R. Kelly Tops Billboard’s Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists Of The Past 25 Years

[Gemini]

The Top 50 R&B / Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years
​

This week, The Juice has a special treat for you all.

In conjunction with Billboard's very knowledgeable chart department, we've compiled a list of the top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop artists of the last 25 years, topped by the Pied Piper himself, R. Kelly, and rounded off by usual players like Eminem, Luther Vandross and Jay-Z, among others.

Now, before you get your panties in a bunch about those artists that didn't make the top 50 or the order in which the ones that made it are in, let me explain how we came up with the list. The tally is based on actual performance on the weekly Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts from Jan. 5, 1985, issue to the charts dated Nov. 6, 2010. Artists are ranked based on an inverse point system, which just means that who ever spent the most weeks at No. 1 earned greater value than those that spent most time at the lower end of the chart.

And since the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts were implemented in Dec. 1992 by Nielsen, we've got our backs covered on that too. To ensure equitable representation from all 25 years, earlier time frames were weighted to account for the difference between turnover rates from those years and the turnover rates that have occurred since the advent of Nielsen Music data.


"R. Kelly crowns our list of the top 25 R&B/hip-hop artists of the past 25 years with good reason. Since January of 1985, he's amassed 35 top 10 hits on R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (the most of any act in the time frame) and a total of 84 charting singles. Among those are 11 No. 1s, including "Bump N' Grind" (12 weeks at the top) and "Down Low (Nobody Has To Know)" (seven weeks) with Ronald Isley. Further cementing Kelly's hitmaker status is his staggering 11 No. 1s on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The R&B icon continued to post new chart achievements in 2010, as he notched his 56th top 40 single with "When a Woman Loves."

http://www.billboard.com/column/the...s-top-25-hip-hop-r-b-artists-1004127945.story

http://www.billboard.com/column/the...-hip-hop-artists-of-the-past-1004127916.story

 

[Damn Right]

kelly ain't even been around in the music game for 25 years. he ain't even got 20 years in so how he make the list?

 

[c_commander]

kelly ain't even been around in the music game for 25 years. he ain't even got 20 years in so how he make the list?

The list is of the past 25 years so it's only counting music from 85 to now. I'm surprised by how high Lil Wayne and Alicia Keys are amongst others.

 

[Ruff Ryder]

Fuck that PERV.

 

[Blunt]

kelly ain't even been around in the music game for 25 years. he ain't even got 20 years in so how he make the list?

He has 35 R&B Top Tens and 11 R&B #1s. Which part don't you get??

 

[DirtyCake]

obviously. say what u want but kellz is the king of this R&b shit!

 

[Nemesis Prime]

Kelly and Usher are the only male R&B acts that are still somewhat relevent that were around in the early 90's. Are there any others?

 

[theoriginalgreatone]

the king!

 

[double1]

come on now! R. been putting out #1 hit since his debut album in January 1992, BORN INTO THE '90S. Who has had a run like that...and this is a R and B ranking. IF IT HAPPEN TO BE POP...CANT SEE ANYONE BEATING OUT M.J. JUST BECAUSE IT'S M.J.

 

[Complex]

kelly ain't even been around in the music game for 25 years. he ain't even got 20 years in so how he make the list?

Neither has Mary or Mariah, so what's your point

He's had like a solid 18 years, plus dude puts out a lot of material

 

[FJP]

Plus people forget he's written 52 rnb hits for others.

 

[Coldchi]

i have no argument wit Kelly being #1......that nigga been killin it. but some of the rest of this list is bullshit

 

[Blunt]

IF IT HAPPEN TO BE POP...CANT SEE ANYONE BEATING OUT M.J. JUST BECAUSE IT'S M.J.

Not the last 25 years.

 

[the artist]

It's because he has made the industry LOTS of loot over the last 25 years. Not just His stuff but the stuff that he's written for others. Aaliyah, Celine, Ron Isley, Charlie Wilson, etc. etc.
(even though he used ghost writers on a few of them joints)

 

[nyfinest10977]

#agree

 

[Blunt]

It's because he has made the industry LOTS of loot over the last 25 years.

