20 artists who should receive the MTV EMA Global Icon Award

Obvious choice is obvious. The only objection to Beyonce ever winning this award is that it might not be enough to truly describe how truly and epically iconic the "Lemonade" artist truly is. Galactic Icon perhaps?

Although he might not be at his wife's level — no one is — Mr. Shawn Carter definitely has the credentials for winning this thing. Not only is he the first-ever rapper inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the release of his albums are always a worldwide event. That certainly was the case for "4:44."

I'm gonna let you finish, but Kanye West is one of the most consequential artists of all time. Yes, his personality and antics can be a tough pill to swallow, but it doesn't make it any less true. "808s and Heartbreak" changed the game. "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" broke the game. Kanye is an icon in every sense of the word. Musician, producer, fashion designer. He major? He major. 

They don't call him the Boss for nothing. You might think this an odd choice, but trust me. Young European crowds LOOOOVE Bruce Springsteen. And how could they not? The man has given us "Born to Run," "The River," "Darkness on the Edge of Town" and countless other classic albums. They love him so much that he played for four hours and 36 minutes at a show in Helsinki in 2012. 

What? You thought this was going to be just American and/or English-speaking artists? Not really that global, is it?

For the unfamiliar, Mana is the greatest rock band to ever come out of Latin America. Their albums are legendary — "Sueños Liquidos," "Revolucion de Amor" and "Donde Jugaran Los Niños" were instant classics. They are Mexico's answer to U2; not only are they that big worldwide (they're huge in Europe), but they have also used their fame to shine a light on a slew of social justice and environmental issues. 

Britney Spears has been an icon almost as long as the MTV EMAs have been around (1994). When "...Baby One More Time" dropped in 1999, Britney was propelled into stardom, and she hasn't looked back since. 

Mariah Carey is not only one of the best singers of all time — no one denies this — she's also the epitome of DIVA. Seriously, if you look the word up in the dictionary, it'll just be that video clip of her saying "I don't know her" to TMZ when she was asked about Jennifer Lopez.

In 2004, Usher released "Confessions" and in doing so, locked down the lifetime achievement award for smoothness. An MTV EMA Global Icon award would look mighty nice next to that trophy on his mantle. 

Quick, name me a bad Daft Punk song. You can’t, can you? That’s because few artists understand how to make great music better than this legendary Parisian duo. Though "Homework" was a landmark album in its own right, they’ve been on a whole ‘nother level ever since they put out "Discovery" in 2001. Giving them next year's Global Icon award would be a perfect excuse for them to unveil new music — because you know they have some.

RiRi can do no wrong. 2016's "Anti" is one of the greatest albums of the last five years or so, and she's also got some Hollywood movies under her belt. (Side note: "Battleship" is low key one of the best bad movies ever made.) And as if that's not enough, Rihanna is also a fashion icon to boot. If that's not a resume worthy of this award, I don't know what is.

Without the krautrock genius of Kraftwerk, hip-hop as we know it might have sounded completely different than it does now. Just ask Dr. Dre how much of an impact Kraftwerk had on him. 

They'd never show up to ceremony — how Radiohead of them — but that doesn't make them any less deserving of the award. The British band has been pushing the musical envelope since the days of "The Bends" and "OK Computer." Just do us a favor, imagine what a Thom Yorke acceptance speech would sound like. Wild.

I mean, come on, all I should have to do to make the case for the Material Girl is to say her name. 

Coldplay broke out after "Parachute," their debut album. Since then, every album has been bigger than the last. The band's most recent tour was in 2017 for "A Head Full of Dreams," an album they put out in 2014. There's currently a petition circulating to get them to tour again as well as speculation that they will play Slane Castle in Ireland in 2019.

You can give him this award for his work with 'N Sync alone. The band is still so popular that people got their hopes up when they briefly reunited in 2013 for the MTV Video Music Awards. His solo career has been just as successful, if not more so. "The 20/20 Experience," anyone?

Name me a more iconic hip-hop duo. I'll wait. Andre 3000 and Big Boi put the group on hold in 2014, and the world has been sorely missing them ever since. The 2019 MTV EMAs would be a great opportunity to give them the Global Icon award — that year marks the 25th anniversary of Outkast. 

Shakira's career has been so long and so renowned that a large subset of her fans identify which era they prefer. Personally, I miss the old Shakira. The "Pies Descalzos" and "Donde Estan Los Ladrones?" Shakira. The sensitive singer-songwriter Shakira. I'd be genuinely surprised if she doesn't actually get this award within the next five years. 

Gorillaz records that should DEFINITELY be in your collection: "Gorillaz" (2001), "Plastic Beach" (2010) and "Humanz" (2017). Their latter of these also features great collaborations with Grace Jones and Vince Staples, the undisputed future king of hip-hop.

Besides possibly U2, is there a rock band that's bigger than the Red Hot Chili Peppers? I'd say no...

...except maybe the Foo Fighters. Either way, give them both the awards now.