Top Artists on Rhapsody Online

Jack Johnson

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:36 -0700

Like G. Love, Jack Johnson plays groovy acoustic funk. The difference is that where G. Love relies on hip-hop, Johnson's points of reference are a bit more eclectic, incorporating lite jazz and classic singer-songwriter motifs (including interesting vocal experiments a la Joni Mitchell and Tim Buckley). It's all held together by earthy rock backing, and topped off with a voice that at times sounds enough like Mose Alison to convince listeners that maybe Johnson really has the goods. Before embarking on a musical career, Johnson was a successful professional surfer. His popularity simmered through his first few albums, but with 2005's In Between Dreams Johnson's stock exploded, crossing over from the jam rock crowd he had been the darling of and into the mainstream pop market. The record yielded hits in "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing" and "Better Together." Johnson's comfortable voice and sweet melodies naturally translated to children's songs with his 2006 release Sing-a-Longs & Lullabies For The Film Curious George. - Mike McGuirk

Coldplay

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:35 -0700

Coldplay create sparse, emotional soundscapes, dripping with melancholy. The London-based quartet is singer Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion. Their debut album, Parachutes, was released in late 2000 in the U.S., and they quickly became a sensation. The record went No. 1 in the U.K. charts and won Best Alternative Music Album at the 2002 Grammys. Marked by Martin's falsetto-happy vocals, songs like "Yellow" and "Shiver" employ stop/start dynamics that allow serene verses to build to a crescendo, centering on the well-trodden theme of love. Sophomore effort A Rush of Blood to the Head took home two Grammys and earned a spot on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list. Hits "Clocks" and "In My Place" were wistful and romantic, labeled by some as radio-friendly Radiohead. The group's third album, XandY, became the best-selling album of 2005, and "Speed of Sound" topped the year's charts worldwide. But critics were less enthusiastic: a railing review in the The New York Times accused the lyrics of being nonsensical drivel. Coldplay's fourth album -- produced by Brian Eno -- is slated for release in 2008. - Dan Shumate

Mariah Carey

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:28 -0700

Say what you may about her fashion sense or "diva-tude," but there is no doubt that Mariah Carey defined 1990s urban pop music. Carey ruled the charts during the Clinton decade -- her 1990 self-titled debut album alone spawned four No. 1 hit singles, and she would have 11 more before the new millennium. Over the years, artists from Christina Aguilera to Ciara would name her as an influence. Her albums are always expertly crafted and performed, making her MTV Unplugged EP a surprisingly warm change of pace. Her dominance of the charts in the 1990s earned her the title of Billboard's Artist of the Decade. Despite heavily publicized personal trials in the early part of the new century, Carey returned to the forefront of modern music with The Emancipation of Mimi, which spawned her 16th and 17th No. 1 hits. In 2008, Mariah returned with the hit single "Touch My Body" and the subsequent album, E=MC2. The single pushed her past Elvis into second place (behind the Beatles) for the most No. 1 singles for an artist in the modern era. - Rachel Landy

John Mayer

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:38 -0700

Initially viewed as a younger take on the music of Dave Matthews, John Mayer's earnest and earthy pop has grown in popularity and reputation since his 1999 debut. Mayer sings mellow pop songs in an expressive tenor voice, and is an assured, harmonically astute acoustic guitarist whose jazzy phrasing fills out his songs nicely. His 2001 sophomore album Room For Squares was a pleasant, non-abrasive pop album that launched him to major label success. While maintaining his commercial appeal, he's since expanded his musical styles, proving that he's a true crossover artist that effortlessly commands the blues guitar. Mayer has collaborated with such diverse talents as Common, Herbie Hancock, Kanye West and even comedian Dave Chappelle, and receiving nods from legends like B.B. King and Eric Clapton hasn't phased the star. His 2006 release Continuum reached platinum status and brought out Mayer's socially conscious side. - Casey Lowdermilk

Lil' Wayne

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:30 -0700

One of Southern rap's most enduring and talented emcees, New Orleans' Lil' Wayne began rapping at the tender age of 11. By the time he was 15, he'd linked up with Juvenile, Turk and B.G. and formed the immensely popular Hot Boys group on Cash Money Records. Though the emcees showed promise, many listeners focused on the post-Bounce production of Mannie Fresh, and regarded Wayne as a fresh-faced vehicle for the producer. But Wayne went solo in 1999 with Tha Block is Hot. His raps focus on youthful rebellion, New Orleans style -- crack, girls and turf supremacy are paramount. He would go on to release two additional solo CDs 2000's Lights Out and 2002's 500 Degreez. Those albums were commercially successful and established Wayne true force. With 2004's Tha Carter and its 2005 follow-up, Tha Carter II, he made a case for himself as the South's preeminent rapper, with a supple flow, witty lyrics and ample charisma. When he boasted in a 2006 interview that he was the greatest rapper in the world, few disagreed. - Sam Chennault

Bob Marley

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:49:03 -0700

Since just about every human on the planet seems to own Legend, it's hardly necessary to describe the King of Reggae's music. Marley's style developed early under the tutelage of Lee Perry, who influenced Marley's phrasing. His voice graced early Ska, Rock Steady and Reggae recordings, but many believe that the time he spent backed by fellow Wailers Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston was the most artistically satisfying of his career. The varied personal styles that the trio brought to recording sessions and live performances represented the culmination of Jamaican trio-style singing. Marley's soulful vocal leads were supported by Tosh's deep, almost angry diatribes, while Livingston (who later changed his name to Bunny Wailer) provided balancing high harmonies. The group added an R&B influence to slowed-down Ska, using vocal interplay similar to that of U.S. Doo-Wop and Soul acts. When backed by the Upsetters, one of Jamaica's hottest studio bands, the Wailers combined a tight vocal unit with exceptional rhythmic underpinning. That combination was responsible for Marley's first international smash Catch a Fire, as well as the brilliant, Lee Perry-produced African Herbsman. Later, Marley utilized female singers in the I-Threes when Peter and Bunny left to pursue solo careers. It took Eric Clapton's chart-topping success with "I Shot the Sheriff" to introduce Marley's music to a wide audience in the U.S., but today his sound is a bona fide international phenomenon. Biting lyrics coated in sugary-sweet melodies made Marley a genuine political force who delivered his messages in upbeat, rhythmic vehicles. His prophetic wails still ring true; his expansive music remains powerful and virtuosic. We're left wondering why we had to lose the Caribbean negus at such a young age. - Jessy Terry

