Top 10 Best Musical Acts of the 21st Century
No, good music is not dead. There have been plenty of fantastic bands, singers, rappers, and producers from the past decade-and-a-half that prove that. Let's take a look at them, shall we?
Eminem, born Marshall Bruce Mathers III, is an American rapper, actor and music producer born on October 17, 1972 in St. Joseph, Missouri. Eminem has sold over 300 million records making him the bestselling hip-hop artist of all time. In addition to his solo career, he is a member of D12 and (with Royce da 5'9") half of the hip-hop duo Bad Meets Evil... read more He's not considered one of the greatest rappers of all time for nothing.
Eminem not only broke racial barriers in the hip-hop genre, but managed to make some incredible and iconic music in the process.
There's no other way to say it: Eminem (and Slim Shady, of course) is just a fantastic rapper. His voice, his flow, the beats, the lyrics, all perfect, all the time. (Just pretend that whole Encore thing didn't happen)
But what's my favorite Eminem song?
Well, honorable mentions go out to Stan, one of the darkest and saddest stories ever told through music, Not Afraid, which is inspiring and powerful and brought him back from a major career slump, and of course the classic Lose Yourself.
My favorite Eminem song is Rap God. Just listen to it, and you'll probably know why.
Eminem is AMAZING. He has the fastest selling rap album (The Marshall Mathers LP) and has the most consecutive albums to debut at #1 (9), (The Marshall Mathers LP, The Eminem Show, Encore, Curtain Calls, Relapse, Recovery, The Marshall Mathers LP2, Revival, Kamikaze). Eminem is also the 21st century greatest album act and has 2 Diamond certifications in the US (The Marshall Mathers LP, The Eminem Show).
Linkin Park is an American rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The members currently include Mike Shinoda (vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar), Brad Delson (guitar), Dave "Phoenix" Farrell (bass), Joe Hahn (DJ) and Rob Bourdon (drums). Linkin Park are associated with a mixture of Alternative Rock, Hip Hop and Techno. Some of their influences include Nine Inch Nails, Deftones, The... read more Despite coming from the Nu-Metal genre, one of the worst things to come out of the early 2000s, Linkin Park have proven themselves time and time again that they can really make some music. And when they do, it's fantastic.
Whether you're a fan of their older, more nu-metal influenced stuff like Hybrid Theory or Meteora, or their newer, more alt-rock/electronic rock inspired albums like Minutes To Midnight or Living Things, you simply can't deny these guys have talent to spare.
Chester Bennington is a great singer, and unlike most metal bands, when he screams, it lends actual power and emotion to the song.
Mike Shinoda is an extremely skilled rapper, and has even proven to be a good singer at points.
While most people hate more experimental albums like A Thousand Suns, I actually enjoy and respect that Linkin Park are willing to experiment and go outside their comfort zone.
And the music. Oh boy, the music.
They have SO MANY good songs. In The End, Papercut, Numb, Breaking The Habit, Faint, What I've Done, Leave Out All The Rest, Shadow Of The Day, Given Up, Waiting For The End, The Catalyst, Burn It Down, Castle Of Glass, Powerless, Final Masquerade... IT'S ALL SO GOOD!
But hands-down, my favorite Linkin Park song is "New Divide".
I don't care that the Transformers movies were awful, New Divide is one of the most powerful, explosive, and downright incredible rock songs I've ever heard. It's greatly overlooked as far as Linkin Park songs go, so I implore you go listen to it right now. It's simply incredible.
Look guys, whether you prefer old LP, new LP, or all of LP's work, there's no denying they are one of the most talented, defining rock bands of the past century. And it's a damn good thing that they exist, because without them, we'd have something seriously missing in the music industry.
I love you, Linkin Park.
Coldplay are a British pop rock band formed in 1996. The band consists of Chris Martin (lead vocalist and pianist), Jonny Buckland (lead guitarist), Guy Berryman (bassist) and Will Champion (drummer and backing vocalist). Manager Phil Harvey is often considered an unofficial fifth member. The band renamed themselves "Coldplay" in 1998. Before making their debut album, they recorded and released three EPs: Safety in 1998, Brothers & Sisters as a single in 1999, and The Blue Room in the same year. The Blue Room was their first release on a major label, after signing to Parlophone. ...read more. It could be no other.
Coldplay are my all-time favorite band. I've never heard a group of musicians capable of producing such incredible music in my life.
Chris Martin has one of the most amazing voices in musical history, and the rest of the band's musical skills all culminate into something truly admirable.
I've never heard a bad Coldplay song. They're the example of a band that does everything right. Even the Beatles had a few failures here or there, but Coldplay? Never. Not once.
Some great Coldplay songs include:
Fix You- Their signature song. A heartbreaking breakup ballad that deserves a listen.
Clocks- A Grammy-winning piece of art that keeps you captivated in the music all the way through.
Violet Hill- An impressive rock tune with great lyrics and a powerful message, A must-listen.
