The Top 50 R&B / Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years

In honor of the incomparable artists that have helped bring urban music to the masses over the last three decades -- and also to toast the success of our recently launched music column The Juice -- the Billboard chart team has assembled this list of the Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop artists of the last 25 years.

The tally is based on actual performance on the weekly Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts from Jan. 5, 1985, issue to the charts dated Nov. 6, 2010*. Artists are ranked based on an inverse point system (which just means that who ever spent the most weeks at No. 1 earned greater value than those that spent most time at the lower end of the chart).

Our list includes recent chart-toppers as well as classic favorites, platinum-selling crossover divas and quiet-storm crooners, innovators you'd expect to see and some surprising inclusions you never saw coming. But each artist is an essential voice in a genre that has become the driving force in today's popular music.

1. R. Kelly
R. Kelly crowns our list of the top 25 R&B/hip-hop artists of the past 25 years with good reason. Since January of 1985, he's amassed 35 top 10 hits on R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (the most of any act in the time frame) and a total of 84 charting singles. Among those are 11 No. 1s, including "Bump N' Grind" (12 weeks at the top) and "Down Low (Nobody Has To Know)" (seven weeks) with Ronald Isley. Further cementing Kelly's hitmaker status is his staggering 11 No. 1s on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The R&B icon continued to post new chart achievements in 2010, as he notched his 56th top 40 single with "When a Woman Loves."

2. Mary J. Blige
The Queen of hip-hop soul was the title bestowed upon Mary J. Blige by Sean "Diddy" Combs who worked her debut album "What's The 411?" as an A&R exec at Uptown Records in 1992. On its way to spending seven weeks at the summit of Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, No. 1 singles "You Remind Me" and "Real Love" set the stage for Blige's illustrious career as one of the genre's most celebrated artists. She has since posted 20 top 10 tracks on R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, including "Be Without You" which spent a record-setting 15 weeks atop the list, and eight chart-topping albums, the most by a female in R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart history.

3. Whitney Houston
When Whitney Houston arrived on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in 1984 as the featured guest star on Teddy Pendergrass' No. 5 hit "Hold Me," many knew that chart success was in her future. After all, it was in her genes: mother Cissy Houston was a respected gospel/R&B singer (and member of the Sweet Inspirations) and cousin Dionne Warwick had been a staple on the Billboard charts for decades. But no one could have expected just how big Houston would become. The diva not only went on to earn eight No. 1 singles on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, but also landed five No. 1s on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, including her most recent, 2009's "I Look To You."

4. Mariah Carey
Having celebrated 20 years of conquering Billboard charts in 2010, Carey counts numerous records among her achievements. In addition to 10 No. 1s on R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and five on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, her 18 Hot 100 No. 1s are the most among solo acts (and second only to the Beatles' 20) and "One Sweet Day," with Boyz II Men, remains the chart's longest-reigning No. 1 (16 weeks, 1995-96). With 52.7 million albums sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan, Carey stands as the best-selling R&B album artist (and third overall after Garth Brooks and the Beatles) since SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991.

5. Janet Jackson
With a staggering 15 No. 1 singles on R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Janet Jackson owns the most toppers on the tally in the past 25 years. Only R. Kelly and Usher, with 11 each, come close to the diva in that span of time. (Even Jackson's superstar older brother Michael trails, with just eight in that span of time.) Between the years of 1985 and 2001, Janet Jackson was an unstoppable force on the charts, landing more top 10s than any other act: 27. Going further, from 1985 through 2004, Jackson amassed 33 consecutive top 40 hits, beginning with the No. 40-peaking "Fast Girls" through the No. 18 hit "I Want You."

6. Usher
Since arriving modestly on R&B/Hip-Hop Songs with the No. 56-peaking "Call Me a Mack" (from the movie "Poetic Justice," starring Janet Jackson) in 1993, and on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums a year later with his self-titled debut set, which peaked at No. 25, Usher has gone on to sell 22.1 million albums, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Among his more recent non-chart-related credits: discovering Justin Bieber and being named one of Glamour's "50 Sexiest Men of 2010." (The mentor may have taught his protege a little too well: Usher placed at No. 38 on the list. Bieber ranked No. 7).

7. Luther Vandross
The silky-voiced singer placed 36 hits on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, including 20 top 10s and six No. 1s, between 1985 and 2007. Sadly, his last two appearances followed his passing in 2005 at age 54. Key to Vandross' staying power was his ability to connect with younger audiences, courtesy of duets with Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey in the '90s and Beyonce in 2004. Before he suffered a debilitating stroke in 2003, he recorded "Dance With My Father," which he co-wrote with pop singer/songwriter Richard Marx. The touching ballad won the 2004 song of the year Grammy Award and Vandross' album of the same name became his first to top the Billboard 200.

