classical, composed 1830-49; performed 1967)
1998: Frank Churchill (composer) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (soundtrack, 1938)
2000: Derek & the Dominos Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970)
2007: The Clash London Calling (1979)
1999: Reverend James Cleveland Peace Be Still (1962)
2021: Joe Cocker Mad Dogs and Englishmen (live, 1970)
2015: Leonard Cohen The Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967)
2020: The King Cole Trio The King Cole Trio (1945)
2015: Ornette Coleman The Shape of Jazz to Come (1959)
1999: John Coltrane Blue Train (1957)
2016: John Coltrane Lush Life (1961)
2008: John Coltrane Ballads (1962)
2013: John Cotrane and Johnny Hartman John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman (1963)
1999: John Coltrane A Love Supreme (1965)
2007: Aaron Copland (composer)/Antal Dorati (conductor)/Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (performer) Symphony No. 3 (classical, composed 1846; performed 1951)
Aaron Copland (composer/conductor)/Boston Symphony (performer) Appalachian Spring (ballet, composed 1944; performed 1959)
2012: Bill Cosby I Started Out as a Child (comedy, 1964)
2007: Elvis Costello My Aim Is True (7/22/77)
1999: Cream: Disraeli Gears (1967)
2014: Creedence Clearwater Revival Cosmo’s Factory (1970)
1999: Crosby, Stills & Nash Crosby, Stills & Nash (1969)
2012: Crosby, Stills & Nash/Neil Young Déjà Vu (1970)
2025: J.D. Crowe & the New South J.D. Crowe & the New South (1975)

1982: Miles Davis Birth of the Cool (recorded 1949-50, released 1957)
2014: Miles Davis Relaxin’ (1956)
2019: Miles Davis Round About Midnight (1957)
1994: Miles Davis & Gil Evans Miles Ahead (1957)
2004: Miles Davis Milestones (1958)
2000: Miles Davis & Gil Evans Porgy and Bess (1958)
1997: Miles Davis & Gil Evans Sketches of Spain (1960)
2016: Miles Davis Miles Smiles (1966)
1999: Miles Davis Bitches Brew (1970)
1998: Claude Debussy (composer)/Walter Gieseking (performer) Préludes (24) for Piano, Books I & II, L117/123 (classical ballet, composed 1909-13; performed 1953-55)
2024: De La Soul 3 Feet High and Rising (1989)
2020: Devo Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo (1978)
2018: Dr. Dre The Chronic (1992)
2021: Dr. John In the Right Place (1973)
1998: Antonin Dvorák (composer)/Pablo Casals/George Szell (conductor)/Czech Philharmonic Orchestra (performer) Cello Concerto in B minor (classical, composed 1895; performed 1938)
2006: Bob Dylan Bringing It All Back Home (1965)
1999: Bob Dylan Blonde on Blonde (1966)
2016: Bob Dylan & The Band The Basement Tapes (archives, recorded 1967-68, released 1975)
2015: Bob Dylan Blood on the Tracks (1975)

2000: Eagles Desperado (1973)
2008: Eagles Hotel California (1976)
2004: Earth, Wind & Fire That’s the Way of the World (soundtrack, 1975)
2007: Edward Elgar (composer)/London Symphony Orchestra (performer) Violin Concerto (classical, composed/performed 1932)
2004: Duke Ellington At Newport (live, 1956)
1999: Duke Ellington Far East Suite (recorded 1966, released 6/67)
2007: Bill Evans Trio Portrait in Jazz (1959)
2011: Bill Evans Trio Sunday at the Village Vanguard (live, 1961)
1998: Bill Evans Trio Waltz for Debby (recorded 1961)
2000: Bill Evans Conversations with Myself (1963)

