25 great albums from bad artists
This list is not "my list", this is not an ONTD Original. I don't know if I think most of these artists "bad" but I will say some of the list is right on a few of the artists best albums (though I totally disagree about one two rappers on this list). This list is from Yardbarker (via MSN).
Songs from these albums are under spoiler
Katy Perry
Teenage Dream (2010)
Why is it a great album and why is Katy Perry a bad artist? There was a time when it seemed like Katy Perry was going to be the kind of pop star whowould last for decades. Her 2008 true-and-proper debut album, "One of the Boys," was a mixed bag but still featured giant bubbly pop confections. Yet when 2010's "Teenage Dream" hit, it felt like her rhinestoned-fingernails were on the pulse of radio, giving the world an album that simply couldn't stop spitting out chart-topping singles, ranging from "Firework" to "California Gurls" to the memorable title track. Since then? Katy began releasing increasingly confused new records that lacked the polish and spark that "Teenage Dream" had, bottoming out with the regrettable and forgettable "Witness" in 2017. She has dropped a series of attempted comeback singles since then, most of which have gone on to tilt the scales away from her 2010 triumph, having now put out more bad pop songs than good ones. It's a good thing she's got a recurring gig on "American Idol" because this is a rare occasion where we wouldn't advise her to stick to her day job anymore.
[SONGS FROM TEENAGE DREAM]
50 Cent
Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2003)
Why is it a great album and why 50 Cent a bad artist? Is 50 Cent a particularly gifted lyricist? No. But what Fiddy was able to sell to the world was genuine swagger, giving the gangster rap genre a braggadocious shot in the arm that had been missing from the game for years. While the singles "In Da Club" and "21 Questions" were massive proclamations of a brand new star, the rest of the album - both on the tracks produced by Dr. Dre and even the ones that weren't - used simple piano samples and backbeats to lay down an accessible path to 50 Cent's world of gunshots, hood life while ruling any club he walks into. At times, Fiddy even managed to get in some insightful cultural commentary (like on his place in a white man's world in "Patiently Waiting"), but after this record turned him into a superstar, every subsequent full-length was more of the same. His persona was so fierce on "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" that when he did the same level of posturing on every new release, it simply felt more and more like a schtick. Nowadays, 50 Cent feels more like a relic of an older era, incapable of moving on when all of his peers did. He might not have as much power as he used to, but at least he's got "Power."
[SONGS FROM GET RICH OR DIE TRYIN]
Kings of Leon
Only by the Night (2008)
Why is it a great album and why are Kings of Leon bad artists? Immediately after the garage rock revival of the early 2000s, Southern rock had a bit of a comeback, with groups like Kings of Leon and My Morning Jacket reminding folks that the Lynyrd Skynyrd template still had life in it yet. Yet when My Morning Jacket went psychedelic, Kings of Leon decided to become alt-rock kingpins, perfecting their art with their fourth album, "Only By the Night." From "Sex on Fire" to the anthemic "Use Somebody" to the shuffling "Revelry," Kings of Leon became the Kings of Rock Radio at the time, but they were especially embraced in the U.K., churning out hits and winning awards at a rapid-fire pace. Since then? The group's sound has been diluted into generic rock poses and tired templates, with vocalist Caleb Followill's accent yowl even losing some of its grit as time went on. Nowadays Kings of Leon is writing songs safe enough for your high school prom and featuring none of the bite that once made this band so utterly distinct in the rock landscape.
[SONGS FROM ONLY BY THE NIGHT]
Nicki Minaj
Pink Friday (2010)
Why is it a great album and why is Nicki Minaj a bad artist? We'll just say it: The Nicki Minaj of 2010 was the best Nicki Minaj. This was "Monster" guest spot Nicki. This the year of guest verses like "Lil Freak," "My Chick Bad," "Bottoms Up" and even "The Creep." Yet most of all was the fact that 2010 was the year of "Pink Friday," her studio debut. Maybe it wasn't as Teflon strong as her run of feature spots, but Nicki rose up to meet her hype, giving us daring wordplay, wacky voices, Eminem faceoffs, a Drake flirtationship, and - best of all -the bonus track that became a delirious hit single in the form of "Super Bass." It was a striking debut and one that hinted at what was to come. The only problem? The lack of follow-up. Since "Pink Friday," a Nicki guest verse just never held the same excitement it once did, and her albums became increasingly hit-or-miss affairs, often aiming for easy pop crossovers like "Anaconda" or "Spaceships." At the very least, a listen to "Pink Friday" reminds us of all the promise she once held before she became an industry rapper and lost that spark that made her so special.
[SONGS FROM PINK FRIDAY]
Backstreet Boys
Millennium (1999)
Why is it a great album and why are the Backstreet Boys bad artists? In the Great Teen Pop Explosion of the late '90s, a lot of those keyboard sounds and drum machines had a familiar ring to them, and it's because they all came from the same Swedish production house, run by genuine pop mastermind Max Martin, who is still writing No. 1 smashes to this day. His hands were all over the radio, writing hits for Britney, *NYSNC and, of course, BSB. Yet "Millennium" is his masterwork, co-writing and producing a majority of the record, giving us gargantuan smashes like "Larger Than Life," "Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely" and, of course, "I Want It That Way." In fact, the record's weakest moments ("I Need You Tonight", "Spanish Eyes") are specifically the songs he didn't write. *NSYNC disbanded while BSB survived, but every record since has just been a Xerox of a Xerox of what "Millennium" set into motion.
