This was a particularly tough list to put together. On average, order one of our Top Ten lists takes about 45 minutes. Over an hour and a half into our last meeting, we still only had the top six ironed out for this one. We ended up just individually ranking the final eight candidates individually, and normalizing the results to select the final four on the list. It worked out though, and I didn’t even have to swan dive off my balcony, as I threatened several times throughout the meeting.
So let me tell you a little bit about our decision making process in selecting the top ten artists of the first decade of the new millennium. It was about as simple as weighing quantity and quality. To some degree, we also factored in the amount of lackluster material an artist had working against them. In the end, ever artist in the ten had at least three good to great albums during the decade. Painfully, M.I.A., LCD Soundsystem, and a few others didn’t have the consistent presence throughout the entire decade like most others on here and missed out. Also, great artists like Beck, Ryan Adams, Spoon, and Bright Eyes just missed out because while they had the quantity, their highs just weren’t quite as high as others on the list.
So there you have it. Enjoy the read, and as always let us know who me missed, left off, or mistakenly included.
10. The Strokes
The Strokes were one of those rare bands where the product lived up to all the hype preceding them. They produced some refreshingly honest pop music that ushered a whole new group of fans into “indie” music. Beneath the surface of The Strokes instantly accessible music were simple but perfect harmonies, taking them beyond what was expected of an early-20’s rock outfit in the early 2000’s.
Go-To Album: Is This It
9. The Black Keys
The Black Keys may have come into their own commercially after the end of the decade, but they dominated the first decade with six good-to-excellent albums. Along with a couple other artists on this list, The Keys helped to turn the tide on popular rock music. The Black Keys message plain and simple was, “Rock n’ Roll isn’t for p***y’s anymore”. There is a slight downgrade for the static nature in style until Attack & Release, but we can’t get enough of them.
Go-To Album: Rubber Factory
8. Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon were by far the most hotly contested artist on our list. I was pushing hard, Todd was supportive but less adamant, and Wes was not necessarily in favor of them making the top ten. I think the resistance had to do with what KoL have done since the end of the decade than what they did during it. All they did during the first decade was release four good-to-excellent albums, while growing from album to album significantly. What they have done since is turn into pariah’s of good taste.
Go-To Album: Because of the Times
7. My Morning Jacket
If this list was for the top ten live bands of the 2000’s, My Morning Jacket would have been on the shortlist for the top spot. But as it is, we are just looking at the music released for the most part, and MMJ is no slouch in that department either. With four full-length releases, MMJ transformed themselves from folk-rockers to progressive rockers over the course of the decade, and played around with a lot of other styles in between.
Go-To Album: Z
6. Jay-Z
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Jay-Z was a tough one to place, because he has two masterpiece’s (The Black Album and The Blueprint), but then has a lot of average to good music. On top of his studio releases, he released myriad tracks that never made their way on to an album or were on another artist’s album. All the work taken as a whole can’t be ignored though, and Jay-Z was clearly a titan of the music industry in the first decade.
Go-To Album: The Black Album
5. TV on the Radio
TV on the Radio is a band, much like number four on our list, that lost a little bit of luster with me when they released their first album of the 2010’s, Nine Types of Light. Lucky for us, all three of their releases in the aughts were superb in every respect. Dear Science may be the best-produced album of the decade, and Return to Cookie Mountain may be the most emotionally bare. All around, TVOTR killed it.
Go-To Album: Return to Cookie Mountain
4. Yeah Yeah Yeahs
I think if you ask Todd, Wes, and I what our favorite Yeah Yeah Yeah’s album is, you might get three different answers. This is a testament to how consistently excellent YYY’s were throughout the decade. Its amazing how quickly they established their sound on Fever to Tell, changed it up on Show Your Bones, and then took off into the stratosphere on Its Blitz!. Hopefully Mosquito is merely a temporary slip-up.