Yellow- An honest, beautiful love song with fantastic lyrics.
Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall- An upbeat tune that will put you in a good mood instantly.
A Sky Full Of ...more
Ye (born Kanye Omari West; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer and fashion designer. He is regarded as one of the most influential, as well as controversial, artists of the 21st century. ...read more. The best for me because his sheer consistency of making incredible, original music. Eminem hasn't been great for over 10 years, whereas Kanye has adapted his style time and time again, and it's always brought us greatness.
Peter Gene Hernandez, professionally known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and choreographer. ...read more.
Maroon 5 is an American pop/pop rock band that originated in Los Angeles, California. Before the current group was established, the original four members, Adam Levine, Jesse Carmichael Mickey Madden and Ryan Dusick, formed a band known as Kara's Flowers in 1994, while they were still in high school.
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American singer-songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. Born and raised in Tennessee, he appeared on the television shows Star Search and The All-New Mickey Mouse Club as a child.
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (born 5 May 1988) is an English singer and songwriter. Graduating from the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in 2006, Adele was given a recording contract by XL Recordings after a friend posted her demo on Myspace the same year. She is best known with her international hit singles like Rolling in the Deep, Someone Like You, Hello, Easy On Me and the success of her second, third and fourth studio album which is 21, 25 and 30.
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter, is an American singer and actress, who started out in the popular pop/r&b girl group Destiny's Child. They had multiple top 5 hits such as "No, No, No", "Say My Name", "Bills, Bills, Bills", "Survivor", "Independent Women", "Bootylicious", and "Jumpin', Jumpin" from 1999 to 2004. After they broke up in 2006, Beyonce pursued her solo career, creating smash hits such as "Crazy In Love", "Single Ladies", "Halo", "Partition", "Irreplaceable", "Drunk In Love", "Baby Boy", "Beautiful Liar", "7/11", and "Run The World (Girls)", and has since become one of the most influential performers and biggest celebrities of the 21st century.
Robyn Rihanna Fenty is a Barbadian-American pop singer. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, she first entered the music industry by recording demo tapes under the direction of record producer Evan Rogers in 2003. She ultimately signed a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings after auditioning for its then-president, hip-hop producer and rapper Jay Z.
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band. Formed in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 2002 by lead singer Ryan Tedder and guitarist Zach Filkins, the band achieved commercial success on Myspace as an unsigned act. Once again, I'm at a loss of what to say.
OneRepublic are, in my opinion, one of the most underrated bands out there. They've made lots of truly amazing music, but sadly lots of people ignore them.
I almost can't describe how much I absolutely love these guys.
Frontman Ryan Tedder is a musical genius. His songwriting, singing, and production capabilities are through the roof. And with the rest of the band with him, he has created some damn fine pieces of music, if I do say so myself.
Some of their best songs include the wonderfully optimistic Good Life, the aptmospheric, emotional Say (All I Need), the catchy, upbeat Counting Stars, and the simply amazing Stop And Stare.
But the best of the bunch is All The Right Moves. It's majestic, fun, has excellent production, one of Tedder's best performances to date, and even a really cool music video. You have to give it a listen. You will love it.
Shawn Corey Carter, known by his stage name JAY-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur and investor born on December 4, 1969 in Brooklyn, New York. He is best known for his albums Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint, and The Black Album. He is considered to be one of the best rappers of all time.
Green Day are an American pop punk/punk rock band formed in East Bay, California in 1987. The members include Billie Joe Armstrong (vocals and guitar), Mike Dirnt (bass), Tré Cool (drums) and Jason White (guitar). Green Day are associated with punk rock, pop punk and alternative rock. Some of their influences include The Ramones, Sex Pistols, NOFX, and Bad Religion. They are best known for their songs like ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’, ‘Basket Case’ and their ‘American Idiot’ & ‘Dookie’ albums. American Idiot sold 6 million copies in the U.S. and won a Grammy Award for "Best Rock Album". Green Day have sold over 75 million records worldwide and have won 5 Grammy Awards. They ...read more. First off, let me address something: I am well aware of Green Day's output in the '90s. Yes, Dookie was a good album. Yes, they had lots of success before the turn of the millennium.
But in my opinion, Green Day really hit their stride in 2004, with the American Idiot album, which to this day remains one of my all-time favorite albums. Oh yeah, 21st Centure Breakdown was pretty good too.
Green Day are probably one of the most iconic punk-rock/alt-rock bands in the world, and with good reason. Billie Joe Armstrong is a great singer, and they have essentially perfected punk-rock music. Who doesn't love rocking out to these guys?
Honorable Mentions for best song from the 21st Century go to the tragic, heartbreaking Wake Me Up When September Ends, the explosive, politically-charged Holiday, and the amazing 21 Guns.
But I would have to say. Their best song is, undoubtedly, Boulevard Of Broken Dreams. I've been in love with that song since it first came out, and to this day it ...more
Name any Award and Green Day has probably won it.
