Rolling Stone kicked off the new year by rolling out a list of the 200 greatest singers of all time, from Rosalía to Aretha Frankin, and its selections and rankings have left some people scratching their heads.
On Jan. 1, the publication released a list that included heavy hitters like Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Stevie Wonder, Prince, and more in its top 20. However, said list failed to include other notable music icons like Celine Dion, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Hudson, Tony Bennett, and Madonna. Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, Dionne Warwick, Pink, and Nat King Cole were also snubbed.
In defense of its list, Rolling Stone’s article noted that “this is the Greatest Singers list, not the Greatest Voices List,” adding that “originality, influence, the depth of an artist’s catalog, and the breadth of their musical legacy” factored into their decisions. But social media users still aren’t pleased about the absence of some of their favorite artists.
YouTuber Terrell Grice, best known for his music talk show, tweeted, “No one’s ‘Greatest Singers of All Time’ list will satisfy everyone, but Rolling Stone’s attempt is beyond hilarious. If BFFR was a publication .” Meanwhile, songwriter Diane Warren wrote on Twitter, “One more reason these stupid ass lists don’t mean sh*t. Really??? A list of greatest singers @RollingStone and #CelineDion isn’t on it??.”
Rolling Stone’s snubs aren’t the only thing that has social media in a frenzy. The list’s rankings have also been deemed questionable as some users are upset that powerhouse singers like Brandy, Jazmine Sullivan, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, and Carrie Underwood weren’t placed in the top 100. At this time, none of the singers snubbed from Rolling Stone’s list have publicly commented on it.
