2003 was a notable year for loads of reasons. From the launch of iTunes to the premiere of America’s Next Top Model, for popular culture and beyond, this year signified an important shift. Among these events lay the release of some of the best, most impactful Black music we have to date.
So let's get into some of my very favourites from two decades ago!
1. 50 Cent – Get Rich Or Die Tryin’
An outstanding debut, 50 Cent’s Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ was massively successful and set the pace for the year with its February release. Topping both the US Billboard 200 and the Canadian Albums Chart, the East Coast-hailing rapper made his mark, releasing hits such as "In Da Club," "Many Men (Wish Death)" and "21 Questions," all of which still have a tight grip on Black communities to this day. The album was soon followed by a film of the same name which was also popular in its own right starring the likes of Terence Howard and Viola Davis.
While significantly less can be said about his music career currently, the success of Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ remains undebatable.
My top tracks: "21 Questions," "Many Men (Wish Death)"
2. Beyonce – Dangerously In Love
The first project since her descent from the children of Destiny, Dangerously In Love presented a stunning debut. With "Crazy In Love" as the lead single, which topped charts in the UK, US, Denmark, Croatia and more, the eminence of the album was already foretold. Including features from Sean Paul ("Baby Boy"), Jay Z ("Crazy In Love") and Luther Vandross ("The Closer I Get To You"), Beyonce’s future as one of the greatest singers and performers of all time was written in stone.
The album and its singles would go on to win Beyonce five Grammys in 2004 including Best Contemporary R&B Album. This would be the first of seven albums that Beyoncé would debut at number one.
My top tracks: "Me, Myself and I," "Work It Out"
3. Outkast – Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
With Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, the people’s favourite Atlantan duo created the masterpiece that would be their final album together before they announced their separation. The two-sided tape, with each rapper leading on a range of singles, met great commercial success. From "Roses" to "The Way You Move", this unique body of work remains one of Hip-hop’s most distinctive projects. To make a great tape even better, its lead singles were aided with incredibly memorable music videos like "Hey Ya", which saw Andre 3000 duplicated to create a band full of great green fits and a silk press to die for.
While they are yet to announce a comeback, we’re still holding our breath for a new release; in the meantime, we’ll continue playing "Prototype" on loop.
My top tracks: "The Way You Move" (feat. Sleepy Brown), "Prototype"
4. Dizzee Rascal – Boy in da Corner
The bass on "Stop Dat" alone is award-winning, so the critical triumph of Boy In Da Corner was a shock to nobody. At just 19 years old, Dizzee became one of the first Grime stars to gain international success for an album which would later win him a Mercury Prize. With singles such as "Fix Up, Look Sharp" and "I Luv U" (which he'd produced three years before the album release at age 16), Dizzee pushed both himself and the underground genre into the mainstream, proving why neither was to be ignored.
In 2020, Dizzee Rascal would go on to perform a tribute to his debut at the Rated Awards where he was given a Legacy Award for ‘his contribution to sculpting the sound of grime and changing the face of British music forever’.
My top tracks: "Stop Dat," "I Luv U"
5. Jay Z – The Black Album
With production credits from the likes of The Neptunes, Timbaland and Rick Rubin, The Black Album serves as a worthy peer to Jay Z’s run of amazing projects. Lead by the hit-turned-pop-culture-reference – "99 Problems", for the younger audiences, this was likely their introduction to the legendary rapper. In addition to this, notable tracks also included "Change Clothes" (feat. Pharrell Williams) and "Encore" which went on to reach further acclaim with its Linkin Park remake "Numb/Encore".
Interestingly, Jay Z initially announced The Black Album as his last before retirement – since then he's released seven studio albums.
My top tracks: "Dirt Off Your Shoulder", "Change Clothes"
6. Kelis – Tasty
Foreshadowing her future career as a culinary artist, Kelis’ Tasty presented a delightful palate of memorable tracks from the New York native. While this was Kelis’ third studio album, it is debatably her most notable. Producing her lead single "Milkshake" – which not only gained her second entry into the Billboard Chart since "Caught Out There" (1999) but a Grammy nomination for Best Urban/Alternative Performance – we’re glad this didn’t go to Britney Spears as originally intended. Milkshake is just one amongst a tracklist of heavy hitters, such as the amazingly produced "Millionaire" (feat. Andre 3000) and Trick Me.
Sadly, Kelis alleges she didn't make a profit from this exemplary body of work due to the greed of the producers and her former friends, The Neptunes. Regardless, the streets have never forgotten how exemplary she was on the album even 20 years on.
My top tracks: "Millionaire" (feat. Andre 3000), "Glow"
7. Alicia Keys – The Diary of Alicia Keys
Gaining a debut number one on the US Billboard 200 and three Grammys, Alicia Keys unequivocally broke the sophomore curse with her second album. While December releases tend to be less popular amongst music lovers in the present day, Alicia proved that even with a commercial clash as big as Christmas, a good single can reign triumphant. With production credits from Timbaland and Kanye West, the album spawned greats including "You Don’t Know My Name" (which also featured Mos Def in his vixen bag for the iconic music video) and "I Ain’t Got You" – key evidence that The Diary of Alicia Keys was due to be a hit before even hitting stores.
Since then, she’s released seven albums and continues to be upheld as one of R&B finest songwriters.
My top tracks: "Diary" (feat. Tony! Toni! Tone! / Jermaine Paul), "Karma"
