Which year do you feel had better music?

Here are two quick observations:

1. 2004 saw the rise of several artists who seemed to fall off the map thereafter. What happened to Ashlee Simpson? Ryan Cabrera? Jadakiss? Twista? Lil' Flip? Mario? Juvenile? Ying Yang Twins? Petey Pablo? Shawnna? It was a huge year for Usher, but after 2004 even he was never quite as popular again.

2. 2005 marked the debuts of several artists who would go on to achieve great success in the years to come, with some still popular to this day: Chris Brown, Rihanna, T-Pain, Trey Songz, and Carrie Underwood.

In other words, there was a lot of talent out there both years, but it seems 2005 saw the ascent of several artists who have managed to stay relevant.

I feel more artists who became really big in 2004 ended up fizzling out quicker, with a few notable exceptions (Kanye West and Green Day).

Do you agree? Which year did you like more as far as music?

2005 for sure

2004 is when it started getting bad and then in 2005 it hit rock bottom. The year of Crazy Frog. I pick 2004.

2004 is when it started getting bad and then in 2005 it hit rock bottom. The year of Crazy Frog. I pick 2004.


I disagree.

I think music started getting worse in 2006. (Timbaland, Nelly Furtado, and Justin Timberlake were the year's bright spots.)

2004. I like 2005 also but, 2004 has those homely touch themes like Usher.

2004 was definitely better in the US, but 2005 was better in the UK.

2004 was 100 times better.

2004 was a terrible year for music, big step down from 2003 imo.

I disagree.

I think music started getting worse in 2006. (Timbaland, Nelly Furtado, and Justin Timberlake were the year's bright spots.)

That kind of music was the worst. I would say 2005 - 2006 is when music started sucking. When the mid/classic 2000s was transitioning to the late/modern 2000s is when music got a lot worse. You saw hints of the bad in 2005. 2004 was definitely better than 2005 musically.

1. 2004 saw the rise of several artists who seemed to fall off the map thereafter. What happened to Ashlee Simpson? Ryan Cabrera? Jadakiss? Twista? Lil' Flip? Mario? Juvenile? Ying Yang Twins? Petey Pablo? Shawnna? It was a huge year for Usher, but after 2004 even he was never quite as popular again.


Juvenile's main era of popularity was the late '90s/early '00s.  He had a brief comeback in 2004 but he wasn't a new artist then.  I agree on Twista.  He had a few hits from late 2003-04 and then he fell out of popularity.  The Ying Yang Twins were popular throughout the crunk era.  It was mostly on urban radio though.  I agree 2004 was their big year on Top 40.  Petey Pablo became popular in 2001 with the song "North Carolina" so he also wasn't a new artist in 2004.  Usher has been around since the late '90s and has had his ups and downs over the years.


2. 2005 marked the debuts of several artists who would go on to achieve great success in the years to come, with some still popular to this day: Chris Brown, Rihanna, T-Pain, Trey Songz, and Carrie Underwood.

I agree with this.  The big incoming artists of 2005 seemed to have more staying power, remaining relevant at least into the late '00s.  2004 saw a lot of "last hurrahs" of has-beens from the late '90s and early '00s.

I personally prefer 2004 and very early 2005 musically over late 2005 and 06.  Music went through a low point in the latter mid '00s in my opinion (though it didn't last as long as the mid '10s low) before really picking back up in 2007.

That kind of music was the worst.


I guess it all comes down to taste. In my view, Timbaland produced super catchy songs in 2006-2007 (e.g., My Love, Say it Right) that seemed ahead of their time.

Even today they still don't sound out of date. I think his distinctive beats are superior to the electropop of 2018, but that's just my opinion.

The big incoming artists of 2005 seemed to have more staying power, remaining relevant at least into the late '00s.  2004 saw a lot of "last hurrahs" of has-beens from the late '90s and early '00s.



Agreed. 

You can add Nina Sky, Joe, Kelis, Hoobastank, Cassidy, Lil' Flip, Jet, Eamon, Baby Bash, Marques Houston, Outkast, Frankie J, Jaheim, Chingy, J-Kwon, and Kevin Lyttle to the group of artists who were popular in 2003-2004 and faded thereafter. I think 50 Cent's fellow G-Unit members -- Lloyd Banks and Young Buck -- reached the height of their popularity in 2004.

