Side 9 of 11
2008
Auto-Tune everywhere — T-Pain's victory lap
The top 10
- 01
Lollipop
Lil Wayne · feat. Static Major
auto-tuneclubFind similar tracks →On the charts
#1 on the Hot 100 for five weeks. Lil Wayne's first #1 single.
Why it mattered
Tha Carter III lead single. Wayne fully committed to Auto-Tune and turned in the most-played hip-hop single of the year. Static Major died before the song was released.
- 02
Low
Flo Rida · feat. T-Pain
clubsnapFind similar tracks →On the charts
#1 on the Hot 100 for 10 weeks.
Why it mattered
Apple Bottom Jeans / boots with the fur. The most quoted lyric of the year and the song that made every wedding DJ's playlist for the next decade.
- 03
A Milli
Lil Wayne
new orleansclubFind similar tracks →On the charts
Peaked at #6 on the Hot 100; instant rap-radio staple.
Why it mattered
Bangladesh's looped 'a-milli a-milli a-milli' became the year's most-freestyled-over beat. Wayne went on a stream-of-consciousness victory lap.
- 04
Whatever You Like
T.I.
southernclubFind similar tracks →On the charts
#1 on the Hot 100 for seven weeks.
Why it mattered
T.I.'s second monster smash from Paper Trail. Smooth, pop-leaning, polished — the sound of southern rap going fully prime-time.
- 05
Live Your Life
T.I. · feat. Rihanna
pop-rapclubFind similar tracks →On the charts
#1 on the Hot 100 for six weeks.
Why it mattered
Sampled the 'Numa Numa' song, made the entire planet sing along, and gave T.I. back-to-back-to-back chart dominance. Rihanna was on a tear.
- 06
Disturbia
Rihanna
dark-popclubFind similar tracks →On the charts
#1 on the Hot 100 for two weeks.
Why it mattered
A Chris Brown co-write turned into one of Rihanna's darkest, weirdest, and most enduring dance records. The 'bum bum be-dum' hook colonized the year.
- 07
Paper Planes
M.I.A.
altcrossoverFind similar tracks →On the charts
Peaked at #4 on the Hot 100 after a year-long slow burn.
Why it mattered
Sampled The Clash, used in the Pineapple Express trailer, then T.I. and Jay-Z hopped on remixes. The most influential 'crossover from the indie rap world' moment of the decade.
- 08
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
Beyoncé
popclubFind similar tracks →On the charts
#1 on the Hot 100 for four weeks. The Sasha Fierce era.
Why it mattered
The black-and-white video and the wrist-snap choreography became one of the most parodied and imitated cultural moments of the decade. Bey was on top of the world.
- 09
Forever
Chris Brown
dance-popclubFind similar tracks →On the charts
Peaked at #2 on the Hot 100.
Why it mattered
Polow da Don built a Eurodance synth riff and Chris Brown rode it to a wedding-DJ standard that has, somehow, never died. The JK Wedding Dance video gave it a whole second life.
- 10
Got Money
Lil Wayne · feat. T-Pain
auto-tuneclubFind similar tracks →On the charts
Peaked at #13 on the Hot 100.
Why it mattered
The third Tha Carter III single. Wayne and T-Pain formed the year's most reliable Auto-Tune partnership and absolutely owned every club rotation.
