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The 2010s saw a number of changes happen in the music industry. Gone were the days when a subpar artist could sell a million copies their first week based on one song of an album.
While the record sales took a hit, the singles were a totally different story. Both in terms of sales and notoriety.
Eminem's smash hit Love The Way You Lie went platinum several times over. Nicki Minaj's Super Bass ranked number 426 on Rolling Stone's 500 Best Songs of All Time in 2021.
While those were just two examples, there are obviously a ton more. Read on for a brief look at 5 iconic blasts from the past.
5 iconic songs from the past decade
5) Ye - All Of The Lights (Featuring Rihanna)
Despite 2009 being a successful year for Ye, the year will unfortunately be best remembered for his drunken rant at the VMAs after Taylor Swift won Video of The Year.
The words "Yo, Taylor! I'm really happy for you. Imma let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time!" will unfortunately always be synonymous with Kanye's legacy.
With all the scrutiny and criticism, it seemed as though Kanye West's best years were gone. Then he dropped My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy the following year to much acclaim.
The album included iconic tracks like Power, Blame Game, Runaway, and the song used for this entry, All Of The Lights.
While Rihanna is the only musician labeled as a featured artist on this track, there are a total of 14 artists who contributed background vocals including Drake, Elton John, The Dream, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Fergie, and Charlie Wilson.
4) Drake - The Motto (Featuring Lil Wayne)
This track popularized one of the most iconic sayings of this generation - You Only Live Once or YOLO, as it's commonly referred to.
Although it's technically not Drake's most successful record in the charts, sometimes a track doesn't need to be a #1 Hot 100 chart topper to be remembered.
Over the course of his prominence, Drake's discography has consisted of everything from love songs about what could've been, to club anthems featuring lyrics from Drizzy bragging about the life you wish you had. The latter is more or less a concise description of The Motto.
But hey, don't let this be a reason not to revisit this song. Your life is perfect just the way it is. Live life everyday like it's your last and take the bull by the horns every step of the way because you might not get that same opportunity again. Or to put it simply, YOLO.
3) B.O.B - Airplanes (Featuring Hayley Williams)
B.o.B did something only a few artists could do in 2010 - selling 500,000 album copies in the first week.
This feat was impressive in and of itself, but when you add to that the fact that he was new to the mainstream, it makes it significantly more of a remarkable achievement.
Aside from the billboard chart-topping smash hit titled Nothin' on You, The Adventures of Bobby Ray features a number of other gems. The album's third single is certainly one of them.
In the the event that you've never heard of the track beforehand, Airplanes makes for a rather dark and somber tune about chasing your dreams and the dark side of fame.
While living the Hollywood lifestyle has its perks, you can often end up wishing things went back to the way they once were after you start experiencing all the cons that come with being a celebrity.
2) Cardi B - Bodak Yellow
Cardi B was the first female rapper as a solo artist to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 since Lauryn Hill's 1998 classic hit single That Thing.
The song was Bodak Yellow, the year was 2017, and you probably already knew that. The song broke yet another record when it went certified diamond in 2021. Thus, making Cardi the first female rapper in history to achieve this feat.
It's a Cardi track, so it's not a rap ballad. Instead, it's 3 plus minutes of the Grammy Award winner spitting braggadociously on a J. White laced beat.
By the way, if you find yourself listening to this track and you start thinking that it sounds a lot like Kodak Black's No Flockin, it's because that's where the song was sampled from.
1) Lil Nas X - Old Town Road (Featuring Billy Ray Cyrus)
Before Montero, before Industry Baby, before Rodeo, and even before Panini, there was Old Town Road. According to Lil Nas himself, the song is literally about horses.
Moreover, while appearing on Genius, he stated that he was living with his sister at the time of recording it. She wanted him to leave because he wasn't making any money. He didn't want to go back home and resume school because he'd become enamored with making music.
He went on to say that the record was intended to have a triumphant feel to it and that the horse represents not having much and that the old town road is the path to success.
Billy Ray Cyrus is featured on the remix and in the case of this song, that's quite a big deal. Before his appearance, Old Town Road was pulled from Billboard's country chart after it was deemed unfit for the genre.
Soon after, Cyrus and Lil Nas teamed up for a remixed version of the song. A song that currently holds the record for the longest run at #1 in Billbored history.
