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It’s not often an artist comes along as strikingly talented, critically praised and with as much commercial viability as Beyonce. Let us not forget however, that despite today’s nearly universal acceptance of the woman born Beyonce Knowles as both a pop-music and overall cultural powerhouse, when the singer first struck out on her own, leaving  behind the comfort and global success of her Grammy-winning girl group, Destiny’s Child, it was far from certain as to how smoothly she’d transition to the solo game.
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It’s safe to say now, of course, Beyonce’s decision to go solo was, well, quite the wise one: in a decade’s time Queen B’s amassed five Number One singles, released several groundbreaking music videos and, alongside hubby Jay-Z, become one-half of music’s premier power couple. Naturally then, we were more than a bit psyched this week to learn that new Beyonce music — as well a brand-new Destiny’s Child track — is on the way. So what better time, we thought, to revisit Beyonce’s star-solidifying journey for this edition of Flashback Friday.

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On February 9th, legendary rock outfit Bon Jovi kicks off their mega-wattage, arena-packing “Because We Can” tour in Connecticut. And while this might seem rather unremarkable — after all, the band has been playing to sold-out arenas for decades now — 2013 is an especially special year for the New Jersey-bred crew: it’s now been thirty years since Bon Jovi released their self-titled debut album. And yet, despite achieving their biggest mainstream success in the 80s, Jon Bon Jovi and his merry rockers continue to prowl the planet, churning out big riffs and hard-hitting hooks right up there with the best rock bands on Earth. What better time then, we thought, to revisit their legacy for this edition Flashback Friday.

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For the second year in a row, Adele is the queen of popular music. And what’s even more remarkable, of course, is that the British singer released only one new track in all of 2012. Yes, Adele Atkins is a remarkable story — a singer who almost failed entirely to break through in America and now finds herself as the only artist to both be named Billboard’s top artist of the year and have the top-selling album two years running. And to think it all began with  a three-track demo her friend uploaded to Myspace. So as 2012 comes to a close, it only felt appropriate to honor Adele, one of the most commercially successful and critically praised artists in modern times, for this edition of Flashback Friday.

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To say T.I. has endured his share of obstacles on the path to rap superstardom would be a gross understatement: the rapper born Clifford Harris Jr. has shuttled in and out of prison several times over the past decade on account of both weapon and drug-related offenses. But throughout it all, the Atlanta MC has maintained his dominance in the hip-hop game. Next week T.I. will release his eighth full-length album, Trouble Man: Heavy is the Head. It marks both the rapper’s first album in the wake of his recent 11-month prison stint, and his first since 2010’s mildly received No Mercy. But how did T.I. attain the status as one of rap’s most-elite players? To answer that, for this edition of Flashback Friday, we explore his legacy.

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When Andre Benjamin and Antwan Patton met as high-schoolers in Atlanta, Southern rap, as we know it today, did not exist. But by joining forces to form Outkast, one of hip-hop’s most successful groups of all-time, Benjamin, better known as Andre 3000, and Patton, a.k.a. Big Boi, would alter the music industry’s perception of the region. Today, it is arguably the nation epicenter for all things hip-hop. While Outkast hasn’t released an album since 2006’s wildly-disapointing Idlewild, Big Boi has ventured out on his own. And next week the MC follows his critically acclaimed 2010 solo debut, Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty, with the equally adventurous Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumours. But let’s be real: without Outkast, chances are there’d be no Big Boi. So, to that end, we’re dedicating this edition of Flashback Friday to Andre 3000 and Big Boi. Or as we know them better: the one and only Outkast.

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