Best Artists of the Decade

[Zarom]

Ok. Here is the official list of the 20 best artists of the decade:

#1. Eminem
#2. Usher
#3. Nelly
#4. Beyonce
#5. Alicia Keys
#6. 50 cent
#7. Nickelback
#8. Britney Spears
#9. Destiny's Child
#10. Jay-Z
#11. Mariah Carey
#12. The Black Eyed Peas
#13. Pink
#14. Kelly Clarkson
#15. Kanye West
#16. Ludacris
#17. Rihanna
#18. Creed
#19. Linkin Park
#20. Christina Aguilera

Ok. That's it. Personnally, I think Nelly should have been a lot lower, as well as Nicklback. Kelly Clarkson should not be in that list at all. And I have never heard of Creed.

So? Do you agree with that list? Tell me what you think about it! :) Please posts. :)

[Link V]

last time i checked green day was 2nd place not usher. u should fix that. anyway new music is not that good linkin park is ok i guess. but all the other stuff..no.

[jebus_thecatman]

Yea! So Happy Linkin Park is on the list! I love them and their new single!

[Erebea]

I love that Eminem is first, He's the only New Gen rapper I listen to and his songs are really heavy.

[JosephII]

Which decade are we talking about?

[Austin]

It really depends on what we mean by best. If "best" means overall quality, then I strongly disagree with the list. Frankly, there isn't a single artist on this list that should be on a list like that, and I personally feel that it's ridiculous to claim such a thing. If "best" means most influential, then... maybe. I dunno. I get the feeling that this list is only looking at pop music, and in that case they'd be right. However, in terms of music of all genres within this generation they'd be dead wrong. Finally, if "best" simply means most popular, then I can't disagree I suppose.

Where did you get the list from? What precisely do you mean by "official"?

[linkman8]

Wait, so this is an offical list? If so, where was it made and who made it?
And besides, how do you quantify something like this? What did they do, take a poll? Go by sales records?
In my humble opinion, I strongly disagree with just about every aspect of this list.

[Erebea]

It really depends on what we mean by best. If "best" means overall quality, then I strongly disagree with the list. Frankly, there isn't a single artist on this list that should be on a list like that, and I personally feel that it's ridiculous to claim such a thing. If "best" means most influential, then... maybe. I dunno. I get the feeling that this list is only looking at pop music, and in that case they'd be right. However, in terms of music of all genres within this generation they'd be dead wrong. Finally, if "best" simply means most popular, then I can't disagree I suppose.

Where did you get the list from? What precisely do you mean by "official"?
That isn't all pop, there's Hip-Hop and Rap there too, and I feel most of you guys disagreeing never even listened to these people.

[Destiny]

I don't have children? -Point's to Destiny's child-
Lol Just kidding. I like this list. Nelly Is a great singer and definetly deserves that spot up there.

[Austin]

That isn't all pop, there's Hip-Hop and Rap there too, and I feel most of you guys disagreeing never even listened to these people.
By pop, I'm referring to music that is popular. Hip-hop and rap is quite popular these days, and these artists are played on the radio quite often. Hence, pop. Also, I have listened to these artists, although for the most part, not extensively.

[Erebea]

By pop, I'm referring to music that is popular. Hip-hop and rap is quite popular these days, and these artists are played on the radio quite often. Hence, pop. Also, I have listened to these artists, although for the most part, not extensively.
Then are they not supposed to look at popular artists? That's the whole point of these kinds of things, who is more popular.

[Austin]

Then are they not supposed to look at popular artists? That's the whole point of these kinds of things, who is more popular.
Huh? That's the question I was asking in my original post, what the definition of "best" was. If by "best" they did mean "popular", then I said they were correct. But saying that doesn't mean that I think that just because they're popular that they're bad, all I was saying was that in my personal opinion, I didn't find any of them to be the best artists of the decade. It would appear that you disagree, so we'll just leave it as a difference of opinions. ;)

[The Other World]

Sorry but I think u accedently forgot to put Linkin Park as number 1

[insanity76]

I'm shocked you've never heard of Creed .. they're very popular worldwide. I'm willing to bet if you heard them you'd recognize them. That's not what's shocking (let's face it there are plenty of bands whose names aren't recognized but their songs are) .. But Creed has pretty much been a household name in alternative over the past decade, which is why I was surprised that you haven't heard of them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6UVhZTTWb0

That's probably their most popular song .. it's one of their most popular for sure.

All that being said, I don't care much for them .. they have a couple songs I like but other than that I'm not a fan.

[Zarom]

Here is the link to the official list: http://www.billboard.com/features/best-of-the-2000s-1004051233.story#/features/artist-of-the-decade-1004053060.story

And by "best", I mean the artists that were the most popular during the decade since the 2000s. This includes album sales and singles performance. In my opinion, this list is great, despite some wrong things and it covers a variety of different music genres.

[Kybyrian]

That isn't all pop, there's Hip-Hop and Rap there too, and I feel most of you guys disagreeing never even listened to these people.

You're kidding, right? I have to listen to it constantly. I absolutely despise it. They couldn't have stuck with REAL music. By real music, I mean something that actually has instruments in it. Over half of the music anymore is made with computers and all that. Not even the voices are real half the time.

If you ask me, none of those people should be on that list. It's clearly going by popularity, and not by quality.

