50 Cent, Cardi B and Doja Cat are among the names listed as ‘honorable mentions’ as Billboard gears up to release their list of the 25 greatest pop stars of the last quarter century.
Set to roll out throughout the coming months, many names didn’t didn’t make the cut for various reasons, and for some, it’s simply a matter of not having enough material.
As the publication described it: “[They] were great enough to get strong consideration for our top 25, but ultimately just didn’t quite have either the stats, the impact, the longevity or the volume to elbow their way into our main list.”
50, Cardi and Doja are among the names Billboard considers ‘honorable mentions,’ which they released in a separate list on Wednesday (August 14).
On 50, they explained his absence from the main list as: “After losing a much-publicized first-week sales showdown with Ye (then Kanye West) in 2007, the bottom fell out for 50 Cent surprisingly quickly — he’s yet to score a Hot 100 top 10 hit as a lead artist or a Billboard 200 No. 1 album since, and new releases became more scattershot as he shifted focus to his acting career and business investments.”
For Cardi: “Tough to crack the quarter-century list when your mainstream breakthrough came two-thirds of the way through those 25 years. And even though Cardi kept scoring hits following the Invasion of Privacy era, some of those hits — ‘Money,’ ‘Up,’ ‘Enough (Miami)’ — might have enjoyed longer chart runs had they been tethered to a proper full-length.”
And for Doja: “The recency hurts, of course, as does the fact that as many brilliant moments as she’s strung together over the years, she doesn’t quite have the pull to stop the world with a release – evidenced by the fact that she’s yet to score a Billboard 200 No. 1 album.”
In related news, 50 Cent may have famously declared he’s on a mission to get rich or die trying, but he’s in no hurry to join the billionaire boys’ club.
In a new interview with Us Weekly, the rap legend and media mogul was asked about his relationship with money and whether he strives to see his net worth soar to the 10-figure region.
“I don’t quantify the money like that — I quantify the level of successes and wins I’ve achieved,” he said. “I have far exceeded anyone’s expectations of me. I think my longevity and staying power in the industry have surprised many, but that’s what drives me further.
“[Besides,] I’m not in a hurry to reach billionaire status. I’ve reached a point where I don’t want anything I don’t have. What’s the rush? I’ve bought every car I wanted, multiple times over.”
Arguing why being a billionaire isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, Fif said: “When people publicly say you’re a billionaire, they come for what you have. The IRS might suddenly decide they want 58 percent of your money. The ambulance chasers, the attorneys — it’s an army of ’em after you. Then you’d have to protect yourself because you have deep pockets.
“Being a billionaire won’t be much different from where I am now. At that point, you have to figure out how to give back. You start building a legacy, doing more sophisticated things. People remember those who helped others more than those who just accumulated wealth. They’ll ask, ‘How did he benefit others? How significant was his success if it didn’t affect other people’s lives?’”