Madonna

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:49:01 -0700

One of the few megastars only needing a single name, Madonna's brand of dance pop began as the purest of bubblegum but has become increasingly sophisticated during the course of a career now in its third decade. Her influence has lessened a bit since the multimedia dynasty she lorded over in the 1980s and early '90s, partly because she's been busy raising children and partly because the focus of dance-oriented music has radically shifted in the years between Bedtime Stories (1994) and Confessions On A Dance Floor (2005). However her clubbing antennae remain finely tuned, and each subsequent release serves less as an indication of her musical development and more her ability to latch onto producer/writers of the moment. This, and her constant image-massaging to remain relevant to the dance community, allows a mother in her early forties to get away with acting like a club kitten without too much dissent, even less so with her triumphant 2005 return to form. A ruthless careerist and tougher than most of us, she does tend to show weakness with her lyrics, which at their best are simple ditties and at their worst just plain embarrassing. A catchy tune is usually there to save the day, however, and perhaps this is why she has failed to make it in the acting world -- she needs the music to shield her inability to deliver a really good line. And what music -- hit after hit, some still working a dancefloor just as effectively 20 years after initial release. Few other artists in the dance pop and electronica world show such staying power, and few receive such goodwill from their fan base, no matter which upheavals she drags them through as she hops and skips from fad to fad, laughing all the way to the bank. - Nicholas Baker

Neil Diamond

Tue, 6 May 2008 09:18:09 -0700

OK, Neil Diamond is an easy target for parody -- voice straight outta Brooklyn, bespangled shirt straight outta Vegas. But this ex-Brill Building tunesmith crafted a batch of excellent songs during the 1960s (hits such as "Solitary Man" for himself and "I'm a Believer" for the Monkees) before emerging as a stadium superstar. His bombastic, ubermelodramatic work from the 1970s has earned him an enormous, if aging, female following who feel that Diamond tells them what their tight-lipped, big-bellied husbands never will. Today, a new generation of ironic hipster fans have swelled their ranks. Both these groups know that underneath the florid orchestrations and over-the-top emotion lies the truth. Who doesn't feel that love can go on the rocks? Who hasn't experienced a great September morning? Be it a longtime fan in too-snug polyester trousers or a smug 25-year-old in his dad's leisure suit -- both pump their fists in unison during "America." Neil Diamond, an undeserving nation thanks you for trying to put some feeling (however unsubtle) into our bored, numbed lives. - Nick Dedina

Linkin Park

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:49:16 -0700

Naysayers predicted that this whole rap-rock thing would be dying a slow, silent death right about now, but it seems to be breathing just fine without needing to come up for air. Linkin Park are one of the most successful guitar-swinging, lyric-dropping scratch wizards to simultaneously glorify the big riff while bowing down at the altar of hip-hop. In the course of a single song they let their guitars run amok, push plodding rhythms and growl like angry dogs roused from sleep -- all while dexterously zipping back and forth along record grooves. Linkin Park formed in 1996, but all the pieces didn't fall into place until 2000, when Warner Brothers released Hybrid Theory, dubbed after the band's original name. Thanks to "In the End," the album was a massive hit and the second single, "Crawling," won them a Grammy for "Best Hard Rock Performance." Despite a somewhat cool reception from anyone over the age of 13, Linkin Park claimed a spot at the very top of the heap in the early 2000s nu-metal arena. They have since released an album of Hybrid Theory remixes, a studio album and a live album chronicling their extensive tours. A single called "Numb/Encore," featuring a collaboration with rapper Jay-Z, was released in 2004; the EP it was taken from, Collision Course, and single hit No. 1, and firmly reset Linkin Park's place at the top of the charts. In 2005 the band concentrated on a number of relief efforts to aid victims of the Southeast Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. MC Mike Shinoda splintered off to work on his solo project, a hip-hop group called Fort Minor. The band released Minutes to Midnight in 2007, another chart-topper that scaled back the rapping in favor of a more straight forward arena-friendly rock sound. - Kali Holloway

Gavin DeGraw

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:39 -0700

Gavin DeGraw is a singer-songwriter based in New York City. His 2003 debut, Chariot, revealed a talent adept at crossing up the wires of mainstream radio pop and impressively crafted lyrics. His following is slowly but surely growing, thanks in part to the fact that his song "I Don't Want To Be" is the theme to the WB show One Tree Hill. - Mike McGuirk

Leona Lewis

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:49:26 -0700

The age when televised talent contests were popular kingmakers has no better poster child than Leona Lewis, an English neo-soul singer and songwriter who won the third series of a British TV talent show called The X Factor and became a huge international pop star nearly overnight. Lewis began writing songs at 12 and winning local talent contests around London a few years later. Her big pipes earned her an instant following in the UK (here toothsome good looks probably didn't hurt either) before she even released her first single, "A Moment Like This," in December of 2006. That single set records by being downloaded over 50,000 times in 30 minutes and was followed the next year by her debut LP, Spirit, which had its songs and producers selected jointly by record moguls Simon Cowell and Clive Davis. - Nate Cavalieri

The Rolling Stones

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:49:00 -0700

Few partnerships in rock 'n' roll have been as productive as the collaboration between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and of course having wunderkind Brian Jones along did nothing to hinder the Rolling Stones' popularity. From the get-go, the band played the raunchy, gritty doppelganger to the Beatles' dandified Merseybeat pop. They ventured a heavier, bluesier sound than their British Invasion counterparts, taking their cues from Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. The band's greatest strength, besides Charlie Watts, has always been their ability to add stylistic touches drawn from their interests in Eastern music, psychedelia, country and even disco to a blues rock chassis. It's difficult to listen to the trippy Their Satanic Majesties Request, the down-and-out honky-tonk of Exile On Main Street and the clean modernist surfaces of Bridges To Babylon and believe they were recorded by the same band. Of course, in some ways they weren't; the lineup changes that have dogged the Stones account for much of their musical diversity. Jagger's famous slur and Richards' sloppy guitar elegance are the two constants in the band's many life cycles that make every Stones song instantly recognizable. - Chad Driscoll