It has nothing to do with that. It's just based the RAW numbers of his accumulated CHART performances.

 

[brickdome]

This list is so off base. Kanye 46 Chris brown 45 are you serious. MJ #13 Freddie Jackson #9.

This list is shitty...

 

[Blunt]

This list is so off base. Kanye 46 Chris brown 45 are you serious. MJ #13 Freddie Jackson #9.

This list is shitty...

It's FACT, not opinion.

 

[the artist]

It has nothing to do with that. It's just based the RAW numbers of his accumulated CHART performances.

Correct! Which means that he's made the industry a lot of loot. It's directly related.

 

[Damn Right]

He has 35 R&B Top Tens and 11 R&B #1s. Which part don't you get??

the part that says he should be in billboards top 50 artists over the last 25 years. how does that confuse you??

 

[Gemini]

"Now, before you get your panties in a bunch about those artists that didn't make the top 50 or the order in which the ones that made it are in, let me explain how we came up with the list. The tally is based on actual performance on the weekly Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts from Jan. 5, 1985, issue to the charts dated Nov. 6, 2010. Artists are ranked based on an inverse point system, which just means that who ever spent the most weeks at No. 1 earned greater value than those that spent most time at the lower end of the chart."

 

[34real]

After R.Kelly's success with the series "Trapped in the Closet",R.Kelly has become a habitual style taker.Theres no other way to put it.

 

[Blunt]

the part that says he should be in billboards top 50 artists over the last 25 years. how does that confuse you??

So all those hit singles and albums NEVER actually happened?? I think YOU'RE seriously confused, dumbass. This ranking is based on FACT, and not someone's opinion.

 

[Kaffeine]

 

[the artist]

After R.Kelly's success with the series "Trapped in the Closet",R.Kelly has become a habitual style taker.Theres no other way to put it.

He ran his course.

He isn't the first to be overcome by his "demons" and won't be the last.

 

[BKF]

After R.Kelly's success with the series "Trapped in the Closet",R.Kelly has become a habitual style taker.Theres no other way to put it.

Shit drastically changed and now Trey Songz is jacking his style.

 

[mit_dropout]

kelly ain't even been around in the music game for 25 years. he ain't even got 20 years in so how he make the list?

Wow, you're a stupid fool.

 

[Damn Right]

Wow, you're a stupid fool.

fuk you faggot. already knew your idiot azz wouldn't understand the point i was making.

beat it, scrub

 

[Damn Right]

So all those hit singles and albums NEVER actually happened?? I think YOU'RE seriously confused, dumbass. This ranking is based on FACT, and not someone's opinion.

i'm giving MY opinion on the list dumbfuck. but u stay in the wrong so often so in a way, you're just being true to yourself

 

[c_commander]

This list is so off base. Kanye 46 Chris brown 45 are you serious. MJ #13 Freddie Jackson #9.

This list is shitty...

Has Freddie Jackson had a hit in the last 15 years?

 

[Blunt]

i'm giving MY opinion on the list dumbfuck. but u stay in the wrong so often so in a way, you're just being true to yourself

You can't give an OPINION, because the list is FACT-based, and not opinion-based. Fool.

 

[BKF]

You can't give an OPINION, because the list is FACT-based, and not opinion-based. Fool.

This..

 

[Blunt]

Has Freddie Jackson had a hit in the last 15 years?

As stated above, he had an astonishing run of Top Ten hits and #1s on the R&B charts from '85 to '92. while barely denting the Pop charts. He has the third longest running #1 R&B album in history. That was enough to put him into the Top Ten of this list.

 

[Hotlantan]

Has Freddie Jackson had a hit in the last 15 years?

Freddie NEVER crossed over - never made the Top 10 Pop and only a handful of singles ever touched the Hot 100. But look how many of his hits went to NUMBER ONE R&B between 1985 and 1992. A bigger variety of pure R&B chart success than Whitney or Luther or anyone else for that specific time frame.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddie_Jackson_discography

 

[Chitownheadbusa]

all that peeing shit aside...R Kelly is a bad boy.
He may not have Luther Vandross voice...but overall he's a true talent/Musical genius.