Singles

A list of the biggest singles of the year can be accessed at http://www.billboard.com/...t100_2.jsp.

Across the pop, R&B and rap genres, among top singles and albums, 50 Cent dominates the 2003 Year In Music charts.

The rapper from Queens, N.Y. has the No. 1 song of the year for 2003 with "In Da Club" (from his Shady/Aftermath/Interscope album "Get Rich Or Die Tryin'"), which spent nine weeks atop the Hot 100. The song also ranks at No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Singles & Tracks and the Hot Rap Tracks charts.

Thanks to 50 Cent, hip-hop has its first song of the year on the recap of Billboard's Hot 100 since 1995 ("Gangsta's Rap" by Coolio Featuring L.V.).

The rapper also leads a list of acts that register in the year-end top-10 of the Hot 100 for the first time.

Sean Paul ranked No. 74 last year with his debut single, "Gimme the Light." This year, he has the No. 3 song with the chart-topping "Get Busy" (VP/ Atlantic). Beyoncé and Jay-Z have the No. 4 song of the year with "Crazy in Love" (Columbia). Both are in the year-end top-10 for the first time, although Destiny's Child -- the trio comprising Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams -- has ranked there previously.

"When I'm Gone" (Republic/Universal) gets 3 Doors Down its debut in the year-end top-10 at No. 5. Previously, its best showing was the No. 15 placing of "Kryptonite" in 2000.

St. Louis rapper Chingy has the No. 7 song of the year with "Right Thurr" (Disturbing Tha Peace/Capitol), one of two debut songs to make the top 10. The other is "Bring Me to Life" (Wind-up) at No. 10. That song is the first chart entry for Evanescence as well as its featured artist, Paul McCoy.

Aaliyah's "Miss You" (Blackground/Universal) is No. 8, giving the late artist her first top 10 placing, two years after her death. In 2000 she had the No. 12 song of the year with "Try Again." At No. 9, "Picture" (Lava) puts Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow in the annual top 10 for the first time.

The only returning veterans in the top 10 are R. Kelly and Matchbox Twenty. Kelly has his highest year-end placing yet, as "Ignition" (Jive) grabs the No. 2 spot. In 1997, Kelly was sixth with "I Believe I Can Fly."

Matchbox twenty has been in the year-end top 10 three of the past four years. It equaled its highest ranking, as "Unwell" (Atlantic) finishes sixth. That is the same position it held in 2001 with "If You're Gone." The previous year, the group was No. 9 with "Bent."

With 50 Cent, Kelly and Paul finishing win, place and show, this is the first time since 1992 there has been an all-male top three at year's end. Boyz II Men, Sir Mix-a-Lot and Kris Kross took the top three spots 11 years ago.

The highest-ranked remake is "Drift Away" (Lava) by Uncle Kracker Featuring Dobie Gray. The original, by Gray, was the No. 17 song of 1973.

"American Idol" continued to exert its influence on the charts, following Kelly Clarkson's initial success in 2002. Three "Idol" finalists, including the winners of the first and second seasons, occupy slots in 2003's year-end top 100.

Clarkson was No. 39 last year with "A Moment Like This." Now she is No. 44 with that single's follow-up, the more radio-friendly "Miss Independent" (RCA). Clay Aiken claims the No. 47 song with his debut release, "This Is the Night" (RCA). Ruben Studdard ranks at No. 88 with his remake of Westlife's "Flying Without Wings" (J).

Albums

A list of the biggest albums of the year can be accessed at http://www.billboard.com/...b200_2.jsp.

To go along with his multi-chart single of the year ("In Da Club"), 50 Cent's album "Get Rich Or Die Tryin'" (Shady/Aftermath/Interscope) is the No. 1 title of the year on The Billboard 200. One of his mentors had last year's top album with "The Eminem Show."

2003 is the first year since 1994 that the same act has the No. 1 single and album of the year. Nine years ago, Swedish quartet Ace of Base captured both spots with a single and an album titled "The Sign."

The double-teaming of 50 Cent and Eminem marks the first time that a solo male artist has had the top album of the year for two consecutive years since 1988-89, when George Michael's "Faith" and Bobby Brown's "Don't Be Cruel" were the respective champs.

