According to Rolling Stone, This is The Best Song Of 21st Century -- So Far
The first quarter of the 21st century is in the books, and there's certainly been no shortage of quality music produced up to this point. As for what songs or albums are the best of the millennium, well that's always going to be subjective.
Rolling Stone regularly tinkers with its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, with the most recent update coming in February 2024. According to the Rolling Stone staff, the best song of the 21st century so far is "Get Ur Freak On," Missy Elliott and Timbaland's 2001 hip-hop hit that borrowed heavily from bhangra, a popular Punjabi music and dance form.
"Get Ur Freak On" is the century's top song to this point
In their new top 500 songs list, Rolling Stone slotted "Get Ur Freak On" at No. 8 overall. Because the seven songs ahead of it were all from 1991 and earlier, that means "Get Ur Freak On" is the top song of the first part of the 21st century, at least according to Rolling Stone's team of "more than 250 artists, writers, and industry figures" who helped compile the list.
"She didn't obey any of the rules for female stars at the time. And her music didn't obey rules either - nobody could duplicate the Missy-Tim mojo," Rolling Stone wrote. "Get Ur Freak On" is the peak of their long-running collaboration - a massively weird avant-garde experiment that also blew up into a global pop hit. Even by their standards, "Get Ur Freak On" was a crazed challenge to the audience, with Missy yelling "Hollaaaa!" over a warped bhangra loop."
"But everybody who heard it was hooked - the whole world wanted to holla along with Miss E. "Get Ur Freak On" remains an anthem for freaks everywhere," the publication continued. "And even after 20 years, it still sounds like the future."
"Get Ur Freak On" peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and also cracked the top 10 in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. In 2002, the song earned Elliott the Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance, and she also hit the charts with it again in 2015 following her Super Bowl halftime performance.
Is "Get Ur Freak On" really No. 1 for the 21st century?
Again, any "best" song choice is subjective and up for debate. There are plenty of viable options, and the best part is we've still got three-quarters of a century ahead of us to see what unfolds.
There's a lot of great music still to come.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published June 7, 2026 at 1:35 PM.