TwistedElegance™

Kicking off our Top 5 is Sisqó with Thong Song. Released on the eve of the new millennium, it served as the second single from Unleash the Dragon, his solo debut after nearly a decade as part of Dru Hill. The song garnered Sisqó Grammy nominations for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song, and contributed to his nod for Best New Artist. Written with esteemed production duo Tim & Bob, Thong Song also credits veteran songwriter Desmond Child due to its interpolation of Ricky Martin's Livin' La Vida Loca in the bridge. Spreading its net of influences a little wider, the track's strings were inspired by a jazz cover of The Beatles' Eleanor Rigby, as performed by the late Wes Montgomery. Thong Song's video was crafted by Joseph Khan, who was quoted as saying, "I listen to 'Thong Song', and I say, 'Well, this song is about asses.' So you can either accept it and do something like I did, or you can go and try and turn the 'Thong Song' into some kind of Chemical Brothers video and make it all pretentious; about some fucking communist upheaval or something. Let's just relax and make a booty video, and let's make a really good one, and make it fun." - An interesting point of view given his recent chastising of misogynistic artists such as Kanye West. A major success worldwide, Thong Song topped the charts in New Zealand, Norway and Sweden, while reaching the Top 10 in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK. Roughly six months after its release it appeared on the soundtrack to Nutty Professor II: The Klumps as a collaboration with Foxy Brown. The breakdown ~ Thong Song places 5th with a voter average of 7. 10 - Jarrylf9 - Kenny.8 - hotboy067 - Dammn Bu, Stealth & TwistedElegance6 - JoeJoe5 - RedSimba4 - Game

I actually like most of it. As a pop record it's pretty true to itself, I just can't stand the baby-talk tone in her voice on some tracks. It's got nothing on L.A.M.B., though, and nor did The Sweet Escape. I watched the videos from her debut album the other day and it's pretty clear she's said goodbye to that kind of creativity and spirit.

Say My Name completes the second Top 10 entry for Destiny's Child as it claims sixth place. The third single from their breakthrough album, The Writing's On the Wall, Say My Name marked the introduction of the group's second lineup when its video debuted featuring newly added members Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin. It was a move which would prove controversial after the ousted LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson alleged they didn't know they were out of the group until they saw their replacements in the clip. Musically, it signalled the beginning of a solid partnership with producer Darkchild, who would collaborate with the group further on hit singles Lose My Breath and Cater 2 U. A critical and commercial success, Say My Name won Grammys for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best R&B Song at the 2001 ceremony, while also nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. On the charts it ruled the Hot 100 for only three weeks, however remained on the countdown for a total of eight months, becoming one of the Top 10 highest-selling singles of the year. Overseas it was a number one hit in Australia and peaked in the Top 5 in New Zealand and the UK. Publications such as Pitchfork and NME have ranked the hit among the greatest tracks of the 2000s. The breakdown ~ Say My Name places 6th with a voter average of 6.8. 10 - hotboy069 - JoeJoe8 - Jarrylf7 - Game, RedSimba, Stealth & TwistedElegance6 - Kenny.1 - Dammn Bu

Seventh place goes to Missy Elliott and co. with Hot Boyz. Remixed for its single treatment, the track included guest spots from rappers Nas, Eve and Q-Tip, whilst Lil' Mo performed ad-lib duties as she did on the original version. Hot Boyz served as the third and final single from Elliott's sophomore album, Da Real World, and broke the record for most weeks at number one on the US R&B chart, as well as notching up an incredible four-month reign over the Hot Rap Singles chart. As with prior singles All N My Grill and She's a Bitch, the music video for Hot Boyz was helmed by Hype Williams, in his element at the time and the perfect yin to Elliott's creative yang. It also included cameos from members of her inner circle such as Ginuwine, Mary J. Blige and the song's producer, Timbaland. Unfortunately the domestic success of Hot Boyz was not echoed around the world, but it did manage a peak of 18 in the UK. The breakdown ~ Hot Boyz places 7th with a voter average of 6.6. 10 - Dammn Bu, hotboy06 & Kenny.7 - Jarrylf & TwistedElegance6 - RedSimba5 - Stealth4 - JoeJoe1 - Game

My plan was to reveal one per day.

