SZA is ruthless when it comes to critiquing herself. Part of what makes her such a good writer is her ability to pinpoint her insecurities and express them via lyrics that connect with the masses. It's what's led to her first two albums being hailed as modern classics. SZA is, conversely, very confident about the music she puts out. She knows she's one of the best R&B artists working today. The confident side came out on May 16, when SZA was informed that SOS cracked Apple Music's list for the greatest albums of all time. She was flattered, but she expected higher.
Apple Music is slowly rolling out its ranking for the greatest albums of all time on its streaming platform. There have already been some heavy hitters that have made the list, including Usher's Confessions and Tyler, The Creator's Flower Boy. SZA's second album had the honor of placing much higher than these albums AND classics like people like George Michael and Solange. Rather than celebrate, SZA made it clear she was underwhelmed. "Lmao," she wrote on Instagram. "72nd is so disrespectful."
SZA Spent Several Years Working On SOS
SZA's comments drew mixed reactions from fans. Some felt the singer was being ungrateful, despite having placed higher than several notable artists. Others championed her confidence, and felt that SOS was indeed one of the greatest albums of all time. The singer's took several years making SOS, which is probably why she feels so proud of it. "I never thought in a million years that people would like it," she told Variety. "Everybody came down to make sure I didn’t lose my mind if the album went bad once it came out. And now we’re just hanging out, 'cause it didn’t go badly."
"Didn't go badly" is an understatement. SOS earned nine Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year, and won Best Progressive R&B Album. It spawned a number one single with "Kill Bill" and a number two single with "Snooze." The latter the distinction of being the only song to chart on Billboard for all of 2023. SOS was also ranked 351 on Rolling Stone's 500 greatest albums of all time list. If you ask SZA, though, she probably felt that placement was too low as well.
