20 iconic music moments that defined the 2000s

Pop princess Britney Spears had the whole world talking in 2001 when she performed at the MTV Video Music Awards. As she took the stage to sing her hit song “I’m a Slave 4 U,” it was an epic moment when she wrapped a Burmese python around her shoulders, sending the world into shock and astonishment. To this day, it’s still one of the ceremony’s talked about performances. When Megan Thee Stallion hosted the 2024 ceremony, the rapper paid homage to the Spears moment, not only dressing like the pop singer, but also holding a similar snake. 

In the early 2000s, Destiny’s Child went on hiatus for each group member to venture into solo projects. However, just a year after releasing their final album Destiny Fulfilled, the band decided to formally call it quits as they pursued other passions. Since then, the band has reunited several times to perform together at different events such as the Super Bowl and Coachella. 

Jennifer Lopez turned heads and changed the Internet when she arrived at the 2000 Grammy Awards wearing her famous green Versace silk chiffon dress. It became a popular search query on Google, but at the time, Google Images wasn't invented yet. Google's engineering team noticed that people didn't want just text when they typed it into the search, they wanted to see pictures. But the invention didn't happen overnight. Although Lopez's dress did help them spark the idea to determine what users wanted to see, Google Images wasn't officially launched until the following year. 

Kanye West has always been the type of artist who was outspoken and would take advantage of any moment. At the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, West wasn’t too happy with an award that was given out. At the ceremony, Taylor Swift was awarded with Best Female Video for her song “You Belong with Me.” As Swift went up for her speech, West stormed the stage to say, “ Yo, Taylor, I'm really happy for you, I'ma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!" At that moment, West was referring to Beyoncé’s video for “Single Ladies.” Although West was entitled to his opinion, people didn't like that he took away from Swift's moment. 

The 2000s saw quite a change within the music industry. In 2001, tech giant Apple launched the first iPod, the handheld music player that could hold thousands of songs on it. The device was a big improvement from the Walkman or portable CD players that music lovers were so accustomed to using. Although the iPod wasn’t the first MP3 player ever created, it became the most popular as newer versions continued to be released. 

In 2002, Eminem released his single “Lose Yourself,” which was also the theme song to the film he starred in 8 Mile. The song ended up winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song, making it the first hip-hop track to win in that category. 

The 2000s saw a huge influx of reality TV shows, and music competition shows were no different. In 2002, Simon Fuller created the singing competition show American Idol, in which contestants would audition with hopes of making it to the Hollywood round. If they made it, fans from all over America would either call or vote for their favorite contestant. Whichever contestant had the most votes, would continue in the competition. The judges consisted of music producer Randy Jackson, singer and choreographer Paula Abdul, and music executive Simon Cowell. The show’s first season winner was Kelly Clarkson, and the rest is history. 

Lady Gaga got her first record deal with Def Jam in 2006, but was dropped from the label within three months. In 2007, she then got a new contract with Streamline Records and Akon’s record label KonLive. Her breakout single “Just Dance” came in 2008, co-written by Gaga, Akon, and RedOne, helped put her on the radar of mainstream audiences.  

In 2004, the NFL’s Super Bowl XXXVIII took place in Houston as the Carolina Panthers took on the New England Patriots. However, it was the halftime show that was the most talked about topic. The show was a star-studded performance with Jessica Simpson, Nelly, Diddy, Kid Rock, Janet Jackson, and Justin Timberlake. Unfortunately, as Jackson and Timberlake were performing “Rock Your Body,” Timberlake ripped part of Jackson’s bustier off, exposing the singer's cleavage to the world. Although it was a wardrobe malfunction and accident on Timberlake's part, Jackson received the most backlash in the event's aftermath. The backlash included Jackson's music being pulled from platforms, an invitation to the Grammy Awards being rescinded, and she was forced to resign from a movie. 

In 2000, BET launched its daily video countdown show 106 & Park, which was hosted by A.J. Calloway and Free Wright. However, in 2005, the two hosts abruptly left the show without any explanation, leaving the viewers confused and disappointed. 

While the ‘90s hip-hop scene was tailored mostly towards East and West Coast rappers, the 2000s brought a lot more regional subgenres to the scene. Cities like Atlanta helped put crunk music to the mainstream, while the Bay Area put hyphy music on the map. 

Just three years after his third album 8701, R&B superstar Usher released his fourth album Confessions to rave reviews. With hit singles like “Yeah!” and “Burn,” Usher sold just over one million copies of his album in the first week of its release. According to Billboard, Confessions was the second best-selling album of the decade, holding its place behind *NSYNC’s No Strings Attached. 

“Lady Marmalade” was already a popular song in 1974 when girl group Labelle released it. However, the song saw new life in 2001 when Christina Aguilera, Mya, P!nk, and Lil Kim recreated it. Produced by Missy Elliott and Rockwilder, the song quickly became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. 

Although the reggaeton genre was first established in the ‘80s, it saw mainstream success across the U.S. and European markets in the early 2000s. Artists like Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, N.O.R.E., and Wisin & Yandel helped push the genre higher across the Billboard charts. 

The world was sent into complete shock mode when the greatest and most famous entertainer Michael Jackson passed away due to cardiac arrest caused by a drug overdose. Just before his death, he was set to embark on his This Is It concert residency at the O2 Arena in London. Since his passing, it’s evident just how much Jackson continues to influence entertainers and young generations across the world through his music and showmanship. 

In 2003, Amy Winehouse came onto the scene with her debut album Frank, which featured singles like “Stronger Than Me” and “Pumps.” However, it was the follow-up 2006 album Back to Black that really pushed Winehouse’s stardom to another stratosphere. With singles like “Rehab” and “Tears Dry on Their Own,” Winehouse took home several Grammy Awards including Best Pop Vocal Album. 

With TV channels like MTV and VH1, fans were able to be exposed to different kinds of music. In the 2000s, the rise of pop-punk bands was heavy, and often pretty popular when it came to video countdown shows. At the time, some of the most in-demand pop-punk bands included Blink-182, Fall Out Boy, Panic! At the Disco, My Chemical Romance, Good Charlotte, Sum 41, and The All-American Rejects. 

Mariah Carey faced a number of career setbacks in the early 2000s. Her debut film Glitter performed poorly at the box office, she went through an emotional and physical breakdown, and got bought out of her Virgin Records contract. In 2005, Carey came back with a vengeance on her tenth album The Emancipation of Mimi. With singles such as “It’s Like That,” “We Belong Together,” and “Shake It Off,” Mimi became one of the year’s best-selling albums. 

After filming her video for “Rock the Boat” in the Bahamas, Aaliyah and six other passengers boarded a plane to go back home. Unfortunately, shortly after takeoff, the plane crashed and caught fire, killing Aaliyah, the six other passengers, and the pilot. At the time, Aaliyah’s career was taking off in another direction, she had a new album and was venturing more into films. Her passing always left a hole in fans’ hearts since she was only 22-years-old, and fans have always felt that her career was just getting started. 

YouTube was officially launched on December 15, 2005. The video-sharing platform quickly became an avenue for artists to share their music videos, giving fans the chance to watch video content as much as they want.