There has been a range of artist within the field
of R’n’B and Hip-Hop that I think have brought something to the table and have
made their mark in the music business. Check out my personal top ten:
(1) Michael
Jackson; Ok, this is
probably obvious but it has to be said. Despite the fact that he had been
overshadowed by negative publicity that almost destroyed his reputation. No-one
can deny the legacy that MJ left behind. Michael Jackson, known as the King of
Pop has been one of the most influential artists within popular culture. Hits
such as ‘Billie Jean’ and ‘Thriller’ were credited
for transforming music to an art form and made popular the dynamic music
channel MTV. MJ’s 1982 album Thriller is known to be the best-selling album of
all time. His sense of style and off beat performance has brought to record
some of the most amazing sounds and moves, such as the infamous ‘Moonwalker’. Michael Jackson was never
afraid to stand out from the crowd and show off his unique style, with this he
transformed the sound of music and inspired many of the popular artists to date
within the genre of R’n’b, Hip-hop, Pop and Rock.
(2) Tupac: Noted as one of the most successful
rap artists of all time. Not afraid to speak his mind, his music challenged and
dealt with taboo subjects, such as ‘Brenda’s got a baby’. Not only
known as a lyrist genius who set alight the rap world but he was also a social
activist. Tupac used his music to constantly educate and empower individuals
with his thought provoking words.
(3) Eminem: Bursting into the scene with his
alter ego ‘Slim shady’. Eminem proved himself to be more than that ‘blond white
boy’ trying to make it within the notorious world of Hip-hop. We have seen him
mature into a force to be reckoned with from ‘Slim shady LP’ to the
most recent ‘Recovery’. Most known for his controversial songs, Eminem has
been praised and recognised for been a quality lyricist and is known to be one
of the best-selling rap artists of all time.
(4) Jay Z: He is noted to be one of the most financially
successful Hip-Hop artist and entrepreneurs in the US. He has been a consistent
Hip-hop artist recording hits from the early 90s to this present day. He brought
us ‘Reasonable
doubt’ and ‘The Blueprint’, which are noted to be
iconic albums in the history of Hip-hop. Jay Z also became one of the first Hip-hop artists
to feature in the Glastonbury festival, primarily recognised for Rock artists,
despite heavy criticism against a Hip-hop artist featuring in Glastonbury Jay Z
silenced critics with a remarkable performance. Jay Z has been able to
cross-over and tap into other genres reaching a wide variety of people with his
music.
(5) Mary J Blige: Noted as the Queen of Hip-hop soul
understandably she brought us the ‘441’. She has enjoyed a decade of soulful
hits. MJB has touched many women, including myself and even men with her
powerful songs that are able to reach deep within, she has always been able to
tap into those raw emotions and use them to create songs that are touching and
inspiring.
(6) Beyoncé: The one and only Ms ‘Bootylicious’ herself. She has been a
force to be reckoned with, since her departing of Destiny’s child. She has been
able to create herself as a successful solo artist. Continuously representing
and empowering women with hits such as ‘Girls who run this world’ and known
for her sassy and stylish performances: Miss Beyoncé is one Kick-ass performer.
(7) Mariah Carey:
Best-selling female artist during the 90s; with an incredible vocal range;
with her ability to hit those pitch perfect high notes. She was also able to
make a powerful comeback in 2005 with the release of ‘The Emancipation of Mimi’
after suffering from a personal emotional and physical breakdown and the
departure from record labels Colombia and Virgin records. Mariah Carey proved
she was still able to pull out record breaking hits, such as ‘We belong together’ from the album Emancipation
of Mimi, which became the most successful solo single of her career and
was later declared by Billboard single of the decade.
(8) Whitney Houston: Well what can I say that already hasn’t
been said about the remarkable Whitney Houston? One of the all-time best
selling female artists, she is the ultimate Diva. Whitney was born into the
world of music, inspired by her mother Cissy Houston; a gospel artist, Cousin
Dionne Warwick& honorary Aunt Aretha Franklin. Often referred to as “The
Voice”, her soulful and powerful voice allowed her to record phenomenal songs
such as “I will always Love you”. Her beautiful and show-stopping performances
influenced and inspired a range of successful female artist today.
(9) R Kelly: Not only is he an amazing artist but
he is also a pretty great songwriter too. He is often referred to as the King
of R’n’B, with good reason! Recording a string of successful hits such as; ‘Bump
n’ grind’ and ‘I believe I can fly’. R Kelly has
been recognised as one of the most successful R’n’B male artists to come about,
multi-talented as a songwriter and producer making hits for a range of artists
in the field of Gospel, R’n’B, Hip-hop and Pop.
(10)
Joe: Ok, so this is probably not an
obvious choice but he is probably one of my favourite R’n’b artists of all
time! Notably he has not seen the same mainstream success as the likes of R’n’b
crooner Usher but am definitely not going to compare the two! Joe has to be of
the one of most consistent r’n’b artists, stringing out hits since the 1990’s. His
third album ‘My name is Joe’ released in 2000, has been his most successful
albums to date and this was also the first to make an impression outside the
US, which released the popular ‘I wanna know’ (my all-time
favourite) and ‘stutter’.
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