Year 2010 in Music

2010 has been a very interesting year in music for me. The year produced a lot of good albums and good music as well as a few disappointing moments. All in all, I am excited for 2011, but for now, let’s concentrate on 2010 from my perspective!

The year started with the line “Wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy” and that personified the rest of the year. Ke$ha burst on the scene with her debut single “Tik Tok” which went on to rule Billboard's Hot 100 for 9 consecutive weeks, starting January 2. This continued and solidified dance/electro/euro-pop as the reigning music genre of the year. The month of January also started with singer Trey Songz’s first #1 R&B hit “I Invented Sex” and newcomer Melanie Fiona subsequently followed him with nine weeks at #1 with her “It Kills Me” single. Lady Gaga also scored her fifth consecutive #1 on the Mainstream Top 40/Pop chart with her smash hit “Bad Romance.” Along with Ke$ha, Lady Gaga set the tone for music for the rest of the year. The month came to a close with the 52nd annual Grammy Awards. Country singer Taylor Swift became the youngest artist ever to win the coveted Album of the Year Award for her sophomore set “Fearless.” Record and Song of the Year went to Kings of Leon and Beyonce for their respective hit singles “Use Somebody” and “Single Ladies.” Beyonce also wo five other awards, making her the first and only female artist to ever win 6 Grammy’s in one night. Interestingly, country group Zac Brown Band won the only award that you can only be nominated for once, Best New Artist.

Speaking of notable new artists, February started the seven week run at #1 for the aforementioned Ke$ha single on the Mainstream Top 40/Pop Chart. Per usual, February was a rather weak month. Most of the aforementioned hits such as “Tik Tok” and “It Kills Me” had lengthy runs well into March, making the month quite uneventful. However, singer Chris Brown did begin his return with the release of his first mixtape, “In My Zone” and Sade returned with their first album in 10 years with the #1 “Soldier of Love” LP.

Going into March, I was in my zone with the influx of new music. Notably, Monica released her greatly anticipated new album “Still Standing” which remains one of my Top 10 albums of the year and my #1 favorite R&B album of the year. The month also brought a host of new #1 sinlges. The Black Eyed Peas “Imma Be” finally knocked “Tik Tok” off of the top of the Hot 100. The track was the third #1 off of their album “The End.” Similarly, Young Money’s “Bed Rock” also replaced “Tik Tok” as the most played song on America radio. Also unseating the aforementioned track was Lady Gaga’s single “Telephone” which topped the Mainstream Top 40/Pop chart. This gave both artists their 6th #1 Pop single and made Lady Gaga the first and only artist to send her first 6 singles to top of that chart. The debut single, “Over,” from Drake’s highly anticipated debut album was sent to radio in March. Usher also released his long delayed album “Raymond vs. Raymond.” The album, and its singles solidified Usher’s return to both Pop and Urban radio. Lastly, Rihanna scored her 5th #1 on the Hot 100 with the ascension of “Rude Boy.” Far and away the standout cut on her last album, “Rated R,” the track became the first song to top the Urban, Pop, and Rhythmic charts in over two and a half years.

Speaking of longevity, Justin Beiber became the youngest male artist since 1963 to score a #1 one album at the age of 16. Also, Lady Antebellum became only the second artist in the past 10 years (after Taylor Swift the year before) to score a #1 Airplay hit with a country-based crossover single. “Need You Now” ruled for two weeks before the aforementioned “Rude Boy” took over. Country artist, Carrie Underwood also became the first and only female artist to win Entertainer of the Year twice (let alone consecutively) by the Academy of Country Music Awards. Also in April, Train's "Hey, Soul Sister" peaked at #3 on the Hot 100 chart, nearly 6 months after it is originally released! Close to my heart, Monica scored her first #1 R&B single in seven years with “Everything To Me,” the first single from her previously mentioned album. This, of course, marked the end of the slowest time of the year in music.

May usually marks the beginning of the summer, in regard to the entertainment industry. The 9th American Idol winner, Lee Dewyze was notably crowned at the end of the month. However, it was the first single from Katy Perry’s sophomore set that officially brought the heat of the season. “California Gurls” featuring Snoop Dogg was an instant Pop radio sensation. The debut single from rapper B.O.B, which featured newcomer Bruno Mars, “Nothing On You,” reached #1 on both the Airplay and overall Hot 100 chart. Alicia Keys scored her biggest R&B hit to date with the 12 week #1 “Unthinkable (I’m Ready)” and Jason Derulo became the first male artist to send his first two chart entries to #1 on the Mainstream Top 40/Pop chart with “In My Head” following his 2009 hit “Whatcha Say.” Notably, Eminem also became to first solo rapper to have a song debut at #1 on the Hot 100 with “Not Afraid.” It was the 16th song to debut at #1. Likewise, Usher became the first artist since Michael Jackson to send at least one song from five, consecutive albums to #1 when “OMG” preceded and subsequently replaced the aforementioned Eminem track.