Go-To Album: Show Your Bones
3. Kanye West
Like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Kanye had three excellent albums in the aughts, but added a bummer of an album to that slate with 808’s and Heartbreaks. He really saves himself with a tone of great guest appearances and tracks that hold up amazing by themselves without making it on one of his albums. Mr. West was the epitome of hip-hop throughout the decade and for that he gets our number three spot.
Go-To Album: Late Registration
2. The White Stripes
Five studio albums in an 8-year span. Literally not one song that isn’t at least near-flawless. Along with The Black Keys, MMJ, and KoL, The White Stripes helped bring some balls back to rock n’ roll. And what large balls you have, Mr. White.
Go-To Album: Get Behind Me Satan
1. Radiohead
I’m not gonna say Radiohead is my favorite band, but they were more influential in progressive rock than anyone over the first decade of the new millennium. Combining pristine electronic foundations to often blazing guitars made Radiohead a one-of-a-kind outfit. And although King of Limbs wasn’t considered toward their ranking, it is refreshing to see a band at the top that didn’t lose their edge entering the new decade. Now if only Thom Yorke would pick a haircut and a more consistent tone to his voice…
Go-To Album: Kid A
Just Missed
Todd: Daft Punk
Daft Punk was an unfortunate cut, but they only released two proper albums in the aughts. So it was essentially a quantity argument keeping Daft Punk off the list. Nevertheless, the two albums they did release were masterpieces, and this is exactly what we include the “just missed” section for. There was hardly anyone during the decade who could match DP’s energy and ability to craft an instantly accessible electronic pop song.
Go-To Album: Discovery
Wes: Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan’s artistic canoodling post-Illinoise (i.e., BQE) may have cost him a spot on the list proper, but his catalog of work is still hard to ignore. He released three absolutely beautiful albums, all of which contained some of the most peerless orchestrations imagined in indie pop throughout the decade. I’m very proud of Wesley for not going with Wilco here.
Go-To Album: Illinoise
Austin: Bonnie “Prince” Billy
Will Oldham may not be the household name most of the rest of the top ten are, but I don’t think anyone was more prolific. Over the course of ten years, under the moniker of Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Oldham released ten proper LP’s, and countless EP’s and side projects. He also has the innate ability to go back and rework old songs to make them work even more. Keep ’em coming Will.
Go-To Album: Lie Down in the Light
FAQs
Who was the Artist of the Decade 2000 2010? ›
Eminem earns Billboard's Artist of the Decade title, fittingly just slightly more than 10 years after he made his Billboard Hot 100 debut. The decade-end artist recap ranks the best-performing acts of the past 10 years (from Dec. 4, 1999, to Nov.
Who was the most popular 2000s singer? ›During the ten-year period, Usher was the most successful artist, accumulating seven number-one entries and spending 41 weeks on the top spot, more than any other act. Beyoncé followed with five number ones and 36 weeks atop the chart, the most among female musicians.
Who was the best selling artist from 2000 to 2010? ›Eminem was the 2000s' top-selling artist with 32.2 million combined in sales, plus two albums in the decade's Top 10: The Marshall Mathers LP was fourth with 10,195,000 sold and Eminem Show was fifth with 9,789,000.
Who won Artist of the Decade 1990s? ›Mariah Carey was declared the Artist of the Decade of the 1990s by Billboard.
Who won artist of the year 2000? ›Past and present Artist of the Year award winners: 2000: Daddy Lumba. 2001: Kojo Antwi. 2002: Lord Kenya.
What was the most popular song from 2000 2010? ›My Love (feat. T.I.) Justin TimberlakeT.I.
Who is No 1 singers? ›Arijit Singh is renowned as the “King of Playback Singing” and is well-known for his “love ballads.” He has received numerous awards including the Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer, the IIFA Award for Best Male Playback, the Mirchi Music Awards, and many more.
What was the top ten songs in 2000? ›- Breathe - Faith Hill.
- Smooth - Santana featuring Rob Thomas.
- Say My Name - Destiny's Child.
- I Wanna Know - Joe.
- Everything You Want - Vertical Horizon.