P!nk claims eighth position with Most Girls. Produced and co-written by Babyface, the song became P!nk's first Top 5 hit on the Hot 100 and finished 34th on the year-end countdown. Along with accompanying singles There You Go and You Make Me Sick, Most Girls formed a sound that P!nk would soon reveal to be misrepresentative of her artistic aspirations. The videos for all three singles marked the beginning of a lengthy working relationship with director Dave Meyers, whose glossy touch complimented the crisp tone of her earlier discography. Most Girls was a modest hit around the globe, reaching number one in Australia and the Top 5 in New Zealand and the UK. The breakdown ~ Most Girls places 8th with a voter average of 6.4. 10 - hotboy069 - Stealth8 - Dammn Bu & JoeJoe7 - Kenny.6 - RedSimba & TwistedElegance2 - Game & Jarrylf

Same.

I use imgur, it's reliable for me. I'm having trouble posting YouTube clips. I used to be able to embed them but now they never work.

It's not even the best filler on the album.

I think it's a dual release. Needed Me is an awful single choice. I don't know how it was ever considered.

I'm disappointed with Iggy's video. It demands high energy and she doesn't have it so her dancers had to do all the heavy lifting. She's serving Femme Fatale tour realness by looking like she'd rather be anywhere else. Kiss It Better is stunning, I think it has the potential to be her 15th number one. The video is blah but she looks amazing.

I knew something was up when I saw you'd given it a 10. I should've said all votes were final.

Coming in at No. 9 is Music. Following the commercial and critical success of her previous album, Madonna was keen on getting back to the studio to record new music. After Ray of Light, she had mostly exhausted her efforts with William Orbit, whose production and sound had become ubiquitous thanks to further success with acts like All Saints, Blur and U2. Also, the music scene was being dominated by a younger generation of singers like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, prompting Madonna to look for a distinctive sound in this market. It was then that she was introduced to French DJ and producer Mirwais Ahmadzaï, through some common friends. Madonna instantly liked his pitch-shifting, pulverizing rhythms and his utilization of acid bass in his songs. Music earned Madonna her 12th No. 1 on the Hot 100 and the fourth biggest song of 2000 which was her highest-charting year-end title since Crazy For You also placed fourth in 1985. Her only single to achieve a higher rank was Like a Virgin, No. 2 for 1984. One of her most popular songs at radio, Music also ranked as the second-biggest dance song of the decade behind another Madonna hit, Hung Up. The track also achieved huge success worldwide, topping the charts in Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Spain, Switzerland and the UK, among others. The breakdown ~ Music places 9th with a voter average of 5.8. 9 - Kenny., RedSimba & TwistedElegance8 - hotboy & Stealth6 - Dammn Bu2 - Jarrylf1 - Game & JoeJoe

Me too. Sorry, I had to push on.

Me neither until today. I remember we would always say "Class of '06." It is crazy, I can't believe it. I've loved it though. Thanks for the laughs and all the good times!

It's our 10-year forum anniversary!

Thank you! I've been meaning to ask, do you know what this year is?

Kicking off our Top 10 is Independent Women Part 1. Changing personnel didn't hurt the chart fortunes of Destiny's Child. As a trio they had a higher annual placing than when they were a quartet. In 1998, the group was No. 21 on the year-end Hot 100 with No, No, No Part 2. In 1999, the group ended at No. 11 with Bills, Bills, Bills. And in 2000 their song from the Charlie's Angels soundtrack was second only to Santana & The Product G&B's Maria Maria. Destiny's Child became the third girl group after the Supremes and TLC to have two songs in the year-end Top 10, when Say My Name ranked ninth for 2000. The song also served as the lead single from the group's third album, Survivor, and was the first to feature Michelle Williams' vocals. It reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 in November 2000 where it ruled for 11 consecutive weeks, entering the Guinness Book of World Records for longest-reigning song by a female group. A universal success, Independent Women also topped the charts in Canada, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand and the UK, whilst reaching the Top 5 in many other countries. The breakdown ~ Independent Women places 10th with a voter average of 5.5. 9 - hotboy & TwistedElegance8 - Kenny.6 - JoeJoe & RedSimba4 - Stealth3 - Dammn Bu & Game2 - Jarrylf

The results are in. Thanks for voting, and for your patience!

Cease with the name-calling in here or suspensions will follow.

Absolutely! I'm going to profile each of them but if you would like to include a write-up that would be great. We're all waiting on you.

Reversing the order would still give an incorrect result. You need to score each song out of 10.

Ok, as long as you're happy with your votes.

My bad. 'Score' is the operative word - I should've clarified. Ok, Bu, Jarrylf, JoeJoe & Game - could you please send me a PM with your updated votes. Each individual song needs to be scored out of 10. RedSimba, hotboy & bailey - you guys are fine.