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Nicki Minaj is too Low and Usher is too high | Vlogmas Day 5

no barb, but lets be serious.

Nicki Minaj is too Low and Usher is too high | Vlogmas Day 5

Comments

Im here to fight for BTS! When we discuss impact, BTS single-handedly changing the global landscape of Korean media will never be appreciated at the level it should be. It’s hard to know if you’re not in the space, but Kpop is exist the way it does today because of BTS. Furthermore, I credit BTS for the renaissance of boy bands across the globe!

Cassidy Barnes

Yea this list was so unserious

Issa Smith

Ngl, people like you should be a national treasure. The way yall store this information and hold it sacred is unmatched. A lot of us were not in these trenches (too busy playing the Wii console lmaoo), but yall be dropping new lore on these people and it feels like a revelation.

Dynasty Andrews

I feel like there are artists that made a “silent” impact. Like they’re not constantly in our faces and doing a million things but their talent and craft shines through regardless. Bruno Mars is so criminally underrated talent wise and performance wise, but I think it’s because he keeps such a low key profile he’s not often talked about. We have no fucking clue what that man is doing when he not in the studio. We actually don’t know shit about his personal life which is crazy to me in today’s day and age. We literally only hear about this man when the songs pop off on the charts.

Dynasty Andrews

Miley has a better persona and musical evolution than Ariana, but Ariana is the better vocalist. Miley came out before Ariana and was already huge by the time Ariana did come out. Let’s also not forget that Miley had a much bigger machine behind her. One thing about Disney is that they really do have an eye for talent, and they’ve produced more pop stars that are still relevant and perform well commercially. Miley’s had several instances where she broke the internet and it propelled her career forward (think the music video for Wrecking ball or can’t be tamed) and there’s also been periods of time where no one had no fucking clue what she was on but for some reason it adds to the greatness (that album about her dead pets felt like a fever dream and everybody glosses over that era, as they should tbh😂😮‍💨) I also feel like Miley’s music streams extremely well given that she doesn’t get a lot of radio push like she used to. Angels Like You from her plastic Hearts album hit a billion streams and I have never once heard that song played on the radio. People are still streaming her even when she’s not always radio friendly. Miley had a bigger impact on our childhoods AND adulthood, she had 4-5 year head start on Ariana and I think it made the biggest difference

Dynasty Andrews

My problem with this list is that the 21 century not even half way over, we not even a quarter way through like they are doing the MOOOOST this is so unserious

Arie Tv

Me too! VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown used to come on every Saturday morning when I was in high school. I used to RUN to my little TV just to catch my favorite videos haha! I miss I Love the 2000s, 90s, too! Pop music/culture is just different now...

Dani

YESSSS to Paramore!! Almost every female fronted rock band post-2009 was tailored to Hayley's aesthetic.

Dani

I WAS LIKE WHO IS AMERIE??? GUUURL 1Thing was a Beyoncé song let me tell it lmaoooo

Arie Tv

Big recency bias. BTS and 1D but not NSYNC or BB. If the list came out in 2009 it’d have Jonas brothers its not serious

Kendall

I do think race definitely plays a factor into why i think usher deserves his place. To see a black pop/r&b guy who frankly was an all around threat. Dance,sing, act, and write and produce a definitive album of his main genre with confessions is huge given there’s this glass ceiling at times with black artists

loveme4me

I will say kenya i disagree with you concerning usher, not a huge usher fan(I can’t tell you any song he has made post ‘she came to give it to you ft nicki minaj’) but usher deserves his space id argue. You actually ranked him below someone who i see his total influence on which is justin bieber. I even feel like he even influenced timberlake. One of the few good male performers on this list. I mean he held his own next to a michael jackson. I think his gradual movement to the edm era was solid and brought out many hits from the early 2010s era and the fact that we still talk about usher (think a superbowl) and i even hear about his vegas residency from even my millennial white boss which imo is a testament to his ability to be a popstar. Now do i think he’s that popstar he was from his debut to 2014? HELL NO!! In fact i think usher is trying to way too hard to be like the men he himself has influenced. I also give him a leg up just for being around for so long and being apart of that older 90s physical era. If i could id put him & Nicki at the same rank. I treasure artists respective hay days.

loveme4me

YESS!!!!! Into You is one of the greatest pop songs ever created and I stand by that

Mariah L.

objectively, a lot of songs are pop perfection, those two included. but do they transcend time?? there’s toxic, single ladies, and umbrella on the pyramid…the song being good isn’t enough, i fear there needs to be an impact that carves its way into the public conscious.

risa kim

I completely agree with Kanye’s influence on fashion. But I hate it, because it’s soooooo ugly. I feel like we have been on a fashion deficit because of him.

