From Celia Cruz to Rihanna: 15 Albums That Shaped Music

We celebrate the global sensations of the Black diaspora

This story is a part of the ZORA Music Canon, a celebration of Black women musical artists.

The ZORA Music Canon, our list of the most iconic albums by African American women, honors 100 masterworks and the Black American artists who created them. But we know Black women’s impact is not exclusive to the United States. It’s worldwide and limitless. To celebrate the vast reach of the diaspora, this list celebrates Black women from around the world whose influence exceeds borders.

Celia Cruz was the Queen of Salsa and a global sensation who stood out with her vibrant outfits, distinct voice, and her authenticity to Cuba’s rich musical history. In 1966 she released Son Con Guaguancó, her first record as a solo artist. The album was significant in many ways. It marked her life in exile in the United States while establishing her musical approach to fuse Afro-Cuban son and guaguancó rhythms with elements of rumba, mambo, and cha-cha.

Miriam Makeba, endearingly known as Mama Africa, was the South African singer-songwriter who spent the majority of her career exiled from her home country for speaking out against the atrocities of apartheid in her music. Though her 1967 album Pata Pata has…