What is Billboard Greatest Pop Stars "Honorable Mentions" list? Music lovers complain about not including Nicki Minaj and Ariana Grande

On August 14, 2024, Billboard unveiled its 'Honourable Mentions' list for its upcoming 'The 25 Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century' list. The 'Honorable Mentions' list consists of artists that didn't make it to the 'Top 25' list, but have been ranked from 25 to 50.

Some artists in the 'Honorable Mentions' included Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, 50 Cent, Alicia Keys, Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B, among others.

The list generated controversy on social media, with many music lovers wondering why their favorite artists like Nicki Minaj and Ariana Grande did not make the cut.

"This must be a joke lmao where is Ariana? Where is my Queen?? Please ma," one person tweeted.

"NICKI WAS NOT MENTIONED," another person added.

"But,where is Nicki's name,oh my," someone else commented.

"That’s why no one takes these lists seriously, EVER…Cardi and Meg “pop stars” but no Nicki who actually has dominated Pop music for years previously?? Yikessss," another Nicki Minaj fan wrote.

However, many were quick to point out that Billboard had just unveiled the 'Honourable Mentions' list, positing that Nicki Minaj and Ariana Grande could still make it to the 'Top 25' list.

"They in the comments laughing at Nicki while failing to realize that an HONORABLE MENTION comes after the OG list," one person wrote.

"Crying at the replies trying to gag nicki this is literally a HONOURABLE mentions list, meanwhile nicki is on the OG list," another person added.

"I surely hope ariana grande’s on another list," someone else tweeted.

"Oh ariana is definitely on the top 25 list," another Ariana fan wrote.

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Billboard will roll out 'The 25 Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century' over the next four months

Billboard will reportedly roll out the top 25 pop stars over the past quarter century in the course of the next four months. The artists will be ranked based on their stats, music videos, social media presence, live performances, and industry influence.

The list will exclusively focus on artists who started their careers in the 21st century, and the ranking will be affected by factors like album consistency, longevity in the industry and overall cultural impact.

Billboard will spend the next four months revealing the top 25 pop stars by releasing the names of one or two artists per week, including an essay commemorating them and explaining their career trajectory and chart achievements. There will also be podcasts and video discussions of the said artists, exploring the depth of their career and legacy in the music industry.

The artists who made it to Billboard's 'Honorable Mentions' list, included a host of old and new artists, from rapper Nelly to singer Olivia Rodrigo. Other artists included in the list were Maroon 5, Jennifer Lopez, Carrie Underwood, SZA, Future, Kelly Clarkson, Post Malone, and Lorde. The list was ranked alphabetically and not numerically, so it is unclear what rankings these artists stand in.

In 2019, Billboard also revealed 'The Greatest Pop Star By Year', dating back to 1981, when MTV was launched. The list included Blondie, Michael Jackson, Bon Jovi, Madonna, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Adele, Rihanna, Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande, among others.