Who do you love more, 2016 or your mother? You hesitated, didn’t you? Don’t worry, you’re not the only one. The level of affection with which people speak about the year is usually reserved for entire decades.
2016’s notoriety can be chalked up to a myriad of reasons: viral online challenges that test your ability to remain immobile, millennial pink tops paired with tattered jeans, and inescapable digital dog ears. The list goes on, but any reason you can muster pales in comparison to the music.
Describing the sonic zeitgeist of 2016 as anything but diverse would be a major failing. Niche genres such as EDM and dancehall exploded onto the mainstream thanks to many of the year’s most prolific artists’ openness to collaboration and experimentation.
A decade after the universally loved life-altering year, everyone is keen to reminisce, and we’re no different. In no particular order, here are 10 artists who dominated 2016.
10. Rae Sremmurd
You can’t discuss 2016 without mentioning the hip-hop sibling duo Rae Sremmurd (Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi). However, the pair’s first major breakthrough came three years prior after being signed to producer Mike Will Made It’s record label. The partnership proved to be fruitful, as it spawned hits, all produced by Mike Will Made It, such as ‘ Throw Some Mo,’ ‘ No Flex Zone,’ and ‘ No Type.’
As popular as the aforementioned songs were, none could compare to what was to come. In 2016 the brothers became part of the soundtrack of the general population’s lives that fateful year thanks to their song ‘Black Beatles’ once again produced by Mike Will Made It. The track featured a verse from Gucci Mane.
It inevitably became the theme music for the Mannequin Challenge, making the internet trend and hit single off the duo’s sophomore album, SremmLife 2, inextricably linked and creating a perfect storm for a peak of No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. One that lasted for 12 consecutive weeks.
The success of the song spurred several remixes and freestyles, most notably by Nicki Minaj and Soulja Boy. The braggadocious ‘ Black Beatles’ lives in a contradictory realm of being a calm hype track due to the production’s lo-fi and trap elements. The first few chords are a musical time machine.
9. Frank Ocean
On August 19, 2016, Frank Ocean released a visual album that was livestreamed exclusively on Apple Music. Ocean features prominently in the stream as he constructs a wooden staircase alone. Endless‘ atmospheric sound and reflective tone would act as a teaser of what would come the next day.
Frank Ocean’s follow-up to his debut album, Channel Orange, came four years later on August 20, 2016. Blonde debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Set to an experimental sound, the concept album explores notions of gender and duality. Ocean’s vulnerability coupled with a dreamy atmosphere determined the record’s success.
No stranger to collaboration ‘ Pink + White’ features background vocals from Beyoncé, another artist who made her mark on the year. The pair had previously worked together on Beyoncé’s song ‘ Superpower.’ The wistfulness on ‘ Pink + White‘ is a core component of Blonde.
8. Shawn Mendes
2016 encompassed nothing but a steady stream of success for the Canadian crooner Shawn Mendes. Not one to lose momentum, Mendes released his second album, Illuminate, a year after his well-received debut album, Handwritten. Both records debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200 upon release.
Illuminate‘s two 2016 singles ‘ Treat You Better’ and ‘ Mercy’ performed well on the US charts with peaks of No. 6 and No. 15, respectively. There’s no denying that Illuminate is pop forward, but the soulful blues elements give the album a necessary bit of dimension. Like many others on this list, Mendes didn’t shy away from working with his peers.
Although it was officially released in 2015, Mendes’ duet with Camila Cabello ‘ I Know What You Did Last Summer,’ gained popularity the following year, when it reached a peak of No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song’s commercial success would lay the groundwork for Cabello’s then-group Fifth Harmony’s own hit ‘Work From Home’ later that year.
7. Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande’s third studio album, Dangerous Woman, was preceded by the self-titled single on March 11, 2016. The album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, whilst the single ‘ Dangerous Woman’ peaked at No. 8 on the US charts. Production-wise the track is a bit of an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink sort of endeavor. Albeit a widely successful one.
That approach results in a song that’s still intriguing a decade later. ‘ Dangerous Woman’ is dark, sexy, and dramatic. The track fully embraces the drama of the moment. Which is exactly why it captivated audiences when it was released.
The album’s second single, ‘ Into You,’ is a perfect example of the EDM mania that defined the year. Producer Max Martin injected the track with a hard-thumping club beat and tossed in a pinch of disco fundamentals for good measure. Grande would continue to see commercial success later that year with the song ‘ Side to Side.’
6. Beyoncé
One of 2016’s culture-defining moments was when Beyoncé unexpectedly dropped Lemonade on April 23, 2016. The album’s release signified a major shift in the public’s perception of her as an artist. If Beyoncé’s legacy wasn’t cemented before, Lemonade is what did the trick.