Rihanna

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:45 -0700

Talent and a dose of good luck got Barbados-born Rihanna signed to Def Jam when she was 16 years old. She was discovered by producer Evan Rogers, who was visiting Barbados in 2003, and went on to so impress Def Jam CEO Jay-Z that he grabbed her for a multi-album contract. The singer's first single, "Pon De Replay," was released in June 2005, with the full album Music of the Sun dropping in August 2005. But her big break came in 2006 with the release of the single "S.O.S." and the subsequent album A Girl Like Me. The single, which sampled Soft Cell's "Tainted Love," was one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially popular songs of that year. Though Rihanna had basically moved away from dancehall, she was moving toward a new aesthetic that married R&B, synth-pop and hip-hop. She continued in this direction with 2007's Good Girl Gone Bad, which featured the infectious singles "Umbrella" and "Shut Up and Drive." - Sam Chennault

Pink Floyd

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:49:06 -0700

Early Pink Floyd recordings make space travel superfluous so long as we have keyboards here on Earth. Back when enigmatic lyricist and acid-eater extraordinaire Syd Barrett skippered the ship, the Floyd sounded something like Monty Python with instruments -- quirky, trippy and weird. Barrett made Bedlam seem a reasonable price to pay for such gems as "Bike," "Lucifer Sam," and the Space Rock tour-de-force "Astronomy Domine." Upon Barrett's departure, the only marginally less maniacal Roger Waters took on singing and songwriting duties. The band dug even deeper into labyrinthine song structures, but nothing prior had prepared the world for 1973s Dark Side of the Moon. The concept album par excellence, Moon utilizes a narrative lyric structure and musical leitmotifs to give the album a sense of coherence. These compositional strategies culminated in '79s harrowing magnum opus, The Wall, an unflinching look at England's soul -- its educational system, its flirtations with fascism, the conservatism leading up to Thatcher. After Waters' defection, the remaining members came down with a crippling case of the blands but decided to stick it out, releasing a series of flashy (note '95's Pulse), nostalgic commodities that basically sounded like David Gilmour solo efforts (even if they continued to sell like genuine Pink Floyd productions). In July 2005, David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Richard Wright and Roger Waters reformed for the Live 8 charity concert. Sadly, in July 2006, Syd Barrett died at the age of 60, from complications of diabetes. - Chad Driscoll

Rascal Flatts

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:49:06 -0700

Nashville superstar Chely Wright's backing band members were so talented that they went out and started their own musical project, the fruit of which is Rascal Flatts. Where Wright tends toward the more twangy roots of country music, Rascal Flatts take the foundation of country songs and layer on R&B-inspired rhythms overflowing with pop-rooted vocal harmonies. With their boyish good looks, uplifting optimism and friendly smiles, they have garnered many more comparisons to boy bands than country pop acts. And aside from the fact that the band write, record and perform some of the catchiest songs in the biz, their fans also seem to appreciate Rascal Flatts' humble, guy-next-door demeanor. - Eric Shea

Maroon 5

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:49:02 -0700

The key to Maroon 5's chart domination is an unvarying torrent of broadly palatable blue-eyed soul, but the band's story is ultimately one of chameleonic transformations. Members of the group first met at a private junior high in the L.A. 'burbs in the early '90s, where they formed a group called Kara's Flowers to emulate the grungy pop that then ruled the airwaves. Although they landed a major deal while most of the group was still in high school, by the late '90s the band was dropped. Two years later, singer Adam Levine and company surfaced on the other side of an immense musical awakening, ditching the barn-big guitars and chugging riffs for a style of RnB-infused pop marked by Levine's sassy falsetto. They got some snappy duds, adopted the Maroon 5 moniker, added guitar ringer James Valentine and hit pay dirt. Their 2002 debut, Songs About Jane, started slow, but eventually infected the Top 40 with one hit after the next, making the group a staple of the FM airwaves. Jane was followed by a pair of live recordings, but a proper sophomore release didn't come until 2007's blockbusting It Won't Be Soon Before Long. - Nate Cavalieri

Elton John

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:31 -0700

Although he made an initial splash with his flamboyant stage getups, it's Elton John's effortless way with simple, yet memorable melodies that have won him his ongoing popularity. With lyricist Bernie Taupin, the British pianist crafted a string of hits in the 1970s: zoologically-themed numbers such as "Crocodile Rock" and "Honky Cat" showed off his rock 'n' roll side, while "Rocket Man" and "Bennie and the Jets" proved he could slow things down just as effectively. A range of personal and artistic problems began to take their toll around 1976, but he reclaimed a place on the charts in the 1980s with songs like "I'm Still Standing" and "Sad Songs (Say So Much)." His work during this era generally ranked a notch below the earlier glory days, but he continues to make his presence felt, filling concert halls, contributing to soundtracks and issuing a massively-selling rewrite of the perennial torch ballad "Candle in the Wind" on the occasion of Princess Diana's death in 1997. That same year, John was knighted Sir Elton John. In 1999, he collaborated on an adaptation of Verdi's opera Aida. With the coming of the 2000s, John became as much a humanitarian as a pop figure, raising millions for various charities and forming the Elton John AIDS Foundation. In 2005, he married longtime boyfriend David Furnish. - Mike McGuirk

Chris Brown

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:46 -0700

Coming from a small town in Virginia, underage R&B crooner Chris Brown hit the scene in the summer of 2005, teaming up with Scott Storch and Juelz Santana for the club-friendly single "Run It!" Flexing a vocal style akin to Usher (or a young Michael Jackson), he released his debut self-titled LP later that year. - Brolin Winning