Seti Tesefay

I feel like something about Ariana that no one talks about is that her fandom was very essential in building stan culture as we know it. I think the BeyHive and the Barbs, and the Swiftie's get credited as the most die hard fans, but I feel the Arianators were a dominant engineering force in stan culture as we know. When a fun tweet from stan twitter went viral between 2016 and 2019, it was usually an ariana avi. The famous meme of a stan tweeting from her fridge was an arianators. I feel like I've seen news channels show collages of tweets discussing some social event and often there will inadvertantly be arianators being quoted. Ariana's impact is a bit silent in the way but there's a reason why when Ariana does something you here about it immediately whether you're close to the fandom or not.

Isaiah Brown

Actually.. “Into You” & “One Last Time” are kinda pop perfection.

Katorah Thomas

Other people who I also think should be part of the conversation for their impact on pop music: Avril Lavigne, Evanescence, and Linkin Park

Adelle

i retired from the barb community after the meganthestallion mess. But Having all them ppl above Nicki Minaj was absolutely insane. Top 5 should’ve been Beyoncé, Rihanna, Britney, Madonna and nicki in that order.

Jayden Brown

is Mariah Carey on this list bc she should be! just off of literally being the Queen of Christmas

Kenya Moore

I feel seen that someone else thinks Britney Spears should be number 2. I was thinking if I was the crazy one. Britney has done so much from a young age and she influenced so many pop girls just like Beyoncé. Beyoncé and Britney are incredibly rare. It’s nearly impossible to get to their levels. I think people discount her because of her personal life. When I turn on the radio the most replayed 2000s pop songs are from Beyonce and Britney. Billboard does not have their finger on the pulse of pop music.

Anna

And Miley should definitely be higher, and yes even possibly above Ariana. The impact of Hannah Montana alone puts her in the top 25, but then you add her impact just as Miley Cyrus and she shoots up to top 15. Miley Cyrus was one of THE it girls of the 2010s. Like I know y’all remember when Can’t Be Tamed dropped and it felt like the entire world lost their collective minds! People are still eating off of Miley’s 2010s street style. The tumblr and insta girlies worshipped her then and still do now to some extent. Party in the USA is up there in the pop pantheon. Everybody and they momma knows and loves that song. And while the Bangerz era was a hot mess in many ways, it was still a HUGE era and almost every single White pop girl was trying to do what she did. I don’t think you get an Ariana Grande TUN without Miley’s Bangerz era. For that matter, do we get a Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Olivia Rodrigo, or Sabrina Carpenter without the Miley blueprint (also the Hilary Duff blueprint but that’s a whole other complex topic)? Also, what does it say that Miley was in pop purgatory for so long but then was able to come back and get smash hits like Midnight Sky and Flowers? P.S. I know they aren’t a pure pop act, but can we talk about the impact of Paramore on pop music as well?

Adelle

I’ve been an Ari stan since Honeymoon Avenue hit the streets, but I have to agree with you from an objective standpoint 🫣 I love Ari but she’s had nowhere near the amount of impact on pop music as some of the other people on that list. Much of what people could try to attribute to her, like having great music videos or mixing r&b vocals with pop tunes, someone else did it first and/or better. The general public really only cares about Dangerous Woman and thank you, next- which are her least groundbreaking albums in terms of the actual music imo. People mostly remember Dangerous Woman because it was her Good Girl Gone Bad moment, all the BS going on in Ari’s personal life, and the terrorist attack during her tour. People mostly remember thank you, next because of the titular track, the surprise drop, and all the records she broke during that era. Ask people outside of fan spaces to name a song from those eras other than the title tracks and they’ll look at you blankly. Ask people offline to name you any Ariana Grande track and they’ll probably look at you blankly. Break Free is still one of her biggest songs to date, but very little of the general public actually know it’s an Ariana Grande song. There are great tour moments that us fans know and love, but they don’t become big viral moments that everyone sees and comments on. Ariana deserves to be in the top 25, but she should probably be in the bottom 15