In a sign of the continuing split between what consumers want to buy and what radio wants to play, the recap of The Billboard 200 has a little something for everyone, while hip-hop dominates the Hot 100. That genre claims just two slots in the album review: 50 Cent's No. 1 album and the top soundtrack of 2003, "8 Mile" (Shady/Interscope).

The second-biggest album of the year is a holdover from 2002. Norah Jones' "Come Away With Me" (Blue Note) ranked No. 30 last year, but that was before her Grammy Award triumph and the ascension of her CD to pole position on The Billboard 200. It's the first time a female artist has landed in the top-2 of the album recap since 1999, when Britney Spears claimed second place with her debut album, " ... Baby One More Time."

One would also have to return to 1999 to find the last time Shania Twain placed an album in the top-3. Her "Come On Over" (Mercury) landed in third place that year, as "Up!" does for 2003. Twain is one of three country acts in the top-10, an improvement on the past three years.

The soundtrack to "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" was the only country album in the top-10 of 2002, and there were no country albums in the top-10 in 2000 or 2001. This year, the Dixie Chicks rank No. 4 with "Home" (Monument/Columbia), the trio's second time in the annual top-10. Its "Wide Open Spaces" was the No. 8 album of 1999, while "Fly" ranked No. 11 in 2000.

The third country act in this year's top-10 is Tim McGraw, who is No. 9 with "Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors" (Curb). It's the first McGraw album to make the annual top-10.

Avril Lavigne's "Let Go" (Arista) is No. 5, after ranking No. 14 last year. She is the fourth female act in the top-5, her gender's best showing since 1997, when the Spice Girls, Celine Dion and Jewel were in the top-5 alongside No Doubt, featuring lead vocals by Gwen Stefani.

With "Meteora" (Warner Bros.) at No. 6, Linkin Park is the only act to repeat from last year's top-10. "Hybrid Theory," the group's debut, placed fifth in 2002. At No. 7, "8 Mile" is the lone soundtrack in the top-10 and ranks one notch lower than the No. 6 ranking of "O Brother" last year.

Evanescence is the third act to rank in the top-10 with a debut chart entry, after Jones and Lavigne. "Fallen" (Wind-up) is the No. 8 album of the year. Completing the top-10 is Christina Aguilera's fifth chart entry, "Stripped" (RCA). It's her second time in the annual top-10; her self-titled debut ranked No. 8 in 2000.

R&B/ Hip-Hop

A list of the biggest R&B/ Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks of the year can be accessed at http://www.billboard.com/...gles_2.jsp.

A list of the biggest R&B/ Hip-Hop Albums of the year can be accessed at http://www.billboard.com/...bums_2.jsp:


This time last year, Ashanti, Nelly and Eminem ruled the Billboard year-end R&B/hip-hop charts. This year, it comes as no surprise that one artist dominates the proceedings: rapper 50 Cent.

His R&B chart achievements include the No. 1 position on the year-end recaps for Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artists-Male, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Artists and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album with his Shady/Aftermath/Interscope material.

But he isn't the only major R&B story of 2003. Several other artists are enjoying year-end chart prominence. Chief among them are R. Kelly, Beyoncé and Aaliyah.

Running second to 50 Cent on several recaps -- including Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artists-Male, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Artists and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums -- Kelly outpaces the rapper and other chart rivals thanks to his songwriting and production prowess.

The Chicago native supplants 2002 honorees the Neptunes atop the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Producer recap; Kelly was the go-to guy in 2003. Charting no less than 29 titles on the R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart between Dec. 2, 2002, and Nov. 29, 2003, Kelly produced a diverse lineup of acts from Syleena Johnson to B2K, Michael Jackson and the Big Tymers.

As an in-demand songwriter (with 30 charting titles), Kelly is the leader of a top 10 pack of producers that includes the Neptunes' Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, Missy Elliott and Curtis Jackson (aka 50 Cent).

Having wrapped a U.S. tour this summer, Kelly is a constant studio presence who currently has enough material for four albums, he says, beyond his recently released "The R. in R&B Collection: Volume One."

