piggybacking on this thread about Gen X --

http://prince.org/msg/8/437043?&pg=1

Who do you consider to be the music icons of Generation Y?

First off, what IS Generation Y? Isn't there crossover with millenials? In any event, let's say the range is somewhere between 1982 and 2000. Who are the artists/bands who had a significant impact on this generation?

Beyonce?
Eminem?
Dr. Dre?
Green Day?
Radiohead?
Tupac?
Biggie?

Britney?
Taylor?

Those are real questions, because I don't know.


WHO YA GOT?

[Edited 1/7/17 16:09pm]

all these garbage computer musicians can go to F----- Hell!

Edit, after some re-thinking of era.s

Janet Jackson, Tupac, Nirvana, NWA, TLC, Radiohead are the the Icons of the Generation Y era based off statistics, charts success and impact. There music defined an era and decade without question.

From 2000- 2010 Britney Spears and Eminem were the Icons of the new millinium decade. However, from 2004 to 2010 I don't think there were any music icons.

In terms of TODAY's generation, 2010- present

IMO, if anyone should be called an music Icon for this era, it should be Adele. She has proven that she is a force to be reckoned with with her music.

All the rest of the artists listed in the OP are NOT music icons. I'll wait for someone to come in here to refute my claim because I have my receipts on stand by. Terms like Icon and Legend are passed around and given to loosely and its unfair to REAL Icons. The Icons of the NEW millinum are not as Iconic as their predecessers but they still fit some of the criteria to at least be called one or be in the conversation (cultural impact, lots of records sold, classics, iconic moments, videos, songs, etc).

[Edited 1/8/17 9:11am]

MotownSubdivision said:

With such a wide range any big 80s star (Michael, Prince, Bruce, George, Madonna, etc.), 90s star (2Pac, Biggie, Janet, Mariah, Nirvana, etc.), 2000s star (Beyonce, Eminem, Kanye, Usher, JT, etc.) or 2010s star (Adele, Taylor, Gaga, Katy Perry, Bruno, etc.) is a Gen Y icon. It's enough that many of the 80s stars were still big commercially in the 90s and some even into the 2000s.

I disagree and don't get this argument because it does not explain why any of these big stars could be icons and I don't think being a big star is a critieria for being called an Icon. There were a lot of big stars in the 80s that are not called Icons and so forth. I know why MJ, Prince, Bruce etc are Icons but I disagree with you suggesting because they were a big star that is what made them Icons, they are Icons because they had Iconic moments, videos, music, groundbreaking, culturally defined the 80s, etc and the other singers you listed for the 2000s and 2010 I completely disagree with. For example, I like Bruno Mars, he is talented to me, a breath of fresh air but an ICON? He is NOT. C'mon. The only time I ever hear acts like Beyonce or Kanye referred to as an Icon is only in some cases online over the internet. I have never in REAL LIFE heard anybody referring to Beyonce and some of these acts as Icons and statistically it is exposed as that. I hear Britney revered as an Icon a lot though as well as Eminem and their impact is shown through their statistcs and classics.

[Edited 1/8/17 9:52am]

MD431Madcat said:

all these garbage computer musicians can go to F----- Hell!

Most of there music is not going to be remembered so I don't see how anybody could call them "music icons".Its about musical impact, THAT is how you become a music icon....period. I don't particularly care for Britney but she has the impact, culturally defined the early 00's musically, sold a ton of records, has a ton of hits, has classic albums, iconic moments, videos, etc to be called an Icon of an era. I don't think someone should be called an Icon just because they were big during a certain time period (such a silly argument) because if this was the case Nsync, Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls and so forth should be called Icons. Its a label that is passed around to much for certain artists when they have not done anything to deserve the title. Britney made a big impact on the MTV culture and video era during its last golden period and at least deserves to be considered one far more than these other names who have not made any iconic albums. Usher was big too and is underrated but I personally don't think he made a bigger impact than Britney or culturally defined the early 00's musically. Britney and Eminem have more than one album that culturally defined that era imo BUT one thing is for sure the 80's and 90s icons are the true pioneers and their impact is far greater than artists that came after them.

mjscarousal said:

MotownSubdivision said:

mjscarousal said:

I disagree and don't get this argument because it does not explain why any of these big stars could be icons and I don't think being a big star is a critieria for being called an Icon. There were a lot of big stars in the 80s that are not called Icons and so forth. I know why MJ, Prince, Bruce etc are Icons but I disagree with you suggesting because they were a big star that is what made them Icons, they are Icons because they had Iconic moments, videos, music, groundbreaking, culturally defined the 80s, etc and the other singers you listed for the 2000s and 2010 I completely disagree with. For example, I like Bruno Mars, he is talented to me, a breath of fresh air but an ICON? He is NOT. C'mon. The only time I ever hear acts like Beyonce or Kanye referred to as an Icon is only in some cases online over the internet. I have never in REAL LIFE heard anybody referring to Beyonce and some of these acts as Icons and statistically it is exposed as that. I hear Britney revered as an Icon a lot though as well as Eminem and their impact is shown through their statistcs and classics.

[Edited 1/8/17 9:52am]

Come on now, you know what I mean when I say "big stars". Part of being an icon is being a popular, recognizable star, a household name. All of these acts I mentioned qualify as such to varying degrees. Also, how are Beyonce and especially Kanye not icons? Kanye was a (if not the facilitator for change in hip hop in the 2000s and has been a major name since his debut. Beyonce is very much a 2000s icon as she is probably one of the first names to come into your head when thinking of 2000s music. She is far from the iconic status of any of the 80s or 90s stars I mentioned but she is still revered and has a widespread devoted following and is representative of music; she's an icon. I don't like her anymore than you do but facts are facts, Beyonce is an icon. Kanye is an icon. Usher and JT maybe not as much but it's debatable. As for the 2010s? Who else can you say better represents music this decade than the names I've mentioned? Strictly referring to the 2010s, they definitely qualify as icons especially Gaga and to a lesser extent, Adele. It's not restricted to them but it certainly doesn't exclude them even if none are a big, popular, sold as much or had as many if any memorable performances as their predecessors. Also, there's a difference between an icon and a legend. Just about anyone can qualify as an icon but not everyone qualifies as a legend; the names I mentioned from the 80s and 90s are legends but just about all the names I mentioned are icons (and no, they aren't the only ones).

This OP is not asking who were the big stars though. He is asking who are the Music Icons from Generation Y I disagree with this entire post and I am shocked to read this coming from you and if you feel being a house hold and recognizable name is the criteria from what makes a Music Icon (which are the only things you listed) than you obviously do not know what an Music Icon is because that is certainly not the reason why MJ is an Icon as well as Prince. They DID Iconic THINGS for music, that is why they are Icon. What Iconic things has Beyonce done for music? Same with Bruno Mars and so forth? You getting a major side eye from me. Yall keep calling Beyonce this icon but STATISTICALLY she shows that she is not. You will not find her on the biggest selling music list in the 2000's. I always hear people call her overrated. I am tired people minimizing the criteria of what makes an icon, its unfair to real Icons.

[Edited 1/8/17 11:33am]

[Edited 1/8/17 11:43am]

Gen y is millennials right? so is that artist born 1990 - 2000s or artist famous during that period?

Kanye

Justin Timberlake

destiny child/Beyonce

Nirvana

Greenday

lil wanye

Tupac

Biggie/puffy

Dr dre

the Boy bands the girl bands

Brittany

usher

50 cent

alicia keys

m&m

coldplay

Mariah carey

outkast

missy elliot\timbaland

mary j blige

Aaliyah

lil john

linkin park

ja rule

etc.

Theres alot

mjscarousal said:

MotownSubdivision said:

mjscarousal said:

This OP is not asking who were the big stars though. He is asking who are the Music Icons from Generation Y I disagree with this entire post and I am shocked to read this coming from you and if you feel being a house hold and recognizable name is the criteria from what makes a Music Icon (which are the only things you listed) than you obviously do not know what an Music Icon is because that is certainly not the reason why MJ is an Icon as well as Prince. They DID Iconic THINGS for music, that is why they are Icon. What Iconic things has Beyonce done for music? Same with Bruno Mars and so forth? You getting a major side eye from me. Yall keep calling Beyonce this icon but STATISTICALLY she shows that she is not. You will not find her on the biggest selling music list in the 2000's. I always hear people call her overrated. I am tired people minimizing the criteria of what makes an icon, its unfair to real Icons.