- Maria Maria - Santana featuring The Product G&B.
- Bent - Matchbox Twenty.
- Amazed - Lonestar.
Adele's 21 is the best-selling album of the 21st century to date, with sales of over 31 million copies worldwide. Her third album 25, is also on the list with sales of over 23 million copies.
What were 3 popular songs in the 2000s? ›- 1. “ Toxic” by Britney Spears. ...
- “Family Affair” by Mary J. Blige. ...
- “Stan” by Eminem. ...
- “Beautiful People” by Christina Aguilera. ...
- “Drop It Like It's Hot” by Snoop Dogg. ...
- “You'll Think of Me” by Keith Urban. ...
- “My Boo” by Alicia Keys and Usher. ...
- “Crazy in Love” By Beyoncé
What song was #1 in the year 2000? ›
| No. | Title | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Breathe" | Faith Hill |
| 2 | "Smooth" | Santana featuring Rob Thomas |
| 3 | "Maria Maria" | Santana featuring The Product G&B |
| 4 | "I Wanna Know" | Joe |
- 300 million or more records sold. Madonna. Artist. Country of origin. ...
- 200 million to 299 million records. Rihanna. Mariah Carey. Taylor Swift. ...
- 100 million to 199 million records. Barbra Streisand. Katy Perry. Pink. ...
- 75 million to 99 million records. Alicia Keys. Avril Lavigne. Reba McEntire.
- Fleetwood Mac — “Rumours” ...
- Hootie & the Blowfish — “Cracked Rear View” ...
- Pink Floyd — “The Wall” ...
- Led Zeppelin — “Zeppelin IV” ...
- The Beatles — “The Beatles” ...
- AC/DC — “Back in Black” ...
- Eagles — “Hotel California” ...
- Michael Jackson— “Thriller”
- Drake.
- Taylor Swift.
- Bruno Mars.
- Rihanna.
- Adele.
- Ed Sheeran.
- Justin Bieber.
- Katy Perry.
Take That and the Spice Girls share the distinction of having achieved the most number-one hits in the 1990s, with eight each.
Who won most Grammy Awards? ›Georg Solti holds the record for most Grammy awards, having received 31 in his career, according to the Recording Academy. The orchestra conductor also holds the record for most wins in the classical field. During his career, Solti was nominated for 74 Grammys.
Who won Artist of the Decade 1980? ›Artist of the Decade
According to some sources, the result of this poll is not counted in the total of AMAs won by these artists. The results were Elvis Presley (1950s), The Beatles (1960s), Stevie Wonder (1970s), and Michael Jackson (1980s).
Nominations were announced on January 4, 2000. Santana was the main recipient with eight Grammys, tying Michael Jackson's record for most awards won in a single night. Santana's album Supernatural was awarded a total of nine awards.
Who Won 2010s artist of the decade? ›Drake's dominance during the 2010s wins him top honors in the overall top artist category, which ranks the best-performing artists based on activity on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart and the Billboard 200 albums tally, as well as social media data and touring revenue from Billboard Boxscore, during the decade (see ...
Who won Africa Best Artist of the Year? ›| Year | Artist | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Mr Eazi | Ghana |
| Nasty C | South Africa | |
| Stonebwoy | Ghana | |
| Tekno | Nigeria |
What was the number one song in 20010? ›
For 2010, the list for the top 100 Billboard Hot 100 Year-End songs was published on December 8, calculated with data from December 5, 2009 to November 27, 2010. At the number-one position was Kesha's "Tik Tok", which stayed atop the Hot 100 for nine weeks.
What was the number one song November 2000? ›If there was one major new release of the month, it had to be The Backstreet Boys' fourth studio album, Black & Blue , which hit shelves November 21, 2000. However, their song "Shape Of My Heart" was the one that dominated the charts in November 2000.
What was the most popular song in January 2000? ›“Smooth” by Santana featuring Rob Thomas was the No. 1 song on Jan. 1, 2000.
