{"id":2400675,"date":"2026-05-03T23:33:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T23:33:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2400675"},"modified":"2026-05-03T23:33:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T23:33:42","slug":"jay-z-kendrick-lamar-and-more-named-among-greatest-american-songwriters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/jay-z-kendrick-lamar-and-more-named-among-greatest-american-songwriters\/","title":{"rendered":"Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, and More Named Among Greatest American Songwriters"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2026\/magazine\/greatest-american-songwriters-alive.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:The New York Times;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>The New York Times<\/em><\/a> published a list of the 30 greatest living American songwriters, a list that included <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/tag\/jay-z\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Jay-Z;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">Jay-Z<\/a>, Kendrick Lamar, Outkast, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/tag\/missy-elliott\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Missy Elliott;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">Missy Elliott<\/a>, and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/tag\/young-thug\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Young Thug;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">Young Thug<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The unranked list was put together with the input of over 250 music insiders and six critics from the <em>Times<\/em>. It also includes Nile Rodgers, Paul Simon, Taylor Swift, Dolly Parton, Babyface, Fiona Apple, Mariah Carey, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Lana Del Rey, The-Dream, Bad Bunny, Bruce Springsteen, and Smokey Robinson.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/shop?utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=syndication&amp;utm_campaign=shop2025\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:COMPLEX SHOP: Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what's next. Buy. Collect. Obsess.;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><b>COMPLEX SHOP:<\/b> Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what&#8217;s next. Buy. Collect. Obsess.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">There\u2019s also commentary from other artists praising the songwriters included, with Pusha-T highlighting Hov\u2019s talents, Erykah Badu on Stevie Wonder, Stevie Nicks on Taylor Swift, FKA Twigs on Missy Elliott, Mike WiLL Made-It on Thugger, Killer Mike on Outkast, Tainy on Bad Bunny, and George Clinton on K Dot.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cWe considered all sorts of remarkable songwriters \u2014 including lots of weird geniuses and under-loved influences,\u201d a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2026\/04\/27\/magazine\/greatest-living-songwriters-methodology.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Times;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>Times<\/em><\/a> article breaking down the thought process behind the list explained. \u201cBut we were drawn back toward the beating-heart story of American song, to people whose music has reverberated through private worlds and across the public square, echoing through headphones, radios, grocery-store aisles, TikTok videos and school-gym ceremonies, blasting out of karaoke machines, club speakers and the windows of passing cars.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">There\u2019s little doubt about the impact the varied songwriters included on the list have had on popular American music, whether it be Outkast helping put Atlanta\u2019s rap scene on the map or Bad Bunny transcending language barriers. Many of the artists included are also incredibly prolific, with vast discographies spanning decades, and in some cases, even genres.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Complex recently broke down <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/music\/articles\/100-best-jay-z-songs-200626809.html\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Jay-Z\u2019s prolific output,;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\">Jay-Z\u2019s prolific output,<\/a> for instance, ranking the top 100 songs from his career. Several modern superstars included on the list have managed to make a sizeable impact in a short amount of time, too, including Bad Bunny and Taylor Swift, two of the youngest names featured.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">Related News<\/h3>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"ct:story;elm:img;itc:0;\" class=\"stretched-box\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/music\/articles\/bobby-shmurda-says-hell-slap-180723515.html\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"relative\"><\/div>\n<p><\/a><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><span>Bobby Shmurda Says He&#8217;ll &#8216;Slap the Sh*t Out of Jay-Z&#8217; <\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"ct:story;elm:img;itc:0;\" class=\"stretched-box\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/celebrity\/articles\/hilarious-celebrity-weed-stories-snoop-152100778.html\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Snoop Dogg performing in sunglasses and a patterned shirt; Seth Rogen smiling in glasses and a checkered blazer.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/6bxgwh0VicDgDewARFevIg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/complex_131\/92cfa1aae2c414c2ecbec083e8c942c6\"\/><\/div>\n<p><\/a><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><span>Hilarious Celebrity Weed Stories to Celebrate 4\/20: Snoop Dogg, Seth Rogen, Willie Nelson, and More<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"ct:story;elm:img;itc:0;\" class=\"stretched-box\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/music\/articles\/100-best-jay-z-songs-200626809.html\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Three images of Jay-Z in different styles and outfits, including sunglasses and a varsity jacket, with a blue halftone effect.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/Fea_0d8wgN9oBE43XAlKPA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/complex_131\/a4177757fb35974f8af2306bcbd98ab2\"\/><\/div>\n<p><\/a><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><span>The 100 Best Jay-Z Songs<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\"><b>Related News<\/b><\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><b><i><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/music\/articles\/joe-budden-predicts-drake-shots-161206841.html\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Joe Budden Predicts Drake Will Take Shots at J. Cole, LeBron James on \u2018Iceman\u2019\u00a0;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\">Joe Budden Predicts Drake Will Take Shots at J. Cole, LeBron James on \u2018Iceman\u2019\u00a0<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><b><i><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/music\/articles\/luci4-cause-death-confirmed-accidental-024357987.html\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Luci4\u2019s Cause of Death Confirmed as Accidental Overdose;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\">Luci4\u2019s Cause of Death Confirmed as Accidental Overdose<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/shop?utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=syndication&amp;utm_campaign=shop2025\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:COMPLEX SHOP: Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what's next. Buy. Collect. Obsess.;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><b>COMPLEX SHOP:<\/b> Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what&#8217;s next. Buy. Collect. Obsess.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/newsletters?utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter_cta5\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Making Culture Pop. Find the latest entertainment news and the best in music, pop culture, sneakers, style and original shows.;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><b>Making Culture Pop.<\/b> Find the latest entertainment news and the best in music, pop culture, sneakers, style and original shows.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The New York Times published a list of the 30 greatest living American songwriters, a list that included Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Outkast, Missy Elliott, and Young Thug. The unranked list was put together with the input of over 250 music insiders and six critics from the Times. It also includes Nile Rodgers, Paul Simon, Taylor [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2400676,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[345724,425392,28851,22641,346984,390545,37703,307345,312296,347714,345991,377155,306367,311726,23084,22640],"class_list":["post-2400675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-american-music","tag-american-songwriters","tag-bruce-springsteen","tag-dolly-parton","tag-erykah-badu","tag-fiona-apple","tag-kendrick-lamar","tag-lana-del-rey","tag-mariah-carey","tag-missy-elliott","tag-nile-rodgers","tag-outkast","tag-paul-simon","tag-stevie-nicks","tag-taylor-swift","tag-willie-nelson"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Jay-Z-Kendrick-Lamar-and-More-Named-Among-Greatest-American-Songwriters.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2400675","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2400675"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2400675\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2400677,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2400675\/revisions\/2400677"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2400676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2400675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2400675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2400675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}