Top 15 Songs of 2000’s

At the end of the 20th century, nobody could have predicted where the music industry was leaded. In fact, it still boggles our minds to think about how different the musical landscape looked by the end of the 2000s compared to the late-90s. With rap and pop largely supplanting the popularity of rock music, the 00s decade transformed the face of popular music.

Want to find out which songs of the 2000s were the best? Our music experts browsed the best- selling charts from the last decade to find out which songs had the biggest impact on the music industry and popular culture. With as little bias as possible, we put together this list of the most influential top songs of the 2000s.

Best Pop Songs of the 2000s

The pop music of the 2000s carried on the precedent set in the decade prior. For example, major pop artists like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera continued the teen pop craze while young male artists like Justin Timberlake and Jesse McCartney left their respective boy bands to pursue solo careers. Here is our exclusive list of the top songs of 2000s in the pop genre.

Gnarls Barkley, Crazy (2006)

With the release of “Crazy”, Gnarls Barkley reinvigorated the soul genre and breathed new life into a musical niche that had been dormant for years. Although this song was leaked in 2005, it received an official release in March 2006 and went on to sell one million copies to become certified four times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Beyonce, Crazy in Love (2003)

Beyonce Knowles had already made a name for herself in the girl group Destiny’s Child when she released her first major solo single “Crazy in Love” with her romantic partner Jay-Z. The song is an upbeat feminist anthem that blends unique sampling with funk, soul, and hip-hop styles to create a one-of-a-kind R&B love ballad.

OutKast, Hey Ya! (2003)

Although “Hey Ya!” was written and recorded by Andre 3000 alone, the song is credited to the hip-hop group OutKast. The song became one of the 2000s biggest pop hits due to its successful blending of pop and rap genres into one fun, fast-paced radio single. Legend has it that it required 30 to 40 takes of each line before the band members were satisfied with the result.

M.I.A. Paper Planes (2008)

British rapper M.I.A was relatively unknown in North America until the release of his major international hit “Paper Planes” in 2008. The song catapulted her into success and earned her a nomination for Record of the Year at the 2009 Grammy Awards. A downtempo ballad, the song influenced the sound of alternative dance and alternative hip-hop in the years ahead.

Amy Winehouse, Rehab (2006)

Before her tragic demise, English singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse achieved international stardom with the release of “Rehab” in 2006. A soul and R&B hybrid, Winehouse expressed her frustrations with drug and alcohol addiction in the song. The song became a top 10 hit in the United States and won three Grammy Awards in the year following its release.

Best Rock Songs of the 2000s

Rock music changed forever in the 2000s decade by taking a backseat to rap and pop music.

Alternative rock took the spotlight in this decade, with post-grunge, pop-punk, emo, indie rock, and nu metal achieving mainstream success. Although it was a genre in decline, rock music continued to thrive until the end of the 2000s.

Finger Eleven, Paralyzer (2007)

Canadian rock band Finger Eleven gained worldwide prominence in 2007 with the release oftheir number one single “Paralyzer.” The song was an alternative rock and dance rock ballad with heavy power chords, an addition that was rare by the latter half of the decade. In 2007, they performed the song live on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snow (Hey Oh) (2006)

After a brief break from the spotlight, The Red Hot Chili Peppers resurged back to international acclaim with the release of “Snow (Hey Oh)” and several other hit singles off their album 2006 double album Stadium Arcadium. The song was the 11th Chili Peppers single to top the United States modern rock charts.

Green Day, American Idiot (2004)

In the aftermath of the War on Terror and the events of September 11, Green Day released “American Idiot” to rave reviews. The single and the album of the same name went on to become major international hits that helped punk rock band Green Day achieve greater success than their former peak in the mid-1990s.

Trapt, Headstrong (2002)

The first single released by American nu metal band Trapt ended up becoming their most successful. “Headstrong,” released in 2002, is a loud and violent-sounding anthem that topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock charts in the United States and received widespread radio playback in 2002 and 2003.

Staind, It’s Been Awhile (2001)

Post-grunge briefly enjoyed mainstream success in North America following the release of Staind’s “It’s Been Awhile” in 2001. The song reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in October 2001 and went on to be featured in numerous movies and TV shows for the raw, emotional force behind the vocals and lyrics.

Best Rap Songs of the 2000s

The 2000s saw rap music and hip-hop achieve massive mainstream success. Although rock music was the genre of choice for many Americans in the 1990s, this quickly changed in the 2000s as rap artists like Lil Wayne, Eminem, and Kanye West brought the genre into the limelight. Here is our list of the top songs of 2000s in the rap genre.

Drake, Best I Ever Had (2009)

Before the release of “Best I Ever Had,” hardly anyone outside of Toronto knew of rapper Aubrey Graham, otherwise known as Drake. As the first single off his breakthrough mixtape, Drake becomes an international star after the release of “Best I Ever Had” launched him into the number two spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Drake also received numerous awards for the song as well as nominations for two Grammy Awards.

Kanye West, Gold Digger (2005)

At the start of the decade, Kanye West was a little-known producer for big-name acts like Jay-Z and DMX. However, by the mid-2000s, Kanye West was producing and rapping on some of the top songs of 2000s. For example, his major 2005 hit “Gold Digger” made Kanye West a household name in most of North America.

When it released, Gold Digger broke records for digital downloads in its first week. The song, which features a creative sampling of singer Ray Charles, became one of the longest-running singles to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States in the 2000s. Today, the single is widely regarded by critics as one of the top songs of the 2000s decade.

50 Cent, In Da Club (2003)

50 Cent’s “In da Club” was the lead single off his 2003 debut album “Get Rich or Die Tryin’.” The song is one of 50 Cent’s best singles and is well-known by audiences who are not familiar with most other rap songs. The success of this song led to the resurgence of gangsta rap in the mid- 2000s and earned 50 Cent numerous Grammy Award nominations.

Rolling Stone magazine listed “In da Club” as one of the top 20 songs of the 2000s and among the 500 greatest songs ever made. Although the song lost to Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” at the 2004 Grammy Awards, it is nonetheless one of the most successful rap songs of all time.

Nelly, Country Grammar (Hot…) (2000)

One of the hottest songs of the year 2000, Nelly’s “Country Grammar” helped reinvigorate interest in the St. Louis rapper. Nelly successfully blended the rap and pop genres to produce a song that topped the charts and dominated the radio waves during the summer of 2000s.

A local anthem in the City of St. Louis, “Country Grammar” is considered one of the most innovative hip-hop songs of all time. To date, it is Nelly’s most successful and best-selling single.

Lil Wayne, Lollipop (2008)

By the end of the decade, Lil Wayne had become the most dominant rapper in the industry. With the release of “Lollipop” in 2008, Lil Wayne skyrocketed into international stardom. The song, which features extensive use of the Auto-Tune vocal effect, heavily influenced the sound of hip-hop in the 2010s and the late 2000s.

Today, “Lollipop” is fondly remembered as one of the top songs of 2000s and is now certified 5x Platinum by the RIAA. Since its release, Lil Wayne has re-released the song numerous times with different music genres influencing each edition.