Aubrey Drake Graham, known professionally as Drake, is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor, born on October 24, 1986 in Toronto, Canada. He started his career on Canadian reality show "Degrassi: The Next Generation". Amazing. Honestly underrated. So underrated. Drake's album went PLATINUM before it even dropped. He's not getting the credit he deserves
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, professionally known by her stage name Katy Perry, was born on October 25, 1984 in Santa Barbara, California. She is a singer, songwriter, actress and an ambassador on one of the most popular companies of now, UNICEF.She is also is one of the best-selling artists of all time. She won 4 Guinness World Records, 5 MTV Awards, 5 American Music Awards, 16'ASCAP Pop Music Awards, 5 Billboard Music Awards, 14 People's Choice, 1 Juno Award, 2 Myx Music Awards, 3 NRJ Awards, 6 Teen Choice and a Brit Award. ...read more.
Robert Peter Williams is an English singer, songwriter and actor. He was a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995 and again from 2009 to 2012. He has also had commercial success as a solo artist.
The Script is an Irish pop rock band formed in 2001. The band comprises keyboardist and lead vocalist Danny O'Donoghue, guitarist and vocalist Mark Sheehan and drummer Glen Power. The Script. What can be said about The Script?
These guys have composed some of the most beautiful, emotional, and downright incredible pieces of music in history.
I'm at a loss describing just what a fantastic band The Script truly is. Lead singer Danny O'Donahughe (not sure I spelled that right) has one of the most amazing voices in music history, and his vocal talent has helped them produce songs with pure, raw emotion.
I had trouble picking their best song. There's the inspiring Hall Of Fame, the depressing If You Could See Me Now, and of course, the heartbroken, impactful masterpiece that is Breakeven (Falling To Pieces), as song which, quite frankly, makes me want to tear up each time I hear it.
But the winner for me is Six Degrees Of Seperation. It's just a perfect example of how truly sad and, more importantly, RELATABLE breakup songs can be.
The Script are one of the greatest bands it's ever been my pleasure to listen to. Let's hope the keep on going far into ...more
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Raised in Compton, California, Lamar embarked on his musical career as a teenager under the stage name K-Dot, releasing a mixtape that garnered local attention and led to his signing with indie record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE).
Abęl Makkonen Tesfaye, known professionally by his stage name The Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was born on 16 February 1990 in Toronto, Ontario.
He used to upload songs on YouTube in 2010, now he has 3 studio albums Kiss Land, Beauty Behind The Madness and Starboy. He has won 3 Grammy awards and 9 Juno Awards
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress.On the start of her career, she performed at an event called the Lollapalooza Festival during 2007 whereby a record label company Interscope found her due to her performance being “amusing” to watch. Since Interscope found her, she was a mastermind behind her songs with a team of producers namely Rob Fusari and RedOne. Most of her songs were deep unreleased cuts, due to her having more than 30 songs and 17 were picked. ...read more.
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian–French singer-songwriter and actress. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more than $2 million.
Tim Bergling (September 8, 1989 - April 20, 2018), better known by his stage name Avicii, was a Swedish electronic musician, DJ, remixer and record producer. He is best regarded for his work in Electronic Music during the 2010s in which his works have charted among the Top 40 Radio and for his influence towards 2010's contemporary Electronic musicians.
Berling was known to have had health problems in his personal life, which severely impeded his career as a music artist. He retired from touring in 2016 due to being overwhelmed by health complications and needing surgery and medication. Berling committed suicide in 2018 due to thoughts of depression. If any artist has helped shape Electronica as a legitamite form of music in the past few years, it's definitely Avicii. His unique blend of Folk music and EDM is very admirable, to say the least. Between the beautifully ambeiant Levels and the iconic Folktronica smash Wake Me Up, he has many impressive works under his belt.
And my favorite song of his would have to be "Hey Brother". It's surging, powerful, and simply incredible. A truly fantastic song.
Avenged Sevenfold is an American heavy metal band, that was formed 1999 in California. Their longest lineup of members was M. Shadows (Vocals), Synyster Gates (Lead Guitar), Zacky Vengeance (Rhythm Guitar), Johnny Christ (Bass Guitar), and The Rev (Drums).Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan (Drums), their most notable drummer, passed away in 2009, being temporarily replaced by Mike Portnoy, who was replaced... read more
They are the best!
Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American EDM producer who is known for popularizing dubstep. He is part of the bands Jack Ü (DJ) and From First To Last (Lead Singer). His album Recess debuted at 4 on the BB200, tying him with Zedd for the highest debut for an EDM album on that chart. He is best known for Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites, Bangarang, Kill Everybody, Mind, and Where Are Ü Now, and is well known for his "mop like hair". He has created multiple albums and songs besides the ones he is best known for, he has also been in contract with multiple record labels including Atlantic Records, Mau5Trap, Asylum Records, and more.
Peer van Mladen (born May 3, 1989 in Belgrade, Republic of Serbia) has more than 8 million dollars in annual revenue and one of the most influential music producers.