2000: Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book (covers, 1956)
1999: Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers and Hart Songbook (covers, 1956)
2016: Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong Ella & Louis (1957)
1999: Ella Fitzgerald In Berlin (1960)
2010: Ella Fitzgerald & Count Basie Ella and Basie! (1963)
2019: Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook (1959)
2016: Roberta Flack First Take (1972)
2012: Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs Foggy Mountain Jamboree (1957)
2013: Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs Foggy Mountain Banjo (1961)
2016: Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac (1975)
2003: Fleetwood Mac Rumours (1977)
2020: Peter Frampton Frampton Comes Alive! (live, recorded 1975, released 1976)
2009: Aretha Franklin I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (1967)
1999: Aretha Franklin Amazing Grace (live, 1972)
1999: Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America (comedy, 1961)

2021: Peter Gabriel So (1986)
1998: Judy Garland Judy at Carnegie Hall (live, 1961)
1999: Erroll Garner Concert by the Sea (live, recorded 1955)
1998: Marvin Gaye What’s Going On (1971)
2004: Marvin Gaye Let’s Get It On (1973)
1990: George Gershwin (composer)/Oscar Levant/Eugene Ormandy (conductors)/Philadelphia Orchestra (performer) Rhapsody in Blue (classical, composed 1924; performed 1945)
2002: George Gershwin/Ira Gershwin/Dubose Heyward (composers) Porgy and Bess (opera/musical, composed 1935)
1990: George Gershwin/Ira Gershwin/Dubose Heyward (composers) Porgy and Bess (cast album, recorded 1940-42)
2006: George & Ira Gershwin (composers) An American in Paris (classical, soundtrack, 1951)
1999: Stan Getz Focus (1961)
2010: Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd Jazz Samba (1962)
1999: Stan Getz & João Gilberto Getz/Gilberto (1963)
1975: Benny Goodman The Complete Legendary Carnegie Hall Concert (live, recorded 1938)
1999: Grateful Dead Workingman’s Dead (1970)
2016: Grateful Dead American Beauty (1970)
2007: Vince Guaraldi A Charlie Brown Christmas (TV soundtrack, 1965)
2024: Guns N’ Roses Appetite for Destruction (1987)
1998: Woody Guthrie Dust Bowl Ballads (1940)

2017: Merle Haggard Okie from Muskogee (1970)
2007: Marvin Hamlisch & Edward Kleban (composers) A Chorus Line (cast recording, stage debut: 1975)
1999: Herbie Hancock Maiden Voyage (1999)
2009: Herbie Hancock Head Hunters (1973)
2025: Emmylou Harris Wrecking Ball (1995)
2012: Roy Harris (composer)/Serge Koussevitzy (conductor)/Boston Symphony Orchestra (performer) Symphony No. 3 (classical, composed 1939, performed 1940)
2014: George Harrison All Things Must Pass (1970)
2021: Isaac Hayes Hot Buttered Soul (1969)
1999: The Jimi Hendrix Experience Are You Experienced? (1967)
2006: The Jimi Hendrix Experience Axis: Bold As Love (1967)
2018: Jimi Hendrix Band of Gypsys (live, recorded 12/31/69 to 1/1/70, released 1970)
2024: Lauryn Hill The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)
1998: The Hi-Lo’s The Hi-Lo’s and All That Jazz (1958)
2017: Billie Holiday The Lady Sings the Blues (1956)
2000: Billie Holiday Lady in Satin (1958)
2013: Whitney Houston Whitney Houston (1985)

I-J

2008: Michael Jackson Off the Wall (1979)
2008: Michael Jackson Thriller (1982)
1999: Harry James Trumpet Blues and Cantabile (1942)
2011: Keith Jarrett The Köln Concert (live, 2011)
2025: Jay-Z Reasonable Doubt (1996)
1999: Jefferson Airplane Surrealistic Pillow (1967)
1998: Gordon Jenkins Manhattan Tower (1956)
2007: Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Tompall Glaser, & Jessi Colter Wanted! The Outlaws (1976)
2008: Billy Joel The Stranger (9/29/77)
2013: Elton John Elton John (1970)
1973: Elton John Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
2008: Etta Jones Don’t Go to Strangers (1960)
2010: Janis Joplin Pearl (1971)

