thank you renfield for naming the others I thought of but didn't know how to defend.

Cinnie said:

Cinnie said:

This may make you feel old, but Beyonce had her first top ten in 1998 (as a member of Destiny's Child), and she's been in the top ten pretty much every year since then. I'm not particularly a fan of hers, but there's no denying her iconic status and appeal. Even after she stops having hits she will always be Beyonce, you know?

renfield said:

oh I know, I was trying to break it down to the people without that perspective. How many decades do they want their stars to be icons in before they can call them icons of that FIRST decade?

Bono is a "90s" icon to me, even though U2 has been around since 1980. Just like Michael is an "80s" icon even though he was around for all of the 70s.

I think when you can start naming people by their first name they are icons.


Britney

Gwen

Pharrell

It helps to have an uncommon name:


Kanye

what about Lil' Kim

she had everybody rappin her rhymes
EVERYBODY!
when Luther Vandross knew
her verse from "Get Money"
then you already know what time it is

DirtyChris said:

Ennnnhhhh, I don't really know what she influenced. Every one's heard of her though. Shouldn't The Notorious BIG be wayyyy up in this post before we start naming his protogees?

DUHHHHH, Janet for the 90s. If no Janet, then no Beyonce or Britney. Janet was THE prototype of the funky r&b/pop crossover artist. she took the whole videos, concerts, with dancers to another level

(how DARE i 4get about the wife i never had)
[Edited 4/17/09 17:07pm]

datdude said:

I'll certainly except Janet for the 90s if you take Beyonce and Britney for the 00s.

Cinnie said:

he's definitely an icon in the rap world
(the best that ever did it)

but Kim crossed over
he never got the chance to
and I don't know if he would've succeeded

renfield said:

Janet I would place in the eighties. Her two arguably most popular and loved albums are from the eighties.

Jay-Z and Diddy....I wonder. Diddy's most popular songs were from the nineties. Jay-Z definately peaked after 2001's "Blueprint" as far as both quality and sales. He is more of an Ashton Kutcher of hip-hop. He might release #1 albums from time to time, but I don't think anyone cares.

VinnyM27 said:

She became the icon in the 90s though... considering Rhythm Nation was 1989 into 1990 and 1991. I know Control was huge but the iconic status was in the 90s.

VinnyM27 said:

I don't really care what decade we place Diddy in, but he wasn't known as Diddy until the 00's.

Music quality is not what determines an icon like Jay-Z. And besides, I don't know what you can say about his sales anyway when he is selling more than just his own CDs.

Should we put Michael Jackson in the 60s because "I Want You Back" came out in 1969? No... use that logic to determine what era someone is really an icon of.

Cinnie said:

Hmmm, in that case we can say that the following are also icons:












I included Jennifer Lopez becuz she began the Big-Booties are Beautiful hype--after she came on the scene just about every woman wanted to have a butt like hers--dont know that Kim Kardashian would be a celebrity and receive the attention she gets if it werent for J-Lo's booty.

Now, in the past decade these people have received massive media attention and you've seen them everywhere and they've all been at one time or another mercilessly shoved down the collective public's throats--but for me, an icon is not just about somebody who's everywhere and overexposed---for me an icon has a body of work that has left a mark in history, helped define a generation, an has an enduring legacy behind them. Years from now are people really gonna be talking about J-Lo's booty, Beyonce's blonde weaves or Britney's teenage vampy jailbait act which made her so popular in the beginning? I dont think so They may be remembered for being extremely popular in their hey-day, but that's probably about it.

Naughty Kitty, I would be lying if I didn't think they weren't pop icons for a certain point in time, but I just thought their star power was way too brief.

N Sync spawned Justin Timberlake though.. but I think he's the "00's icon". Isn't that what people meant when they kept comparing him to MJ 6 years ago? "Wow we have a new icon"

And has anybody even mentioned Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey? I would say those 2 were icons of the 90s--especially Mariah, becuz they helped give birth to the Christina Aguileras, Jennifer Hudsons and almost everyone who's ever auditioned for and competed on American Idol who thinks that oversinging and putting in all these runs in your song means that you can really saaaaanggg!!

