“The Best Damn Thing,” Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne’s third album took the commercial world by storm, leaving behind a trail of hot pink clip-in extensions, fishnet arm-warmers and eyeliner so thick it might as well be eyeshadow. The wave of scene and emo style was at its peak, and this poppy-punk album warmed the black hearts of fans everywhere. With hits like “I Don’t Have to Try,” “I Can Do Better” and “Everything Back But You,” this album armed the faux-angsty teenagers of 2007 with more ammo than they knew what to do with. Between the ‘pretty in punk’ aesthetic of the album and the infectious punk-gone-pop songs, “The Best Damn Thing” holds up even ten years after the scene has died out.
“Good Girl Gone Bad,” Rihanna
Taking a step away from her Barbadian roots and focusing on a more commercial-friendly sound, Rihanna made a name for herself in the world of pop music with her third album, “Good Girl Gone Bad”. This album marks the beginning of a stylistic transition from urban-contemporary dance-pop to the mix of R&B and pop that Rihanna is still known for today. Singles like “Don’t Stop the Music” and “Shut Up and Drive” received critical praise, but it was the album’s lead single, “Umbrella,” that stole the show. The collaboration with Jay-Z was intended for Britney Spears, but after her label turned it down, it was sent to Rihanna, and the rest is history. “Good Girl Gone Bad” not only features some of Rihanna’s most memorable hits, but it shows where her current sound truly began.
“Graduation,” Kayne West
Before Kayne West became one of the most controversial celebrities, before he was a struggling millionaire begging for loans on Twitter, before he was Kim Kardashian’s husband, he released what could be considered his crown jewel: “Graduation.” A critical and commercial success, this was the third and final installment in West’s education-themed trilogy. Following “College Dropout” and “Late Registration”, this album showed a more personal and introspective side of the rapper. “Graduation” is the embodiment of West’s ascension into the bonafide global phenomenon that he has become. As future albums like “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” “Yeezus” and “The Life of Pablo” show, West is not about settling. He reinvents and reinvents, never satisfied, whether or not his invention is successful. “Graduation” is the beginning of his relentless streak of ingenuity that has continued into today.
“souljaboytellem.com,” Soulja Boy
Ten years ago, one of the most major feats anyone could achieve was memorizing the choreography to Soulja Boy’s “Crank That (Soulja Boy.)” It was not until years later that people realized what the song was about. It turns out “Superman that hoe” isn’t just a senseless phrase, after all. While everyone remembers the dance, they may not remember the rest of Soulja Boy’s debut album, “souljaboytellem.com”. The singles “Donk,” “Yahhh!” and “Soulja Girl” were significantly less popular than “Crank That (Soulja Boy,)” and they were not even close to being as well-received. It is hard to recommend listening to this in 2017, but if you are looking to go back to a time when Soulja Boy wasn’t only known for his Twitter fights with Chris Brown, you may want to check this album out.
“Blackout,” Britney Spears
Prior to the release of her fifth album, “Blackout,” Britney Spears had infamously gone through a rough patch. Her mental breakdown was highly publicized, from allowing her son to sit on her lap while driving to the grand finale of shaving her head. Despite the numerous setbacks in her personal life, Spears was able to rise above these issues and come back full-force with a critically-acclaimed album that exemplifies everything that pop music should be. While the lyrical content continued to focus on themes of love, sex and fame, Spears also took shots at the media, specifically in the single, “Piece of Me.” “Blackout” is not just an album that proved why Spears is known as the ‘Queen of Pop,’ it showed her resilience and ability to overcome anything thrown her way. After all, as the opening line of the album states, “It’s Britney, bitch!”