8. Jay-Z
Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter has come a long way from having to form his own record label, along with Damon Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke, in 1996 to release to his music after being rejected by label after label. After his critically acclaimed debut "Reasonable Doubt" peaked at No. 3 on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and sophomore release "In My Lifetime, Vol. 1" capped out at No. 2, his breakthrough album "Vol. 2 - Hard Knock Life" spent six weeks atop the list in 1998. Overall, the Brooklyn emcee has posted a record 11 No. 1 albums (including two shared with R. Kelly) and on R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, holds the most charted titles in the list's history with a fitting 99.

9. Freddie Jackson
Pop fans may not be overly familiar with Freddie Jackson's hit singles (as he's never reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100) but the singer/songwriter was a core hitmaking act on our R&B charts between 1985 and 1999, with a string of 18 top 10 hits starting with the No. 1 "Rock Me Tonight" in 1985 up through 1992's No. 2 hit "I Could Use a Little Love (Right Now)." On R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, he landed four straight No. 1s, including a 26-week reign with 1986's "Just Like the First Time" -- the third-longest run at No. 1 in the history of the chart. Only MC Hammer's "Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em" (with 29 weeks at the top) and Michael Jackson's "Thriller" (37 weeks) were bigger.


10. Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys exploded onto R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in 2001 with her anthem "Fallin' " spending four weeks atop the chart and has never looked back. Every one of her five albums has reached the summit of R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, including her latest, "The Element of Freedom," which opened 2010 with five weeks at the top. The classically-trained pianist-turned-singer has sold a staggering 17.1 million albums in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, in her nine-year history, making her No. 10 ranking on this list well-deserved.


Rest of the list: http://www.billboard.com/...ory?page=5

Does anyone know why they put Hip-Hop with R&B?

trueiopian said:

The Top 50 R&B / Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years

In honor of the incomparable artists that have helped bring urban music to the masses over the last three decades -- and also to toast the success of our recently launched music column The Juice -- the Billboard chart team has assembled this list of the Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop artists of the last 25 years.

The tally is based on actual performance on the weekly Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts from Jan. 5, 1985, issue to the charts dated Nov. 6, 2010*. Artists are ranked based on an inverse point system (which just means that who ever spent the most weeks at No. 1 earned greater value than those that spent most time at the lower end of the chart).

Our list includes recent chart-toppers as well as classic favorites, platinum-selling crossover divas and quiet-storm crooners, innovators you'd expect to see and some surprising inclusions you never saw coming. But each artist is an essential voice in a genre that has become the driving force in today's popular music.

1. R. Kelly
R. Kelly crowns our list of the top 25 R&B/hip-hop artists of the past 25 years with good reason. Since January of 1985, he's amassed 35 top 10 hits on R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (the most of any act in the time frame) and a total of 84 charting singles. Among those are 11 No. 1s, including "Bump N' Grind" (12 weeks at the top) and "Down Low (Nobody Has To Know)" (seven weeks) with Ronald Isley. Further cementing Kelly's hitmaker status is his staggering 11 No. 1s on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The R&B icon continued to post new chart achievements in 2010, as he notched his 56th top 40 single with "When a Woman Loves."

2. Mary J. Blige
The Queen of hip-hop soul was the title bestowed upon Mary J. Blige by Sean "Diddy" Combs who worked her debut album "What's The 411?" as an A&R exec at Uptown Records in 1992. On its way to spending seven weeks at the summit of Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, No. 1 singles "You Remind Me" and "Real Love" set the stage for Blige's illustrious career as one of the genre's most celebrated artists. She has since posted 20 top 10 tracks on R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, including "Be Without You" which spent a record-setting 15 weeks atop the list, and eight chart-topping albums, the most by a female in R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart history.

3. Whitney Houston
When Whitney Houston arrived on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in 1984 as the featured guest star on Teddy Pendergrass' No. 5 hit "Hold Me," many knew that chart success was in her future. After all, it was in her genes: mother Cissy Houston was a respected gospel/R&B singer (and member of the Sweet Inspirations) and cousin Dionne Warwick had been a staple on the Billboard charts for decades. But no one could have expected just how big Houston would become. The diva not only went on to earn eight No. 1 singles on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, but also landed five No. 1s on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, including her most recent, 2009's "I Look To You."

