Rolling Stone Crowns Missy Elliott’s ‘Get Ur Freak On’ the Greatest Song of the 21st Century, Rank Beyonce & Taylor Swift Hits Top 10

Just months after crowning Missy Elliott‘s 2002 album ‘Under Construction‘ the “greatest female Rap album of the century,” Rolling Stone has ranked the Rap legend above the competition of every genre with their new countdown – the ‘250 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century So Far’ revealed Wednesday (October 8).

From their Greatest Singers Ever and ‘100 Best R&B Songs of the 21st Century‘ rankings to their ‘Top 200 Songs of the 80s‘ and beyond, the good folks at Rolling Stone aren’t unfamiliar with being on the receiving end of cheers and jeers over the years for their polarizing “best-ever” listings.

Discourse around their latest countdown, ‘250 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century So Far,’ is proving no different.

“Every fan would compile a different list — that’s the point. But this list sums up an era when there are no rules to follow, no playbooks to obey. Nobody made this list by playing it safe,” the mag says in the intro paragraph to the newest tally.

Nested high above megahits like ‘We Belong Together‘ (Mariah Carey), ‘Yeah‘ (Usher), ‘Crazy in Love‘ (Beyonce), ‘Rolling in the Deep‘ (Adele), and ‘Hey Ya‘ (OutKast) is the legendary Elliott and one of her signature smashes ‘Get Ur Freak On.’

“…after more than two decades, ‘Get Ur Freak On’ still sounds like the future — everything vibrant and inventive and cool about 21st-century pop is in here somewhere,” RS wrote about the the ‘Miss E…So Addictive‘ hit.

While the choice certainly ignited its fair share of debates on social media, there’s no denying ‘Freak’ is one of the century’s most memorable Rap songs with an unforgettable music video to match.

Released in 2001, the tune was an international top 10 hit at the height of its popularity – even reaching #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in America and marking her highest solo-charting effort at the time.

Today, ‘Freak’ – at 2x Platinum for sales of 2 million in the U.S. – shines as her second highest-certified hit at the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) behind ‘Work It‘ and ‘Lose Control‘ (tied in first place at 3x Platinum each).

‘250 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century’ (Top 10)

1. Missy Elliott, “Get Ur Freak On”
2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Maps”
3. Beyoncé and Jay-Z, “Crazy In Love”
4. The White Stripes, “Seven Nation Army”
5. Taylor Swift, “All Too Well”
6. Robyn, “Dancing on My Own”
7. Kendrick Lamar, “Alright”
8. Radiohead, “Idioteque”
9. Britney Spears, “Toxic”
10. Frank Ocean, “Thinkin Bout You”

See the full list here.