2008: John Kander/Fred Ebb (composers) Cabaret (soundtrack, 1972)
1991: Jerome Kern (music) & Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) Show Boat (cast, 1927)
1999: Aram Khachaturian (composer)/Wlliam Kapell with Serge Koussevitzky (conductor)/Boston Symphony Orchestra (performer) Concerto for Piano & Orchestra (classical, composed 1936, performed 1943)
1999: Albert King Born Under a Bad Sign (1967)
2006: B.B. King Live at the Regal (live, recorded 1964, released 1965)
1998: Carole King Tapestry (1971)
2008: Erich Wolfgang Korngold (composer)/Jascha Heifetz with Alfred Wallenstein (conductors)/Los Angeles Philharmonic (performer) Violin Concerto (classical, composed 1945)
2015: Kraftwerk Autobahn (1974)
2014: Kris Kristofferson Kristofferson (aka “Me and Bobby McGee”) (1970)
2025: Fela Kuti Zombie (1977)

1998: Lambert, Hendricks & Ross Sing a Song of Basie (1957)
1998: Burton Lane (composer) Finian’s Rainbow (cast, 1947)
1998: Huddie “Leadbelly” Ledbetter Negro Sinful Songs (1939)
2004: Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin I (1969)
1999: Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
2009: Mitch Leigh & Joe Darion (composers) Man of La Mancha (cast, 1965)
2011: Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Loewe (composers) Brigadoon (cast, 1947)
1977: Alan Jay Lerner/Frederick Loewe (composers) My Fair Lady (cast, 1956)
1998: Alan Jay Lerner/Frederick Loewe (composers) Gigi (soundtrack, 1958)
2006: Frederick Loewe/Alan Jay Lerner (composers) Camelot (cast, 1960)
2008: Franz Liszt (composer)/Vladimir Horowitz (performer) Piano Sonata in B Minor (classical, composed 1853, performed 1932)
2013: Little Richard Here’s Little Richard (1957)
1998: Frank Loesser (composer) Guys and Dolls (cast, 1950)
2012: Los Panchos Mexicantos (1945)
2008: Love Forever Changes (1967)

2006: Galt MacDermot (music) with Gerome Ragni & James Rado (lyrics) Hair (cast, 1967)
2020: Taj Mahal Taj Mahal (1968)
1999: Gustav Mahler (composer)/Dimitri Mitropoulos (conductor)/Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (performer) Symphony No. 1 in D major (“Titan”) (classical, composed 1884-88, performed 1941, performed 1963)
2008: Gustav Mahler (composer)/Otto Klemperer (conductor)/Philharmonia Orchestra (performer) Symphony No. 2 in C minor “Resurrection” (classical, composed 1894)
1998: Gustav Mahler (composer)/George Solti (conductor)/Chicago Symphony (performer) Symphony No. 8 in E Flat major (The Symphony of a Thousand) (classical, composed 1907, performed 1972)
1981: Gustav Mahler (composer)/Bruno Walter (conductor)/Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Kathleen Ferrier/Julius Patzak (performers) Das Lied Von Der Erde (The Song of the Earth) (classical, composed 1909, performed 1952)
2002: Gustav Mahler (composer)/Leonard Bernstein (conductor)/New York Philharmonic/London Symphony (performers) The Complete Symphonies (10) (classical, composed 1887-1910, performed 1967)
1998: Henry Mancini The Music from Peter Gunn (soundtrack, 1959)
2010: Bob Marley & the Wailers Catch a Fire (1973)
2006: Bob Marley & The Wailers Exodus (1977)
2021: John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton (1966)
1998: Curtis Mayfield Superfly (soundtrack, 1972)
2013: Paul McCartney & Wings Band on the Run (1973)
1998: Felix Mendelssohn (composer)/Fritz Kreisler/Leo Blech (conductor)/Berlin State Opera Orchestra (performer) Concerto for Violin in E Minor (classical, composed 1838-45, performed 1926)
2012: Sergio Mendes Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 (1966)
2013: Charles Mingus Ah Um (1959)
1999: Charles Mingus Mingus Dynasty (1960)
2020: Joni Mitchell Clouds (1969)
1999: Joni Mitchell Blue (1971)
2004: Joni Mitchell Court and Spark (1974)
2003: Thelonious Monk Genius of Modern Music, Vol. 1 (recorded 1947, released 1951)
2003: Thelonious Monk Genius of Modern Music, Vol. 2 (1952)
1999: Thelonious Monk Brilliant Corners (1956)
2007: Thelonious Monk & John Coltrane Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane (1957)
1999: Wes Montgomery The Incredible Jazz Guitar of… (1960)
2000: Lee Morgan The Sidewinder (1963)
2009: Ennio Morricone (composer) The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (soundtrack, 1968)
1999: Van Morrison Astral Weeks (1968)
1999: Van Morrison Moondance (1970)
1980: Ferdinand “Jelly Roll” Morton Library of Congress Recordings: The Saga of Mr. Jelly Lord (1950)
1978: Edward R. Murrow/Fred W. Friendly I Can Hear it Now, Vols. 1-3 (radio news broadcasts, 1933-45)
1998: Modest Mussorgsky (composer)/Rafael Kubelik (conductor)/Chicago Symphony Orchestra (performer) Pictures at an Exhibition (Tableaux d’une Exposition) (classical, composed for piano in 1874, reworked for orchestra in 1922, performed 1951)
1999: Modest Mussorgsky (composer)/Vladimir Horowitz (performer) Tableaux d'une Exposition (Pictures at an Exhibition) (classical, composed for piano in 1874, reworked for orchestra in 1922, performed 1951)