I feel 2005 packed a lot more starpower than 2004 did. Aside from rising newcomers like T-Pain, Rihanna, and Chris Brown, veterans like Mariah Carey and Green Day had a huge year. Kanye West received high praise for his "College Dropout" album in 2004, but his career really took off in 2005 with the release of one of his biggest hits to date, "Gold Digger," which was featured in his sophomore album. It was also a big year for Kelly Clarkson and 50 Cent.

As bchris said, 2004 seemed to feature more "washed up" artists whom many teens today may never have heard of before.

2004 had a lot of amazing rock hits and b-side pop songs that have been long forgotten.
I think the reason why a lot of artists who got popular in 2004 didn't stay around for much longer is because they had styles that could only be popular during that year. Ryan Cabrera, for example, was just modern enough to be popular in 2004, but had a style that belonged more in the 90s, and many of those artists were just the final breaths of old trends dying, considering 2004 was a very transitional year in many regards.

I think the reason why a lot of artists who got popular in 2004 didn't stay around for much longer is because they had styles that could only be popular during that year. Ryan Cabrera, for example, was just modern enough to be popular in 2004, but had a style that belonged more in the 90s, and many of those artists were just the final breaths of old trends dying....


Good point.

We can't forget to mention how T-Pain popularized autotune in 2005.

I think the artists who manage to stay relevant are ones who come back every few years with something a little new and different. Artists like Chris Brown, Beyonce, and Rihanna have done just that, even though I liked their music in 2005-2007 more than what they're coming out with now.

Case in point: Justin Timberlake's singles for his new album "Man of the Woods" (slated for release in Feb.) have a very different sound/vibe than his last album, which was very different from the one before that.

Agreed. 

You can add Nina Sky, Joe, Kelis, Hoobastank, Cassidy, Lil' Flip, Jet, Eamon, Baby Bash, Marques Houston, Outkast, Frankie J, Jaheim, Chingy, J-Kwon, and Kevin Lyttle to the group of artists who were popular in 2003-2004 and faded thereafter. I think 50 Cent's fellow G-Unit members -- Lloyd Banks and Young Buck -- reached the height of their popularity in 2004.

I feel 2005 packed a lot more starpower than 2004 did. Aside from rising newcomers like T-Pain, Rihanna, and Chris Brown, veterans like Mariah Carey and Green Day had a huge year. Kanye West received high praise for his "College Dropout" album in 2004, but his career really took off in 2005 with the release of one of his biggest hits to date, "Gold Digger," which was featured in his sophomore album. It was also a big year for Kelly Clarkson and 50 Cent.

As bchris said, 2004 seemed to feature more "washed up" artists whom many teens today may never have heard of before.


I agree with this.

I think its arguable whether or not 2003 or 2005 was the biggest year for 50 Cent.  Ludacris also had a big year in 2005, but more as a featured artist than a lead artist (though he did have "Pimpin All Over The World".  Songs like "Oh", "Sugar", and "Unpredictable" were very memorable songs that year.  "Sugar" was probably my favorite song for 2005.

As for Ryan Cabrera, I primarily remember him for his song "True", which though it came out in 2004 it had more radio airplay in early 2005.

2004 had a lot of amazing rock hits and b-side pop songs that have been long forgotten.
I think the reason why a lot of artists who got popular in 2004 didn't stay around for much longer is because they had styles that could only be popular during that year. Ryan Cabrera, for example, was just modern enough to be popular in 2004, but had a style that belonged more in the 90s, and many of those artists were just the final breaths of old trends dying, considering 2004 was a very transitional year in many regards.


You are definitely on to something here.  2004 was kind of a weird "in between" era...kind of THE year of transition from the early '00s to the mid '00s.  I think by 2004, hip-hop was already solidly in the mid '00s except for a few holdovers like D12/Eminem, but pop was still wrapping up the early '00s if that makes sense.

I really liked the 2004-05 school year for music but I thought the 2005-06 year was the worst year for music of the 2000s decade.

You are definitely on to something here.  2004 was kind of a weird "in between" era...kind of THE year of transition from the early '00s to the mid '00s.  I think by 2004, hip-hop was already solidly in the mid '00s except for a few holdovers like D12/Eminem, but pop was still wrapping up the early '00s if that makes sense.

I really liked the 2004-05 school year for music but I thought the 2005-06 year was the worst year for music of the 2000s decade.

2004 was not a transition from early '00s to mid "00s... Far from it. 2003 was the transitional year and that's when the mid '00s began.

