Top 25 Hip-Hop Songs of the 2000s: #24 Mariah Carey “We Belong Together”

Posted by Nathan S. on 11/18/09 | Filed under Features, Best of the 2000s, Mariah Carey

With the number 24 pick of our "Top 25 of the 2000s" countdown, RefinedHype.com and DJBooth.net are proud to select..."Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together"!

Mariah Carey is easily the biggest selling female artist of the decade...actually, she's the biggest selling artist of the decade period (only The Beatles have more number one hits) and "We Belong Together" was the biggest hit of the decade for the future Mrs. Cannon. Coming off her smash album "The Emancipation of Mimi", "We Belong Together" was penned by hitmakers Jermaine Dupri and Johnta Austin and topped the U.S. charts for an astounding 14 non-consecutive weeks. So yeah, it was kind of a big deal.

Making a list of the top 25 songs of the decade that didn't include Mariah would be like making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without the jelly. In a decade that saw the lines between hip-hop and r&b blur, no one combined the two quite like Mariah. I mean, she even went so far as to marry the host of "Wild 'n Out". The point is, because of her diva ways and very public personal life Mariah may not get a lot of respect from serious music fans, but she's the most successful artist of the decade, bar none, and we have to give credit where credit is due.

In terms of this specific song, there was a lot of debate over whether "We Belong Together" or "Shake It Off" should be Mariah's contribution to the list. (Side note: At one point "We Belong Together" was the number one song in the country, and "Shake It Off" was number two. Now that's chart domination). Anyway, after much discussion we decided that not only was "We Belong Together" the more commercially successful song, but in many ways it was more iconic. From the softly winding yet strong production to Mariah's always astounding vocals, including a few high notes that only dogs and dolphins could hear, if you were looking for one track to truly represent who Mariah is as an artist, it has to be this one. So let's all just pretend like "Glitter" never happened and take a moment to bask in the glory that is Mariah Carey.

For a list of complete list of the Top 25 picks so far click here.

Love this selection/hate this selection? Comment below, write about it on your blog or email me at nathan[@]refinedhype.com. Come on, don't be shy.

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enigmAtic And ecstAtic (joshL)	how u guys even goin to consider "Shake It Off" ova "We Belong Together?" its not even close. "We Belong Together" is not only the better song, its was like u said, one of the biggest hits (top 5) of the decade. based on the success of this song alone, i would rank it higher than 24. prob top 10.
	Posted on Nov 18, 2009

d-mac

I was a little suspect about this selection but when I heard it I remembered how much play this track got and how damn catchy it is. The production by JD is incredible and MC switches from soulful singing to pseudo-rapping throughout without loosing the beat. Throw on top of this the DJ Clue Remix with Jada and Styles straight blowing up the club scene and you have a hit that cannot be ignored. MC went from being considered washed up by many to being back on top based off this track alone.

Posted on Nov 19, 2009

The Insider	Mariah had to make the cut, that is for sure. The song selection could have gone a few different ways, but this makes the most sense. I wonder how many other females will make this list.
	Posted on Nov 19, 2009

tdotraza

@enigmatic: Read the article again. "We Belong Together", judging by the fact it says "Mariah's contribution to the list", was likely picked as the better song. If that's not what you're referring to, then it's gotta be this.

"(Side note: At one point “We Belong Together” was the number one song in the country, and “Shake It Off” was number two. Now that’s chart domination)"

That's the stats.

Posted on Nov 19, 2009

enigmAtic And ecstAtic (joshL)

@Muzzie- I READ THE ARTICLE... AND THE STATS. however, im referring to both comments. it was a better song and a bigger hit. the thing that makes "We Belong Together" significantly better than "Shake It Off" though, is that it spent 14 weeks at number. i dont kno the exact numbers, but its one of the biggest hits in the Hot 100 era. "Shake It Off" is nowhere near as significant and historic of a song as "We Belong Together." with that said, i jus think its a rather obvious choice which song should be Mariah's contribution.

Posted on Nov 19, 2009

enigmAtic And ecstAtic (joshL)	"14 weeks at number 1."*
	Posted on Nov 19, 2009

tdotraza	Yeah, but they did pick "We Belong Together" as the better song, and one of the reasons was what you just said; the commercial success.
	Posted on Nov 19, 2009

enigmAtic And ecstAtic (joshL)	"Yeah, but..." -but what? i kno they picked "We Belong Together" as the better song. i think ur missin my point. all i was sayin is that i dont think there should of been a lot of debate ova which song to select, in which the article said that the the staff had a lot of debate ova it. regardless of our own debate, i think they made a great choice selecting this song to be on the list.
	Posted on Nov 19, 2009