N-O

2015: Willie Nelson Stardust (1978)
2007: Bob Newhart The Button-Down Mind of… (comedy, 1960)
2016: Randy Newman Randy Newman (1968)
2018: Nirvana Nevermind (1991)
1998: The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Will the Circle Be Unbroken (1972)
2017: N.W.A. Straight Outta Compton (1989)
1999: Laura Nyro Laura Nyro (1966)
2018: Mike Oldfield Tubular Bells (1973)

P-Q

1989: Charlie Parker Ornithology (1946)
1988: Charlie Parker Bird with Strings (1950)
2021: Dolly Parton with Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris Trio (1987)
2019: Jaco Pastorius Jaco Pastorious (1976)
2021: Pearl Jam Ten (1991)
2019: Tom Petty Full Moon Fever (1989)
1999: Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
2008: Pink Floyd The Wall (1979)
2009: The Police Synchronicity (1983)
1998: Cole Porter (composer) Kiss Me, Kate (cast, 1949)
2016: Pretenders Pretenders (1979)
1999: Louis Prima & Kelly Smith The Wildest (1957)
2008: Prince 1999 (1982)
2011: Prince & the Revolution Purple Rain (1984)
2017: Prince Sign ‘O’ the Times (1987)
2015: John Prine John Prine (1972)
2009: Sergei Prokofiev (composer/performer)/Pierro Coppola (conductor)/London Symphony Orchestra (performer) Piano Concerto No. 3 (classical, composed 1921, performed 1932)
2009: Sergei Prokofiev (composer)/Serge Koussevitzky (conductor)/Boston Symphony Orchestra (performer)/Richard Hale (narrator) Peter and the Wolf (classical, composed 1936, performed 1939)
2013: Richard Pryor That Ni**er’s Crazy (comedy, 1974)
2020: Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)
2000: Giacomo Puccini (composer)/Sir Thomas Beecham (conductor)/de Los Angeles/Bjöerling/Merrill/Tozzi/Amara (performers) La Bohème (The Bohemian Life) (opera, composed 1896, performed 1956)
Giacomo Puccini (composer)/Victor DeSabata (conductor)/Orchestra & Chorus of Teatro Alla Scala et al (performers) Tosca (opera, composed 1900, performed 1953)

