The Good & The Ugly: 2001

Welcome back to The Good & The Ugly, a series where I talk about the best and worst hits to chart on a year end Hot 100 list. In the last installment, I talked about hits that dragged over from the fading 90s trends in 2000, from Santana’s scorching success to Madonna’s colossal failure to make “Music”. In 2001, a lot of the best hits lied in hip-hop and R&B, marking the official transition away from standard pop success and finding what was popular outside of the traditional pop ethos. Before we dive into the list, here are some honorable mentions that almost cracked the best list: Usher- “U Remind Me”, Jagged Edge & Nelly- “Where Da Party At”, Missy Elliott- “Get Ur Freak On”, Erick Sermon- “Music”, Outkast- “So Fresh, So Clean”, Shaggy- “It Wasn’t Me”, Mary J Blige- “Family Affair”, Alicia Keys- “Fallin”, Nelly- “Ride Wit Me”/”E.I.”, Jennifer Lopez & Ja Rule- “I’m Real Remix”, Destiny’s Child- “Survivor”, Ja Rule- “Put It On Me”, and Jay-Z- “Izzo (HOVA)”. The first song I wanted to mention amongst the best is from one of the most underrated R&B singers of all time.

Best: Musiq Soulchild- “Love”: Love is a universal quality and a topic endlessly explored and discussed in music. Very few songs are able to capture to the beauty and complicated nature better than Musiq Soulchild. Musically, “Love” is a traditional slow jam but it succeeds in its delicate touch. It is carried on the cloud Cupid floats on with his bow and arrow and his voice is sleek and silky to match. Just through its sheer instrumentation and vocal layering, it gives “love” the proper depth it has as a topic. Lyrically, Soulchild is able to tackle an absurd amount of angles many songs haven’t been to tackle. Although it gives off the vibe of the standard love song, it’s ultimately a song about believing in love despite some of the scary qualities it contains. It takes faith and strength to truly understand its layered aspects. Through life’s highs and lows, love overcomes all with the proper effort. Musiq says it beautifully in his personification of love, “For better or worse, I’ll still choose you first.” “Love” is one of the most touching…