Which singer has the best voice? ›- 1 of 31. Barbra Streisand. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for BSB. ...
- 2 of 31. Etta James. Charles Paul Harris/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images. ...
- 3 of 31. Aretha Franklin. ...
- 4 of 31. Whitney Houston. ...
- 5 of 31. Mariah Carey. ...
- 6 of 31. Elton John. ...
- 7 of 31. Freddie Mercury. ...
- 8 of 31. Adele.
Cher (pictured) topped the list with "Believe" after the song was number one on the Hot 100 chart for four weeks, making her the oldest female artist to top the chart.
What was the number 1 song in 2001? ›The era's unstoppable guitar music leads the way, with The Killers' “Mr. Brightside” the single most-streamed track of the decade, closely followed by the sticky-dance-floor anthems of Arctic Monkeys, The Kooks and Florence + the Machine.
Who sold more than 50 million records? ›According to Guinness World Records, Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" (1942) as performed by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single worldwide, with estimated sales of over 50 million copies.
Who has sold a billion records? ›Over the course of Elvis' life, he achieved some of the highest accolades in music and film. It is estimated that more than one billion Elvis records have been sold worldwide, more than anyone in record industry history.
Who has sold more than 30 million albums? ›
| Artist | Album | Released |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Jackson | Bad | 1987 |
| Meat Loaf | Bat Out of Hell | 1977 |
| Alanis Morissette | Jagged Little Pill | 1995 |
| Various artists | Dirty Dancing | 1987 |
- How You Remind Me - Nickelback.
- Foolish - Ashanti.
- Hot in Herre - Nelly.
- Dilemma - Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland.
- Wherever You Will Go - The Calling.
- A Thousand Miles - Vanessa Carlton.
- In the End - Linkin Park.
- What's Luv? - Fat Joe featuring Ashanti.
Nickelback's "How You Remind Me" which spend four weeks at number between 2001 and 2002, was the number one song of 2002.
What was the biggest song of 2005? ›The R&B track "We Belong Together" by American singer Mariah Carey was named the number 1 song of 2005 and it spent the longest time at number 1 for the year, 14 weeks.
What was 2000 famous for? ›2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tendency to group the years according to decimal values, as if year zero were counted.
What music was big in 2000? ›Despite the hip hop dominance, such as Southern hip hop which lasted for most of the decade (particularly the middle years), rock music was still popular, notably alternative rock, and especially genres such as post-grunge, post-Britpop, nu metal, pop punk, emo, post-hardcore, metalcore, and in some cases indie rock; ...
What was the top song in March 2000? ›| No. | Issue date | Song |
|---|---|---|
| re | February 26 | "I Knew I Loved You" |
| 854 | March 4 | "Amazed" |
| March 11 | ||
| 855 | March 18 | "Say My Name" |
Perhaps unsurprisingly, British rock band The Beatles are top of the list for best-selling artists worldwide, with 183 million units certified sales. Second is Garth Brooks with over 157 million units sales, followed by Elvis Presley with 139 million units.
Which female singer has the most Guinness records? ›Madonna. With more than 335 million albums sold across the globe, Madonna is considered by multiple organizations to be the best-selling female artist in music history. She's also scored the most No.
Who is the best female singer of all time? ›1: Aretha Franklin
Topping our list of the best female singers of all time, Aretha Franklin also stands as the most-charting female singer in history. Starting out in the gospel choir at her Baptist church, in Detroit, Franklin began her career as a recording artist in 1960, aged just 18.
What song stayed at number 1 the longest? ›
"Old Town Road" holds the record for the longest stretch at No. 1 with 19 weeks. It also became the fastest song in history to be certified diamond.
What records sell for the most money? ›- The Beatles: Yesterday & Today - $125,000. ...
- John Lennon & Yoko Ono: Double Fantasy - $150,000. ...
- The Beatles: Sgt. ...
- Elvis Presley: 'My Happiness' - $300,000. ...
- The Beatles: The Beatles (White Album) - $790,000. ...