Kenny Chesney

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:37 -0700

If Kenny Chesney's new traditional tinged country style leans toward hard rocking pop, blame it on the '70s FM radio and the country rock music coming out of the radio stations in his hometown of Luttrell, TN, a small place just outside Knoxville (also Chet Atkins' hometown). Chesney wasn't one of those kids who grew up with stage parents in Stetsons. He actually stumbled into the realm of country music by accident while studying marketing at East Tennessee State University. He found a guitar under the Christmas tree and was soon playing country and bluegrass with some college buddies. He's one of those rare musicians who got to where he is without the help of any contacts, hook-ups or any Star Search copycat television shows. Chesney climbed his way to the top in the traditional grass roots fashion of constant playing, demo recording, touring and self-promotion. While Chesney's songs maintain the gritty twang of yesteryear's honky-tonk, he has clearly found a balance that suits his songs well -- the scales are tipped toward high-end radio production and polished song hooks. And he has been known to mix in a little beach-twang here and there, a-la Jimmy Buffett. - Eric Shea

Bob Dylan

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:30 -0700

Bob Dylan is on the short list of the most influential artists of the 20th century. He coupled a love for all forms of American popular and folk music with a personal and poetic songwriting style instead of relying on professional craftsmen or standard tunes. Influenced by Woody Guthrie, Dylan proved that you didn't have to be a technically perfect singer or musician to make brilliant pop music. The songs on 1963's The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan catapulted the artist to stardom but he was already burning to get away from acoustic backing and match his unique vision to rock, country and blues. Dylan's music influenced a whole new generation of musicians -- such as the Beatles and Stevie Wonder -- to start crafting songs about what was important to them. While Dylan kick-started folk and country rock in his '60s studio work, the ragged home recordings he made with the Band showed that not even poorly placed microphones could stifle brilliance. Dylan still tours these days and records less often then he used to, but as albums such as 1997's Time Out of Mind and 2006's Modern Times prove, the man still has a lot to say and continues to do it in a way that no one else can. - Nick Dedina

Alicia Keys

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:49:03 -0700

Alicia Keys seemingly came out of nowhere in the summer of 2001, storming up the charts with her braids and heaping servings of soul. But Keys is no pre-fab diva; she's been studying music since age five and began writing songs at age 14. She wrote (or co-wrote) and produced most of the songs on her debut, Songs in a Minor, and subsequent singles have proven she's no one-hit wonder. She took home five Grammy Awards in 2002 (including Best New Artist and Song of the Year), and returned triumphantly with The Diary of Alicia Keys the following year, racking up more hit singles ("You Don't Know My Name," "If I Ain't Got You"), and winning four more Grammys. 2007's As I Am spawned the unstoppable "No One" and the Prince-infused "Like You'll Never See Me Again." One of the most talented and likeable R&B superstars in the game today, Keys shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon.

Michael Buble

Wed, 7 May 2008 17:57:13 -0700

Michael Buble, the Canadian retro crooner, grew up listening to such influences as Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin and Ella Fitzgerald. Egged on by his grandfather, Buble became a showbiz kid who loved performing and at age 17 he won the top prize in the Canadian Youth Talent Search. After releasing a number of independent albums, Buble went stateside and joined the touring company of the much-praised Broadway show Swing. After being featured as a nightclub singer in the movie Totally Blonde (2001), Buble signed to Reprise Records -- the label started by Sinatra - and released his self-titled disc in 2003. Touring and TV appearances spotlighted Buble's stage presence and his "I don't need studio trickery" talent and resulted in the album hitting the charts a number of different times. Buble's skills as a live performer were highlighted on the strong seller Come Fly With Me, which was followed by It's Time (2205), which shot to No. 1 in Canada and topped the U.S. jazz charts. - Nick Dedina

Colbie Caillat

Thu, 15 May 2008 08:00:30 -0700

Colbie Caillat owes her early success to MySpace, which brought the soulful folk singer and songwriter from Malibu, California to the attention of millions of fans before she'd released a proper debut. When that debut, Coco, came in July 2007, the online buzz helped her become an instant success, and she quickly earned top spots on digital music services and the Billboard charts. - Nate Cavalieri

U2

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:49:02 -0700

Due to their uncanny ability to change with the times, U2 have managed to stay alive as the majority of their '80s counterparts have disappeared. The evolution of their music is ongoing, and each new record seems to bring a never-before encountered style to the band's oeuvre. From the jangly Post-Punk of their earliest records to the genre-exploding extravaganza that marked their hyper-rhythmic re-entry into the post-Nirvana world, the quartet has provided an utterly original sound and a rarely matched depth of feeling every time. The band continues to produce emotionally stunning music, injecting everything from countrified pedal steel, gurgling techno sounds and processed hip-hop beats into their particular brand of Euro-rock.In 2000, U2 showed a spectacular return to form with the release of All That You Can't Leave Behind. Singles such as "It's a Beautiful Day," "Stuck In A Moment...," "Walk On" and "Elevation" helped redefine the band's sound once again, with All That You Can't Leave Behind going platinum three times over. Original players in the post-rock sound, U2 came full circle in 2004, when they released How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb. Ironically, the album was released in the midst of a trendy resurgence of post-punk, cementing U2's place as pioneers of the sound. Fittingly, U2 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.

Johnny Cash

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:40 -0700

You might consider Johnny Cash the original gangster. He sang a song about killing a man "just to watch him die" long before young men began to wear big pants and cap their teeth in gold. His trademark baritone growl and disdainful sneer were the crown and scepter he bore as the king of outlaw country music. Cash's unique sound wasn't complex by any means. His Southern Gothic-tinged narratives and lighthearted country songs contained similar elements to Woody Guthrie's simple ditties. However, nobody but Cash could sing those songs with the burning, heartfelt fever that has made him one of the most influential people in country music. Originally, he wanted to make gospel music after finishing up a Korean War tour of duty in the U.S. Air Force. But after releasing his first single on Sun Records ("Cry Cry Cry" backed with "Hey Porter"), it was perfectly clear that he was a country singer. Cash's music has never strayed from what he knew best: rock 'n' roll's rebellion, folk's painfully autobiographical sensibility, and country music's lovelorn longing. The Man In Black passed away in Nashville, Tenn., on September 12, 2003, due to complications brought on by diabetes. He survived his beloved wife, June Carter Cash, by four months. - Eric Shea

