Ranking season is in full effect, as Billboard recently dropped its latest list ranking the Top 100 Women Artists Of The 21st Century. Several R&B faves made the list, with Rihanna, Beyoncé and Alicia Keys scoring spots within the top 10.
Coming in at No. 10 is Alicia Keys, with the publication noting that, “Her brand of piano-backed, smooth soul struck a repeated chord with listeners,” resulting in, “six of her first seven Hot 100 entries reaching the top 10, as did eight of her first nine albums on the Billboard 200.”
A more controversial placement was that of Beyoncé, who came in at No. 3, even after topping Billboard’s Pop Stars of the 21st Century list in December 2024. “Beyoncé should be #1 with 9 songs that peaked as 1 on billboard, a longer reign of music, and for making a album within a different genre,” offered one fan on X/Twitter, with another writing, “So Billboard named Beyoncé #1 greatest popstar of the 21st century but #3 biggest female artist…does that make sense to yall?”
Billboard said of the artist and mother of three, “A Beyoncé album is an event. All eight of her standard studio albums, from 2003’s Dangerously in Love to Cowboy Carter, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The latter also enjoyed a historic dimension by becoming the first set by a Black woman to rule the Top Country Albums chart.”
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 30: (Exclusive Coverage) Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Madonna and Beyonce attend the Tidal launch event #TIDALforALL at Skylight at Moynihan Station on March 30, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images For Roc Nation)
Rihanna took the No. 2 spot, with Billboard writing of the multifaceted artist, “A sonic chameleon, Rihanna built a musical legacy through her command of dynamic sounds and collaborators, and turning nearly every effort into a smash hit.”
“It’s amazing how Rihanna remains a Billboard top 2 artist, her last album was in 2016,” noted one fan on Twitter, with another adding, “#2 biggest female artist of the 21st century by Billboard. #3 ‘Greatest Pop Star’ of the 21st Century by Billboard. There will never be another one like Rihanna who has ONLY achieved this within a span of 11 years of active musical career 2005-2016.”
Unsurprisingly, Taylor Swift claimed the No. 1 spot. Other notable entrants include Adele (No. 4), Mariah Carey (No. 12), Nicki Minaj (No. 16), SZA (No. 18), Missy Elliott (No. 40), Megan Thee Stallion (No. 63), and Summer Walker (No. 85). Check out the full list here.
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