Best music of the 21st century

From 2000 to the mid-2020s, pop music was reshaped by technology, genre-blurring and global voices. The MP3-era and Napster upended the industry, iTunes popularized digital sales and streaming through Spotify and Apple Music ultimately changed how hits were made.

Industry dominance shifted from teen-pop and R&B stars like Britney Spears, Beyoncé and Usher to hip-hop’s cultural takeover led by Kanye West, Drake and Kendrick Lamar.

Also, autotune became both a tool and an aesthetic and EDM merged into mainstream through festival culture and artists like Calvin Harris and Avicii.

YouTube and other social media platforms launched new careers and broadened access to the industry. Now, platforms like TikTok define popularity and success. Billboard hits feel like a measure of the past, virality is what counts now and what pays. 

Global platforms also mean genres and cultures mix. Latin music surged worldwide through artists like Bad Bunny, Afrobeats crossed over globally and K-pop became a global force, especially among Gen Z.

On this episode of Studio 2, we discuss 25 years of pop culture.

Guests:

Charles Holmes, senior staff writer at The Ringer

Dan DeLuca, pop music critic at The Philadelphia Inquirer

Songs that played during the hour:

1. Billie Eilish – Ocean Eye
2. Radiohead – Everything in Its Right Place
3.  Beyoncé – Formation
4. Kanye West – Runaway
5. Adele – Hello
6. The White Stripes – Seven Nation Army
7. Frank Ocean – Nights
8. D’Angelo – Untitled (How Does It Feel)
9. Broken Bells, Danger Mouse, and James Mercer – The High Road
10. Daft Punk – Face 2 Face
11. Sampha – Too Much
12. Wussy – Teenage Wasteland