[Edited 1/8/17 11:33am]

[Edited 1/8/17 11:43am]

If I was only including big stars or popular names then I would have mentioned people like Lionel Richie, Phil Collins, Huey Lewis & The News, Ja Rule, 50 Cent, Christina Aguilera, Justin Bieber, Vanilla Ice, the Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, etc., etc. but I didn't. I don't see what's so hard to understand here. Not all icons have to be on the same level to be icons. No, I'm not saying that EVERYBODY is an icon but to be an icon requires less than being a legend. Being a household name is one thing that seperates the icons from basic popular acts. Beyonce or Kanye or Bruno being an iconic figure in music takes absolutely nothing away from Michael Jackson or Prince or Whitney or Bruce, Madonna, George, 2Pac, Biggie, Janet, Nirvana, Guns N Roses, Mariah and many many others who transcend iconic status and are legendary names. Also for the 2010s, let me include Drake.

This discussion is not about my lack of understanding of your opinion. Your opinion is baseless and your definition on what constitutes as Iconic status is not accurate and based on generic criteria. YOU said that an Icon is someone that is recognizable, a house hold name, big star, widely known those are YOUR words and descriptions on what makes an ICON which is why I said you obviously dont know what a music icon is because a music icon consist of MUCH MORE besides popularity and being widely known. Now with this post you argue that you are not saying everybody is not an icon but that is exactly what YOUR definition of of the word suggests because being popular and being a big star is not the ONLY and defining factor in what makes Icon. AGAIN, what ICONIC things has Beyonce done for MUSIC that makes her a MUSIC Icon you still have not answered the question. You said that Beyonce is revered as an Icon which is completely false her STATS say otherwise (albums sells, charts, ratings, etc). She might be excessively marketed down our throats but that doesnt mean she is revered by the general public as one and the general consensus by most is that she is overrated. Again, I used Bruno Mars as an example of someone that I really like BUT an ICON he is not. He has not done any ICONIC things for music and being popular does not automatically make him an Icon.

Its offensive to argue that the only reason why MJ, Prince, Madonna, Janet, so forth are ICONS because they were widely popular????? WTF?

Very offensive and disrespectful because that is not why they are ICONS and I don't think the criteria should be lowered just because this generation doesn't have any.

I will tell YOU why they are MUSIC ICONS they are MUSIC ICONS because they have ICONIC SONGS, PERFORMANCES, ALBUMS, MOMENTS, CULTURALLY DEFINED AN ERA, ICONIC CLOTHES, VIDEOS, etc that is why they are MUSIC ICONS. None of today's artists have ANY of those things.

MotownSubdivision said:

mj, I usually agree with you but you're being unreasonable right now. You're twisting my words around for no reason.

I am not being unreasonable. THAT is what YOU said

MotownSubdivision said:

With such a wide range any big 80s star (Michael, Prince, Bruce, George, Madonna, etc.), 90s star (2Pac, Biggie, Janet, Mariah, Nirvana, etc.), 2000s star (Beyonce, Eminem, Kanye, Usher, JT, etc.) or 2010s star (Adele, Taylor, Gaga, Katy Perry, Bruno, etc.) is a Gen Y icon. It's enough that many of the 80s stars were still big commercially in the 90s and some even into the 2000s.

No one is twisting anything, your argument is dumb. Even after I asked you elaborate on why you felt Beyonce, Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake and so forth were Icons you still have not done that.

mjscarousal said:

MotownSubdivision said:

Come on now, you know what I mean when I say "big stars". Part of being an icon is being a popular, recognizable star, a household name. All of these acts I mentioned qualify as such to varying degrees. Also, how are Beyonce and especially Kanye not icons? Kanye was a (if not the facilitator for change in hip hop in the 2000s and has been a major name since his debut. Beyonce is very much a 2000s icon as she is probably one of the first names to come into your head when thinking of 2000s music. She is far from the iconic status of any of the 80s or 90s stars I mentioned but she is still revered and has a widespread devoted following and is representative of music; she's an icon. I don't like her anymore than you do but facts are facts, Beyonce is an icon. Kanye is an icon. Usher and JT maybe not as much but it's debatable. As for the 2010s? Who else can you say better represents music this decade than the names I've mentioned? Strictly referring to the 2010s, they definitely qualify as icons especially Gaga and to a lesser extent, Adele. It's not restricted to them but it certainly doesn't exclude them even if none are a big, popular, sold as much or had as many if any memorable performances as their predecessors. Also, there's a difference between an icon and a legend. Just about anyone can qualify as an icon but not everyone qualifies as a legend; the names I mentioned from the 80s and 90s are legends but just about all the names I mentioned are icons (and no, they aren't the only ones).

You said this BUT even when you made this point you never touch on those other aspects in what makes an Music Icon and again I asked you to give reasons for your opinion and you haven't. Instead, you have argued that the Icons of today does not take away from the Icons of the past. That is not really a good argument. That is your opinion in which you are entitled too but its baseless.

Up here you say Beyonce is a early 2000 icon but you never explain why she is one and what she has done for music which is why I asked you to explain what are some iconic things she has done for music and you have yet to do that. You dont have too because you obviously don't want too but just making a point.

[Edited 1/8/17 16:35pm]

MotownSubdivision said:

mjscarousal said:

No one is twisting anything, your argument is dumb. Even after I asked you elaborate on why you felt Beyonce, Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake and so forth were Icons you still have not done that.

I have explicitly and clearly. Not my fault you can't deal with it.

No you have not been explicit or clear and if someone politely asks you to clarify other aspects of your opinion and if you wish to not explain your reasoning, that is not on me, that is on you.

mjscarousal said:

MotownSubdivision said:

mjscarousal said:

This OP is not asking who were the big stars though. He is asking who are the Music Icons from Generation Y I disagree with this entire post and I am shocked to read this coming from you and if you feel being a house hold and recognizable name is the criteria from what makes a Music Icon (which are the only things you listed) than you obviously do not know what an Music Icon is because that is certainly not the reason why MJ is an Icon as well as Prince. They DID Iconic THINGS for music, that is why they are Icon. What Iconic things has Beyonce done for music? Same with Bruno Mars and so forth? You getting a major side eye from me. Yall keep calling Beyonce this icon but STATISTICALLY she shows that she is not. You will not find her on the biggest selling music list in the 2000's. I always hear people call her overrated. I am tired people minimizing the criteria of what makes an icon, its unfair to real Icons.

[Edited 1/8/17 11:33am]

[Edited 1/8/17 11:43am]

If I was only including big stars or popular names then I would have mentioned people like Lionel Richie, Phil Collins, Huey Lewis & The News, Ja Rule, 50 Cent, Christina Aguilera, Justin Bieber, Vanilla Ice, the Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, etc., etc. but I didn't. I don't see what's so hard to understand here. Not all icons have to be on the same level to be icons. No, I'm not saying that EVERYBODY is an icon but to be an icon requires less than being a legend. Being a household name is one thing that seperates the icons from basic popular acts. Beyonce or Kanye or Bruno being an iconic figure in music takes absolutely nothing away from Michael Jackson or Prince or Whitney or Bruce, Madonna, George, 2Pac, Biggie, Janet, Nirvana, Guns N Roses, Mariah and many many others who transcend iconic status and are legendary names. Also for the 2010s, let me include Drake.

Drake? Seriously? Wow.

MotownSubdivision said:

mjscarousal said:

No you have not been explicit or clear and if someone politely asks you to clarify other aspects of your opinion and if you wish to not explain your reasoning, that is not on me, that is on you.

