Top 10 Biggest Wannabes and Posers in the Music Industry

These music artists are the biggest wannabes or posers of all time. They either copy original music artists or try way too hard with their music.

Wannabe: A person who tries to be like someone else.
Poser: Someone who tries to be something they are not.

Please feel free to add more items to this list.

1. Cardi B

   

   Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar (born October 11, 1992), known professionally as Cardi B, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actress. She was born and raised in New York City and first gained attention through Vine and Instagram. From 2015 to 2017, she appeared as a cast member on the VH1 reality... read more

   I actually like some of her songs, but she cashed in on black culture and slipped through the doors when Nicki walked through. She performs everything, even that overexaggerated blackcent, and tries so hard to convince people that she isn't acting by constantly trying to defend it. She makes a lot off our culture and has become the poster child for cultural appropriation.

   White kids love her because she is a shining example of how they too can create a whole career off of trying to act like a "ghetto or black" stereotype and look super cool at the same time.

   Hands down the most abhorrent female rapper of all time. She is no more than a cheap ripoff of Nicki Minaj and other female rappers combined, who has no real talent. She tries too hard to sound like a gangsta, to the point where she sounds incredibly laughable and fake.

   There is simply nothing to like about Cardi B. She is a more disgusting, more awful, more fake, more unoriginal, and more talentless version of any other female rapper. End of story.

2. Blood on the Dance Floor

   

   Blood on the Dance Floor is an American electronic music group from Orlando, Florida, formed in 2006. The group was led by Dahvie Vanity and included several members over time, most notably Jayy Von Monroe, who was active from 2009 to 2016, and Garrett Ecstasy, who joined in 2009. All members contributed... read more

   It's like any other emo band but this time, with disgusting lyrics, weird productions filled with video game beats, and a singer who is a rapist and an objectively disgusting person. There is nothing original about any emo bands in general because most of them consist of fake meaningful songs and they sound incredibly fake and whiny.

3. Chris Brown

   

   Christopher Maurice "Chris" Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. Born in Tappahannock, Virginia, he participated in his church choir and several local talent shows from a young age. He gained international notoriety in 2009 for his physical assault of singer... read more

   I knew the second he put his hands on Rihanna, he would change his image to bad boy and get a million tattoos overnight...and he did. He approached the domestic abuse aftermath with a nasty dismissive attitude and really rode his new image home to the bank.

   The old Chris would never be the, "hoes aren't loyal" kind of jackass but since he had a new image to protect and a new fan base to tend to, he just became a wannabe rapper poser jackass.

4. Miley Cyrus

   

   Miley Ray Cyrus (born Destiny Hope Cyrus), known professionally as Miley Cyrus, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was born on November 23, 1992, in Franklin, Tennessee, to Tish Cyrus and Billy Ray Cyrus. Her voice type is popularly described as a lyric mezzo soprano, with a vocal range... read more

5. Halsey

   

   Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, known by her stage name Halsey, is an American singer and songwriter. She was born on September 29, 1994, in New Jersey. She began her music career by releasing songs on SoundCloud and gained popularity with hits like Bad at Love and Now or Never.

   I honestly agree with this. She tries too hard to be Alternative or Indie Rock when she's Indie Pop at most.

6. Billie Eilish

   

   Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell, professionally known as Billie Eilish, was born on December 18, 2001. She is an American singer and songwriter widely recognized for her unique style and musical innovation. Her most well-known songs include "Bad Guy," "When the Party's Over," "Bury a Friend," "Everything... read more

   Is this list intended to be exclusively negative? Because I like her music, but I can actually understand why she could be considered a poser given that her persona displayed in her music is very different from her real personality.

   "Reinvented pop"? She did nothing whatsoever to pop. She is, at best, a one-off (thank God) whisperer with decent success who ripped off Bjork.

7. Rick Ross

   

   William Leonard Roberts II, better known as Rick Ross, is an American rapper, record executive, and entrepreneur. He gained national attention with his 2006 debut single Hustlin' and released his first album Port of Miami that same year, which debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200. He's the founder... read more

8. Kid Rock

   

   Robert James Ritchie Sr., professionally known as Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, musician, record producer, and actor. He has blended genres such as rock, hip-hop, and country throughout his music career. Kid Rock is also known for his outspoken personality and activism.... read more

9. 5 Seconds of Summer

   

   5 Seconds of Summer are an Australian pop-rock band from Sydney, Australia, that formed in 2011. The group were originally YouTube celebrities, posting videos of themselves covering songs from various artists during 2011 and early 2012. They rose to international fame while touring with One Direction... read more

   This is basically the more emo version of One Direction but more annoying and even worse. They are just another boy band that is supposed to sound more like pop punk but fails miserably.

