12 Songs That Epitomized The 2010s

Source: FayesVision/WENN.com / WENN

As crazy as it sounds, we’ve officially survived another decade, folks.

Most millennials can agree that the year 2000 feels more like 10 years ago than 20! There’s even an entire reddit chain dedicated to the interesting fact that while the 80’s and 90s felt like two separate decades, 2000-2019 feels like one big one.

Thanks to the technological advancements of the last 20 years, we got to see so much shift and change right before our eyes — especially when it comes to music. Instead of picking up where the autotune era of 2009 left off, 2010 ushered in a brand new, refreshing mix of nostalgic R&B, poppish hip hop and every version of a club anthem you can think of.

In  honor of coming up on the dawn of a new era of entertainment, culture and life, we put together a list of songs that totally epitomize the decade of change, pride, awareness and growth.  So long 2010’s! We’ll never forget the timeless tunes that made you, and in turn made us. Hit the flip to check them out.

“Bodak Yellow” – Cardi B

This flaming hot record marked the birth of Cardi B, the mega rap star. Bodak transcended age, race and kulture (No pun intended) — all while making Cardi B a real household name.

“Uptown Funk” – Bruno Mars 

With 3.4 Billion Youtube views (and counting), there’s no way one can deny Bruno Mars’ funky impact on the the 2010s.

“We Found Love”- Rihanna 

This song became one of Rihanna’s longest running number on Billboard in this decade! The video alone solidified Rih Rih as the cool bad gal we all aspire to be.

“Alright”- Kendrick Lamar 

The 2010s were all about social justice. And music should often reflect the times, but a lot of times it doesn’t. Fortunately for us, we had Kendrick Lamar to create full bodies of work witht the sole purpose to uplift the people and give sound to the movement. With it’s banging beat, hopeful lyrics and prideful energy, “Alright” certainly epitomize and important theme of the 2010s.

“Despacito” – Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee 

You literally couldn’t leave the house without hearing this song when it dropped in 2017. Adding Justin Bieber to the remix just took to another stratosphere, and stamped its name in the history books of 2010s classic hits.

“Black Beatles” – Rae Sremmurd 

Rae Sremmurd had no idea that they’d give birth to one of the first ever viral challenges when they released this banger in 2016. Adding ‘fresh out of prison’ Gucci Mane on the song just took it to the next level. Thus the Mannequin Challenge was born.

“Bad & Boujee”- Migos ft Lil Uzi 

Let’s be clear: the entire decade belonged to Migos. They truly meant it when they said they are the culture. Sure, they had a few hits before Bad & Boujee dropped in 2016 — but it’s their first ever video to reach 888 Million views and counting. The hook by itself will go down in music history.

“Super Bass” – Nicki Minaj 

Nicki Minaj is one of few artists who managed to have number one hits from the mid 2000s, up until today. But ‘Super Bass’ was the song that proved Onika wasn’t just some basic rapper. She’s a superstar. And the video, which included a entire scene of her and Safaree dancing together, will definitely makes for an iconic, memorable moment.

“Hello”- Adele

After taking a break following the birth of her son, no one knew when, if or how Adele would return to the music scene. But not only did she come back — she came back with a bang and a number one hit that became the longest running song by female artist in Billboard history. Whew.

“Cut It”- O.T. Genasis 

It seems like everything OT Genasis touches turns to gold. He might as well be the king of hood hits at this point. Even Beyonce agrees! “Coco” was a banger, but “Cut It” put OT on the map.

“In My Feelings” – Drake 

You can’t have a 2010s list without Drizzy Drake. For the past 10 years, it’s as if his reign at number one on every chart possible hasn’t come to an end. But “In My Feelings” hit different. It brought about a whole dance challenge, reignited Drake’s beef with Kanye and even put City Girl on the map. And everyone from Odell Beckham to Angela Bassett have posted videos of themselves dancing to it.

Iconic.

“Formation” – Beyonce

‘Lemonde’ ushered in the era a whole new Beyonce than we’d seen before. She was louder, more vulnerable and came with a message. Seeing a Black woman be so uplifting and empowering to a usually oppressed group totally shook the (white) culture. They even tried to ban her from performing at the Super Bowl that year. But not only did she kill it — her performance was one of the most watched halftime shows in Superbowl history. Don’t mess with the Beygency!