Last week Billboard unveiled a series of countdowns celebrating the 55th anniversary of the ‘Billboard Hot 100’ – the standard chart ranking system of today’s popular music.
Highlighting everything from the top 100 songs to every #1 song since the tally’s 1958 inception, the article courted little backlash given the fact they were based on legit statistics and not popular opinion…that is, until they unveiled the Hot 100’s top acts.
Now – days after the listing first hit the net – some fans are still up-in-arms about how pop icon Madonna landed as the top solo act in history, beating the likes of Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and Stevie Wonder. A feat all the more alarming when some recount the number of chart-toppers rivals Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey have had as well.
So, as always, we turn to you – That Grape Juice faithful – for your input. Is this worth the fuss?
Via Billboard:
The fact remains that the tally reviewed and considered an artist’s entire performance on the Hot 100 chart (hence ‘Singles lady’ Rihanna being listed in the top 20). As it stands, Madonna has 12 #1 hits and 38 top 10 hits – more than any other artist in history.
Arguably, the only artist who presently stands to threaten Madonna’s Billboard legacy is Rihanna as she has surpassed or currently threatens every Billboard Hot 100 record the Queen of Pop has set. For example, October 2011 saw Ri move Madge out of the history books for ‘fastest collection of 20 top 10 singles’ when ‘We Found Love’ notched her 20th single in a record six years and four months (whereas Madonna notched her first 20 top 10s in six years, nine months).
Next, ‘Diamonds’ gave Rihanna her 12th #1 single – surpassing Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson to tie Madonna’s collection of Billboard Hot 100 #1s.
Today, news surfaced that Rihanna has surpassed Janet Jackson and is now second to Madonna in history books for most singles to top the dance charts as she landed her 20th chart-topper on the tally in the form of song ‘Right Now (ft. David Guetta)’. While Madge is still sitting pretty with a record 43 #1s on that chart’s ranking, the rate at which Rihanna releases singles (coupled with her age) could spell trouble down the line for the Material Girl.
Madonna shares her thoughts on Rihanna & Beyonce:
So, you tell us:
Your thoughts?