BEST OF ENTERTAINMENT 2002
Best of music
By Meghan Youker and Lauren Martin
Skiff Staff

This past year proved to be pretty fruitless in the music industry. Even so, 2002 brought a much-needed rock revolution to a music scene full of industry manufactured pop stars. Here, the collaboration of two people with different preferences and priorities when it comes to music:

Best Albums of 2002
1. The White Stripes “White Blood Cells”
2. Eminem “The Eminem Show”
3. Queens of the Stone Age “Songs for the Deaf”
4. Dixie Chicks “Home”
5. Coldplay “A Rush of Blood to the Head”
The White Stripes continued their brand of stripped down rock-and-roll with their third album and kept us wondering whether they’re brother and sister or if they’re married. Eminem dissed his mom again, we all listened (again) and this time we really loved it. The metal of The Queens of the Stone Age rocked with Dave Grohl at drums, the Dixie Chicks got back to their roots with some honest fun and Coldplay’s stunning sophomore effort was even more moving than their first.Best Songs of 2002
1. Eminem “Lose Yourself”
2. Avril Lavigne “Complicated”
3. Nelly “Hot in Herre”
4. Alan Jackson
“Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)”
5. Jimmy Eat World “The Middle”

The year 2002 brought us a lot more great songs than great albums. Eminem was nearly unstoppable and Anarchy Avril gave us a few hits. Nelly took freshmen girls in Colby by storm with “Hot in Herre.” (Hey, if you weren’t dancing with me in Colby, you were dancing in Sherley). Alan Jackson inspired us and Jimmy Eat World captured the eyes of the world with “The Middle,” much to the dismay of pretentious “indie” kids everywhere.

Best artists of 2002
1. Eminem
2. Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters
3. Pink
4. Willie Nelson
5. Missy Elliott

Controversy, a great new album and even a movie. What can’t Eminem do? Well, play drums for Queens of the Stone Age or sing vocals and play guitar for the Foo Fighters like Dave Grohl. Hmm ... I bet the man can even play a mean fiddle. So Pink may be misunderstood, but she was still on top in 2002. Willie Nelson and Missy Elliott both “worked it” this year, but unfortunately Missy was the only one to record any weight loss.

Best groups of 2002
1. The Strokes
2. The Donnas
3. No Doubt
4. Foo Fighters
5. Sum-41

Although The Strokes, The Donnas and the Foo Fighters aren’t doing anything new, they are doing it in a time when the music industry is thirsting for rock ‘n’ roll. Women rockers, The Donnas, have finally broken into the mainstream music scene with an explosive rock album that has done well both critically and by popular vote. Gwen Stefani and No Doubt are back again and Sum-41 has combined the basic elements of punk, rock, pop and hardcore in a way that isn’t yet cheesy or overdone.

Best new artist
1. John Mayer
2. Michelle Branch and Vanessa Carlton
3. The Hives
4. Yeah Yeah Yeahs
5. Ashanti

It’s about time for musicians to start getting famous. John Mayer, Michelle Branch and Vanessa Carlton all play, sing and write their own songs (just when you thought it might be hopeless). This year’s Swedish invasion brought us The Hives, proof that good music really did emerge in 2002. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs made a huge impression at SXSW and their brand of sassy bass-less rock has intrigued the music industry as a whole. Finally, and seriously, is there someone Ashanti hasn’t collaborated with?