Usher

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:32 -0700

By the time he was upon the threshold of puberty, Usher already had a record deal and a gold album. By the time he graduated from high school, he'd established himself as one of the most visible artists in R&B. Armed with a soulful voice and impressive songwriting skills, Usher's songs vary from floor-rattling dance tracks to between-the-sheets ballads. Between 1994 and 2004, he released six albums, appeared in several films, earned multiple platinum plaques, and collaborated with a wide variety of top-shelf artists. Though he was already a well-established famous singer (and occasional actor), 2004 was the year he really blew up worldwide, thanks to the infectious, chart-topping single "Yeah" produced by Lil Jon. The song, and his album Confessions, netted him three Grammy Awards and propelled him to the upper tier of music superstardom. - Kali Holloway

Nickelback

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:28 -0700

Nickelback, a post-grunge band from Alberta, are the first Canadian band since the Guess Who (in the '70s) to have a No. 1 hit single in both Canada and the U.S. Since the mid-'90s, the group -- singer/guitarist Chad Kroeger, bassist Mike Kroeger, guitarist Ryan Peake and drummer Brandon Kroeger (eventually replaced by Daniel Adair) -- has evolved from near-Pearl Jam tribute band to its signature polished, hard-rock sound. Nickelback's popularity first gathered steam with the single "Leader of Men" off their second self-released album, 1998's The State. The song was in heavy rotation on Canadian radio, and soon American label Roadrunner signed them (and reissued The State). They then toured with Creed, and in 2001, Silver Side Up yielded subsequent hits, such as "Someday." In 2005, Nickelback returned with All the Right Reasons, a departure from their previous harder sound that pushed them into contemporary heavy-rock territory and made them one of the biggest bands in alt-rock of the 2000s. Meteoritic hits "Photograph" and "Savin' Me" assured the album's dominance at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts, and it went more than seven times platinum. - Eric Shea

Norah Jones

Sat, 10 May 2008 06:48:18 -0700

This young singer and pianist has so much talent that she can't be contained by one genre of music. The American-born, Texas-bred daughter of Indian music legend Ravi Shankar has after-hours jazz, soul, country, blues and folk music at her command, and combines each with natural, dreamy ease. It's almost as if Rickie Lee Jones or Diana Krall were recording for an absinthe-soaked 4AD label that specialized in Americana. Some of our greatest artists -- from Frank Sinatra to Ray Charles, from Elvis to the Beatles -- were genres onto themselves, and it's refreshing to see a performer as young as Jones craft her own sound and style. Blue Note Records signed her in hopes of slowly building her into the kind of crossover jazz success that the Verve label has enjoyed with Diana Krall and Cassandra Wilson. But it didn't turn out quite that way: the buzz around Jones's debut, 2002's Come Away With Me, was so enthusiastic that the album eventually became one of the biggest sellers of the new millennium. Blue Note wisely chose not to try to make her even more successful and left Jones and her band to their own devices for 2004's Feels Like Home, a slightly darker return to the sophisticated but comforting acoustic sound of her debut. Jones and her band avoided the sophomore slump with the album, which hit the gates as a massive hit and further secured her career in music. In early 2007, Jones released Not Too Late, her first all self-penned set. She also performs regularly with other bands and musicians, including the Little Willies, Peter Malick (she appears on every track of his New York Cityalbum), jazz guitarist Charlie Hunter, electronica band Wax Poetic, and a number of her heroes, among them Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. - Nick Dedina

Frank Sinatra

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:30 -0700

Frank Sinatra transformed popular music. Often cited as the single finest interpreter of American standards, he influenced generations of vocalists such as Nat King Cole and Carmen McRae by focusing on phrasing and matching narrative nuance and emotional naturalism with amazing breathing control. In the 1930s, Sinatra starting bringing back "old" songs by such masters as Cole Porter while he was still a Big Band singer. He became a national institution in the '40s, and even though Ray Charles has praised the flawless technique of this Columbia period, Sinatra kept evolving. Starting in the '50s he concentrated on groundbreaking concept albums and a fresh Big Band sound with master arranger Nelson Riddle. Sinatra explored every nuance of emotion on these Capitol and Reprise albums and influenced the work of Ella Fitzgerald and Peggy Lee. Beginning in the '70s, when rock ruled, his voice and output became erratic but some brilliant work remains. Though Sinatra always viewed himself as a popular singer, jazz musicians hold his work in the highest esteem. Miles Davis and Lester Young often interpreted standards through his versions and avant-gardist John Zorn has said that in his own way, Frank Sinatra was as much a jazz improviser as Charlie Parker. - Nick Dedina

3 Doors Down

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:49:03 -0700

Can you raise your lighter high in the stadium and still keep your indie cred? Probably not, but you can combine the catchy hard rock of the Scorpions with the grungy street metal of Nirvana and get 3 Doors Down. Their debut hit, "Kryptonite," was a surprise smash, selling quantities that would make Shania or Britney very happy. Not bad for a rocking band who had just broken out of a small town in Mississippi. 3 Doors Down don't smell like teen spirit, but this is still the sound of acceptable teen rebellion. - Nick Dedina

Michael Jackson

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:40 -0700

It doesn't really matter if Michael Jackson bullied the world's media into calling him the King of Pop in the early 1990s or if they just started using that sobriquet on their own. Either way, he earned it. Whether singing "I Want You Back" as the 11-year-old frontman of the Jackson 5, breaking the MTV color line with the explosive "Billie Jean" or defending the world's downtrodden and misunderstood (himself, that is), Jackson set the standard for pop singing, songwriting, dancing and, let's face it, weirdness for the better part of a quarter century. He came of age in the Jackson 5, then moonwalked out of the family's clutches and into his own universe with three groundbreaking albums made with producer Quincy Jones. Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad blended soul, funk and rock influences into a taut dance-pop that transformed the sound of radio for the rest of the century. Singers and producers from Madonna to Timbaland are still trying to catch up. Prosecutors and paparazzi have been playing catch-up, too, with some of Jackson's questionable life choices, and since the late 1990s, he has seemingly spent more time in the tabloids than on the pop charts. - Matty Karas

Bruce Springsteen

Tue, 13 May 2008 06:14:49 -0700

No rock performer has spoken with more authority on the human fallout of the American Dream than Bruce Springsteen. Darkness on the Edge of Town and Nebraska are American Gothics haunted by star-crossed lovers and noble souls hag-ridden by fate into crime, depression, and worst of all, ordinariness. But lest we forget, the original denim rocker has also written some of the most uplifting songs in AOR: every line of "Born to Run" and "Glory Days" offers an ideal place to hang your troubles out to dry. Springsteen plays the perfect tailor for the damaged lives that populate his lyrics, recognizing the tiny flaws and the holes that gape in the human fabric, and doing his best to mend them -- sometimes with simple compassion, sometimes with joy. Just about everything the Boss has done has an air of permanence about it. You just know that when generations hence try to grasp what life meant to us, his music will offer an important clue. But despite his many accomplishments and incredible fame, something has kept the Boss down to earth. He generously handed out hit songs to Patti Smith and Robert Gordon in the 1970s, and even today continues to promote the careers of lesser luminaries such as duet partner Elliot Murphy. - Henry B.