   They sound like most other boy bands to me.

10. Machine Gun Kelly

    

    Colson Baker, better known by his stage names MGK and Machine Gun Kelly, is an American rapper and actor from Cleveland, Ohio. He first gained attention for his rapid fire delivery and releases such as Lace Up in 2012, and he has since put out multiple studio albums. In the 2020s, he shifted toward... read more

    Attention-seeking poser who ripped off Lil Peep and insults two genres of music just by existing in that space. And he looks like a skeleton with a wig.

The Newcomers
11. ?

    Olivia Rodrigo

    

    Olivia Isabel Rodrigo (born February 20, 2003) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She first gained recognition for her roles as Paige Olvera on the Disney Channel series Bizaardvark and Nini Salazar-Roberts on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.... read more

    Paramore is an awesome band, unlike this stupid poser who ripped off the 2007 song Misery Business.

12. ?

    Steriogram

    

    If you don't like Blink-182, you certainly won't like these guys.

The Contenders

13. Brokencyde

    

    Brokencyde is an American crunkcore musical group from Albuquerque, New Mexico, founded in 2006. The group currently consists of David "Se7en" Gallegos and Michael "Mikl" Shea. Musically, they are considered one of the founding acts of the crunkcore genre, which blends crunk hip-hop with screamed vocals... read more

14. Ashlee Simpson

    

    Ashley Nicolle Simpson, known by the stage name Ashlee Simpson, is an American singer‑songwriter, actress, and media personality. She rose to fame in the early 2000s with her debut album Autobiography, which reached number one on the Billboard 200 in 2004. She has also appeared in television shows and... read more

15. Blake Shelton

    

    Blake Tollison Shelton is an American country singer and television personality. In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin," which spent five weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Shelton is also known for being a long-time coach on the television show The Voice.

16. Bhad Bhabie

    

    Danielle Bregoli, known professionally as Bhad Bhabie, is an American rapper and internet personality. She first gained fame in 2017 after appearing on Dr. Phil and coining the viral phrase "Cash me outside." She is known for her music career, including songs like "Gucci Flip Flops" and "Geeked Up."

    Knew this was a clout-chasing poser who would try to squeeze relevance out of that Dr. Phil episode...and she did.

    Cancel this wannabe gangster!

17. Imagine Dragons

    

    Imagine Dragons is an American pop rock band from Provo, Utah, now based in Las Vegas, Nevada. The band's lineup includes lead vocalist Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, bassist Ben McKee, and touring drummer Andrew Tolman... read more

18. Charli XCX

    

    Charlotte Emma Aitchison, better known by her stage name Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Her most famous songs include Boom Clap and her feature on Iggy Azalea's hit single Fancy. She is also known for her contributions to hyperpop and her work with other artists like Troye Sivan and... read more

    She's not a wannabe. And why is bludnymph not here? She copied both Charli XCX and Grimes.

19. Fall Out Boy

    

    Fall Out Boy is an American pop punk band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of vocalist and guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley.... read more

20. LMFAO

    

    LMFAO was an American music duo that specialized in hip hop and electronic dance music. The group consisted of uncle and nephew Redfoo and SkyBlu. They gained international fame with hits like Party Rock Anthem and Sexy and I Know It.

21. Mark Wahlberg

    

    Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg is an American actor, producer, businessman, former model, rapper, and songwriter. He first gained fame as the frontman of the hip hop group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. Wahlberg later transitioned to acting, earning critical acclaim for roles in films such as Boogie Nights... read more

22. Ariana Grande

    

    Ariana Grande‑Butera (born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four‑octave vocal range has earned widespread critical praise, and her personal life continues to attract significant media attention. She has received numerous honors, including two Grammy Awards, a Brit... read more

23. John Lydon

    

    John Joseph Lydon, known by his former stage name Johnny Rotten, is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the lead vocalist of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols and later formed the post-punk group Public Image Ltd. Lydon is widely recognized for his influential role in the punk movement... read more

24. Greta Van Fleet

    

25. Taylor Swift

    

    Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter, born on December 13, 1989, in Reading, Pennsylvania. She developed a strong interest in country music around the age of nine after watching a Faith Hill documentary. Swift moved to Nashville as a teenager and, after signing with RCA Records, began... read more

26. Melanie Martinez

    

    Melanie Adele Martinez is an American singer and songwriter. She gained fame after appearing on the television singing competition The Voice, where she was a member of Team Adam. Martinez is known for her concept albums and distinctive visual style.... read more

27. Michale Graves