[SONGS FROM MILLENNIUM]
Do you agree with this list ONTD?
What are some great albums by "bad" artists?
source 1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11
Songs from these albums are under spoiler
Katy Perry
Teenage Dream (2010)
Why is it a great album and why is Katy Perry a bad artist? There was a time when it seemed like Katy Perry was going to be the kind of pop star whowould last for decades. Her 2008 true-and-proper debut album, "One of the Boys," was a mixed bag but still featured giant bubbly pop confections. Yet when 2010's "Teenage Dream" hit, it felt like her rhinestoned-fingernails were on the pulse of radio, giving the world an album that simply couldn't stop spitting out chart-topping singles, ranging from "Firework" to "California Gurls" to the memorable title track. Since then? Katy began releasing increasingly confused new records that lacked the polish and spark that "Teenage Dream" had, bottoming out with the regrettable and forgettable "Witness" in 2017. She has dropped a series of attempted comeback singles since then, most of which have gone on to tilt the scales away from her 2010 triumph, having now put out more bad pop songs than good ones. It's a good thing she's got a recurring gig on "American Idol" because this is a rare occasion where we wouldn't advise her to stick to her day job anymore.
[SONGS FROM TEENAGE DREAM]
Click to view50 Cent
Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2003)
Why is it a great album and why 50 Cent a bad artist? Is 50 Cent a particularly gifted lyricist? No. But what Fiddy was able to sell to the world was genuine swagger, giving the gangster rap genre a braggadocious shot in the arm that had been missing from the game for years. While the singles "In Da Club" and "21 Questions" were massive proclamations of a brand new star, the rest of the album - both on the tracks produced by Dr. Dre and even the ones that weren't - used simple piano samples and backbeats to lay down an accessible path to 50 Cent's world of gunshots, hood life while ruling any club he walks into. At times, Fiddy even managed to get in some insightful cultural commentary (like on his place in a white man's world in "Patiently Waiting"), but after this record turned him into a superstar, every subsequent full-length was more of the same. His persona was so fierce on "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" that when he did the same level of posturing on every new release, it simply felt more and more like a schtick. Nowadays, 50 Cent feels more like a relic of an older era, incapable of moving on when all of his peers did. He might not have as much power as he used to, but at least he's got "Power."
[SONGS FROM GET RICH OR DIE TRYIN]
Kings of Leon
Only by the Night (2008)
Why is it a great album and why are Kings of Leon bad artists? Immediately after the garage rock revival of the early 2000s, Southern rock had a bit of a comeback, with groups like Kings of Leon and My Morning Jacket reminding folks that the Lynyrd Skynyrd template still had life in it yet. Yet when My Morning Jacket went psychedelic, Kings of Leon decided to become alt-rock kingpins, perfecting their art with their fourth album, "Only By the Night." From "Sex on Fire" to the anthemic "Use Somebody" to the shuffling "Revelry," Kings of Leon became the Kings of Rock Radio at the time, but they were especially embraced in the U.K., churning out hits and winning awards at a rapid-fire pace. Since then? The group's sound has been diluted into generic rock poses and tired templates, with vocalist Caleb Followill's accent yowl even losing some of its grit as time went on. Nowadays Kings of Leon is writing songs safe enough for your high school prom and featuring none of the bite that once made this band so utterly distinct in the rock landscape.
[SONGS FROM ONLY BY THE NIGHT]
Nicki Minaj
Pink Friday (2010)
Why is it a great album and why is Nicki Minaj a bad artist? We'll just say it: The Nicki Minaj of 2010 was the best Nicki Minaj. This was "Monster" guest spot Nicki. This the year of guest verses like "Lil Freak," "My Chick Bad," "Bottoms Up" and even "The Creep." Yet most of all was the fact that 2010 was the year of "Pink Friday," her studio debut. Maybe it wasn't as Teflon strong as her run of feature spots, but Nicki rose up to meet her hype, giving us daring wordplay, wacky voices, Eminem faceoffs, a Drake flirtationship, and - best of all -the bonus track that became a delirious hit single in the form of "Super Bass." It was a striking debut and one that hinted at what was to come. The only problem? The lack of follow-up. Since "Pink Friday," a Nicki guest verse just never held the same excitement it once did, and her albums became increasingly hit-or-miss affairs, often aiming for easy pop crossovers like "Anaconda" or "Spaceships." At the very least, a listen to "Pink Friday" reminds us of all the promise she once held before she became an industry rapper and lost that spark that made her so special.
[SONGS FROM PINK FRIDAY]
Backstreet Boys
Millennium (1999)
Why is it a great album and why are the Backstreet Boys bad artists? In the Great Teen Pop Explosion of the late '90s, a lot of those keyboard sounds and drum machines had a familiar ring to them, and it's because they all came from the same Swedish production house, run by genuine pop mastermind Max Martin, who is still writing No. 1 smashes to this day. His hands were all over the radio, writing hits for Britney, *NYSNC and, of course, BSB. Yet "Millennium" is his masterwork, co-writing and producing a majority of the record, giving us gargantuan smashes like "Larger Than Life," "Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely" and, of course, "I Want It That Way." In fact, the record's weakest moments ("I Need You Tonight", "Spanish Eyes") are specifically the songs he didn't write. *NSYNC disbanded while BSB survived, but every record since has just been a Xerox of a Xerox of what "Millennium" set into motion.
[SONGS FROM MILLENNIUM]
Do you agree with this list ONTD?
What are some great albums by "bad" artists?
source 1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11