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2003 was quite the year for big music events. Apple launched its iTunes store, making digital downloads accessible for the first time, Coachella was headlined by Red Hot Chili Peppers and Beastie Boys, Glastonbury was topped by R.E.M, Moby and Radiohead while Madonna caused controversy by kissing Britney Spears and Christina Aguilara at the MTV Video Music Awards. Babyshambles, Bloc Party and Pussycat Dolls all formed in 2003 while S Club 7, Blink-182 side-project Box Car Racer and Billy Corgan’s Zwan all broke up.
There was also a killer collection of albums released that year, with all of them celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2023. Below, we’ve rounded up ten of the most iconic.
Who: 50 Cent
What: ‘Get Rich Or Die Tryin’’
Release date: February 06, 2003
Why it’s so iconic: 50 Cent’s official debut album saw guest appearances from 50 Cent’s label boss Eminem and saw Dr Dre act as executive producer. Combining gangsta rap and R&B, it spawned several hit singles including ‘In Da Club’ and ‘21 Questions’ and established 50 Cent as a hip-hop heavyweight. A 20th Anniversary tour hits the UK later this year, with fans from 70 countries already purchasing tickets from viagogo.
Best track: ‘In Da Club’.
Fans can buy and sell tickets for 50 Cent at global marketplace, viagogo here.
Who: The White Stripes
What: ‘Elephant’
Release date: April 01, 2003
Why it’s so iconic: The fourth album from alternative rock duo The White Stripes also served as their breakout records thanks to fuzzy, urgent anthems like ‘Seven Nation Army’ and ‘The Hardest Button To Button’. Driven by a playful spirit and the pair’s powerful chemistry, it pulled away from the polished world of pop-punk and the industrial crunch of nu-metal that had dominated rock radio in recent years and remains an all time rock classic
Best track: ‘Seven Nation Army’.
Who: Yeah Yeah Yeahs
What: ‘Fever To Tell’
Release date: April 29, 2003
Why it’s so iconic: Despite offers from several major labels following the buzz created by their 2002 EP ‘Machine’,, New York-based dance-punk band Yeah Yeah Yeahs decided to fund the creation of their debut album themselves. Part art-punk, part garage-rock revival, the record was a bold, bright burst of guitar-driven swagger that added to the rebirth of New York cool.
Best track: ‘Maps’.
Who: Radiohead
What: ‘Hail To The Thief’
Release date: June 09, 2023
Why it’s so iconic: After the carefully considered experimentation on ‘Kid A’ and ‘Amnesiac’, Radiohead were driven by spontaneity on their sixth studio album. Wanting to blend rock and electronics without overthinking it, the result is something giddy but tense, with lyrics discussing the ongoing war on terror and general state of unease. Twenty years on, it still hits hard.
Best track: ‘2+2=5’.
Who: The Strokes
What: ‘Room On Fire’
Release date: October 28, 2003
Why it’s so iconic: How do you follow-up an album as influential, beloved and successful as The Strokes’ debut ‘Is This It’? Well, the New York group doubled down on everything that made their first album so exciting, with another collection of personality-driven guitar anthems that championed thrills at every turn.
Best track: ‘Reptilla’.
Who: Jay-Z
What: ‘The Black Album’
Release date: November 14, 2003
Why it’s so iconic: Advertised as Jay-Z’s retirement album, the sprawling album saw him team up with a range of high-profile producers including Kanye West, Timbaland and Rick Rubin to create one of hip-hop’s most instantly recognizable and beloved albums.
Best track: ‘Encore’.
Who: Muse
What: ‘Absolution’
Release date: 15 September, 2003
Why it’s so iconic: After two chaotic albums that established Muse as riff-hungry oddballs, the sleek, polished ambition of ‘Absolution’ propelled them to Glastonbury headliners and set them on a course to become the stadium-conquering rock titans they are today.
Best track: ‘Stockholm Syndrome’.
Fans can buy and sell tickets for Muse at global marketplace, viagogo here.
Who: Linkin Park
What: ‘Meteora’
Release date: 25 March, 2003
Why it’s so iconic: Linkin Park’s debut album ‘Hybrid Theory’ went on to become one of the biggest albums of the year and helped bring nu-metal to the masses. Rather than repeat the same tricks again, Linkin Park dialled up the emotion and started playing around with different genres to create a classic album that still sounds exciting today.
Best track: ‘Numb’.
Who: The Darkness
What: ‘Permission To Land’
Release date: July 07, 2003
Why it’s so iconic: The Darkness’ debut album was so successful, the Brit Awards were forced to add two rock-focused categories to celebrate just how much the bombastic glam-rock band achieved. With breakout hit ‘I Believe In A Thing Called Love’ embracing the more ridiculous side of heavy metal but with plenty of serious guitar riffs thrown in for good measure, it’s unsurprising that a big ol’ anniversary tour is pencilled in for later this year.
Best track: ‘Love Is Only A Feeling’.
Fans can buy and sell tickets for The Darkness at global marketplace, viagogo here.
Who: Blink-182
What: ‘untitled’
Release date: November 18, 2003
Why it’s so iconic: After becoming household names with a pair of hugely successful, goofy pop-punk albums, Blink-182 returned with this more mature effort. From the aching ‘I Miss You’ through the urgent ‘Feeling This’ to the goth-inspired ‘All Of This’, it proved the band were so much more than bratty angst. Rather than an anniversary tour, the classic line-up tour the UK from September in support of a currently untitled new record.
Best track: ‘Feeling This’.
Fans can buy and sell tickets for Blink-182 at global marketplace, viagogo here.