Hip-Hop/R&B: 2010

So, how did our hip-hop and R&B stars mark the beginning of the 21st century's second decade? Rap mastermind Eminem did it by burning down the house on a scorching "Love the Way You Lie (feat. Rihanna)" and proving that his own second decade would be spent just like the first — on top of the hip-hop universe. Meanwhile, Southern-style prodigy B.o.B. made good on the promise of his '08 debut with the smooth-talkin' smash "Nothin' On You (feat. Bruno Mars)," as rap mistress Nicki Minaj revealed her swagger's sweet side with "Your Love," and hip-pop prince Nelly stepped away from the dance floor to nurse a broken heart on "Just a Dream."

We're just getting started — lots more 2010 hip-hop and R&B await, in Next Steps.

In 2010, hip-hop mogul Jay-Z spelled out his formula for monster success as he rolled straight to the future in the beat-driven steamroller "On to the Next One (feat. Swizz Beatz)," while urbane urban balladeer Jaheim leaned back and let the honeys come to him on the slow-jam love call "Finding My Way Back." Soul-soaked chanteuse Sade made her return with the romantic battle cry "Solider of Love," as Kanye West staked his claim to new-millennium domination with a take-no-prisoners demonstration of his rap-king "Power."

The year may be over, but we're still going strong, with more 2010 hip-hop and R&B in Deep Cuts.

The year may be 2010, but an age-old tale lives on as a timeless Aloe Blacc spells it out in the classic soul-to-the-bone jam "I Need a Dollar," while, flush and flash, Miami rap kingpin Rick Ross is busy "B.M.F. (Blowin' Money Fast)." Big Boi & Cutty are out to cut a rug on a free-flowin' "Shutterbugg," but neo-soul priestess Erykah Badu just wants to watch the world go by from her "Window Seat." And newcomer Janelle Monáe walks a fine line between past and present with the retro snap of a high-flying "Tightrope (feat. Big Boi)."

If there was one thing that stood out about the world of hip-hop and R&B in 2010, it's gotta be the fact that no one thing stood out. Artists were busy chasing down their own sounds, from the simmering soul of American original Alicia Keys and "Un-thinkable (I'm Ready)" to the Island-style grooves of Barbados-born Rihanna and a naughty-but-nice "Rude Boy." All of which makes pulling together an end-of-the-year round up one dizzying undertaking — unless you've got our Essential playlist of the year's best beats at the ready, from the retro-flash of Cee Lo Green's did-he-just-say-that? smash "F**k You," to Usher's superstar collaboration "OMG (feat. will.i.am)," to the unlikely, unforgettable match-up between hip-hop originals the Roots and neo-soul balladeer John Legend on the slow-burn anthem "The Fire."