Top 10 Unbelievable Moments in Music of the Last Decade
#10: 21 Savage Turns Out to Be British
Top 20 Music Moments of the Century (So Far)
You don't have to know who 21 Savage is to find this first entry on our list strange. The Grammy-nominated rapper, who calls Atlanta, Georgia home, was revealed to be a British citizen after he was arrested by ICE officials on February 3rd, 2019. The operation was reportedly planned in advance, and not the result of Savage’s chart success or fame. An ICE spokesperson cited Savage’s expired visa and a 2014 felony conviction for drug charges. Still, the man born She'yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph and his attorney complained that he’d been singled out in order to send a message. 21 Savage had filed for a new visa in 2017, and as of writing the case was still pending.
#9: Weezer Covers Toto
Top 10 Weezer Songs
It isn't often that an album comprised entirely of covers cracks the Billboard charts, never mind scoring a number one hit. That's what makes Weezer's take on Toto's classic "Africa" such a strange success. For starters, the cover was inspired by a fan campaign instigated by a 14 year old fan. Clearly this kid knows what sells, because it’s popularity was arguably the driving force behind the “Team Album’s” sales. Weezer didn't rest on their cover song laurels for long, however, and released a full length album of new material only three months later, the “Black Album”.
#8: Tekashi69’s Legal Troubles
Also known as Soundcloud Rap, Mumble Rap was a new genre that emerged in the 2010s, a sound that tossed out the rulebook of mainstream hip hop lyricism in favor of hazy beats and mumbled vocals. One star of the medium was Tekashi69, who quickly become known just as much for his confrontational persona as his music. 6ixx9ine had numerous run ins with the law throughout the decade; he pled guilty to using a child in a sexual performance in 2015, and in 2019 to weapons, drugs and racketeering charges. He ended up serving as the prosecution's star witness against his former associates in the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods. His sentencing is scheduled for January of 2020.
#7: The Meteoric Rise of Gangnam Style
Top 20 Decade Defining Music Videos of the 2010s
In case you've been living under a rock, K Pop is BIG business. Today, pop groups from South Korea are hard at work breaking through in North America, with the sales of artists like BTS and EXO already doing gangbusters across Asia, Europe, and the US. However, for many people, their first experience of K Pop was actually Psy’s 2012 mega-hit “Gangnam Style”, and its viral music video. The song was the first YouTube clips to reach one BILLION views, and has been played at pretty much every wedding since.
#6: No Thank You to U2
Top 30 Most Important Moments in Music History
Here's a question: do you like free music? Well, how about if that free music is added to your digital library without your consent? This is what Apple customers dealt with in 2014, when they woke up to find U2's unlucky thirteenth studio album dumped unceremoniously into their iTunes library. Sure, there were plenty of people who were more than happy to give this latest U2 effort a spin, but there were also just as many who felt that the album drop was a poor-taste violation of their privacy and personal music taste. Ultimately, the stunt blew up in the band's collective face more than it helped them, but hey, at least they almost apologized on the Graham Norton show.
#5: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Stun Kendrick Lamar
The Grammys have something of a reputation for being out of touch, like that time Jethro Tull beat out Metallica for Best Heavy Metal Performance in 1989. A similar such theft occurred in 2014, when Macklemore and Ryan Lewis won Best New Artist, Best Rap Album, Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song over Kendrick Lamar. Many were stunned at this upset, not the least of whom was Macklemore himself, who messaged Lamar saying: "It's weird and it sucks that I robbed you”. Some saw it as genuine; others felt it was cheap, especially him posting the screenshot on instagram. But let’s not lose sight of what matters most here - just how badly the Recording Academy got it wrong.
#4: The Self Destruction of Robin Thicke
Top 10 Decade Defining Music Videos of the 2010s So Far
Robin Thicke seemed to be flying high in 2013, with his "Blurred Lines" full length album and single rising up the charts, despite its controversial lyrical content. Thicke garnered further mainstream attention alongside a twerking Miley Cyrus at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards...then it all seemed to go a bit pear shaped. Accusations of infidelity and drug abuse resulted in the implosion of his marriage to childhood sweetheart Paula Patton, with his audience turning on him as ever more damning evidence began to leak out concerning Thicke's behavior. Not even a concept album titled "Paula" could win Patton back.
#3: Tupac: the Hologram
What If Tupac & Biggie Were Still Alive?
The debate is ongoing when it comes to CGI and hologram representation of deceased actors and musicians, and this next entry on our list serves as one of the decade's most questionable. Snoop Dogg's performance at Coachella 2012 featured the hip hop legend on stage with another rap icon, Tupac Shakur, who appeared as a hologram for a couple songs. Reactions were mixed; some praising the technology, while others felt that dearly departed celebrities shouldn't be raised from the dead for a concert. MTV's James Montgomery even wrote that musicians might have to include "non-hologram" causes in their wills, to avoid post-mortem exploitation.
#2: Kanye West & Donald Trump
Top 10 Best Kanye West Music Videos
We simply don't have enough time to properly discuss every WTF Kanye West moment of the last decade. The undeniably talented rapper has made headlines for a number of reasons, not the least of which was a controversial 2018 statement that said, in part, that 400 years of slavery "sounds like a choice." Although West later explained that he was speaking more in a mental and metaphysical sense, there was no ambiguity to his vocal and often rambling support of Donald Trump. The move has been a polarizing one, to say the least. In 2018, West met with the President at the White House, launching into a 10 minute rant that seemed to leave even Trump speechless.
#1: Fyre Festival
Some.Unique.Individual Featuring Emily Drew - Fyre (Audio)
It's been the subject of multiple documentaries, news stories and a whole lot of outrage. It was the Fyre Festival, a luxury island music fest that never actually happened. Billy McFarland defrauded investors, vendors and attendees alike when Fyre Fest went bust, inconveniencing just about everyone with broken promises and empty wallets. Rapper Ja Rule co-organized the experience, which saw those unfortunate enough to be on the island of Great Exuma Bahamas basically stranded without so much as basic amenities, including sanitary and food services. In a word: Fyre Festival was a complete disaster, the kind of utter chaos that can only occur once in a decade.
