Top 10 Biggest Musical Sellouts

Throughout the 1970s, Aerosmith was one of the biggest bands in the world. However, in the 1980s, internal conflicts ruined the band, and their popularity suffered as a result, making for some less-than-stellar years for the once great group. In order to regain their status as rock and roll kings, they collaborated with rap group Run-D.M.C. in a rather risky, but also genius, career move. Their following Permanent Vacation went on to go multi-platinum- restoring the band's cool factor until “I Don't Want to Miss a Thing” once again earned the ire of fans in 1998.

One of the most influential artists of the '90s, alt-rock queen Liz Phair could seemingly do no wrong by the turn of the millennium. That was until she was offered some extra cash to work with the masterminds behind pop stars Avril Lavigne and Hilary Duff. With the release of her 2003 self-titled pop-rock album, the backlash towards the singer was endless, with one review from Pitchfork giving the album a 0 out of 10 and accusing Phair of being reduced to “cheap publicity stunts”. The hate train didn't quite die down thereafter either, as her next two releases received mixed reviews.

Alright, alright… hear us out. Before “Super Bass” established Nicki as a pop star sensation, she was spitting fire as an underground rapper. And a pretty talented one at that! Originally signed to indie label Dirty Money Entertainment, Minaj quickly made a name for herself through several critically acclaimed mixtapes before becoming noticed by Lil Wayne. This was followed by her debut, Pink Friday, and being heavily featured on Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. One brief stint as a judge on American Idol, and a few highly successful - though some might say generic - mainstream pop songs later, and Nicki Minaj has longtime fans scratching their heads.

Guetta is a DJ and remix artist from France known for a unique electro house sound that no one else can fully replicate. However, his third studio album, Pop Life featured vocals from popular British singer Tara McDonald. His collaborations didn't end there, as he was soon working with stars like Akon, Nicki Minaj, and Snoop Dogg, means he hasn't quite been able to shake his ties to pop music. We're not saying going pop inherently means selling out, but EDM fans in general and Guetta in particular has said that as he's found his mainstream groove, his music has lost its soul. Guetta's said frequently that he's not trying to be credible, he's trying to be incredible. We'll just leave that there.

While T Swift was always a popular artist, there’s no denying that she’s been getting more and more mainstream over the years. She started as a sweet and innocent country girl, singing cute tunes about boys and receiving acclaim and popularity for doing so. It wasn’t until 2012’s Red that listeners began noticing a distinct change in her sound. That is until 2014’s 1989 burst into full-blown pop territory. While she was once heralded as a brilliant singer-songwriter for her age, many fans turned their backs on Swift once she adopted a more bubblegum pop aesthetic and started working with the likes of Max Martin, the producer and songwriter behind countless Top 40 hits.

Don’t deny it. Songs like “Sunday Morning” and “This Love” were your jam back in the early 2000s. They were fun, light songs, but with meaning and care put behind them. So we imagine you were excited to see what the band had in store for you next. You may’ve been disappointed by what Adam Levine and the boys dished up, with some accusing them of focusing too much on the hunky and bankable looks of their frontman and not enough on actual musical artistry. Gone were the blue-eyed soul-inspired tunes of the group’s debut, and in their place were admittedly catchy, yet undeniably poppy productions that just didn’t live up to what fans had to expect from them.

Ice Cube is a revolutionary figure in the music industry. He began his career at 17, with the infamous hip hop group N.W.A.- known for their scathing, politically charged lyrics about the abusive treatment of African Americans. He began a solo career in 1990, producing some of the most influential rap albums ever recorded. However, since then, product endorsements, a clothing line and a family friendly movie career have raised some eyebrows among diehard followers. While some accept the fact that a dude’s gotta hustle to bring home the bacon, others accuse Ice Cube of selling out with his drastic image change. Compare “Straight Outta Compton” to “Are We There Yet?” to decide for yourself.

Metallica was easily one of the best and most popular heavy metal bands throughout the '80s, creating masterpieces like Master of Puppets and ...And Justice for All, all played with rapid precision and power. Then 1991 happened. Critics and hardcore fans alike criticized the band’s eponymous album for its more radio-friendly direction, with softened guitars and lyrics. The band’s image changed as well, but – to the chagrin of avid listeners – these alterations were met with decent record sales and not abject failure. Ultimately, the final nail in the coffin was the Napster fiasco, when almost everyone – and not just the haters – finally accused the group of being a little too money-hungry!

Believe it or not, there was a time when The Black Eyed Peas weren’t singing about Humps and Feelings and Shutting Up. The group was created in 1992 and released some pretty decent alternative hip-hop albums, but they couldn’t quite find an audience. 2003’s Elephunk was the first album recorded with new band member Fergie, and the group found wild success with “Where Is the Love?” It was after that success that the band’s sound shifted sharply to a more party-style vibe, a change that was likely a drastic and frustrating one for longtime fans of BEP’s early underground work.

Before we sell out with our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Sugar Ray

Linkin Park

Jewel

Weezer

You wouldn’t expect a group with an album called Dookie to follow the green, but here we are. Green Day once had the world in the palm of their hands: the band helped revitalize punk rock throughout the ‘90s and were known for their political lyrics and stereo-blasting sound. However, as is the case with raw-sounding bands that find mainstream success, Billy Joe and the band turned off longtime fans and drew charges of selling out by releasing albums that sounded even slightly produced. The boys steered into the skid, though, with the Broadway musical based on their rock opera American Idiot. Sure, it was successful, but diehards accused the band of catering to a decidedly unpunk audience and were alienated as a result.

Do you agree with our list? What band do you think is responsible for selling out? For more faithful top tens published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.