I think its arguable whether or not 2003 or 2005 was the biggest year for 50 Cent. 


His first album, Get Rich or Die Tryin', has been his most commercially successful album to date, garnering $8.4 million in the U.S. and $14 million worldwide. His second effort, The Massacre, fell well short of that: $5.3 million in the U.S. and $11 million worldwide.

If one were to say that the sales were partly a reflection of the quality of the songs/albums themselves, I'd agree. The former had a slew of good songs (In da Club, 21 Questions, P.I.M.P., If I Can't, etc.) while the latter had a few good ones but just didn't make as great of an impact. His first album was so wildly successful that it was virtually impossible to eclipse it.

To me, 50 Cent and Kanye were the most dominant forces in hip hop from 2003-2007. If we're talking 2005-2007, you could add T-Pain and maybe even Chris Brown.

2004 was not a transition from early '00s to mid "00s... Far from it. 2003 was the transitional year and that's when the mid '00s began.


Perhaps 50 Cent ushered in a new era of hip hop when he burst onto the scene in 2003.

Or, was it Kanye West in 2004?

Either way, there's no question that when one thinks of the start of the mid 2000s, 50 and Kanye have to come to mind.

Just wanted to add that I feel hip hop today is a shell of what it used to be 10-15 years ago. To go from Kanye, 50 Cent, T-Pain, Ciara, Ne-Yo, and Akon to Migos, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Bruno Mars, Future, and Lil Vert Uzi? Wow. No comparison.

And even the ones who still remain (Chris Brown, Rihanna, Beyonce) were coming out with better music at the start of their careers.

2004 was not a transition from early '00s to mid "00s... Far from it. 2003 was the transitional year and that's when the mid '00s began.


Please don't start this sheesh.

Just wanted to add that I feel hip hop today is a shell of what it used to be 10-15 years ago. To go from Kanye, 50 Cent, T-Pain, Ciara, Ne-Yo, and Akon to Migos, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Bruno Mars, Future, and Lil Vert Uzi? Wow. No comparison.

And even the ones who still remain (Chris Brown, Rihanna, Beyonce) were coming out with better music at the start of their careers.

Funny you say that because roughly Late 2005-2008 is often regarded as sort of a "dark age" for hip-hop by most. There were still good releases then, but this was when moronic, unmusical ringtone/snap rap like D4L, Dem Franchise Boyz, Jibbs, Soulja Boy, Yung Joc, Hurricane Chris, Ying Yang Twins, etc. was at its peak. In fact, Nas was inspired by the snap trend to make his "Hip-Hop Is Dead" album.

Also Kendrick and Bruno Mars are good.

Funny you say that because roughly Late 2005-2008 is often regarded as sort of a "dark age" for hip-hop by most. There were still good releases then, but this was when moronic, unmusical ringtone/snap rap like D4L, Dem Franchise Boyz, Jibbs, Soulja Boy, Yung Joc, Hurricane Chris, Ying Yang Twins, etc. was at its peak. In fact, Nas was inspired by the snap trend to make his "Hip-Hop Is Dead" album.

Also Kendrick and Bruno Mars are good.


As I said earlier, everyone has their own preference.

I suppose I prefer the the hip hop of 2003-2008 because I like poppy/dancey hop hop as opposed to the more hardcore urban/gangsta variety.

In 2003-2008, pop and hip hop had basically merged. The collaboration between 50 Cent and Justin Timberlake for "Ayo Technology" and between Justin and T.I. for "My Love" are good examples. Ludacris, Chris Brown, and Akon were coming out with scores of dance-y tracks.

Juvenile's main era of popularity was the late '90s/early '00s.  He had a brief comeback in 2004 but he wasn't a new artist then.  I agree on Twista.  He had a few hits from late 2003-04 and then he fell out of popularity.  The Ying Yang Twins were popular throughout the crunk era.  It was mostly on urban radio though.  I agree 2004 was their big year on Top 40.  Petey Pablo became popular in 2001 with the song "North Carolina" so he also wasn't a new artist in 2004.  Usher has been around since the late '90s and has had his ups and downs over the years.

Its nice to see mentioning of Juvenile. Haha His brief comeback was actually 2003 that extended to 2004 by when, it felt like his peak revived. It was really by 06, Juvenile's time was over with Rodeo. Not to say Juvenile wasn't absent again in 2005.