The 2000’s witness some of R&B’s biggest triumphs like the return of Mariah Carey and the emersion of Alicia Keys. The 2000’s also witness some of R&B’s most tragic moments like the death of Michael Jackson and the absence of TLC and other girl groups.
People come and go, but songs are forever. The 2000’s decade was a decade that saw some great talent put out great music. R&B in particular continued to grow and the sound was constantly changing. From Ashanti’s hip-hop inspired R&B style to Beyoncé’s sexy powerful girl-power style to Keyshia Cole’s heart-on-her-sleeve style, R&B had several of sounds during that decade.
When you think of who ruled R&B it’s hard to just put your finger on one artist. It was a contribution from many artist that brought R&B to the for front on radio spins and sells. Some artist never could live up to the hit that defined their careers, while for others it was just the beginning. Here are the R&B gems that the 2000’s decade gave to us and that we will have forever.

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10. “U Remind Me”- Usher
This mega-hit reached number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot Hip-Hop/RnB charts. The song also earned Usher his first Grammy Award.

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9. “Foolish”- Ashanti
Ashanti ruled the early 2000’s as a lead artist on songs like “Rain On Me” and “Baby” as well as a featured artist on songs like Fat Joe’s “What’s Luv?” and Ja Rule’s “Always on Time”. It was her debut single, “Foolish” that took the singer to new heights. It remains the second best-selling physical single of the 21st century.

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8. “Let Me Love You”-Mario
Mario has racked up a string of R&B hits in the 2000’s but none of them compare to “Let Me Love You”. The song was the eighth most successful song of the entire decade and 45th most successful song OF ALL TIME. Need not to say more.

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7. “Umbrella”- Rihanna
It was the song that turned Rihanna into one of the biggest stars in the world and eventually on of the most popular singers in history. Rewind 11 number one single back, “Umbrella” ruled the charts for seven weeks and earned the Barbadian beauty her first of seven Grammy Awards.

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6. “Fallin’”- Alicia Keys
It’s hard to believe that that voice came out of a 19 year-old girl. That opening acapella instantly captivates and awakens the ears. The song was her debut single and shot up to the number one spot and help the album reach 12 million copies sold worldwide.

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5. “Be Without You”- Mary J. Blige
The song spent a staggering 15 weeks at number one and 75 overall weeks on the Hot Hip-Hop/R&B Charts. The song earned Mary J. Blige two Grammys and also received nominations for Song and Record of the Year. The emotion that Mary sung on the song made it a huge smash.

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4. “U Got It Bad”- Usher
The song spent six weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Hip-Hop/R&B Charts. The song also help make Usher the only male solo artist to have a number one single in 2001.

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3. “Crazy In Love”- Beyoncé
No list is complete with the Queen Bey. This time she finds herself at number three on the Top 10 Hip-Hop/R&B songs of the 2000’s. It’s reason doesn’t really need explanation.

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2. “If I Ain’t Got You”- Alicia Keys
Not only was the song extremely successful, Alicia keys wrote and produced the entire song herself, establishing her as a rare talent to find in pretty much any genre.

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1. “We Belong Together”- Mariah Carey
Billboard named the song the most successful song of the decade and the eleventh most successful song of all time. The song broke all kind of records and spent 14 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The super ballad became Carey’s comeback song and solidified the songstress as the most successful female singles artist of all time.