4. Mariah Carey
Having celebrated 20 years of conquering Billboard charts in 2010, Carey counts numerous records among her achievements. In addition to 10 No. 1s on R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and five on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, her 18 Hot 100 No. 1s are the most among solo acts (and second only to the Beatles' 20) and "One Sweet Day," with Boyz II Men, remains the chart's longest-reigning No. 1 (16 weeks, 1995-96). With 52.7 million albums sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan, Carey stands as the best-selling R&B album artist (and third overall after Garth Brooks and the Beatles) since SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991.

5. Janet Jackson
With a staggering 15 No. 1 singles on R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Janet Jackson owns the most toppers on the tally in the past 25 years. Only R. Kelly and Usher, with 11 each, come close to the diva in that span of time. (Even Jackson's superstar older brother Michael trails, with just eight in that span of time.) Between the years of 1985 and 2001, Janet Jackson was an unstoppable force on the charts, landing more top 10s than any other act: 27. Going further, from 1985 through 2004, Jackson amassed 33 consecutive top 40 hits, beginning with the No. 40-peaking "Fast Girls" through the No. 18 hit "I Want You."

6. Usher
Since arriving modestly on R&B/Hip-Hop Songs with the No. 56-peaking "Call Me a Mack" (from the movie "Poetic Justice," starring Janet Jackson) in 1993, and on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums a year later with his self-titled debut set, which peaked at No. 25, Usher has gone on to sell 22.1 million albums, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Among his more recent non-chart-related credits: discovering Justin Bieber and being named one of Glamour's "50 Sexiest Men of 2010." (The mentor may have taught his protege a little too well: Usher placed at No. 38 on the list. Bieber ranked No. 7).

7. Luther Vandross
The silky-voiced singer placed 36 hits on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, including 20 top 10s and six No. 1s, between 1985 and 2007. Sadly, his last two appearances followed his passing in 2005 at age 54. Key to Vandross' staying power was his ability to connect with younger audiences, courtesy of duets with Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey in the '90s and Beyonce in 2004. Before he suffered a debilitating stroke in 2003, he recorded "Dance With My Father," which he co-wrote with pop singer/songwriter Richard Marx. The touching ballad won the 2004 song of the year Grammy Award and Vandross' album of the same name became his first to top the Billboard 200.

8. Jay-Z
Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter has come a long way from having to form his own record label, along with Damon Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke, in 1996 to release to his music after being rejected by label after label. After his critically acclaimed debut "Reasonable Doubt" peaked at No. 3 on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and sophomore release "In My Lifetime, Vol. 1" capped out at No. 2, his breakthrough album "Vol. 2 - Hard Knock Life" spent six weeks atop the list in 1998. Overall, the Brooklyn emcee has posted a record 11 No. 1 albums (including two shared with R. Kelly) and on R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, holds the most charted titles in the list's history with a fitting 99.

9. Freddie Jackson
Pop fans may not be overly familiar with Freddie Jackson's hit singles (as he's never reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100) but the singer/songwriter was a core hitmaking act on our R&B charts between 1985 and 1999, with a string of 18 top 10 hits starting with the No. 1 "Rock Me Tonight" in 1985 up through 1992's No. 2 hit "I Could Use a Little Love (Right Now)." On R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, he landed four straight No. 1s, including a 26-week reign with 1986's "Just Like the First Time" -- the third-longest run at No. 1 in the history of the chart. Only MC Hammer's "Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em" (with 29 weeks at the top) and Michael Jackson's "Thriller" (37 weeks) were bigger.


10. Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys exploded onto R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in 2001 with her anthem "Fallin' " spending four weeks atop the chart and has never looked back. Every one of her five albums has reached the summit of R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, including her latest, "The Element of Freedom," which opened 2010 with five weeks at the top. The classically-trained pianist-turned-singer has sold a staggering 17.1 million albums in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, in her nine-year history, making her No. 10 ranking on this list well-deserved.


Rest of the list: http://www.billboard.com/...ory?page=5

Does anyone know why they put Hip-Hop with R&B?

Trying to link "Urban" music together.

Let's see now....25 years, that would put us back to 1985 on up to the present.

Well my, my, my...look how dull that list is. Like I've always said, 1985 is the year when things first started getting dull and look who's at number 3 on the list.

vainandy said:

Let's see now....25 years, that would put us back to 1985 on up to the present.

Well my, my, my...look how dull that list is. Like I've always said, 1985 is the year when things first started getting dull and look who's at number 3 on the list.

I knew it wouldn't be a second until you showed up.

[Edited 11/18/10 13:41pm]

If R Kelly is at the top of the list..........no wonder music is dead.

Graycap23 said:

If R Kelly is at the top of the list..........no wonder music is dead.

R. Kelly was a juggernaut in the 90's. Truly a talented guy. Yeah, TP2 on up until today has been spotty as hell, but his work in the 90's alone I think warrants his place.

