Dancehall icon Sean Paul has been ranked as one of the top artists of the 21st century by Billboard. Billboard revealed its illustrious Top Artists of the 21st Century list on January 8, 2025. The list featured the Jamaican deejay at No. 88 and included Queen of Rap Nicki Minaj at No. 36 and Barbadian icon Rihanna at No. 3.
Artistes, songs, and albums are ranked by Billboard in the Top Artists, Top Billboard 200 Albums, and Top Hot 100 Songs of the 21st Century charts based on their performance between January 1, 2000, and December 28, 2024. This time frame is used with the activities of the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 charts to determine the top artistes.
Sean Paul is the only Jamaican artiste to earn a spot on the list. He has 19 Billboard Hot 100 hits, making him the only Jamaican artiste with so many entries in the Billboard Hot 100 chart. His first song to debut on the chart is his hit single “Gimme The Light,” which peaked at No. 7.
His 2003 hit single “Get Busy” peaked at No. 1 and spent 32 weeks on the Hot 100 chart. “Like Glue,” a 2003 hit, peaked at No. 13 and was featured in the video game Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition. His 2003 hit song with Beyoncé, “Baby Boy,” also topped the Hot 100 Chart. The 2006 hit song “Temperature” spent 31 weeks on the Hot 100, and his 2016 collaboration with Sia, “Cheap Thrills,” topped charts globally and earned multi-platinum certifications worldwide. His Billboard achievements also include “Rockabye” featuring Clean Bandit, “Break It Off” featuring Rihanna, “Breathe” featuring Blu Cantrell, and “Bailando” featuring Enrique Iglesias.
Additionally, Rihanna is now the highest-ranking Caribbean female artistes after taking the third spot on Billboard’s Top Artists of the 21st Century chart. She has 14 No. 1 singles, including hits like “SOS,” “Umbrella,” “Rude Boy,” and “We Found Love.”
Nicki Minaj, who ranks at No. 36, has a record-breaking 149 Hot 100 entries. This milestone makes her the first woman to surpass 100 appearances on the chart.
Another Caribbean artiste making an impact in the music industry is Latin superstar Bad Bunny, who ranks at No. 55 on Billboard’s Top Artists of the 21st Century. This milestone now makes him the highest-ranking Caribbean male artiste. The top spots on Billboard’s Top Artists of the 21st Century go to Taylor Swift at No. 1 and Canadian rapper Drake at No. 2.
