There are no formal anointments with these kinds of things, but it's hard not to crown Beyonce as the current queen of pop music.
She's the female artist who has spent the most weeks at No. 1 this century with five No. 1 singles, she is the woman with the most Top 5 hits since 2000, and she has the most hits in the Top 10 with a dozen.
Her latest, and third, solo album "I Am … Sasha Fierce" — named after her onstage alter ego (who sounds like a Tyra Banks character) — is one of the best-selling albums of the year. With more than 2 million in sales, the album is still in the Top 30 after 34 weeks; its latest million-selling single, "Halo," is still in the Top 15 after 25 weeks. Its newest release "Ego" is No. 2 on the R&B charts.
Forbes just listed her as the No. 1 best-paid celebrity under 30, with over $87 million in earnings from June 2008 to June 2009. She's married to Jay-Z, who is No. 2 on the magazine's Hip-Hop Cash King list, making them a power couple beyond peer in recorded music.