Except I did. Twice. But I'll humor you though I doubt whatever I say will matter anyway knowing how you are. How about I provide some definitions of what an "icon" is. Dictionary.com: a person or thing that is revered or idolized Merriam-Webster: an object of uncritical devotion Wiktionary: A person or thing that is the best example of a certain profession or some doing Based on those 3 definitions, how is Beyonce not an icon? How is Kanye not an icon? Both a revered acts (unless you're tellinh me the Beyhive doesn't exist) and are are/were marquee names who stood above or out from the rest at some point or another and that's all that matters. All this talk of performances and fashion and music videos and whatnot are not the be-all end-all of what makes an icon just like popularity isn't all that makes an icon otherwise Lionel Richie, Phil Collins, Huey Lewis & The News, Ja Rule, 50 Cent, Christina Aguilera, Justin Bieber, Vanilla Ice, the Backstreet Boys, NSYNC and any other act that was widely popular at one point or another would be considered an icon. Also, I asked you who else do you consider an icon in the 2010s besides the people I mentioned. How about the 2000s? Or are you saying that there is literally nobody past the 90s who can be considered an icon of their time because that is false. Your word isn't law and you not liking an act doesn't mean they aren't iconic because if I were going on my own personal biases, I would be right alongside you saying Beyonce isn't an icon, that Kanye isn't an icon because his music has been trash for the past near 6 years and has devolved into the whiny media star he is now. I wouldn't have mentioned Taylor either and though I don't really dislike him as much as I don't care for him and believe he's vastly overrated, I wouldn't have mentioned JT. And I'll say once more. NOT ALL ICONS ARE ON THE SAME LEVEL, Beyonce being iconic doesn't make Prince, Michael, Bruce, Whitney, George and Madonna any less than what they are. What is generally considered an icon today ain't the same as what we considered an icon in the 80s, 90s or even 2000s. So yeah, I stand by what I say when I say these people are icons. I didn't say them all and I'll even concede on a few of the names I said but I'm not arguing over semantics.

No you did not Motown. You kept deflecting and avoided to answer my question because you obviously are defensive because I challenged your post. That is why I said in my last post it is obvious you don't want to answer the question. I would not have continued to ask you to elaborate if you had already answered the question.

I am shocked by the way you have immaturely conducted yourself!I actually like and respect you as a poster and I politely asked you to elaborate on why you felt Beyonce and the others were Icons numerous of times before this post. FYI, this is a discussion board and everyone is not going to agree with you on everything. You will have some disagreements and some people will challenge you. If you don't want people challenging your posts than don't post on a discussion board,simple as that but whatever I have no interest in discussing anymore with you on the topic, so have your opinion.

mjscarousal said:

MotownSubdivision said:

mjscarousal said:

No you did not Motown. You kept deflecting and avoided to answer my question because you obviously are defensive because I challenged your post. That is why I said in my last post it is obvious you don't want to answer the question. I would not have continued to ask you to elaborate if you had already answered the question.

I am shocked by the way you have immaturely conducted yourself!I actually like and respect you as a poster and I politely asked you to elaborate on why you felt Beyonce and the others were Icons numerous of times before this post. FYI, this is a discussion board and everyone is not going to agree with you on everything. You will have some disagreements and some people will challenge you. If you don't want people challenging your posts than don't post on a discussion board,simple as that but whatever I have no interest in discussing anymore with you on the topic, so have your opinion.

You're one to talk.

Im one to talk about what? If someone asks me to give my reasons for an argument or opinion that I am passionate about, I have no problem giving my reasons or receipts for my opinion and I have gotten into a lot of debates on this site. You on the other hand immaturely chose to ignore my question just because I challenged your post.

mjscarousal said:

MotownSubdivision said:

mjscarousal said:

Im one to talk about what? If someone asks me to give my reasons for an argument or opinion that I am passionate about, I have no problem giving my reasons or receipts for my opinion and I have gotten into a lot of debates on this site. You on the other hand immaturely chose to ignore my question just because I challenged your post.

Despite the fact that I answered your question 3 times and that still isn't good enough for you? And yes, you are one to talk considering all that you're pointing your finger at me for, you're actually guilty of. Just the pot calling the kettle black. Disagree with me, I don't care but I stand by what I've said 3 times over.

And I stand by the fact that you NEVER answered my question WHICH was for the millionth time, what ICONIC things has Beyonce, Justin, Bruno, etc done musically OR for music. But your not going to answer that question so don't worry about it anymore And MAYBE you can't answer the question because they HAVE NOT done anything musically iconic OR Iconic things for music. It appears you are purposely choosing to avoid my question all together because you want to only focus on certain elements of your argument instead and thats fine. However, thats not how a discussion works.