Billy Joel

Sat, 10 May 2008 06:48:21 -0700

Owner of more hit singles than there are strip malls in his native Long Island, N.Y., Billy Joel has fashioned the quintessential pop career from unparalleled songcraft, a penchant for genre-bouncing from one album to the next, and over-the-top stage performances. A child of 1950s R&B and 1960s British Invasion, Joel has always maintained an extraordinary knack for coming up with songs that sound just as good (if not better) on the AM radio of your uncle's '73 Pinto as they do on the living room hi-fi. This devotion to the pop aesthetic over the course of twelve studio albums and innumerable radio hits -- beginning with the autobiographical "Piano Man" in 1973 on through "The River of Dreams" 20 years later -- has won Joel a fan base ranging from 20-somethings raised on his late '70s/early '80s classics ("My Life," "Only The Good Die Young," and "Pressure" among them) to the parents of those same 20-somethings who hear a bit of the Beatles, Dylan, and Smokey Robinson in those same classics. Although Joel removed himself from the pop fold following River of Dreams, his mighty back catalog continues to sell in hefty chunks. - Charles Hodgkins

Jordin Sparks

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:55 -0700

You might call Jordin Sparks an amateur talent contest professional, although prodigy is perhaps more accurate. In 2007, the 17-year-old Sparks won American Idol. But before that, she appeared twice on America's Most Talented Kids, received two awards from the Gospel Music Association Academy and finished second at Music in the Rockies, a competition for aspiring contemporary Christian artists. The year before she won Idol, the multitalented Sparks also won Torrid's search for the "Next Plus Size Model" and appeared in a Seventeen magazine ad for the clothing line. So winning Idol was just the big, fat cherry on top of a talent show sundae -- and the culmination of a life spent working towards performance career.

The child of NFL player Phillippi Sparks (formerly of the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys), the baby-faced belter grew up singing and doing children's theater. She got a string of gigs singing the national anthem at professional sporting events in her home state of Arizona, toured with CCM star Michael W. Smith and recorded an EP (2003's For Now) at age 13. Despite all her experience, Sparks did not initially make the cut when she auditioned for Idol in Los Angeles. She did, however, win the local Arizona Idol contest, which earned her the right to audition again in Seattle and, eventually, to become the youngest ever American Idol. Following her win, she toured with the other Idols and began work on her debut album. - Rachel Devitt

Carrie Underwood

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:45 -0700

In May of 2005, Carrie Underwood became the fourth winning contestant on the hugely popular TV show American Idol. Seemingly within seconds her first single was released, "Inside Your Heaven." Underwood has all the makings of a classic ballad belter, with an extremely powerful voice and a gift for emotiveness but her music seems geared towards the country crowd more than the teen crowd of fellow winner Kelly Clarkson or the contemporary R&B of Reuben Studdard, the show's second winner. But Idol wasn't Underwood's only outlet for musical championship. Her debut long player Some Hearts went 6X Platinum and broke Nielson SoundScan history as the fastest selling debut country album. She has since taken home five Billboard Music Awards, four American Music Awards, two Grammys and Female Vocalist Of The Year awards for 2006 and in 2007, shortly after the release of her critically acclaimed sophomore album Carnival Ride. - Mike McGuirk

Taylor Swift

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:50 -0700

With her homespun charm, curly golden locks, and prodigious gift for songwriting, Taylor Swift is one of youngest Nashville newcomers to capture a national audience in years. When she was just 16, Swift's first big single, "Tim McGraw," peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard country chart and held a spot in the top 10 for months. On the single's success, Swift joined the ranks of teenage country queens like Tanya Tucker, Marie Osmond and LeAnn Rimes, who all charted as teenagers. Unlike those young chart-toppers, Swift wrote the song herself. Born in Wyomissing, Penn., in 1989, Swift began playing guitar at 12, and moved outside of Nashville with her family as a teen, and debuted at the Bluebird Cafe famed songwriter showcase. Her self-titled debut LP was issued in October of 2006 and was followed by much national touring. - Nate Cavalieri

R.E.M.

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:59 -0700

Between 1983 and 1986, R.E.M.'s first four albums defined a type of music still taking shape at the time, an as-yet unnamed "alternative" rock then emerging on college radio. With Peter Buck's Velvet Underground-influenced guitars and Michael Stipe's murkily poetic lyrics, R.E.M. were the de facto kings of the underground in the '80s. Life's Rich Pageant, generally regarded as the band's fourth near-perfect album in a row when it came out in 1986, gave them an untouchable cache among their peers and fans. This popularity grew with the advent of alternative-themed radio stations and video shows on MTV, finally breaking when Green came out in 1988 and "The One I Love" became an inescapable MTV/radio hit. Out of Time followed in 1991 and yielded "Losing My Religion," which remains their most popular song today. The next three albums sold in astronomical numbers, and in 1997 Warner Bros paid them $80 million to re-up their contract. After signing the deal, founding bass player Bill Berry opted to leave the band, and between 1997 and 2008 R.E.M. released four studio albums amid a few collections and a live set. - Mike McGuirk