June continued to bring the heat with the release of Drake’s debut album “Thank Me Later” and Eminem’s 7th studio album “Recovery.” Both albums debut at #1, with the latter selling of 700K in its first week, signifying a return for rap music within a more mainstream climate. With its release, “Alejandro” became Lady Gaga’s first single to miss the top spot on the Mainstream Top 40/Pop chart; however, the track was another Top 5 hit for her, continuing her string of success. Instead, Ke$ha scores her second #1 Pop hit with “Your Love Is My Drug” and Taio Cruz starts off with his first hit, “Break Your Heart.” The aforementioned “California Gurls” by Katy Perry soars to #1 on the Hot 100 for seven weeks, becoming the singer's biggest hit to date. Country starlet, Miranda Lambert also nets her first Country #1 single with one of the two most critically acclaimed country songs of the year “The House That Built Me" (with the other being Lady A's "Need You Now"). She also breaks up the duopoly that Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood had been holding on the country chart for the past five years (as did Reba who scored a #1 in January). Elsewhere, notably the R&B chart, Alicia maintains her stronghold at the top. However, before I travel into July, I must give a special notice to rapper B.O.B whose smash “Airplanes,” featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore, seemingly peaked at #2 EVERYWHERE, including the Pop, Rap, Airplay, and overall Hot 100 charts. A breakdown of 2010 would be incomplete without notice of that amazing song and statistical achievement

With the coming of July, a few things shake up in the music world. Both Eminem and Rihanna score their second #1 Hot 100 hits of the year with their collaboration “Love The Way You Lie.” “California Gurls” replaces “OMG” and “Your Love…” at the top of the Airplay and Pop charts, respectively. Conversely, Eminem and Alicia Keys continue to maintain their dominance on the album and R&B singles charts. On a cooler note, newcomer Nicki Minaj, who is a part of the Young Money crew, scored the first solo Rap #1 by a female artist in over eight years with her promotional single “Your Love.” Coincidentally, the track was also #1 for eight weeks. Chris Brown released his second mixtape of the year, “Fan of a Fan” as he continued to re-build his fan base. While I focus on the Rap/Hip-Hop scene, rapper Rick Ross also released one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the year with “Teflon Don.” Although it peaked at #2 on the charts, the album is a testament to Ross’ urban support, which follows 3 #1 albums.

To be honest, August may have been my favorite month of the year for music. New singles by Trey Songz, Taylor Swift, Lloyd, and Keri Hilson we released and Usher debut his “Versus” LP following the success of his “Raymond vs. Raymond” album. Unfortunately, most of the chart remained the same due to strong holdovers; however, I do remember, Usher’s “There Goes My Baby,” which debut the same week as Alicia Keys’ “Unthinkable,” being #2 behind the songstress for over a month before finally holding out and obtaining the #1 spot. Carrie Underwood also achieved her 12th consecutive (of 12 entries) Mediabase Country Songs #1 with “Undo It.” Both are chart anomalies that you just don’t see on every chart.

September also saw the release of a plethora of new music. Of course, that is to be expected as the Fall/Winter months lead up to the holiday season, which generally equates to higher sales. Trey Songz released the follow-up to last his smash album “Ready” with “Passion, Pain, and Pleasure.” He supplanted the album by doing numerous intimate shows, concerts (of which I attended), and live web chats with his fans. Marketing genius. Rihanna released the first single from her new album “LOUD” in the form of “Only Girl (In The World).”

Similarly, Jojo released a mixtape, Nicki Minaj released her first official singles to her highly anticipated debut album, and “Like A G6” by Far East Movement took mainstream radio by storm after being a club staple for months. On the chart side, Katy Perry scored her second consecutive (third overall) #1 Hot 100 hit with the title track to her recent album “Teenage Dream.” Taio Cruz becomes the second male artist ever (let alone, this year) to send his first two chart entries to #1 on the Mainstream Top 40/Pop chart as “Dynamite” follows “Break Your Heart.” Lady Antebellum similarly score their third consecutive #1 single off of their sophomore set “Need You Now.” But, most notably, Chris Brown begins a nine-week run at #1 on the R&B chart with his Tyga and Kevin McCall assisted “Deuces.” Now don’t call it a comeback!