Mary J. Blige and Janet were icons in the 90s as well--both their styles have really influenced the young RnB and pop princesses of today.

I would also say that Garth Brooks and Shania Twain were huge icons in country becuz they went crossover and appealed to the mainstream.

Nirvana--started the grunge rock band thing that was so huge in the 90s

Alanis Morrisette--started the angry rocker chick thing

I think that Selena may have been an icon for for the female singers after her death who sang Tejano music.

Cinnie said:

Ah I see, yes, I guess we can say that they are the "icons of the moment" As for JT ummmmm.....yeah---they called him the new King of pop But they (as in the media) also said the same thing about Usher and Chris Brown didnt they? The media also tried to make Britney the new Madonna as well--

NaughtyKitty said:

That's really what they are trying to say though, they aren't the "new Madonna" "new Michael Jackson", but they are the 00's icons without a doubt.

Again, people would have breathed fire if Rolling Stone called Prince "the new James Brown".

as for Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, Backstreet Boys... well I put them in the teen novelty category along with The Monkees, David Cassidy, New Kids On The Block...

Justin Timberlake was an exception because he made it out of NSync somehow.

Plenty - Gary Numan, Trent Reznor, Meshell Ndege Ocello, Metallica...and on and on til the break of dawn. There's LOTS of GREAT musical talent that's come along since the decade when I was a teenager - to assume otherwise would just be arrogant.

eaglebear4839 said:

That's not what is being said or even implied here I don't think.

Cinnie said:

that's right. But again: How much substance do her songs have, can young people still connect to her music in about 5 years?

You know, the thing is, imo an icon has to be there for a while. If you're just the latest fashion, you're not necesarilly an icon.

For me Ross is an icon because of the things she achieved via her music, her longlivity and influence on fashion!

90s Lenny Kravitz, The Red Hot Chili Peppers (00's too), No doubt and Gwen Stefani, Robbie Williams, Missy Elliott, Radiohead, TAFKAP and Symbol

00s The White Stripes, Britney (Sorry but shes influential), PINK, Missy E again
Prince (Again)

Kylie and Madonna are an icon in all 3 decades 80s, 90s, 00s,

Kylie never was big in the States except for I should be so lucky in 1988 and can't get you out of my head in 2001, but in Australia the UK and NZ she is MEEEGGGGAAAASTTTAAARRR!!! And the greatest icon gay and straight.

I really don't think the likes of Britney, Kylie or Beyonce are icons. They are popular girls with many hits, but that's that. In this climate of short shelf life, nobody can be labeled as a true icon.

About Kylie, her career was pretty much nonexistant in the 90s, she had a disastrous flop in the UK as well, but then got resurrected in 2000 with a Paula Abdul throwaway and gold hotpants. She's popular in the UK & Australia but her latest project and tour was certainly not a "megastar" level.

LiveToTell86 said:

While I can't stand any of them you would have to give Britney kudos for... well, just being still around! Be honest: Exactly 10 year ago, would you have thought she would?

Beyonce is indeed there since the late 1990s and Kylie's career in the 90s was almost non-existent, but at the end of the day she was much more succesful than 95% of the world's musicians!

Why do I defend them all? Because you barely can say they have a short shelf life!
10 year + is not short.

Imagine Madonna at this stage of her career. Then (in 1992/1993) we would have to say that she's over, she's gone too far blablabla.

^Well, Beyonce has been releasing albums every year just like Rihanna to make sure she's not pushed away. If she went away for a recharging period like Madonna did after Like A Prayer or Music, Beyonce would be experiencing the short shelf life and wouldn't be so hot anymore.

I think Britney got resurrected by the media this time around, she won all those VMAs for NOTHING and now her tour is getting positive reviews even though any hot blonde girl could be walking around and lipsynching in a circus round stage...

LiveToTell86 said:

I agree with Britney. For me she does nothing. I like some songs, but not because of her voice. But whatever, we both got our Madonna!

LiveToTell86 said:

she toured in Europe, the UK, Asia, South America and Oz... i would say that's megastar.