Justin Timberlake

Justin Timberlake was just five years into his solo career when FutureSex/LoveSounds spawned six Top 20 hits, making him the first male artist to do so since Michael Jackson unleashed Dangerous. Three consecutive singles reached #1 status, too, including the rabid-and-randy electro of "SexyBack," the skidding synths and snickering samples of "My Love," and the future-shocked blue-eyed soul of "What Goes Around . . . / . . . Comes Around." Such avant-pop leanings aren't surprising when you consider Timberlake's gate-crashing debut (Justified), a honey-dipped pop-R&B platter with a sturdy, beat-savvy backbone, from the moonwalk-optional disco of "Rock Your Body" (a Neptunes track originally intended for Jackson) to the knuckle-dragging crawl of "Cry Me a River," a catchy but caustic kiss-off to Britney Spears. Really, now: Who knew "the next Michael Jackson" would be a former Mickey Mouse Club member with boy band (*NSYNC) credentials and Timbaland on speed dial?