2018: Queen A Night at the Opera (1975) li>1995: The Quintet (Charlie Parker/Dizzy Gillespie/Bud Powell/Charles Mingus/Max Roach) Jazz at Massey Hall (1953)

2004: Sergei Rachmaninov (composer/pianist)/Leopold Stowoski (conductor)/Philadelphia Orchestra (performer) Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor (classical, composed 1901, performed 1929)
2004: Sergei Rachmaninov (composer)/Eugene Ormandy (conductor)/Vladimir Horowitz/Philharmonic Orchestra (performer) Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor (classical, composed 1909, performed 1978)
1979: Sergei Rachmaninov (composer/performer)/Leopold Stokowski (conductor)/Philadelphia Orchestra (performer) Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (classical, composed/performed 1934)
2015: Bonnie Raitt Nick of Time (1989)
2007: Ramones Ramones (1976)
2008: Maurice Ravel (composer)/Charles Munch (conductor)/Boston Symphony Orchestra (performer) Daphnis et Chloé (ballet, composed 1912, performed 1955)
1992: Maurice Ravel (composer/conductor)/Lamoreux Orchestra (performer) Boléro (ballet, composed 1928, performed 1937)
2021: Maurice Ravel (composer)/Leonard Bernstein & the Philharmonia Orchestra of London (conductor/performers) Piano Concerto in G Major (classical concerto, composed 1931, performed 1948)
1999: Carl Reiner & Mel Brooks 2000 and Thirteen (comedy, 1973)
2020: Joshu Rifkin Piano Rags by Scott Joplin (1970)
1980: Paul Robeson Ballad for Americans (1940)
1976: Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II (composers) Oklahoma! (cast, 1944)
1998: Richard Rodgers (music) & Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) Carousel (cast, 1945)
1987: Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II (composers) South Pacific (cast, 1949)
2000: Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II (composers) The King and I (cast, 1951)
1998: Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II (composers) The Sound of Music (soundtrack, 1965)
1999: The Rolling Stones Beggars Banquet (1968)
2005: The Rolling Stones Let It Bleed (1969)
1999: The Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers (1971)
2012: The Rolling Stones Exile on Main Street (1972)
1999: Sonny Rollins Saxophone Colossus (1956)
2015: Sonny Rollins The Bridge (1962)
2018: Linda Ronstadt Heart Like a Wheel (1975)
2021: Linda Ronstadt Canciones de Mi Padre (Songs of My Father) (1987)

