We cannot talk about charts, however, without mentioning Billboard, one of the oldest music publications ever (the first Billboard magazine was published in Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 1, 1894 by William Donaldson and James Hennegan). The US weekly magazine has a rather mainstream slant and contains some sections dedicated to rankings, considered among the most precise and detailed in the world. The most famous of these is the Billboard Hot 100, which includes the one hundred most played singles in the United States, as well as the Billboard 200, which catalogs the two hundred best-selling albums in the United States.
“In 2023, the year was largely marked by successful pop artists who dominated without releasing original albums: our top three pop stars of '23 spent the period touring and/or building on LPs released in the second half of previous year – writes Billboard in the introduction – This year we have some real pop albums, from great pop stars. Some of these stars were born in 2024, some have been great for a decade, some have been icons for even longer.” .
We therefore propose their ranking in addition to those already published by Mojo, Uncut, Consequence, Pitchfork, Stereogum, The Wire, Ultimate Classic Rock, Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, NME (New Musical Express), The Quietus, PopMatters and Crack Magazine.
Here are the 50 best albums of 2024 according to the Billboard editorial team (full report here)
50. The Cure – Songs Of A Lost World
49. Latin Mafia – Todos Los Dias Todo El Dia
48. Jamie XX – In Waves
47. 21 Savage – American Dream
46. Laila! – Gap Year
45. Rema – Heis
44. Rachel Chinouriri – What A Devastating Turn Of Events
43. Mannequin Pussy – I Got Heaven
42. Ravyn Lenae – Bird's Eye
41. Jelly Roll – Beautifully Broken
40. Glorilla – Glorious
39. Shakira – Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran
38. MJ Lenderman – Manning Fireworks
37. Kaytranada – Timeless
36. Lainey Wilson – Whirlwind
35. Remi Wolf – Big Ideas
34. Carin León – Boca Chueca – Vol. 1
33. Fontaines DC – Romance
32. The Last Dinner Party – Prelude To Ecstasy
31. Nx Worries – Why Lawd?
30. Vince Staples – Dark Times
29. St. Vincent – All Born Screaming
28. Justice – Hyperdrama
27. Dua Lipa – Radical Optimism
26. Xavi – Next
25. Schoolboy Q – Blue Lips
24. Zach Bryan – The Great American Bar Scene
23. Maggie Rogers – Don't Forget Me
22. Various Artists – Twisters: The Album
21. Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood
20. Shaboozey – Where I've Been Isn't Where I'm Going
19. Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us
18. Tems – Born In The Wild
17. Post Malone – F-1 Trillion
16. Gracie Abrams – The Secret Of Us
15. Clairo – Charm
14. Future & Metro Boomin – We Don't Trust You
13. Tyla – Tyla
12. Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well
11. Kali Uchis – Orquideas
10. Doechii – Alligator Bites Never Heal
9. Mk.Gee – Two Star & The Dream Police
8. Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department
7. Tyler, The Creator – Chromakopia
6. Ariana Grande – Eternal Sunshine
5. Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard And Soft
4. Kendrick Lamar – Gnx
3. Sabrina Carpenter – Short N' Sweet
2. Beyoncé – Cowboy Carter
1. Charli XCX – Brat
Antonio Santini for SANREMO.FM
