The 100 Best Albums of the 2000s

This feature was originally published on September 9, 2009.

As Joni Mitchell once sang, "you don't know what you've got till it's gone." And even now, as we approach the end of 2011, we're still trying to make sense of the first decade of the 2000s—or “The Aughts,” as we've taken to calling them around these parts.

Our opinions have evolved over the last two years, but this list—and all the lists in our Best Of The 2000s series—stands as an enduring snapshot of Complex's taste at the end of ’09. As we pulled together The 100 Best Albums of the 2000s, we kept asking ourselves which CDs we would want to keep booming in our ears for years to come. Passing fads may slip away, but this is the music that we feel is here to stay. 

From Kanye West to the White Stripes, find out where all your favorite artists landed on our epic countdown...