In its April issue, Spin ran its list of the "40 best artists making music right now." While we agreed with some of the picks, we feel it's never a bad idea to play devil's advocate.
Sacha Waldman
50 Cent still has a bullet lodged in his mouth. You make fun of him.
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1. Eminem
They say: Hip-hop's hottest MC is also America's favorite soccer dad--he can shock the bourgeoisie and rock the boulevard.
We say: Can't take it from a hand puppet, yet continues to dish it out. Also, Brittany Murphy ditched him for Ashton Kutcher. Damn.
2. Radiohead
They say: Laptop-loving Thom Yorke & Co. still kick smart arena rock worth flicking your Bic for.
We say: Tough listens are meant for 911 tapes not albums, fellas.
3. The White Stripes
They say: The Donny and Marie Osmond of punk blues are quickly becoming America's favorite rock'n'roll fantasy.
We say: Interest only sustained by an are-they-or-aren't-they? dynamic reminiscent of the first two seasons of Moonlighting.
4. The Strokes
They say: The Rolling Stones of boho rock rewrite rules for skinny-tie accessorizing.
We say: Made our greasy mop of hair, dirty jean jacket and extensive collection of thrift-store tees increasingly passé. So fuck them.
5. OutKast
They say: The Dirty South's valedictorians are hip-hop's next-level mad scientists--and they sell mad records, too.
We say: Word.
6. Linkin Park
They say: Rap-metal nice guys get cozy with new-school hip-hoppers while still keeping their metal edge razor-sharp.
We say: Being the best of a bad bunch only makes you better, not actually good.
7. Weezer
They say: The Kiss-loving emo standard-bearers are still wondering why everyone loves them so much.
We say: Answer: Because they're hoping Matt Sharp will rejoin the band.
8. Missy Elliott
They say: The world's greatest backward-flowing, freaky-beat-riding MC.
We say: Potential drawback: Her backup dancers are sometimes more entertaining.
9. Dashboard Confessional
They say: Campfire sing-along alt rock as group therapy facilitated by a hot guidance counselor.
We say: David Koresh also played a mean guitar. Smells of another Waco.
10. The Neptunes (a.k.a. N.E.R.D.)
They say: Pretty soon Joe Lieberman will be calling up these hip-hop super-producers for a remix.
We say: Only problem: More overextended than a baby tee on Marlon Brando.
11. Coldplay
They say: Britpop's reigning falsetto-rockers are the only band ever to cover both Nelly and Sigur Rós in a single tour.
We say: In a certain light, Gwyneth Paltrow looks a lot like Yoko.
12. Wilco
They say: Anti-major-label poster boys make catchy, warped, major-label alt rock for the whole family.
We say: At this rate, Jeff Tweedy will alienate everyone in the band before the next record hits stores.
13. The Roots
They say: Hip-hop's greatest group and biggest Bad Brains fans are still coming to break us off, and, really, we're fine with that.
We say: Still coming, sure, but much slower than before.
14. The Hives
They say: Sweden's coolest, campiest spectacle and the greatest rock'n'roll swindle Max Martin ever pulled off (wink).
We say: One guitarist is already pushing three bills; what's he going to look like when they're still aping the Stones at age 60?
15. Queens of the Stone Age
They say: Desert-nomad future-gazers make hard rock fun again.
We say: At least they did on 2000's Rated R. On the new one? Not so much.
16. Bright Eyes
They say: Catholic prep-schooler, "new Dylan," antiwar radical, folk-rock messiah, and boy du jour--Conor Oberst feels our pain more tunefully than we do.
We say: There are 8-year-old girls with bigger stones.
17. Beck
They say: The manchild folk fusionist has become a grown-ass man, getting weepy one minute, pop-locking the next.
We say: Love affair with Prince still troubling.
18. No Doubt
They say: Our favorite Super Bowl halftime rockers ever.
We say: Did they even see Shania Twain? Jesus.
19. Jay-Z
They say: He's so en fuego these days that the cameo rhymes he writes in his sleep are pure genius.
We say: Uses Biggie as a crutch more than Puffy does these days. Fa shizzle.
20. Le Tigre
They say: New York City-based feminist dance-punk trio speak ass-shaking truth to power.
We say: A term paper with a beat is still a term paper.
21. The Streets
They say: British rapper drops genius tales of slacker high jinks over futurist beats.
We say: If he were American, Mike Skinner would already be on the streets.
22. Interpol
They say: Gothy pop rock just like the old days--just less, y'know, depressing.
We say: Whatever happened to Menswe@r anyway?
23. Nas
They say: Jay-Z's nemesis comes off their feud with God's Son, his best album in almost a decade.
We say: To paraphrase Jay-Z, one hot album every 10 years isn't much of an average. Even if you're a Boston fan.
24. The Donnas
They say: Cock rock's greatest girl group are finally ripping up MTV in fine Joan Jett fashion.
We say: For: Have gotten more mileage out of rewriting the same song over and over than AC/DC. Against: Continue to rewrite the same song over and over.
25. System of a Down
They say: Prog metal's greatest time-signature-moshing radicals strive to grow weirder facial hair, end capitalism.
We say: Huh. Still don't get it.
26. Foo Fighters
They say: A hard-charging New Order to Nirvana's Joy Division, led by rock's nicest guy and biggest Missy Elliott fan.
