Prince
Bono (U2)
Stevie Wonder
Van Morrison
David Bowie

meshell
bjork
sade
wendy & lisa
kate bush

(and aimee mann)

(and ttd to balance out the estrogen.. )

1. Prince - his ability to be a superstar and an underdog at the same time. (Who else could release albums with some commercial appeal and experimental stuff within less than a year of each other)

2. Lewis Taylor - pretty much for the same reasons as above (if you don't know, you'd better learn soon. Lewis is a chameleon)

3. MeShell Ndegeocello - Do I really need to explain this?

4. The Roots (?uestlove and Black Thought) - I do believe that they have had the most longetivity as a rap group. Next year they will have literally been together for 20 years. (13 years commercially) I can't think of any else in hip-hop who has maintained a group, nor a friendship for that matter as long as The Roots.

5. U2/The Rolling Stones - I lump them together because they are genuine at what they do... and they've done it for so very long... That should be applauded and respected.

assuming you mean musical artists...

ani difranco (alhough I am not much of a fan)
bob marley
ray charles
herb alpert (again, not so much of a fan)
marvin gaye

1. Prince
2. Damon Albarn
3. Dolly Parton
4. Tim Burgess/The Charlatans
5. Bjork

Anx said:

She's so great and makes such wonderful music!!

sosgemini said:

Damn...ain't you a lesbian yet?

RipHer2Shreds said:

lilithfair edit

saintsation said:

1. Prince
2. Michael Jackson
3. Stevie Wonder
4. Paul McCartney
5. Madonna
[Edited 2/28/06 20:53pm]

Prince
Ennio Morricone
Jello Biafra
Andre3000
Sonic Youth
Beck

1. Prince
2. David Bowie
3. Annie Lennox
4. Björk
5. Peter Gabriel

1. Bob Marley
2. Tupac Shakur
3. Lauryn hill
4. Curtis Mayfield
5. Marvin Gaye

1. Tori Fixx (for the messages in his music)

2. Soce, The Elemental Wizard (for having the guts[!] to perform the music he does and giving me his latest CD a year in advance)

3. Backroom Matches (for sending me their friggin' CD all the way from Stockholm for FREE)

4. Janet Jackson (hate to live up to my screenname, but it would take more than a sentence to describe how I feel about her as an artist)

5. Meshell Ndegeocello (after interviewing her in 2002)

1. Björk
2. Annie Lennox
3. Prince
4. Robert Smith
5. David Bowie

Joni Mitchell
Rufus Wainwright
Wendy & Lisa
Olivia Newton-John
Madonna

Prince
Michael Jackson
Sly Stone
The Beatles
Freddie Mercury

Anx said:

So how do you feel about Michael Jackson, out of interest. If he's actually guilty in the eyes of God, etc... does that not mattter in regards to artistry?

Because I am stuck on this one myself... I guess I am trying to go on instinct with MJ... but I'm just not sure enough to listen to him again yet, even months after the trial.

1. Prince
2. John Lennon
3. Jimi Hendrix
4. Bjork
5. Kurt Cobain, apart from his final decision - or Michael Jackson, apart from the weirdness.

.
[Edited 3/1/06 0:03am]

saintsation said:

Yanni? Really?

Marvin Gaye
Stevie Wonder
Quincy Jones (Would he be called an artist)
Prince (Due to the fact that there are not many talented people like him around)
Michael Jackson/Jackson 5 (mainly because he is still standing after everything that has happen. Also with the exception of Stevie there are/were not too many child singers out there who could truely blow you away.)

2nd tier

Miles
Billie Holiday
Sade
Glady Knight
Beatles (Simply because of the volume of music they made)
[Edited 3/1/06 3:00am]

JPW said:

I like Michael's late '70s/early '80s stuff a lot, but I'm not so crazy about anything after 'Thriller'. Whatever he does in his personal life doesn't change what I think about his work.

I love Woody Allen's movies, though I think he's kind of unpleasant as a person. I still think he's a great artist.

Anx said:

hmmmm ok fair comments

JPW said:

i think the best testament to the power of art is when a person with an ugly life creates a work of undeniable beauty. i think often, people are able to express their "higher" selves through their art. i think that's perfectly valid and completely worthy of respect.

JPW said:

Yes Yanni, have you heard any of his stuff, he plays his own instruments!!!

saintsation said:

Uh...don't MOST musicians play their OWN INSTRUMENTS or else they wouldn't be called a "musician."

I respect almost anyone in the business today that writes their own songs, sings live and plays an instrument or two. I do not respect people like Britney Spears, 50 Cent etc.

If I had to choose a few select people that I highly respect, I would choose:

Bono
Bob Dylan
Carlos Santana
John Lennon
TTD
Marvin Gaye
Al Green
Prince

Prince
Mint Condition
P-Funk/Bootsy
James Brown
Peter Gabriel.....