I don't care about trying to persuade you to think differently. I was only asking you to specificlly state the iconic things you felt Beyonce, Justin, Bruno etc have done for music and you don't want to do that. Its not as complicated and serious as you are making it. 2 posts ago I said, fine don't do it, and that I was done with the discussion so I didn't get your last post and I don't get this post. You obviously don't want to answer the question and just want to focus on elements of this discussion that you want to focus on that have nothing to do with my question.

MotownSubdivision said:

Am I not answering your question or am I just not giving you the answer you want to hear? It sure seems like you care. Maybe the last explanation I gave would have been enough if you read more than just what you bolded but I'll try once more... No, some of those artists don't have iconic performances, fashion, looks, songs or albums (most of which is decided in retrospect so some ofthese acts need some more time though I doubt it'll change much) but that isn't the be-all end-all determination of an icon. I gave you 3 definitions of what an icon is and none of them said anything about all the extra things you claim makes an icon. Do those things add credence to an iconic figure? They most certainly do but that'snot all as I've explained many times over as is. An icon is basically a prominent representative of something; Beyonce is a prominent example of music in the 2000s as is Kanye (who did contribute a lot to hip hop and the culture) and evenUsher and JT can be considered. Are they necessarily the most talented or the absolute, undisputed best? No but that's not the point. You keep saying I've been deflecting from your questions well now it's your turn to stop deflecting from mine. WHO would you say are the icons of the 2000s and 2010s over the people I've said? The music scene is far different from what it was in past decades, the bar has been lowered drastically so it shouldn't be hard to consider the names I've listed as icons because that is what they are in this generation of music. The icons of the past remain icons even today with this new crop of acts in the spotlight; when you compare and contrast them it should be obvious which "icons" are truly bigger but that doesn't mean that the others are not icons of their respective generations. Lastly, part of what makes an icon an icon is being an easily identifiable figure and in order to be that you have to be or have been very popular at some point. You can't be an icon if you're not popular, that is a base requirement and these days that is the main requirement. I'm not expecting you to agree with me but at least understand or try to understand the point I've made. I understand where you're coming from because I used to think that way not long ago myself but you need to be more objective on this. I'll close with this question once again: Who do you consider to be icons of the 2000s and 2010s?

FINALLY!!!!! NOW WE ARE GETTING SOME WHERE!!! THANKS for FINALLY choosing to answer the question!!!! What was so hard about that???? Good Grief and your argument that this isn't the be all end all determination of what makes a Music Icon is FALSE because these things are the essential components in what makes Music ICON. You CAN NOT be a music Icon with no Iconic songs, You can not be a music icon without any Iconic albums or culturally Iconic defining performances, break out singles, etc BECAUSE Music Icons make LASTING ICONIC images, music and impact on people. So HOWcan you be a MUSIC ICON WITHOUT doing anything musically ICONIC!?!?! HOW????

With that being said, that is all I wanted to know! NOW, I know this is why you have ignored and refused to answer my question because YOU know just as well as I KNOW that none of these singers have done NOTHING musically ICONIC! LOL NOW if you want to continue call them Music Icons so be it, I don't care I cared about 7 posts back though when I originally asked you my question but after 7 posts later of you purposely being obtuse with the quesiton I asked, I stopped caring. I know exactly what I asked you. You chose to purposely focus on elements of your argument that you wanted to focus on and you chose to ignore my question.

[Edited 1/9/17 9:39am]

MotownSubdivision said:

With such a wide range any big 80s star (Michael, Prince, Bruce, George, Madonna, etc.), 90s star (2Pac, Biggie, Janet, Mariah, Nirvana, etc.), 2000s star (Beyonce, Eminem, Kanye, Usher, JT, etc.) or 2010s star (Adele, Taylor, Gaga, Katy Perry, Bruno, etc.) is a Gen Y icon. It's enough that many of the 80s stars were still big commercially in the 90s and some even into the 2000s.

That was basically my position for Gen X as well, that stars over 3 different decades could conceivably be icons for the generation born between the 60s and the 80s.