BET.com's 10 BEST Songs of the Decade

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  Beyonce -- Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) -- Now, no doubt this was a HUGE song, but a song of the decade... maybe, JUST maybe.  It was one of the most different songs of the last 12 months, that is for sure, and it did take a lot of chances, but there were a lot of tracks like that over the last 10 years.
  
  
  
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  Kanye West -- Jesus Walks -- I agree with this one.  In no other contemporary Hip Hop track was spirituality so prominently discussed -- the good and the bad of it.  This song made us think about the world we live in and was even bold enough to have some poignant commentary on the music industry that (eventually) brought it to us.  This was an important track.
  
  
  
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  Rihanna -- Umbrella (feat. Jay-Z) -- One of the catchiest, if not THE catchiest song of the decade.  Sometimes it's all about the hooks and the presentation and this song took radio, tv, and the internet by storm.  It is unapologetic, the beat is strong, and it is unforgettable.  It is the song that made Rihanna an international superstar.
  
  
  

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  Soulja Boy -- Crank Dat -- EPIC Fail on behalf of BET.com (for putting it on this list and for over-playing and over-hyping this artist when he emerged).  Although, this was a huge song in terms of units, NO ONE knows what's going on in it.  It is catchy, I guess, but it also sounds like it was written by an autistic child, and not the bright kind of autistic child.  I am still not convinced, after listening to other offerings from this artist, that this kid isn't semi-retarded, and if you find yourself extolling of his genius,... what does that make you?  Another question, in two years, do you think anybody is going to know who Soulja Boy is?  I mean, really?
  
  
  
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  Drake -- Best I Ever Had -- Now, THIS is an accomplishment.  Ladies and gentlemen, here is a prime example of perserverance and determination, but that is not the story.  The real story here is that an INDEPENDENT, UNSIGNED artist, not only sent a huge wake-up call to a struggling music industry, but that his single off his INDEPENDENT MIXTAPE is lauded as being one of the top singles of an entire decade!!!!  Let's stop and think about that for a minute.  I agree with this entry 100%, but not simply because of how good the song is (because it is Great) but because of the accomplishment.  It is curious to me how a song and artist that oozes with this much talent and has this much heart behind it is on any list with any Soulja Boy track.  To me, it's like putting Star Wars and Space Balls on the same list of greatest movies of the decade.  The only things that one could argue that these two songs have in common is that they both contain rapping (questionable) and some drum programming.  When I first told people about Drake three years ago, I called him the next Kanye, but after I witnessed this feat, I started to think that I might be selling him short.  FYI:  Drake OWNS 2010.  Lookout.
  
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  50 Cent -- In Da Club -- This was a BIG joint.  50 would've done well to touch on this type of music a little more often throughout his career, that way he may be more relevant, instead of having to fight for his sales everytime he comes out.  He has, since this banger, rapped himself in to Thug Ni**a corner, and he can't get out.  This was a genuine club joint.  We heard it everywhere.  Most likely, whenever you hear it now, a flood of memories most likely flows into your mind.  You are forgiven, it was one of the biggest songs of the year, and does belong on this list.
  
  
  
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  Jay-Z -- Empire State Of Mind (feat. Alicia Keys) -- Just when you think Jay-Z has done it all, he goes bigger.  This man decided that he wanted to write an anthem for his hometown.  He not only did that, what he, essentially, did was re-write the National Anthem.  This joint has the spirit of America all over it, so much so that it claimed the number one spot country-wide, not JUST the East Coast.  Think about that.  Number one everywhere, including here, in Canada, and internationally.  This may be Jay's biggest hit to date.
  
  
  
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  Mariah Carey -- We Belong Together -- So this song is okay, but one of the songs of the decade?  Is BET.com trying to tell us that this over-played, over-sold track along with Crank Dat are more important and generation-defining as a song that didn't even make this list:  John Legend's "Ordinary People"?  Really?  Yes, it anchored a highly successful album, but ALL of Mariah's album's sold well (until the last one), all she had to do was NOT suck, and she would move the same number of units.  Is this song that much better than ANY of her other songs?  Discuss amongst yourselves.
  
  
  
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  Aaliyah -- Rock The Boat -- Now this to me, along with Drake's entry, are the only occurrences on this list where BET.com got it completely right.  Not only would this single be Aaliyah's swan song, it is arguably one of her all-time bests.  This is a smooth mid-tempo that washes over you like a gentle surf on your favorite beach.  You can't help but get hypnotized by the drum beat, and then when her silkiest vocal offering begins, you find yourself getting lost in every lyric.  You can literally close your eyes and see her swaying her hips enticingly to get you in the right mood for rhythmic love-making.  Personally, many people say One In A Million is there favorite Aaliyah track... this one, though... this one will ALWAYS be mine.  R.I.P., princess.
  
  
  
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  Destiny's Child -- Survivor -- No one can deny that Destiny's Child was the defining top-selling Group of the 2000's.  You can't have this list without a contribution from them.  Survivor was a song with a lot of angst and frustration behind it.  But as Beyonce describes it, it was a way of confronting their issues head on.  In the end it became an anthem to inspire it's fans, and not just their female following.  They were angry and hurting when they wrote Survivor because of how the media was portraying all of the Destiny's Child drama, they successfully turned their retaliation (or response) which could've been negative into a story of perseverance and determination that this group had already proven, simply by lasting as long as they did.  And in doing so, they reminded us that we all could be Survivors.
  
  
  

BET.com, for your list, you get a grade of 70%, that's a C+, I docked you extra for even mentioning a certain Soulja Boy Smell-him.  Not cool, man, not cool.  You did receive a bonus for bravely acknowledging Drake (The Outsider Underdog).  How you leave John Legend out of this is beyond me.  That alone deserves a fail, but it's 2010, I'm trying to be more tolerant of people with disabilities. 

I put it out to you SEXYBLACK Followers:  How do you feel about this list?  What was left off it?  Who didn't deserve to be on it?  Leave some comments and let me know what's good.

SEXYBLACK.