The Beatles are, by almost any measure, the most successful musical entity in history. Untouchable at their height of fame, the Fab Four consistently released number one singles and albums at an exhausting rate.
However, a little known fact regarding The Beatles is that while still in their teens the English born group traveled to Hamburg, Germany and played at night and strip clubs many hours every night for several years. Their first album was a collaboration with Tony Sheridan that failed to chart.
Jay-Z is easily the most accomplished rapper in the world. He has notched 11 number one albums on his mic and garnered the top spot on the Forbes Cash Kings List nearly every year since its inceptions.
Before making it in the business and entertainment section, Jay-Z was rapping underground in Brooklyn. In fact, Hova spent over a decade rhyming under the radar before releasing his debut album, Reasonable Doubt, which received little airplay and few purchases.
#3—50 Cent
An endorsement and mentorship from Eminem and production from Dr. Dre practically guarantees the recipient of these boons a high profile and successful music career. Curtis Jackson was discovered by Em in 2002 and released his first studio album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, in 2003 under the stage name 50 Cent. Get Rich Die Tryin’ contained the #1 singles “In Da Club” and “21 Questions,” the former of which is widely considered to be 50’s best song. The album itself peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200.
Like most artists that “blow up” with little build up, 50 Cent began to fade into the background of rap. His second album was still a hit, peaking at #1 and spawning the #1 single “Candy Shop;” however, his popularity only went down from then on. His most recent album, Before I Self Destruct, was almost invisible in the eyes of radio and the RIAA.
#2—Drake
Before his rap career took off, Aubreywas best known for playing the wheelchair bound Jimmy Brooks on the TV series Degrassi. However, the accomplishments of his acting have become dwarfed in the superstardom that has surrounded Drake.
As was the case with 50 Cent, mixtapes were essential in jump starting Drake’s career. His release, So Far Gone contained the song he is perhaps best known for, “Best I Ever Had,” which peaked at #2 on the Hot 100. After gaining a record deal with Lil Wayne’s Young Money, Drake dropped his debut album, Thank Me Later, which peaked at debuted at #1 and soon sold over one million units.
#1—Justin Bieber
It didn’t take a psychic to foresee this ranking. Bieber was plucked out of the obscurity of YouTube and plopped directly into a fast moving, widely successful music career. Although his first two singles, “One Time” and “One Less Lonely Girl” did not display mind boggling chart positions or download numbers, they did carve the teen singer a place in the hearts of countless fans around the world—a place that later translated into pushing his debut studio album, My World 2.0, into Billboard’s number one slot.
Sources:
- www.billboard.com
- www.forbes.com
- www.jay-z.com
- www.50cent.com
- www.justinbiebermusic.com
Tristan Devereux - Tristan James Devereux was born on March 18, 1983 (though you would never guess it based on his picture.) As a child his favorite past ...