[Bigelover88]

That is one of the best posts I ever read. You are right. If you like it or not but that list is more based on popularity. When it comes to popularity the list is correct but when it comes to influence and quality this list is extremely poor. The problem I have with the music from the 90's and today is they are all like they are from a fabric. Sexy singers who sweep their butts and body around and all the same kinda beat. Bands are more acting like boybands. It's all the same. Give me a band or artist with an instrument who can actually play and really sing. However the only artist I like on this list is Eminem

[SheikahWarrior]

Out of that entire list the only one that I have listened to and enjoyed is P!nk :?

What Bige and Kyby have said, obviously going by popularity over quality.

[Hanyou]

By real music, I mean something that actually has instruments in it. Over half of the music anymore is made with computers and all that. Not even the voices are real half the time.

As a fan of synthesizers (I'm a proghead, so that's a given), I don't think computerized sounds are so bad if you actually make music with them. But that's not what people are doing, and there's a lot of electronic garbage around now (Lady Gaga's one example). I don't get it either.


The problem I have with the music from the 90's and today is they are all like they are from a fabric. Sexy singers who sweep their butts and body around and all the same kinda beat. Bands are more acting like boybands. It's all the same. Give me a band or artist with an instrument who can actually play and really sing. However the only artist I like on this list is Eminem

Minus the Eminem part, I 100% agree with you. Also, so long as this list professes to document the "best artists," I think it's totally fair to question its credibility.

Not all of the singers fit into the cliche you mentioned, but most of them have questionable musical ability and forward morally reprehensible messages with their music. This is a sad indicator of what's popular, especially since what used to be popular (see The Eagles, The Beatles, hell, even The Ink Spots) was quality stuff once upon a time. I mean, the Black Eyed Peas? Seriously? The deepest song I've heard by that stupid band was "My Humps," and trust me, that song is just intellectually insulting. Britney Spears? Her music has actually gotten worse this decade, which is hard to believe. And while Linkin Park is hardly a paragon of musical quality, they might just be the best thing on that list--which is sad.

The list of good artists/bands is narrowing steadily, but in the past decade, there's been some good stuff. I'd say Spock's Beard, Dream Theater, Flogging Molly, Galneryus, Nightwish, and even the older band Iron Maiden have all churned out some really quality stuff. Newer acts like Theocracy, and cheesy bands like Rhapsody of Fire, can write pretty dumb lyrics, but their music is unbelievable. Oh, there's also Transatlantic.

Listen to this:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYFurHQ-OJc

Okay, hear it? Yeah, that's not the entire song, but you get the idea. Transatlantic is a Progressive Rock supergroup that includes some of the best in the business, and, while they know how to write a catchy melody and can churn out short songs, they regularly demonstrate musical craftsmanship on a much higher level than any of the artists on the list. They write music that transcends genres and stirs emotions, and they usually write lyrics to match.

That's music, folks.

Here's why that song is on-topic: I don't know if Transatlantic is really one of the best artists of the decade, but I know they're better than anyone on that list. Too much of the music that's been popular since the 90's has hardly been music at all. You have rap, which is basically people just talking over beats. The popular stuff (which is on this list) is generally about degrading women and acting like a moron, while the less popular stuff can delve into deeper themes but is more poetic than musical. And bands like Creed are just insultingly simplistic in the worst possible way--much of their material amounts to caveman grunts over a formula.

Are there exceptions to these rules? Of course. I have no intention of denigrating artists who genuinely try hard and earn their respect, even if they do so by writing accessible tunes. Hell, I'm a fan of the Ramones, and they've only ever tried to be fun. They were masters of their craft, and often, punk bands (as one example) know what they aim for and do a good job of it. But trying to argue that Kanye West is better than Transatlantic is sort of like saying that Stephanie Meyer is a better writer than Fyodor Dostoevsky (though admittedly, even Transatlantic may not be Dostoevsky-level...hard to judge between different types of media XD). They exist on totally different levels.

This list is bogus. It's nearly impossible for any human or group of humans to objectively judge what music is "best," but I guarantee you that you cannot judge what's best by judging what's popular. Before I'm accused of elitism, again, I am not saying I am the best judge of music. All I am saying is that if people really think that what's best = what's played on the radio, our musical future is looking very, very bleak. Most of these "artists" just plain suck.

I didn't expect any better from this sort of a list.

Edit/ PS: To prove that I don't think all good songs need to be over 15 minutes long, here's a short, simple, catchy, but very good song by Flogging Molly:

Tobacco Island (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uCOrLJ_rQQ)

Great lyrics, too, concerning Irish history. And again, I don't know if it's the "best of the decade," but it's sure as hell better than everything on Billboard's list.

[athenian200]

The only three artists on that list that I would listen to are Kelly Clarkson, Pink, and Nickelback.

The rest, not so much.

I think I'll create my own list:

1. Lyriel
2. Magica
3. Assemblage 23
4. The Cruxshadows
5. Nightwish
6. Within Temptation
7. Green Day
8. Muse
9. Fall Out Boy
10. Nickelback
11. P!nk
12. John Mayer
13. Evanescence
14. Mutemath
15. Franz Ferdinand
16. Decoded Feedback
17. Fr/action
18. Blutengel
19. Toby Keith
20. Mark Wills

I suppose that I only really like 5-10, and the rest are bands that are sort of good, but not the best.