Jay-Z landed at 25th on Billboard's new ranking of the best songwriters of the last 25 years. The publication unveiled the first five names on the list, Monday, with further updates coming throughout the week. After Jay-Z, Kanye West, Sean Garrett, Fergie, and Jermaine Dupri round out the next four spots.
The ranking was determined by each writer's number of top hits on the chart during the first quarter of the century. Billboard explains: "After revealing the top artists, albums, songs and producers of the first 25 years of the 21st century on the Hot 100 and more since January, Billboard is now celebrating The Top Songwriters of the 21st Century on the Hot 100 — the top 25 writers with the most No. 1 hits on the chart in the century's first 25 years. Every writer on the ranking led the Hot 100 at least six times in that span (Jan. 1, 2000-Dec. 28, 2024), with the top eight talents each boasting double-digit No. 1 totals."
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For Jay-Z, they noted that he has six total Hot 100 No. 1s as a writer. The long-running song is Beyoncé's "Baby Boy," featuring Sean Paul, which spent nine weeks atop the chart.
Regardless of the methodology, fans have been having mixed reactions to the placement on social media. "He gave Rihanna a career and hits, so he actually deserves a higher spot," one user argued on X (formerly Twitter). Another added: "Consistent impact for two decades, that's legendary."
Billboard's list comes after Jay-Z and Beyoncé made headlines for attending Kris Jenner's extravagant 70th birthday party over the weekend. The iconic couple snuck into the event without the paparazzi being able to snap a picture of them, according to TMZ. In doing so, they used a high-priority parking spot.
Jenner held the party at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's home in Beverly Hills on Saturday night. Tons of other stars were in attendance as well. They included Chris Rock, Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Mariah Carey, Mark Zuckerberg, Paris Hilton, and more. Jenner's six children, Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, Rob Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, and Kendall Jenner, were present as well.
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