Adelle

Even w/ Eminem the term STAN is a direct contribution from him

SimsCCGirlie

Okay now you lost me with saying Miley is a better/bigger popstar than Ariana lol I think that's your bias cause after the bangerz era REALLY what has Miley done for real?? What has Miley done that her being a nostalgia act hasn't helped? PLEASE Ariana with Dangerous Woman alone clears anything Miley or Justin did but the Sweetener/ TUN era was simply too big to ever say Miley should be above Ariana. (Also DW, Breathing, Side to Side, Thank U Next, hell even Yes, And? Are all hits that would definitely be on the pop pyramid). Justin hasn't been Justin since Journals, and also benefits from being a nostalgia act. The Ariana disrespect is CRAZY

Angelique

You so right. I can’t deny his success but there’s a reason why even hearing Drake’s name compared to some of these other ppl is making me cringe and it’s exactly what you said

Mariah L.

Nicki influenced so much in pop culture and definitely should have been higher on the list

Pearl Kasi

Britney at #2 YASSS like the blueprint

Lavender1495

If I could like a comment 100 times…

Nivoson Crawford

I think Xtina needs an honourable mention. Her debut era got her 3 number 1s and her Stripped era was pop excellence. The Dirrty music video itself changed the game!

Jai_1

Also I'd put Britney in the first group, forgot to add

J

I feel like the industry needs to distinguish genuine pop stars/pop acts (Bey, Madonna, Janet) and pop recording artists (Drake, Taylor). Bc theres a huge difference in my opinion. The first group leans into the fullness of the craft and performance. The second group sells well on platforms and has large fanbases, but to me do not commit to performing in a comparable way.

J

omg i almost forgot to share this fact. you made a great argument for madonna. she had the biggest solo concert of all time this year in brazil for her final tour stop! 1.6 million people!

Nini

Adele erasure is weird. That lady is POWERFUL

Shady Tyrell

If we’re talking CULTURAL IMPACT, Nicki Minaj and Eminem objectively have to be in the top 10. They’re pop history.

Keith Primas

THANK YOU!! Seeing Britney Spears at #6 made me itch. Like hold up y’all got the game fucked up because that’s THEE Princess of Pop.

Keith Primas

No fr I was like wait now hole on now 😭 and under Eminem too??

Mariah L.

Def, her and Lana are mothers absolutely

Mariah L.

Also 100% agree Lana should be on this list

Mariah L.

Nicki is def low and Bruno is CRIMINALLY low.. Idk tho if I agree with Kanye being high and certainly not higher than Gaga. Gaga is solidly top 5 for me and even as bland as she is now Katy should objectively be top 10. I also think Ari should be higher than Eminem!!

Mariah L.

britney definitely needs to be higher. blackout is literally a REVOLUTIONARY pop album that could never be replicated. and that's just talking about blackout... we got circus, in the zone, and femme fatale all from that lady too. i will never forget my sister's gay friend fucking a DJ in order to get an early copy of femme fatale before it was released to the public 😭 and we were BOPPING to that shit before it came out. it will forever remind me of a very specific time in my life. it is amazing what that lady can do when it comes to pop music. people disrespect her legacy and downplay her impact a lot but those of us who were really THERE could never forget even if we tried.

jewel

Taylor needs to be lower for me. And I’d put her below Justin. Justin gave it up, but he still did more for pop than Taylor. He was running the game, and sure it destroyed him. But he was running things. People are still at their big age arguing on the internet about him and Selena. And Justin Bieber absolutely had sons. Nobody cares about them mainly because Justin stopped caring.