- Wu-Tang Clan: Once Upon a Time in Shaolin - $2 million.
"Red" by Taylor Swift topped the list. "To Pimp a Butterfly" by Kendrick Lamar and "Lemonade" by Beyoncé rounded out the top three.
What were the top 5 songs from the 2010s? ›- Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson, ft Bruno Mars.
- I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas.
- Can't Stop The Feeling! ...
- Get Lucky - Daft Punk, ft Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers.
- Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5, ft Christina Aguilera.
- Rolling In The Deep - Adele.
- Happy - Pharrell Williams.
Katy Perry's inescapable "California Gurls", featuring Snoop Dogg, was the most-downloaded song of the year. For the second time in three years, Taylor Swift holds the crown for the top-selling artist of the year, based on sales of all albums. If you're looking for good news in 2010's numbers, you can stop reading now.
Who Won 2010s Artist of the Decade? ›Drake's dominance during the 2010s wins him top honors in the overall top artist category, which ranks the best-performing artists based on activity on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart and the Billboard 200 albums tally, as well as social media data and touring revenue from Billboard Boxscore, during the decade (see ...
What is the decade 2000 to 2010 called? ›The aughts is a way of referring to the decade 2000 to 2009 in American English. The equivalent term used in British English is the noughties. These arise from the words aught and nought respectively, both meaning zero.
Who was the number 1 artist in 2010? ›For 2010, the list for the top 100 Billboard Hot 100 Year-End songs was published on December 8, calculated with data from December 5, 2009 to November 27, 2010. At the number-one position was Kesha's "Tik Tok", which stayed atop the Hot 100 for nine weeks.
Who is the number 1 Artist of the Decade? ›Drake receives Artist of the Decade honor from Billboard.
What was the #1 song of 2000? ›
"Old Town Road" holds the record for the longest stretch at No. 1 with 19 weeks. It also became the fastest song in history to be certified diamond.
Who sold the most records in 2010? ›- Taylor Swift. 4,470,000.
- Eminem. 4,317,000.
- Lady Antebellum. 3,848,000.
- Justin Bieber. 3,728,000.
- Glee Cast. 3,603,000.
- Susan Boyle. 2,711,000.
- Lady Gaga. 2,591,000.
- Michael Jackson. 2,118,000.
It was a prime time for pop. Pop music was in rude health in the year 2000. The charts were awash with boy band ballads (Backstreet Boys, Westlife) and high energy disco (Steps), while Britney Spears took up her position as the biggest pop star in the world.
How do you say 2000 in English? ›- enPR: to͞o 'thouzəndz, IPA: /tuː ˈθaʊ.zəndz/ ("two thousands")
- (rare, for the decade) IPA: /ˌtuː ˈθaʊ. zənd. ziːz/ (Can we verify this pronunciation?)
2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tendency to group the years according to decimal values, as if year zero were counted.
What was the number one song in 2008? ›The #1 song on the list was "Low" by Flo Rida and T-Pain, after having released the song in 2007 and spent 10 weeks at number-one. The song that came in at number two was "Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis and at #3 was Alicia Keys' song "No One", after spending 5 weeks at #1 in December 2007.
What is the #1 song of the 2010s? ›Rapper Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road (Remix)", featuring singer-songwriter Billy Ray Cyrus, became the longest reigning number one on the Hot 100, spending 19 weeks on top.
Who is the Top 5 artist of all time? ›- The Beatles.
- Elvis Presley.
- Michael Jackson.
- Elton John.
- Queen.
- Madonna.
- Led Zeppelin.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, British rock band The Beatles are top of the list for best-selling artists worldwide, with 183 million units certified sales. Second is Garth Brooks with over 157 million units sales, followed by Elvis Presley with 139 million units.
What is the most played song of all time? ›
It was never a hit single and got almost no play on Top 40 radio. There's even a dispute over the exact title. Yet “It's a Small World,” also known as “It's a Small, Small World” and “It's a Small World (After All),” is very likely the most played song in music history — nearly 50 million times.