Side 6 of 11
2005
Snap, crunk, and Kanye's Late Registration
The top 10
- 01
Candy Shop
50 Cent · feat. Olivia
g-unitclubFind similar tracks →On the charts
#1 on the Hot 100 for nine weeks. Lead single from The Massacre.
Why it mattered
Scott Storch's Middle-Eastern synth riff plus 50's smirking double-entendres = the most ubiquitous record of early 2005. 50's empire was at its absolute peak.
- 02
Gold Digger
Kanye West · feat. Jamie Foxx
chipmunk soulclubFind similar tracks →On the charts
#1 on the Hot 100 for 10 weeks.
Why it mattered
Ray Charles sample, Jamie Foxx hook, Kanye in his triumphant Late Registration era. The song that turned Kanye from quirky producer into a household name.
- 03
Run It!
Chris Brown · feat. Juelz Santana
r&bclubFind similar tracks →On the charts
#1 on the Hot 100 for five weeks. Chris Brown's debut single.
Why it mattered
A 16-year-old debuted with a Scott Storch beat and a triple-time hook and immediately announced himself as the next Usher. Whether you ended up rooting for him or not, the song was inescapable.
- 04
Hollaback Girl
Gwen Stefani
popneptunesclubFind similar tracks →On the charts
#1 on the Hot 100 for four weeks. First downloadable single to sell one million digital copies.
Why it mattered
The Neptunes built Gwen a marching-band stomp, she spelled out a word, and the entire summer was over. Pop crossover at peak Neptunes-mania.
- 05
Wait (The Whisper Song)
Ying Yang Twins
crunkclubFind similar tracks →On the charts
Peaked at #15 on the Hot 100.
Why it mattered
The dirtiest song to break onto pop radio in years — and the production trick (whispering the entire vocal) became a signature crunk move.
- 06
Soldier
Destiny's Child · feat. T.I., Lil Wayne
r&bclubFind similar tracks →On the charts
Peaked at #3 on the Hot 100.
Why it mattered
Destiny's Child's last great single before the Beyoncé-only era — a Southern-tinged hook with star-making guest verses from a young T.I. and a not-yet-immortal Lil Wayne.
- 07
Laffy Taffy
D4L
snapatlFind similar tracks →On the charts
#1 on the Hot 100 for one week. The first ringtone-rap #1.
Why it mattered
Snap rap broke onto pop radio with a 16-bar beat that sounded like a Casio in a closet. Critics hated it. The dancefloor did not.
- 08
Go!
Common · feat. John Mayer, Kanye West
soulchicagoFind similar tracks →On the charts
Single from Be, produced entirely by Kanye West.
Why it mattered
Common's career-rebirth album Be felt like a thesis statement for the conscious-but-cool wave that Kanye was building around himself. Be was the album everyone wanted on their iPod that year.
- 09
Feel Good Inc.
Gorillaz · feat. De La Soul
altcrossoverFind similar tracks →On the charts
Peaked at #14 on the Hot 100.
Why it mattered
Damon Albarn's cartoon band brought De La Soul along for the ride and minted one of the most-streamed alternative-rap crossovers of the decade.
- 10
Don't Cha
The Pussycat Dolls · feat. Busta Rhymes
popclubFind similar tracks →On the charts
Peaked at #2 on the Hot 100.
Why it mattered
Cee-Lo Green wrote it, Busta Rhymes hosted it, and the Pussycat Dolls turned it into the karaoke standard of the year. The dance floor did not pretend.