2012: Santana Santana (1969)
1999: Santana Abraxas (1970)
2025: Supernatural (1999)
2007: Arnold Schoenberg (composer)/Leopold Stokowski (conductor)/Philadelphia Orchestra (performer) Gurre-Lieder (classical, composed 1900-10, performed 1932)
2021: Arnold Schoenberg (composer) / Kolisch String Quartet (performers) Four String Quartets (classical, composed 1905-1937, performed 1937)
2011: Robert Schumann (composer)/Sergei Rachmaninov (performer) Carnaval Op. 9 (classical, composed 1834-35, performed 1929)
1999: Pete Seeger We Shall Overcome: Complete Carnegie Hall Concert (live, 1963)
1998: Andreas Segovia (composer) Music of Albéniz & Granados (classical, 1944)
1999: Andreas Segovia (composer) An Evening with… (classical, 1954)
2015: The Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols (1977)
2014: Richard M. Sherman/Robert B. Sherman (composers) Mary Poppins (soundtrack, 1964)
2007: Dmitry Shostakovich (composer)/Leonard Bernstein (conductor)/New York Philharmonic (performer) Symphony No. 5 in D minor (classical, composed 1937, performed 1959)
2003: Dmitry Shostakovich (composer)/David Oistrakh/Dimitri Mitropoulos (conductor)/New York Philharmonic (performer) Violin Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 99 (classical, composed 1948, performed 1956)
2008: Dmitry Shostakovich (composer)/Eugene Ormandy (conductor)/Philadelphia Orchestra et al (performers) Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, No. 1 in E-flat, Op. 107 (classical, composed 1959, performed 1960)
1999: Horace Silver Song for My Father (1964)
1999: Simon & Garfunkel Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme (1966)
2000: Paul Simon Still Crazy After All These Years (1975)
2012: Paul Simon Graceland (1986)
1984: Frank Sinatra In the Wee Small Hours (1955)
2000: Frank Sinatra Songs for Swingin’ Lovers! (1956)
2004: Frank Sinatra Come Fly with Me (1957)
1999: Frank Sinatra Only the Lonely (1958)
1999: Frank Sinatra September of My Years (1965)
2019: Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim Francis Albert Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim (1967)
2015: Sly & the Family Stone Stand! (1969)
1999: Sly & the Family Stone There’s a Riot Goin’ On (1971)
2021: Patti Smith Horses (1975)
Stephen Sondheim (music & lyrics) Company (cast, 1970)
1999: Phil Spector (producer)/various artists (performers) A Christmas Gift for You (1963)
2001: Dusty Springfield Dusty in Memphis (1969)
2021: Bruce Springsteen Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. (1973)
2003: Bruce Springsteen Born to Run (1975)
2012: Bruce Springsteen Born in the U.S.A. (1984)
2003: Steely Dan Aja (10/8/77)
2006: Max Steiner (composer) Gone with the Wind (soundtrack, 1939)
2025: Cat Stevens Tea for the Tillerman (1970)
2004: Leopold Stokowski (conductor)/Philadelphia Orchestra (performer) Fantasia (soundtrack, 1940)
2008: Richard Strauss (composer)/Serge Koussevitzky (conductor)/Boston Symphony Orchestra (2008) Also Sprach Zarathustra (classical, composed 1896, performed 1935)
2008: Richard Strauss (composer)/Robert Heger (conductor)/Vienna State Opera Chorus/Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra et al (performers) Der Rosenkavalier (The Knight of the Rose) (classical, composed 1911, performed 1933)
2008: Richard Strauss (composer)/Herbert von Karajan (conductor)/Philharmonia Orchestra et al (performers) Der Rosenkavalier (The Knight of the Rose) (classical, composed 1911, performed 1957)
1999: Igor Stravinsky (composer)/Ernest Ansermet (conductor)/L’Orchestre de La Suisse Romande (performer) Pétrouchka (aka “Petrushka”) (ballet, composed 1910-11, performed 1950)
2000: Igor Stravinsky (composer/conductor)/Columbia Symphony Orchestra (performer) Pétrouchka (aka “Petrushka”) (ballet, composed 1910-11, performed 1961)
1993: Igor Stravinsky (composer)/Pierre Monteux (conductor)/Boston Symphony (performer) The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre Du Printemps) (ballet, composed 1913, performed 1951)
2000: Igor Stravinsky (composer/conductor)/Columbia Symphony Orchestra (performer) The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre Du Printemps) (ballet, composed 1913, performed 1961)
2006: Barbra Streisand The Barbra Streisand Album (1963)
2000: Jule Styne (composer) Bells Are Ringing (cast, 1957)
1998: Jule Styne (music) & Stephen Sondheim (lyrics) Gypsy (cast, 1959)
2004: Jule Styne/Bob Merrill (composers)/Barbra Streisand (performer) Funny Girl (cast, 1964)

1978: Art Tatum Then Geinus of…Vols. 1-13 (1955)
1998: Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky (composer)/Vladimir Horowitz/Arturo Toscanini (conductor)/NBC Orchestra (performer) Piano Concerto No. 1 (classical, composed 1875, performed 1943)
2002: Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky (composer)/Van Cliburn/Kiril Kondrashin (conductor)/RCA Symphony Orchestra (performer) Piano Concerto No. 1 (classical, composed 1875, performed 1958)
1998: Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky (composer)/Antal Dorati/Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (performer) 1812 Overture/Capriccio Italien (classical, composed 1880, performed 1956)
1999: Traffic Mr. Fantasy (1967)
2021: A Tribe Called Quest The Low End Theory (1991)
2013: Lennie Tristano Crosscurrents (1949)

