Jay-Z is our No. 16 Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century for how he expanded hip-hop's ceiling for success and longevity.
stars, and now we remember the century in Jay-Z — who redesigned crossover hip-hop stardom in his image and became one of the biggest pop culture icons of the entire century.The best is not always the best-selling. Take the Porsche 911: Considered by many experts and fans alike to be pound-for-pound the best sports car money can buy, the rear-engined coupe sells only a fraction of what America’s number one pony car, the Ford Mustang, sells.
Throughout his career, Jay always looked at himself as more than a rapper. Yes, he also claimed to be a hustler, but he more so saw himself as an enterprise. The famous bar wouldn’t come until 2005 when he hopped on a remix to Ye’s “Diamonds” record—in Jay’s eyes he’s not simply a businessman, he’s a business, man.
But Jay-Z’s true gift remained his ability to make people believe Jay-Z is the coolest person in the world. His ability to sell that idea has helped him sell everything else. When, on, he declared Auto-Tune dead at the late height of its use within hip-hop in 2009, most people said “hm,” but went with it.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Billboard’s Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century: No. 24 — Ed SheeranEd Sheeran is Billboard's pick for the No. 24 Greatest Pop Star of the 21st century.
Read more »
Billboard’s Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century: No. 23 — Bad BunnyBad Bunny is our No. 23 greatest pop star of the 21st century for the way he's transformed the global shape of pop stardom.
Read more »
Billboard’s Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century: No. 22 — One DirectionOne Direction is our No. 22 Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century for how the group changed pop stardom and fandom in the 2010s.
Read more »
Billboard’s Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century: No. 21 — Lil WayneLil Wayne is our No. 21 Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century for how the took over the world (with some help) in the late '00s and early '10s.
Read more »
Billboard’s Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century: No. 20 — Bruno MarsBruno Mars is our No. 20 Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century for how he's consistently delivered top-level pop hits and performances for 15 years.
Read more »
Billboard’s Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century: No. 19 — BTSBTS is our No. 19 Greatest Pop Star of the 21st century for how the group took South Korean pop music to new global heights.
Read more »