5. Kanye West
Okay I know that Kanye West is actually a rapper. But hes actually had a huge effect on the modern pop industry over the past decade. Now Ill just get it out of the way and say that the guy is a massively egotistical jerk. But that has no bearing on his work. So forget about that. West started out with The College Dropout and Late Registration. These two albums were huge successes for him because they established a dedicated fan-base while changing rap into something a little more accessible to the whole world. The guy is a king of sampling. He took influences from jazz, soul, R&B and even a little rock to create a new kind of rap that wasnt all about knives and guns. With Graduation, West launched this idea big time. It was so successful that he was confident to make 808s & Heartbreaks. This album was an entirely auto-tuned straight pop effort. While it did introduce the idiotic reliance on auto-tune we have these days, it was also highly experimental for a rapper and if you look at the state of modern rap, youll see just how much hes changed it. Sampling is now the way forward...just ask Jay-Z.