Time magazine revealed a portion of their 100 most influential people of 2020 list on Tuesday (September 22), which includes a few artists from the music world such as The Weeknd and Megan Thee Stallion.
After a stellar 2019 where Meg rapidly rose up through the rap ranks, Meg continued that momentum into 2020, as she currently sits atop the Billboard Hot 100 with an assist on Cardi B’s “WAP.”
“STILL I RISE,” the Houston Hottie wrote. “YOUNG BLACK WOMAN FROM HOUSTON TEXAS ON THE COVER OF TIME MAGAZINE AS ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD.”
During the Time100 special, Megan admitted she was confused by politicians reacting to “WAP.”
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“When I saw all of the politicians in an uproar about mine and Cardi’s ‘WAP’, I was just really taken aback,” she said. “Like why is this your focus right now? If you have an issue with what I’m saying don’t listen to it.”
Megan’s tribute was written by actress Taraji P. Henson.
“There was something about this woman. Once you discover her, you become a fan,” the actress wrote. “I don’t like to put the stigma of the word strong on Black women because I think it dehumanizes us, but she has strength—strength through vulnerability. She’s lost much of her family—her mother, her father, her grandmother—yet she is the epitome of tenacity, of pulling herself up by her bootstraps. She was shot this summer, and still people tried to tear her down. But she’s out here still loving and being sweet.”
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The Weeknd also hasn’t let the sheer unpredictability of 2020 throw him off. On Monday (September 21), Billboard announced mammoth After Hours single “Blinding Lights” set a Billboard Hot 100 record when it remained in the top five for the 27th week. His tribute was penned by the legendary Elton John.
“This year, I met Abel Tesfaye, who performs as the Weeknd, at an Oscars party,” he wrote. “He has so many different types of music tucked up his sleeve that he incorporates into his vision. He’s not interested in commerciality for commerciality’s sake, but he’s one of the biggest streaming artists on Spotify. Like Prince, he marches to his own beat. That’s an exemplary way for an artist to be.”
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The Weeknd also performed as part of Tuesday’s (September 22) TIME100 special on ABC.
The Weeknd @theweeknd performing on #TIME100pic.twitter.com/DMOPIu5qnA
— The Weeknd UK (@updatesweeknduk) September 23, 2020
Other celebrities to make the cut include Selena Gomez, Dr. Anthony Fauci, J. Balvin, Halsey, Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union, Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes and more.