Lemonade is a weighty body of work that tackles the nitty-gritty of infidelity. It’s a brutally honest exploration of the disappointment, shame, and rage typically associated with a major breach of trust. Lemonade also simultaneously unpacks the perpetual struggle of being Black in America, all whilst utilizing feminist theory to support the project’s thesis.
With a single project Beyoncé incorporated all the critical elements that defined 2016’s music scene. The album included notable features from The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar, and Jack White. Lemonade is a lesson in genre transcendence; the record includes but is not limited to country, rock, and reggae. A collaboration with Coldplay in the form of uncredited vocals on ‘ Hymn for the Weekend’ at the beginning of the year became a mere afterthought once Lemonade was released.
5. Justin Bieber
It seemed like the only requirement for a hit back then was a beat drop. Justin Bieber is another artist who recognized the capital EDM had amassed at the time. He featured on numerous dance tracks throughout the year, including DJ Snake’s ‘ Let Me Love You.’ A song that is currently experiencing a revival as it sits at No. 48 on the Global Spotify Charts.
Released November 13, 2015, Bieber’s EDM-focused fourth album, Purpose, continued to top the charts the following year. The house track ‘ Sorry’ occupied the top spot on Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks. Bieber would continue to make history that year by occupying numerous spots on the chart simultaneously.
Bieber featured on the DJ group Major Lazer’s song ‘ Cold Water’ the very same year. It wasn’t all oontz oontz oontz music for him; he experienced major success with the traditional pop song ‘ Love Yourself.’ The laid-back single was just what he needed to acquire a third No. 1 hit from the same album. Once again proving why Bieber ruled 2016.
4. Drake
At this point, 2016 and Drake are interchangeable terms. The 6 God went on what can only be described as a generational run that year. His album Views gave us the unforgettable ‘ One Dance’ which is currently sitting at No. 40 on the Global Spotify and has acquired four billion streams on the platform.
Like his peers, Drake recognized the malleability of genres. Views can be best described as a fusion of reggae, dancehall, and Afrobeats. With a sound so diverse, it’s not hard to see why the album resonated with audiences on a global scale.
Drake and Rihanna collaborated on two songs that year, ‘ Too Good’ and ‘ Work.’ The pair of powerhouses utilized the sounds of the Caribbean to produce quintessential feel-good party music. To no one’s surprise, Views debuted at No. 1 upon release.
3. The Weeknd
The Weeknd’s (Abel Tesfaye) third album, Starboy, marked not only a physical metamorphosis for the singer but a musical one as well. The album was the beginning of the Weeknd’s foray into dance music and all its subgenres. And who better to lead the way than dynamic dance music duo Daft Punk? The legendary pair features twice on the album.
Like countless others on this list, Starboy debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, as did the title track. ‘ I Feel It Coming’ ultimately reached a peak of No. 4 on the US charts. Whereas ‘ Party Monster’ peaked at No. 16.
The party is still going a decade later as The Weeknd continues to break streaming record after streaming record. The fourth single off of Starboy, ‘ Party Monster’ has crossed a billion streams on Spotify. This time he brings Lana Del Rey along for the ride. Their dreamy collaboration ‘ Stargirl Interlude’ is the first interlude ever to reach 1.5 billion streams on the platform. No stranger to the billions, it is the Canadian’s 31st song to achieve this.
2. Adele
British singer-songwriter Adele returned to music in 2015 after a three-year hiatus with the epic ballad ‘ Hello.’ The song served as the lead single for her third studio album, 25. It achieved 7x platinum status in 2016 and signaled a musical takeover from the star.
In 2016 three more tracks from 25 were chosen to be singles. All three, ‘ When We Were Young,’ ‘ Send My Love (To Your New Lover),’ and ‘ Water Under the Bridge,’ ended up charting. Adding to Adele’s already impressive host of accolades.
They say 25 is when it all starts to make sense, and that appears to be the case for Adele. No longer moping over failed relationships, her emotional maturity is demonstrated by the pointed lyricism on the record. A lot of the popular music of 2016 catered to a crowd with a carefree mindset. Adele’s work provided a much-needed grounding point in the midst of all the partying.
1. Rihanna
Rihanna’s eighth and, it seems, final album was released on January 28, 2016. And if it really is the Barbadian singer’s final full-length body of work, what a way to go out. Anti is a culmination of years of honing one’s craft and acts as a beacon of creative enlightenment.
In keeping with the norms of the time, Anti traverses numerous genre landscapes, including country, soul, and dancehall. Rihanna spares no expense when showcasing her versatility. From the party staple ‘ Work‘ to the emotional ballad ‘ Love on the Brain,’ Rihanna maneuvers not only genre but also mood with ease.
Although Anti did not debut at the top of the charts, the album eventually found its way to the No. 1 spot. It has acquired over nine billion streams on Spotify. To this day Anti is considered required listening for music lovers of all backgrounds.
2016 was quite the year, and a decade later we’re still trying to recapture the magic, but thankfully music never dies.