Birdie Wolf

One of the things I appreciate the most about Kenya is how deep in the media trenches she was back in the day too!! Growing up, I used to STAY on VH1 and E! watching all those pop culture commentary shows and mess (I Love the...., Chelsea Lately, etc...) but NO ONE else did! And just media/TV in general. But with tiktok and everything, everyone is in celebrity business now. But it's crazy cause when you talk to people about certain topics/celebrities, they just don't know A LOT of contextual information because they weren't in people's business back in the day. I think it's a big reason why so many conversations around celebs are so annoying because most people don't know their history. Someone who ACTUALLY paid attention back in the 2000s and 2010s can easily spot how silly this list is. This list only somewhat makes sense if you focus solely on commercial success in the last like 5 years. Like I'm sorry but if you weren't clocking in every week to watch TMZ, Wendy Williams, VH1, E!, all the award shows, red carpets, etc... then I'm taking your opinion with a gigantic grain of salt.

Davonte

call me crazy, but i feel like lorde deserves a spot especially with the impact she has had on current music and artists like olivia,billie,conan,troye sivan,etc

Tev

I think Pink or Christina needed to be in the top 25

Chelsea Edmadora

No she is! She is from the now extinct line of the Celine Dions of pop girlies. That type of pop star is dead now. Adele is the last of a dying breed.

Birdie Wolf

I feel like they should’ve also had pink on this list as well. She, Beyoncé and Britney are the only pop girls of the 2000s to last into the 2010, so I feel like it’s a bit of an oversight to leave her off the list.

Adaeze Ogbonnaya

u were very kind to taylor

aiyonna

no way they put taylor over BRITNEY???? and NO Mariah at all feels strange, esp. w/ the yearly resurgence of the Christmas album rn. I'd love to see the process of elimination to create this list to begin with bc some other names feel left out (Mariah, Lana del Rey, Pharrell maybe???)

rudi!!!

We gotta fight bc you kept scooting Ariana down and also kept saying objective. Ariana get behind me 🙂‍↔️🙂‍↔️

Ramone Paris

billboard should’ve just asked you to make the #real list

aliya

IJBOLLL

heyitspoochie

My top 5 for sure Beyonce, Gaga, Spears, Bruno, Rihanna idc idc ...

germaninatlanta

Yea I just see how they put Bruno so low. Compared to many others in this list, his level of success and showmanship surpasses to alot of them.

Kayla Sanders

Chile, I'm team meg too but I graduated the summer of "Night is still young". When it played i guess that's what crack feels like cause it was a VIBE

Vic

Not good night gaga ???!! Your expressions always have me dying 😭😭😭

Vic

justin beiber could've had it all. he was literally supposed to be usher's musical son but for some reason he wanted to stop dancing and make music like chris brown

Nini

Yeah mariah shouldve been in the top 25 for sure for her resurgence in 2005 alone among other things.

Cosmic Orbit

They should have an adult contemporary category with this type of list.

Precious4U

Adele is NOT a pop star - Adele is the poster girl for sad girl music and the way the genres are trying to blend they keep pushing sad girl music into pop and it’s NOT its alt if anything. They are calling Gracie Abrams pop! NO

Alivia

Also Kenya Jack tweeted: ‘Step into my office. Smell is as (if not more) political than any of the other 5 senses !! Many people think Truman won the presidency through strategy, but it was his smell’ Idk I felt the need to share this 😭

Danielle A

Britney Spears = #2 YES!!!! everything from the shaved head to the music videos

Alivia

Did they leave out Mariah?

Dejavu

I wonder why Justin Bieber just hung it up, flatscreen……

Taylor Haynes

WHY ISNT BRUNO IN TOP 15 his songs are just POPPPPP

Danielle A

I agree with your list but also, I think Usher should definitely be in the top 10’s. He should take Adele’s spot. Eminem should also be in the top ten 😭 We should come up with a new number between 9 and 10 to make room for some people

Kris

I don’t know, Ariana Grande seems to embody pop better than Taylor

Danielle A

Absolutely! Britney Spears is top 5 for sureee

Dejavu

Took her out back and gave her one to the head 😭😭😭

Danielle A

Big agree on Brittney Spears.

Vincent Forkner

Let’s gooo

Lavender1495

YUP

diego


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