Beyoncé emerges as this year's No. 1 Top New R&B/Hip-Hop Artist, despite her career as frontwoman of Destiny's Child. Her achievement results from the home run she scored as a first-time solo artist on her "Dangerously in Love" album, released through Music World/Columbia/Sony Urban Music.

Powered by hypnotic lead single "Crazy in Love," the album has since spun off a second No. 1 R&B/hip-hop hit, "Baby Boy," featuring 2003's dancehall reggae phenomenon, Sean Paul. Beyoncé plans to rejoin Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams for a new Destiny's Child album, due next year.

As happened with Tupac Shakur, Aaliyah's popularity continues to transcend her untimely death. The singer earns 2003 kudos in the No. 1 spot on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artists-Female recap. She finished second in that category last year to title-holder Ashanti.

Aaliyah's "I Care 4 U," released in December 2002 on Blackground/Universal/UMRG, combined hits and six new tracks, including "Miss You," co-written by Johnta Austin.

Dance

The top 10 postions of the Hot Dance Music/Club Play Chart can be accessed at http://www.billboard.com/...ance_2.jsp.
The top 10 postions of the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales Chart can be accessed at http://www.billboard.com/...ance_3.jsp.


It's happening all over again. Last year, Madonna was the No. 1 Hot Dance Singles Sales Artist with three charted titles; her single, "Die Another Day," was No. 1 on the Hot Dance Singles Sales chart. Now, 12 months later, "Die Another Day" remains in the pole position of the same Billboard chart. The Maverick/Warner Bros. artist also retains the top spot on this year's Hot Dance Singles Sales Artists recap.

At the end of 2003, Madonna's label released "Remixed & Revisited," a seven-track EP featuring alternative remixes from her album "American Life." Also included were such extras as the MTV live performance of "Like a Virgin/Hollywood Medley," featuring Britney Spears, Missy Elliott and Christina Aguilera.

During the past 12 months, numerous international DJs have helmed beat-mixed CDs. These are the same DJs that tour the U.S., often performing for sold-out audiences. They are much admired: Deep Dish, Sander Kleinenberg, Darren Emerson and Danny Howells, among others.

Interestingly, while these DJs did indeed release DJ mixes this year, their names do not appear on the year-end Top Electronic Albums chart. But Louie DeVito's name does -- four times, including appearances of his "N.Y.C. Underground Party 5" at the No. 1 spot, followed by "Ultra.Dance 04" at No. 9 on that recap.

DeVito is not an international DJ. He is also not a DJ's DJ. He is simply a DJ-resident of New Jersey who plays for clubgoers. His musical landscape encompasses progressive house, pop-hued trance and diva wailings. His is a sound aimed squarely at believers on the dance floor. This rhythmic philosophy extends to the track listings on DeVito's CDs.

While DeVito primarily releases his CDs on his own label, DeeVee Music, distributed by Musicrama, during the past year he connected with ultra-hot Ultra Records for "Ultra.Dance 04." This was a smart business move for both parties. The two-disc collection introduced DeVito to many party people outside of his stronghold, the New York metropolitan region; it also aligned DeVito with Ultra's cool, respected brand image. In November, DeeVee released the sixth volume in DeVito's successful "N.Y.C. Underground Party" series.

Justin Timberlake's tour this year with Christina Aguilera and his own select solo dates were some of the year's most difficult-to-come-by tickets. Timberlake caused a similar reaction in clubland, where savvy remixes of his tracks "Like I Love You," "Rock Your Body" and "Cry Me a River" continue to wreak havoc on dance floors. The success of these three tracks place Timberlake at the top of the 2003 Hot Dance Club Play Artists recap. Madonna and Weekend Players immediately follow him in the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively.

Speaking of Weekend Players, the act fronted by vocalist Rachel Foster and produced by Andy Cato of Groove Armada fame also appears on the Hot Dance Club Play recap. The act's indefatigable track "Into the Sun," released on Multiply/FFRR/Warner Strategic Marketing, claims the No. 1 position. The melodic track is one of many high points from Weekend Players' debut album, "Pursuit of Happiness." Expect their pursuit to continue in 2004 and beyond.

How do you think sales would look via a world view, rather than a blinkered US chart look?