Album anniversary think pieces are butt. (Hell, most think pieces are, regardless of topic.) A collage of hastily-assigned, poorly executed attempts to try and reframe a cultural event for the sake of various groups, they wouldn't be all that bad if the folks these things attempted to reach had a semblance of a clue about music and culture. Instead, writers have to try and dig deep in front of an audience of shockingly out of touch young people who'd honestly rather be looking at NSFW Vine compilations, who wear ill-fitting leather jackets, and just discovered the phrase "Bye, Felicia" at Christmas dinner. It's a suicide mission at best, even if half of the pieces weren't going to suck anyways.
Nothing is going to change, either. 2015 will be another year of over-contextualized reflections on classic gangster rap albums written by white kids who don't hang out with any black people or fake-deep "THIS ALBUM IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE _______" proclamations from 19-year-olds trying to kick knowledge about a record that came out when they were three, so why fight it?
Below is a list of big albums that will celebrate 20th anniversaries this year with a ready-to-go salacious think piece title. (If any of these get made, I get 20%.)
2Pac: Me Against The World
"So Many Tears": How 2Pac’s Most Introspective Record Paved the way for sad boy rappers like Drake and Yung Lean
Björk: Post
Was Björk the Original RiFF RAFF? A Look at Post, 20 Years Later
Michael Jackson: HIStory
Why HIStory is Michael Jackson’s Best Album (Yes, We Know It’s a Greatest Hits Package)
Shania Twain: The Woman In Me
Twain in Vein: How "The Woman In Me" Inspired a Nation of Southern Heroin Addicts
Radiohead: The Bends
"Fake Plastic Trees" and A Lot of Scrutiny: How Radiohead Sold Out on The Bends
Montell Jordan: This Is How We Do It
Is "This Is How We Do It" the Greatest Pop Song Ever? 10 Reasons Why the Answer is Yes
Alanis Morrisette: Jagged Little Pill
Jagged Little Pill: Misandrist or Just Misunderstood?
Foo Fighters: Foo Fighters
Weenie Beenie: How Playing With Himself Helped Dave Grohl Create the Foo Fighters
Raekwon: Only Built For Cuban Linx...
...I don't have one for this album because I don't want to entertain the idea of someone writing a crappy think piece about this wonderful, magnificent album. Pinky-swear that the only person who's allowed to write about this album is Ghostface, ok?
Selena: Dreaming of You
Same rule as the Raekwon album. If you aren't a Latina (or like, Shea Serrano) you aren't allowed to write about this album.
No Doubt: Tragic Kingdom
Just A Girl: How Gwen Stefani LITERALLY Changed EVERYTHING on Tragic Kingdom
The Smashing Pumpkins: Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Arcade Fire of Then: What Billy Corgan’s Creeping Irrelevance Means to the State of Reunion Grunge