U-V

2014: U2 The Joshua Tree (1987)
2025: Luther Vandross Never Too Much (1981)
1999: Sarah Vaughan Sarah Vaughan (1954)
2021: Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble Texas Flood (1983)
2008: Velvet Underground & Nico Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)
2008: Giuseppe Verdi (composer)/Arturo Toscanini (conductor)/NBC Symphony et al (performers) Otello (opera, composed 1887, performed 1953)
2003: Antonio Vivaldi (composer)/Louis Kaufman (performer) The Four Seasons (classical, composed 1725, performed 1949)

1988: Richard Wagner (composer)/Wilhelm Furtwängler (conductor)/Philharmonia Orchestra et al (performers) Tristan Und Isolde (opera, composed 1857-59, performed 1953)
2003: Richard Wagner (composer)/George Solti (conductor)/Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra et al (performers) The Ring Cycle (Der Ring Des Nibelungen) (opera, composed 1848-1874, performed 1958-67)
2014: Doc Watson Doc Watson (1964)
2011: Weather Report Heavy Weather (1977)
1998: The Weavers At Carnegie Hall (live, 1957)
1994: Kurt Weill (composer)/Theatre De Lys Production with Lotte Lenya (performers) Die Dreigroschenoper (The Threepenny Opera) (opera, composed 1928, performed 1954)
2013: Kurt Weill/Maxwell Anderson (composers) Lost in the Stars (cast, 1949)
2008: Junior Wells with Buddy Guy Hoodoo Man Blues (1965)
1998: The Who Tommy (1969)
2007: The Who Who’s Next (1971)
2007: John Williams (composer) Star Wars IV: A New Hope (soundtrack, 1977)
2020: Mary Lou Williams Zodiac Suite: Town Hall Concert (live, 1945)
1998: Meredith Willson (composer) The Music Man (cast, 1957)
1999: Stevie Wonder Talking Book (1972)
1999: Stevie Wonder Innervisions (1973)
2002: Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life (1976)

X-Y-Z

2014: Neil Young After the Gold Rush (1970)
2015: Neil Young Harvest (1972)
1999: Frank Zappa/The Mothers of Invention Freak Out! (1966)

Various Artists

2012: various artists (performers)/ Harry Smith (compiler) Anthology of American Folk Music (box set, recorded 1923-32, released 1952)
2024: various artists Buena Vista Social Club (1997)
2008: various artists (Jimmy Cliff et al) The Harder They Come (soundtrack, 1972)
2012: various artists (Bee Gees et al) Saturday Night Fever (soundtrack, 1977)
2014: various artists Woodstock: Music from the Original Soundtrack and More (live soundtrack, 1969)

Resources and Related Links:

Dave’s Music Database: “Grammy Hall of Fame: Songs”
Dave’s Music Database: other Hall of Fame-style album awards
Grammy Hall of Fame (official site with all albums and songs listed alphabetically by the title of the work)
Grammy.com (12/21/2020). “GRAMMY Hall of Fame Welcomes 2021 Inductions”

First posted 1/20/2020; last updated 2/13/2025.

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Dave's Music Hall of Fame: Album Inductees (November 2023)

The Top 10 Classic (‘80s and ‘90s) Rap Albums

Originally posted 11/22/2023.

January 22, 2019 marked the 10-year anniversary of the DMDB blog. To honor that, Dave’s Music Database announced its own Hall of Fame. This month marks the twentieth group of album inductees. These are taken from are taken from the DMDB’s top rap albums of all time list. The focus of this set inductees is only on those albums from the ‘80s and ‘90s. Previous inductees to fit this category are MC Hammer’s Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em and Public Enemy’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back.

See the full list of album inductees here.

Beastie Boys Licensed to Ill (1986)