If you entered thinking that the year would bring a totally different sound befitting the turn of a new millennium Not that the artists that defined popular music at the end of the '90s were suddenly spirited away and replaced with an entirely new vanguard: Most of the biggest artists of -- the boy bands and girl groups, the breakout rappers and rock best-sellers -- were the biggest artists of , too. But they seemed energized by the changeover of millennia, and motivated to push things appropriately forward. Having some of the era's greatest super-producers on the front lines certainly helped. The Neptunes and Swizz Beatz brought the proverbial and sometimes literal bells and whistles to hip-hop, setting it on its path to top 40 domination and definition. But the year wasn't just about returning '90s stars getting 2. Hip-hop's geographical axis was thrown off by a brand new rap icon emerging from the country's center. And a couple '80s stars returned with dramatically overhauled sounds that demonstrated they would be staying relevant well into their third decades. We're starting today with a list of our favorite songs from the historically rich year, and will continue all week with a series of essays, interviews, lists and other flashbacks to the beginning of the new millennium.


Follow Billboard

Disclaimer
Britney Spears gets "Toxic. Troy L. Smith, Cleveland. They've stood the test of time and are here again, in all their glory, to remind you of better times. Pink - "So What" Pink made her name as a hitmaker through her defiant and rebellious attitude. That was never more apparent than on her No. Fueled by Ramen. Twenty One Pilots - "Stressed Out"
Footer Navigation
The s were a tough time in the music business. Artists bypassed record labels to release music independently. What's more, online file sharing and music streaming disrupted the radio industry, and the biggest record store chains went out of business. Amid the industry chaos, pop music still thrived, with hip-hop and dance music leading the way. Even established artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Madonna had big comeback hits in the s. Take a musical trip back to the first decade after the turn of the millennium with this list of the best songs of the s. It had been more than five years since Mariah Carey's last No. The song is uncharacteristically restrained for Mariah Carey, but it soon worked its magic with pop audiences and ultimately spent 14 weeks at No.
Billboard Year-End Hot chart for For detailed information on how Billboard compiled the charts, see the Wikipedia article " Billboard Hot ". Top s Songs. Breathe - Faith Hill 2. Smooth - Santana featuring Rob Thomas 3. Say My Name - Destiny's Child 4. I Wanna Know - Joe 5. Everything You Want - Vertical Horizon 6. Bent - Matchbox Twenty 8. Amazed - Lonestar 9.