Pop Quiz: Who Is The Most Important Male Pop Act Of The Decade?

The TRL Pop Quiz works like this: our editors are posed a music-related question and have only 15 minutes and just 100 words to statistics, pick and explain their answers. This week's quiz: Who is the most crucial male pop act of the decade?


At this point, I don’t really believe in grouping artists based on genre (or gender), nevertheless I think what Dev Hynes has been doing for the music landscape is truly something special. I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that I was introduced to him through Solange’s TRUE EP, yet it changed my ear forever—discovering Blood Orange is the perfect thing that ever happened to me. Suthpin Boulevard, Cupid Deluxe and Freetown Sound serve particular purposes for the periods in which they were released, nevertheless they are all pieces of contemporary art that will stand the test of time. - Sydney Gore


To me, it’s Frank Ocean. He broke barriers in the R&B/hip hop world by discussing sexuality, has a wide length of touching music--both personalized songs and statements about what’s going on in the world--had a surprise album release that shook music industry executives and fans alike, and has a musical sound that blends genres and time periods. On top of all that, he has the Billboard chart stats and he is just so chill as a person! What more do you really need? - Landyn Pan


There’s no denying Drake has had an amazing career. From transitioning from a teen actor on Degrassi to solidifying his place in the music industry, he’s proved he can make bangers, he’s savvy enough to be a meme and make it work (hello “Hotline Bling!”), And he’s aware of the issues going on in the world. In his recent “God’s Plan” music video, he gave away a million dollars to people who truly needed it and in “Nice For What” he celebrated strong, diverse girls. If that’s what we can expect from Drake’s upcoming album Scorpion, I’m prepared to continue the ride! - Kristen Maldonado


When I strictly think about the males who really helped to dictate the sound and shape of pop in the 2010s, it's really hard to discount Calvin Harris as a key player of the influx of electronic music into the pop sphere. Just observe his resume of hits across the decade, including "Bounce," "Sweet Nothing," "Summer," "This Is What You Came For," and the inescapable "We Noticed Love." He’s far from the only DJ who'd impact around in this timeframe (see: David Guetta, Tiesto, Diplo, Skrillex), although in my gut, he feels at the forefront of it all. - Terron Moore


From “Just the Way You Are,” the lead single from his 2010 album Doo-Wops and Hooligans, to the more recent hits “Finesse” (feat. Cardi B) and “24K Magic” from his 2016 album 24K Magic, Bruno Mars is a hit-making machine. Mark Ronson’s song “Uptown Funk,” on which Mars was featured, was inescapable for each year, and performed at the Grammys AND the Super Bowl. With ten of these golden gramophones to his name and seven number one hits, he's definitely been an influential figure in pop music. - Leah Williams


The decade began with the birth of a new star in rap whose pop overtures have proved to be a lasting influence on the genre and the charts: Drake. The 6 God--initially laughed at for his too-sensitive approach, his unabashed softness, his corniness--has managed to flip every criticism on its head and, even better, co-opt these insults for his own ends. His resilience and subsequent triumph aren't just piece of a compelling narrative, either; his fourth album, Views, owned the Billboard charts in 2016, and his latest single, “God’s Plan,” has served as further quantifiable evidence of his enduring appeal, smashing first-day streaming records on both Apple Music and Spotify. - Gus Turner