21 Most Influential Musical Artists of The 21st Century

14. Missy Eliot

By combining Afrofuturism with hip hop, Missy Eliot introduced a brand new genre into the 21st century. Sci-Hop, her original mix of base-heavy beats and futuristic melodies, was ‘borrowed’ by so many performers, it got recognized as a brand new genre. Missy’s tracks weren’t the best of sci-hop, but they’re the inspiration for all the others. By 2012, her concepts were adapted and improved by OutKast, Aaliyah, Janelle Monáe and Destiny’s Child.

wikimedia.org

wikimedia.org


13. LCD Soundsystem

One of the defining sounds of the 21st century, known as dance punk or slow funk, was introduced by DFA (formerly LCD Soundsystem). The label started as a collaborative weekend project by two buddies – James Murphy and Tim Goldsworthy. They were quickly recognized for their talent and went on to produce multiple award-winning albums. Today, they’re hailed as the duo that revolutionized music by the likes of The Rapture, Guerilla Toss and Holy Ghost, among many others.

wikimedia.org

wikimedia.org


Related Posts

About The Author

Dmitriy
More from this Author

A ninja, a pirate and a writer are just some of the things Dmitriy wanted to be when he grew up. With no ships to sink, he opted for stringing words together into articles, while awaiting his induction into the secret ninja society. He was born and raised in NYC, which is not his fault, and is happily married, which is. When he's not binge-reading fiction novels, Dmitriy can be found in his kitchen office, coffee in hand, vigorously typing away another news story.

6 Comments

  1. Al April 6, 2016

    Props for including Danger Mouse, but Bjork? And how is Jay Z below her…

    Reply
  2. Dmitriy Feldman April 6, 2016

    Remember, the ranking is based on influence in the 21st century.
    The truth is – pop music is released constantly, yet the trends rarely change. Going from Britney to Gaga is a huge step and it wouldn’t be possible (or acceptable) if not for Bjork.

    Sadly, Jay Z doesn’t have as many followers.

    Reply
  3. Eden Perez August 6, 2017

    I’m Sorry But Coldplay Should’ve Been On This List

    Reply
  4. John December 14, 2018

    Kanye West should be far, far higher. His influence on hiphop (the most popular genre in the US) in indisputable. He’s also a massive pop culture icon and hugely influential in other industries (fashion.) Eminem really isn’t that influential at all when it comes to developing the genre of hiphop

    Reply
    • James Johnson March 17, 2019

      Kanye West is an insane moron.

      Reply
      • Khaduchi May 5, 2019

        No he’s not, he’s a genius, but at the end of the day he’s human like everyone else and he has his bad moments, the difference is his bad moments are on the spotlight 24/7, i mean people are still talking about stuff he said years ago. Most people that call him crazy have barely heard his music which is obviously the reason why they don’t understand his genius.

        Reply

Add Comment