2003: #2 - "In Da Club"

Although some people don't necessarily think of 50 Cent - or even Dr. Dre, who produced - as a sonic pioneer, the fact is that, in 2003, very few rap hits sounded like this - a perfect amalgamation of hard party beats, minimalist minor key tough-guy synths, quoteworthy hip-hop sloganeering, and accessibly simple yet mesmerizing, tongue-twisting vocals. And they were so cool and slick (and catchy) about it, we almost didn't notice how unique it all was.

But now that nearly every moderately respectable street-level rap track has those huge hand claps, sparse keyboards and relentless percussive synths, and every rapper is giving his own updated imitation of Fifty's slurred verbal acrobatics and catch-phrasing, it's easy to look back and see the major influence that this track had on pop music. And, giving it a second (millionth) listen in 2010, it's easy to remember why we loved it so much.