George Strait

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:49:06 -0700

George Strait is less an elder statesman of country than a pure force of nature. The Texas-born traditionalist continues to enjoy an unbelievable run of success that spans two decades of country music. Strait grew up on a ranch, so his cowboy hat is no affectation. He gravitated to music early on, playing rock in high school and switching to country during a stint in the military. He and his band Ace in the Hole played honky tonks and dancehalls throughout Texas in the 1970s, releasing two independent albums and honing a sound that combined lean Honky-Tonk and hard-hitting Western Swing. Strait scored a major Nashville deal in the early '80s and immediately appeared on the country charts. Amazingly, he has stayed at the top of the charts through the turn of the century, with shelves of gold and platinum records to his credit. Although he records some of his own material, he has relied on top-notch songwriters such as Sonny Throckmorton and Jim Lauderdale throughout his career. Strait has done what few artists have: he's remained wildly successful through a number of sweeping changes that have beset country music, playing primarily in a traditional style. - Eric Shea

Sara Bareilles

Thu, 8 May 2008 12:24:30 -0700

Sara Bareilles (pronounced bar-rell-is) is a singer and songwriter from Eureka, Calif., who grew up singing in the high school choir and playing piano. After gigging around Los Angeles' open mic circuit as a student at UCLA, she caught the eye of Epic and signed her first major record contract in April 2005. Bareilles spent the next year working out a set of piano-based rockers that might sound at home filed next to Regina Spektor. These would make their way to Bareilles' 2007 debut Little Voice, produced by Eric Rosse (best known for his long association with Tori Amos). The album enjoyed wide distribution, in part because it was as a song-of-the-day selection for Starbucks, a Seattle-based coffee franchise. - Nate Cavalieri

Tim McGraw

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:40 -0700

For a while there in the early 1990s, Tim McGraw and Garth Brooks were running neck and neck up the country music charts and it looked like Brooks was in the lead, but a slew of multi-platinum albums and undeniable good looks don't lie. Rather, they solidified McGraw as the most popular male country star of the '90s (especially with the lady fans who made him into somewhat of a heartthrob). Of course, it also helped that McGraw was a relentless touring machine, and his marriage to mega-star country diva Faith Hill didn't hurt. And baseball fans favored McGraw on account of his being the son of famous major league southpaw pitcher Tug McGraw (former player for the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies). Tim McGraw's polished new traditional sound is rooted in old school, boot-scootin' honky-tonk and some of the catchier sides of southern rock from the '80s that, when mixed with the former, would help innovate the new traditional sound altogether. And if his early ballads sound influenced by the late, great Keith Whitley, it's because McGraw idolized him while growing up. McGraw found his own sound (and first real chart topper) with 1994's playfully twangy "Indian Outlaw," but not without some controversy surrounding the allegedly politically incorrect depiction of Native American stereotypes in the lyrics. But as they say, no press is bad press and "Indian Outlaw" crossed over to the pop charts, setting the tone for McGraw's snowballing success. In 1996, he toured his third albumAll I Want with opener Faith Hill and by the end of the jaunt, the two were hitched and fetching all kinds of Johnny and June Carter Cash comparisons. McGraw and Hill's first duet, the romantic, heart-string pulling "It's Your Love," came out in 1997 with the kind of affectionate aplomb that propelled McGraw (and Hill) to red carpeted, crossover superstardom. - Eric Shea

Van Morrison

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:27 -0700

Van Morrison stands out in the youth-obsessed, disposable world of modern pop music. A grouchy fireplug of a man, he has earned a loyal following that's always kept guessing as to what direction he'll take next. Since the beginning, Morrison has ignored all fly-by-night fads and in doing so has amassed a timeless body of work. Coming out of Them's primal R&B-fueled Garage Rock, Morrison's 1968 Astral Weeks was a daring, exploratory work that painted a bleak picture of the acid generation, while Moondance (1970) was a breezy celebration of life. These albums have set the stage for an artist who freely mixes soul, folk, blues, jazz, and his native Celtic influences into highly personal, idiosyncratic music. Only a handful of his later albums are masterpieces on the level of No Guru, No Method, No Teacher (1986), but each release contains at least one brilliant track. A private man, Van Morrison is more comfortable talking about heroes such as Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, or Jerry Lee Lewis than himself. - Nick Dedina

Queen

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:39 -0700

Heavy metal gods to some, studio-oriented power pop innovators to others, and purveyors of overblown sports arena anthems to still many more, Queen left a deep and varied legacy at the end of their nearly 20-year career. Despite a 2005 Broadway stage show that was written by guitarist Brian May, which featured the remaining members, the band never really recovered from the tragic loss of singer Freddie Mercury to AIDS in 1991. Combining a fondness for hard rock riffs with a knack for catchy melodies, Queen had forged a unique sound brought to life through elaborate (bordering on excessive) studio production. Of their many hits, 1975's "Bohemian Rhapsody" best exemplifies their range: revved-up guitars, near-prog rock complexity and operatic vocals courtesy of Freddie Mercury and a cast of thousands (all of whom also happened to be named Freddie Mercury). Moving from the glam-inspired sounds of their early days, the British quartet scored late 1970s/early '80s hits as they dabbled in rockabilly ("Crazy Little Thing Called Love"), disco ("Another One Bites the Dust") and New Wave-leaning dance (their 1981 David Bowie collaboration "Under Pressure"). Say what you will, there's much more to Queen than "We Will Rock You." - Will York

Natasha Bedingfield

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:44 -0700

Natasha Bedingfield is straight out of the U.K. school of "pop" pop star: antipodean, Anglophile and enviably attractive. Lay that alongside the fact that her career took off after brother Daniel's "Gotta Get Thru This" had shot its way to legendary status in the U.K.'s burgeoning 2-step scene (not to mention the top of the charts), and it's easy to see how the London-bred New Zealander struggled to be taken seriously at the outset, despite her debut release "Single" making it to No. 3 in the U.K. in May 2004. But then "These Words" hit the airwaves and any residual doubts about Natasha's staying power evaporated as she stormed to the top of the British charts. Her debut album Unwritten embraced a diverse number of genres and is held together by Bedingfield's evident interest in pop songwriting (and much vaunted studies of psychology). 2008's Pocketful of Sunshine features a radio-friendly duet with the lovable Sean Kingston, and is Bedingfield's reentry back onto the American pop music radar. - Jamie Dolling