With new releases from Bruno Mars, Sara Bareilles, Far East Movement, Ke$ha, Rihanna, Pink, The Black Eyed Peas, and Taylor Swift, October was quite an eventful month. Bruno mars scored his first #1 as a lead artist on the Hot 100 with “Just The Way You Are.” The song also topped the Airplay and Pop charts. Interestingly, rapper Lil’ Wayne scored a #1 album, while in prison. Talk about having major fan support! Due to the influx of new music and the time that it takes for said songs to catch on, it’s obvious that the end of 2010 is prepped for even more notable achievements in music.

For example, The Beatles music catalog is officially released on iTunes in November. This caused a wide range of catalog albums and tracks to astronomically increase in sales (albeit less than expected). Songs from the television show "Glee" will soon make the program be the "artist" with the most Hot 100 chart entries, surpassed the aforementioned Beatles and Elvis. Far East Movement's “Like A G6” reaches #1 on the Hot 100, making them the first lead Asian act to do so in decades. Similarly, Ke$ha’s “We R Who We R” debuts at #1 on the same chart, becoming only the 17th song to accomplish this feat (and the second this year). Rihanna’s “What’s My Name” shoots to #1, as well, giving featured artist Drake his first #1 hit on that chart and Rihanna her third this year. Trey Songz’ “Can’t Be Friends” replaces “Deuces” at #1 on the R&B chart, becoming the singer's second chart topper.

Notably, he began and ends the year at #1 on the R&B songs chart. After a six-year hiatus, Nelly scores another Pop #1 with his single “Just A Dream.” Even more impressive, Taylor Swift becomes the youngest artist to sell over one million copies of an album in one week with the debut of “Speak Now.” What an accomplishment, indeed. November also saw the release of a plethora of other albums such as Rihanna’s “Loud,” Nicki Minaj’s “Pink Friday,” and Kanye West’s “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” the latter has sense become the most critically acclaimed album of the year. Continuing, Chris Brown released his third mixtape this year in the form of “In My Zone 2” in preparation of his new studio album. Of course, I cannot forget BET’s Celebration of Black Women and the numerous R&B albums that saw release in November. Notably Jazmine Sullivan’s “Love Me Back,” which has become one of my favorite albums of the year.

December is of course an amazing time of the year for music because the Grammy nominations are announced. A lot of interesting notions there but I’m not going to stress that, just visit their website to find out for yourself. However, I will relay that Eminem scored 10 (will he finally get Album of the Year?) and Bruno Mars scored seven (Best New Artist in 2012, I bet) nominations, respectively. Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, and Lady Antebellum all received six nominations. Well, as always, the end of the year is full of chart surprises. For the second time in a row, Susan Boyle has dominated the album chart with four weeks at #1. Rihanna obtains her seventh Pop #1, the most of any artist, and her 9th Hot 100 #1, the most this decade. With “Only Girl” reaching the #1 spot, she also becomes the first artist ever to have their second single reach #1 before their first (as you’ll recall that “What’s My Name” went #1 in November). Rihanna also helps continue a seven-week stretch of new #1s on the latter chart.

Following “Like A G6,” “We R Who We R,” “What’s My Name,” “Like A G6,” (again) “Only Girl,” Pink’s “Raise Your Glass,” and “Katy Perry’s “Firework,” each song spent a lone week at #1, in succession. Pretty interesting turnover rate, until “Firework” obtained two more weeks at #1. Notably, the previously mentioned track made Katy Perry the first female artist in over two decades to notch three #1s from a single album in the sale calendar year. With “Only Girl,” Rihanna similarly became the only female artist to have four #1s in the same calendar year, albeit, from three different albums. With no other turnovers, this marked the end of music in 2010 aside from the new album releases from Ciara, Keri Hilson, Tank, Dirty Money, Jamie Foxx, Keyshia Cole, Kandi, and R. Kelly. Seems like Pop artist release in November, while Urban/R&B artists wait for December. Either way, I understand desiring those holiday sales.


Subsequently, 2010 was an interesting year in music. As evident by the mainstream charts, Pop dominated the charts. This is further evidenced by the fact that first the first time in history, no R&B #1 went Top 10 on the overall Hot 100 (let alone #1, which has been the case for the past 50 years). Music is changing, but now that dance-pop is somewhat becoming repetitive, I’m excited to see what 2011 will bring. Already, the first #1 for the calendar year, “Grenade” by Bruno Mars is a Pop ballad. Will balladeers make a return in the New Year? Even though sales are down overall, numerous artists have crafted strategies to sell a plethora of albums quickly and digital sales continue to assist in the promotion of singles. Scandals, such has labels intentional leaking albums, has also impacted the way we understand the economics of music. The industry itself is changing and I wonder what other new ideas will develop in the future. I know a lot of new albums from many of my favorite artists are dropping in 2011, but I suppose that we’ll have to wait and see! In the meantime, enjoy the 2010 DJ Earworm's mash-up of the 25 biggest hits of the year! See you next year!