Yesterday I was hanging in the studio with Jim Jonsin, the local producer extraordinaire who produced two of the biggest hip-hop tracks of the year, Lil Wayne's "Lollipop" and T.I.'s "Whatever You Like." We were basically chopping it up about music, the industry, his upcoming five Grammy nominations, his production methods, and all sorts of stuff. He's definitely a cool guy. So I asked him what beat he thought really propelled his career in the right direction and he mentioned "Let's Go,
Pop music often gets a bad rap for being disposable or vapid, and in many cases that's true. (Katy Perry, Danity Kane and the Pussycat Dolls, step right up!) But every year, a few irresistible bits of innovative ear candy rocket up the charts and seep into our subconscious. The following ten singles saturated the Top 40 -- or what passes for hit-oriented radio in this topsy-turvy musical climate -- while proving that accessibility doesn't necessarily preclude creativity.
CHRIS BROWN
"Forever
