Side 2 of 11
2001
Get ur freak on — the Neptunes & Timbaland take over
The top 10
- 01
Get Ur Freak On
Missy Elliott
futuristicclubFind similar tracks →On the charts
Peaked at #7 on the Hot 100; Rolling Stone later named it the #2 song of the 2000s.
Why it mattered
Timbaland chopped up a Bhangra loop, threw in tabla and a 'HOLLA!' and Missy rode it like nobody else could. The Miss E… So Addictive era was peak future-rap.
- 02
Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
Jay-Z
chipmunk soulFind similar tracks →On the charts
Peaked at #8 on the Hot 100 — Jay-Z's first top-10 single.
Why it mattered
Kanye West's Jackson 5 chop introduced the soul-sample template that would define his career and gave Jay one of his most singalong-able hooks.
- 03
Family Affair
Mary J. Blige
r&bclubFind similar tracks →On the charts
#1 on the Hot 100 for six weeks.
Why it mattered
Dr. Dre traded gangsta menace for a smooth midnight bounce, and Mary J. coined 'hateration' and 'dancery' in the same line — instant lexicon.
- 04
Fiesta (Remix)
R. Kelly · feat. Jay-Z
summerclubFind similar tracks →On the charts
Topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for seven weeks.
Why it mattered
Best Of Both Worlds chemistry condensed into one summer anthem that ran every cookout and block party in 2001.
- 05
Ride wit Me
Nelly · feat. City Spud
midwestsummerFind similar tracks →On the charts
Peaked at #3 on the Hot 100.
Why it mattered
An impossibly breezy drive-around record built on a sample of 'Hey Lover.' Nelly's run was just getting started.
- 06
Survivor
Destiny's Child
popr&bFind similar tracks →On the charts
Peaked at #2 on the Hot 100; won Best R&B Performance at the Grammys.
Why it mattered
Beyoncé's victory lap after the post-LeToya/LaTavia drama set the template for empowerment pop the rest of the decade would copy.
- 07
Lapdance
N.E.R.D. · feat. Lee Harvey, Vita
neptunesrap-rockFind similar tracks →On the charts
Lead single from In Search Of...; modest chart but seismic underground impact.
Why it mattered
Pharrell and Chad Hugo introduced their rap-rock-funk side project with a stomp-clap riff that previewed every Neptunes-aligned banger to come.
- 08
Bootylicious
Destiny's Child
popclubFind similar tracks →On the charts
#1 on the Hot 100 for two weeks.
Why it mattered
A Stevie Nicks sample, an aerobics-tape video, and a word that ended up in the Oxford English Dictionary. The girls were untouchable.
- 09
Raise Up
Petey Pablo
southernhypeFind similar tracks →On the charts
Peaked at #25 on the Hot 100.
Why it mattered
Take your shirt off, spin it round your head like a helicopter — a Timbaland-produced battle cry that owned every college bar in the South.
- 10
Oochie Wally
QB Finest · feat. Nas, Bravehearts
new yorkFind similar tracks →On the charts
Peaked at #50 on the Hot 100; staple of New York radio.
Why it mattered
Nas's Queensbridge crew turned a chant into a Hot 97 fixture and reminded everyone NY rap could still rule the dancefloor.