Lifehouse

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:34 -0700

Lifehouse began in 1996 as Blyss, a teenage garage trio haunting their high school's Friday night jam sessions. Seattle transplant Jason Wade, his new L.A. neighbor Sergio Andrade, and latecomer drummer Rick Woolstenhulme honed their post-grunge sound for two years before garnering a deal with DreamWorks and changing their name to Lifehouse. Though the stringed "Breathe" won them that deal and resulted in debut LP No Name Face, "Hanging by a Moment" had more impact, hitting number one on Billboard's Modern Rock charts. The debut went double-platinum, and the obscure Southern California group was suddenly touring internationally with Pearl Jam, Everclear and Matchbox 20. They polished their sound and become more radio-friendly on their sophomore release, Stanley Climbfall, and in 2005 brought Canadian bassist Bryce Soderberg into the fold for their third (self-titled) LP. By album three, the band had solidified their trademark sound, bringing Wade's earnest grunge vocals and songwriting chops to the fore. - Amy Bartlett

Elvis Presley

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:27 -0700

Elvis Presley is rock 'n' roll. He sang like a dream, he was sexy enough to send girls swooning, and he exuded enough cool not to have the boys resent him. Adults worried about his rebellious nature, but they were eventually comforted by his polite, courteous manner. Yet as perfect as Presley's 1950s rock recordings are, he excelled at so much: down-home country crooning, raucous R&B belting, enraptured Gospel singing, and classic pop balladeering. Elvis wasn't a vocal chameleon: these styles seeped out of him naturally, allowing his own personality to shine through. Despite his high level of talent and achievement in his craft, it was Elvis who made rock 'n' roll the international language of pop and inspired countless kids around the world to pick up a guitar or step up to a microphone. That said, Elvis didn't have a faultless career: he starred in plenty of bad movies, sang dozens of lame songs, got fat, and wore a kitschy white suit. But so what? He forever changed pop music, recording acres of perfect material over two short decades. Elvis (deservedly) remains the King. - Nick Dedina

Foo Fighters

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:49:02 -0700

Begun as a dusty collection of back catalog bedroom hits, the Foo Fighters' debut was tracked entirely by Nirvana's Dave Grohl with Seattle producer Barrett Jones. The live incarnation of the band, including Sunny Day Real Estate's Nate Mendel and William Goldsmith as well as Germs guitarist Pat Smear, were almost immediately swept into a maelstrom of rock 'n' roll celebrity on the strength of such sonic pop anthems as "Everlong" and "My Hero." "Big Me," a pristine Matthew Sweetish pop gem sealed it though, proving Grohl was no Post-Nirvana, coattails-riding Beavis. In the years since, Foo Fighters have kept steady heat on the hit parade, churning out infectious bits of distorted juvenelia. - Kelly Bauman

Kanye West

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:49:06 -0700

One of the most successful hip-hop artists and personalities of the past decade, Chi-town producer/emcee Kanye West may be hip-hop's most unlikely superstar. After Jay-Z's The Blueprint dropped in 2001 with West productions "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" and "Never Change," his patented chipmunk soul (sped-up soul loops for choruses; dramatic, sweeping strings) was ubiquitous and ushered in a new era of polished hip-hop formalism that was a nice rejoinder to the bombast of Timbaland and the Neptunes. Many doubted that West could make the transition from producer to emcee -- his flow was a bit rigid compared to his Roc-A-Fella counterparts, and his middle-class perspective was the antithesis of their crack raps -- but on his 2004 debut, College Dropout, West delivered one of the most satisfying and thematically complex pop albums of the decade, alternately accepting and rejecting rap's conspicuous consumerism and reconciling his middle-class, Judeo-Christian upbringing with hip-hop's more nihilistic archetypes. Subsequent albums (2005's Late Registration and 2007's Graduation) have documented West's accession from quirky underdog to king of the hip-hop world. - Sam Chennault

Three Days Grace

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:35 -0700

Toronto-based Three Days Grace are one of the innumerable metal bands that made the charts in the early '00s. While they owe their success (and elements of their sound) to Creed, who seemingly broke the whole metal phenomenon open with a mixture of post-grunge vocals and heavy guitars, Three Days Grace nevertheless manage to cut their own identity from the cloth. Louder and angrier than many of their peers, the band falls somewhere between the mechanical rage of Trapt and the sing-able hipness of Saliva. - Mike McGuirk

Tom Petty

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:39 -0700

"The weak ones fall, the strong carry on." When Tom Petty offers those words on "Straight into Darkness," he may as well be singing about his career, which has produced a steady output of punchy power pop that's made him an impervious fixture in American music. Petty first made the scene in the '70s with his Heartbreakers, offering tales of blue-collar outsider love that employed the Byrds' sunny 12-sting sonance to achieve an indubitably apple pie aftertaste; it all began, appropriately, with the Top 40 triumph of "American Girl." Petty's third record, Damn the Torpedoes, cemented his staying power, and by capitalizing on the MTV revolution with brilliant videos, it made his dour smirk iconic. More than any other quality, though, it's Petty's reliability that has made him so enduring; there's hardly a misfire among his three decades of quality album-oriented songwriting. As if these records don't speak for themselves, Petty's membership in rock 'n' roll's paramount old boys club, the Traveling Wilburys (alongside Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynn, George Harrison and Roy Orbison), demonstrated his towering status as a long-lasting hero of American rock's middle generation. - Nate Cavalieri

Eminem

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:49:02 -0700

Eminem crashed the mainstream in the late '90s. With super-producer Dr. Dre behind the boards, the Detroit emcee quickly became a cultural touchstone. Combining cartoonish rage, ear-tickling beats, a distinct flow and gushing rhyme skills, he drew the praise of critics and the scorn of rap-hating political interests. His second album was darker, loaded with moody singles "Stan" and "The Way I Am." Eminem's private life soon mirrored his bad-boy image, and he found himself getting divorced, sued by his mom and arrested for weapons violations. After teaming up with Elton John at the 2001 Grammy Awards (to quiet the resounding charges of homophobia), he went to work on the semi-autobiographical film 8 Mile. Eminem's third record, The Eminem Show , dropped in the summer of 2002. Encore followed in 2004. But by 2006, Eminem seemed disinterested in reassuming the role of alpha emcee. The 30-something was busy bouncing in and out of rehab and trying to decide whether or not to rekindle a relationship with longtime girlfriend Kim. He did manage to add a few verses to a best-selling label mixtape, Re:Up, that satiated the die-hard fans. - Sam Chennault