Towering natural ability! Exceptional creative powers! A brain the size of Alaska! Without the 50 on this list, not only would the music we love be worse, it wouldn’t exist at all. So who cares if some of them are utterly nuts?
40 Chuck DPublic Enemy number 1Genius credentials: With searing oratory and a head full of Black Panther ideology, the former Carlton Ridenhour, flanked by cohort Flavor Flav and producers the Bomb Squad, transformed hip-hop from apolitical party music into what he called “the black CNN.” Public Enemy’s twin broadsides “Bring the Noise” and “Don’t Believe the Hype” served notice that America should ignore hip-hop at its peril.
His peers agree! “
It Takes a Nation messes with your brain even to this day.” — Ice Cube
Genius zenith: It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (Def Jam, 1988)
39 Freddie MercuryHe will rock youGenius credentials: Mick Jagger and David Bowie might have taken ’70s rock to new heights of theatricality, but Queen’s frontman eventually stole their leotards to become music’s über-performer. Thanks to his songwriting contributions, Queen’s music achieved the perfect meld of virtuosity and camped-up raunch. Proof of Mercury’s reach was provided by a very unlikely mention in Kurt Cobain’s suicide note.
His peers agree! “He was one of the most important figures in rock & roll over the last 20 years.” — Elton John
Genius zenith: A Day at the Races (Hollywood, 1976)
38 Dr. DreGenius with attitudeGenius credentials: If anyone ever decides to make a movie about the 1992 Los Angeles riots, Dr. Dre has already written the score. Bringing battle-cry funk to Compton-based gangstas N.W.A and languid synths to his solo debut,
The Chronic, producer-rapper Andre Young defined the sound (and, after being charged with assault in 1991, the outlaw persona) of pissed-off, pleasure-hungry West Coast rap. He’s also not a bad talent scout, having discovered Snoop Dogg and Eminem.
His peers agree! “Dre is a genius producer.” — Eve
Genius zenith: The Chronic (Death Row, 1992)
37 Burt Bacharach Love songs for grown-upsGenius credentials: The king of the killer chord change, Bacharach crafted mentholated melody with a Ferrari’s elegant lines and breathtaking maneuverability. In the ’60s, the debonair tunesmith found his ideal other half in lyricist Hal David, and his most sensitive mouthpiece in Dionne Warwick. Such poignant hits as “Walk on By” are the ultimate in aspirational romance.
His peers agree! “The master of breakup songs.” — Oasis’s Noel Gallagher
Genius zenith: The Look of Love: The Burt Bacharach Collection (Rhino, 1998)
36 Brian Eno Pioneering electronic eggheadGenius credentials: Bald and pale, Brian Eno looks the part of a rock genius. But 30 years ago, playing wild keyboard with British glam-rock panthers Roxy Music, he wore feathers and lipstick. By the end of the ’70s, he had mastered devilish art-pop on solo albums, invented ambient music and cowritten “Heroes” with David Bowie. Next, Eno introduced Talking Heads to Afro-funk and transformed U2 into neon cowboys.
His peers agree! “A lot of English rock & roll bands went to art school — we went to Brian.” — Bono
Genius zenith: Talking Heads,
Remain in Light (Sire, 1980)
35 Earl YoungInvented the disco drumbeatGenius credentials: Philadelphia drummer Earl Young plotted the course of modern dance music via his metronomic thumping on Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes’ 1973 single “The Love I Lost.” Dubbed “four on the floor,” Young’s sound came when he kicked four beats to the bar on the bass drum, and the pulse of disco was born. His is the most influential right foot in music history.
His peers agree! “He was really like a train.” — Village People producer Henri Belolo
Genius zenith: The Philly Sound: Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and the Story of Brotherly Love (Rhino, 1997)
34 Trent Reznor Ghost in the Pretty Hate MachineGenius credentials: As the only official member of Nine Inch Nails, Reznor injected industrial, metal, noise and techno into radio-ready pop song structures that shook up guitar-heavy '90s rock radio, while bending the very term during breakout live performances at summer festivals throughout the decade. His creeptastic aesthetic influenced a new wave of shocker, most notably Marilyn Manson, but he has also proved to be an adept businessman, remaining on the cutting edge of Internet marketing and distribution, launching labyrinthine networks of fan sites and experimenting with innovative pricing for 2008's
Ghosts I-IV, a two-disc, 36-track instrumental set.
His peers agree! "It don’t get no iller than him." — Timbaland
Genius zenith: The Downward Spiral (Interscope, 1994)
33 Barry GibbMore than a falsettoGenius credentials: The beards, the hairdos — the Bee Gees practically invented uncool. However, the three Gibb brothers were indisputable masters of pop: fetching ballads in the ’60s, blue-eyed disco in the ’70s and, finally, sleek MOR in the ’80s. Barry, the eldest, helmed the writing and the shiny production — and, in 1975, when the Bee Gees realized falsetto just might be the ticket, he clenched his thighs and got up there.
His peers agree! “The Bee Gees are up there with the Beatles.” — Bono
Genius zenith: Their Greatest Hits: The Record (Uptown/ Universal, 2001)
32 Brian WilsonSurfed madnessGenius credentials: No bronzed Adonis himself, Wilson invented the surf sound by playing the piano while wriggling his toes in a sandbox. His imagination boundless, he spoke of “trying to write a teenage symphony to God,” and nothing came closer than the Beach Boys’ celestial harmonies. Although all but destroyed by too much acid and familial friction, his return to the public eye and the occasional live performance has afforded a heartening reconnection with the sublime.
His peers agree! “Brian revolutionized the recording of popular music.” — R.E.M.’s Peter Buck
Genius zenith: Pet Sounds (Capitol, 1966)
31 Tupac ShakurThe notorious T.H.U.G.Genius credentials: Dan Quayle condemned Shakur’s 1992 debut,
2Pacalypse Now, as having “no place in society.” But while conservative critics denounced the recidivist Bay Area MC, more discerning fans saw a tortured prophet — and, after his unsolved murder in 1996, a martyr. The camera-friendly thug left behind beaten but optimistic songs like “Keep Ya Head Up,” tapping into gangsta rap’s sensitive side, minus the schmaltz.
His peers agree! “Tupac was the greatest songwriter that ever lived.” — Eminem
Genius zenith: Me Against the World (Interscope, 1995)