A challenge The New York Times faced in compiling their list of the ’30 Greatest Living American Songwriters’ was representing as many genres as possible. Rather than adhere to the traditional white male guitar-and-a-pen concept of songwriting, they wanted to open the conversation to other forms of songcraft.
I think that’s the right approach for a list like this. Popular music in 2026 is different than the folk and rock derivative music of the 20th century. Rap, for example, has been a dominant musical form for three decades. It needs to have a significant presence in this project, and it does.
That said, I didn’t have the same responsibility when creating my own list. I had the freedom of concentrating only on what I like, not what the masses like. And as a result, my list is significantly lacking in quite a few genres (it’s also extremely, tragically, white).
Missing genres include EDM, heavy metal, KPop, jazz, and punk. And The New York Times opted not to include any of those genres either, so I guess we’re on the same page there.
But three other genres I avoided found ample representation on the NYT list: Hip-hop/Rap, R&B, and Latin.
The rap acts on the list are Missy Elliott, Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, OutKast, and Young Thug.
I can’t speak to Young Thug’s inclusion, but the brief sampling I’ve done of his catalog does not have me rushing to seek out more. The Times credits him with deconstructing rap after it became palatable to the mainstream, and that may be historically significant, but it doesn’t make for songs I want to hear.
The other four rap artists are certainly titans of the genre, and I’m not going to quibble with Pulitzer Prize-winning Kendrick Lamar being recognized for his craft. I’ve just never been a big rap music fan, so even its best practitioners won’t end up on my list.
The same goes for R&B, a genre I just can’t get into. From the R&B ranks, The New York Times recognized Babyface, Lionel Richie, and Valerie Simpson (the surviving half of Ashford & Simpson). Of those, I have the most affection for Richie, who has released one album I consider a must-have.
Finally, The Times recognized two Latin artists: Bad Bunny and Romeo Santos. I enjoyed the hell out of Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance, but I don’t think somebody whose first studio album came out in 2018 should be on this list. Santos, on the other hand, has been recording for more than 25 years, but his music is completely new to me.
If this project wasn’t restricted to American musicians, I might find room for the Colombian Shakira on my own list. But, alas, mine will be an all-English affair.
Mi memoria ha conservado lo que se ha llevado el viento
Y yo estoy estancado en esos tiempos
Cuando tú me amabas y con gran fulgor sentía tus besos
Dime, quítame esta duda
¿Quién es esta extraña que se ha apoderado de tu ser?
¿Dónde está la amante loca que me erizaba la piel?
Porque ya tú no me tocas como lo hacía esa mujer
Algo no anda bien
Escucha las palabras de Romeo
[Coro]
Esta noche me hago el interrogante
Y le pongo fin a la impostora, usurpadora
Exijo contigo una entrevista
Sospecho plagio a mi señora, mala imitadora
Dime, tengo unas preguntas
¿Dónde fue bajo la lluvia que te di ese primer beso?
Dime también, relátame el momento
Número de alojamiento donde yo te hice mujer
Confírmame
¿Qué me enciende en el sexo?
¿Qué me encanta de tu cuerpo?
Nuestra primera aventura
Quiero detalles
¿Será el cuello o el ombliguito tu punto favorito?
Porque yo sí sé cual es
Si en verdad eres la original, demuéstramelo ahora
[Coro]
Esta noche me hago el interrogante
Y le pongo fin a la impostora, usurpadora
Exijo contigo una entrevista
Sospecho plagio a mi señora, mala imitadora
Dime, tengo unas preguntas
¿Dónde fue bajo la lluvia que te di ese primer beso?
Dime también, relátame el momento
Número de alojamiento donde yo te hice mujer
Confírmame
¿Qué me enciende en el sexo?
¿Qué me encanta de tu cuerpo?
Nuestra primer aventura
Quiero detalles
¿Será el cuello o el ombliguito
Tu punto favorito?
Porque yo sí sé cual es
Mmm, si en verdad eres la original, demuéstramelo ahora
[Interludio]
Tú no era’ así cuando te conocí
The king
[Outro]
Tell me where she’s at?
¿Quién es esta imitadora hoy en su lugar?
Tell me where she’s at?
Yo la extraño ¿a dónde se me perdió?
Tell me where she’s at?
Que regrese mi amada porque tú, no eres tú
Meet Me In Montauk 
I’ve never heard of this guy and my guess is that 25 or 50 years from now, most who look at this list will scratch their heads about his inclusion.
While my personal list would also skew far more heavily white and male, the lengths these NYT critics went to feature diversity is, well, why we lose elections….
After watching the 30 min YouTube video featuring some of the judges, I was flabbergasted that this guy, as well as Bad Bunny and Young Thug made the list, apparently with little to no debate or controversy, while the likes of Billy Joel and Randy Newman were sidelined.
I absolutely love the visual of you perusing Young Thug’s catalog for the first time. Now I must know what tracks you heard that somehow didn’t have you racing to hear more?!
I didn’t take as much issue with the fact that they made an active effort to be cognizant of representation as the artists they chose to model that representation with.
As a fan who genuinely bumps and eagerly awaits a new Young Thug release, he wouldn’t be in my Top 100 greatest living American singer-songwriters. I think this was an example of his prominence having risen from the whole “Free Jeffrey” movement and also an example of provocative choice with at least a primary interest in stoking conversation.
Similarly, Bad Bunny likely makes his way onto this list because of the controversy surrounding his Super Bowl Halftime show which as you said he rocked. I’m not as upset with this inclusion or his lack of longevity in his discography. I think it’s somewhat a testament to his artistry/songwriting ability that in that short period of time he has become far and away the biggest name in Latin Music and has consistently beat out huge names like Taylor Swift and Drake as the number 1 most listened to artist globally.
Now, does that mean he should be on the 30 greatest living American singer-songwriters? I think it’s certainly a strong argument and I already feel their very limited view of what constitutes an “American” felt reductive. If it is a birthright citizenship definition then certainly Puerto Rico’s finest makes the cut!
In that case he is the pinnacle of that genre. However, with Young Thug no one would have him on a Top 5 greatest rappers list let alone Top 30 greatest songwriters. I would’ve much rather had J. Cole take his spot whose most recent album “The Fall-Off” is a masterclass in storytelling and lyricism which has been showcased throughout his career.
As for R&B/Funk, I’d like to have seen Bruno Mars represented here instead of a The Dream or even Mariah Carey. He’s got a comparable amount of hits and its very clear he’s involved in every step of the process from the songwriting to the production!
Since I don’t consider rap music I can’t put anyone on the List who writes and “sings” it. Sorry