Graycap23 said:

If R Kelly is at the top of the list..........no wonder music is dead.

How? He created many memorable R&B classics, not just for himself but for many other artists as well.

I thought R&B stood for Rhythm and Blues.

.

[Edited 11/18/10 14:11pm]

MickyDolenz said:

I thought R&B stood for Rhythm and Blues.

No, it stands for Rhythmless Bullshit.

Timmy84 said:

vainandy said:

Let's see now....25 years, that would put us back to 1985 on up to the present.

Well my, my, my...look how dull that list is. Like I've always said, 1985 is the year when things first started getting dull and look who's at number 3 on the list.

I knew it wouldn't be a second until you showed up.

[Edited 11/18/10 13:41pm]

A Laughable List.......

They should just rename this article to:

The Top 50 Black Artists of the Past 25 Years

Someone's mad....

trueiopian said:

The Top 50 R&B / Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years

6. Usher
Among his more recent non-chart-related credits: discovering Justin Bieber

wow, I did not know this, but at least I don't have to hate another person for unleashing J.B. on the world, I can simply hate Usher more for it!

NDRU said:

trueiopian said:

The Top 50 R&B / Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years

6. Usher
Among his more recent non-chart-related credits: discovering Justin Bieber

wow, I did not know this, but at least I don't have to hate another person for unleashing J.B. on the world, I can simply hate Usher more for it!

LOL.....

The list is a joke.....

next!

I pretty much agree with this list.... exceept for i think janet should at least be number 2.... she has the most number 1 rnb hits.... this list really isn't based on actually hits under rnb/hip hop.... its more of a popularity contest...

if that had been anyone else with the most rnb 1 ones.. they be on top of that list..

11. Prince

Though the Purple One's chart history stretches back to 1978, when he arrived on R&B/Hip-Hop Songs with "Soft and Wet," Prince continued to reign on into the next four decades with seemingly endless singles and albums. Since 1985 (the start year for this countdown), he's racked up 30 entries on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums -- more than any other artist -- with 19 of them reaching the top 10. Most recently, his last three studio releases all debuted at No. 1: 2006's "3121," 2007's "Planet Earth" and 2009's "Lotus Flow3r/MPLSound/Elixr."

Somebody explain to me again why he hasn't released 20ten in the states yet?

seeingvoices12 said:

NDRU said:

wow, I did not know this, but at least I don't have to hate another person for unleashing J.B. on the world, I can simply hate Usher more for it!

LOL.....

The list is a joke.....

next!

Why is it a joke? It's fact not opinion.

It's a "joke" because MJ didn't make the Top 10

For the majority of the last 25 years, hip-hop and Rap-and-B have been inextricably linked in the public consciousness.

LittleBLUECorvette said:

I'd like 2 see there list of the 25 years before 1985.(1960 - 1984). I'm guessing James Brown would be number 1.

They'd probably work up a list if a couple people sent them an email requesting it.

Cerebus said:

LittleBLUECorvette said:

I'd like 2 see there list of the 25 years before 1985.(1960 - 1984). I'm guessing James Brown would be number 1.

They'd probably work up a list if a couple people sent them an email requesting it.

1. JB

2. Stevie

3. Marvin

4. Aretha

5. MJ

6. Supremes

7. Jackson 5/Jacksons

8. Temptations

9. Green

10. Barry White

My guess at a top 10 list.

musicjunky318 said:

seeingvoices12 said:

LOL.....

The list is a joke.....

next!

Why is it a joke? It's fact not opinion.

its not fact... if it were really based on the fact of how many number 1 rnb songs an artist had janet would be number 1 on the list not r kelly

TotalAlisa said:

musicjunky318 said:

Why is it a joke? It's fact not opinion.

its not fact... if it were really based on the fact of how many number 1 rnb songs an artist had janet would be number 1 on the list not r kelly

I think they go by the amount of number 1's and the time said song(s) spent at the number 1 spot.

TotalAlisa said:

musicjunky318 said:

Why is it a joke? It's fact not opinion.

its not fact... if it were really based on the fact of how many number 1 rnb songs an artist had janet would be number 1 on the list not r kelly

It's not based on number one singles, it's based on a bunch of different collected data. R Kelly has released a truckload more albums than Janet, all of which had multiple charting singles. I love Janet and all, but she has NOT had 56 top 40 R&B singles in the last 25 years.

vainandy said:

MickyDolenz said:

I thought R&B stood for Rhythm and Blues.

No, it stands for Rhythmless Bullshit.

r&b/soul is code for rhythm & blues/soul.

hip-hop/r&b is code for shit-hop/rhythmless bullshit.