The Billboard Hot 100 has been a benchmark for success in the music industry for decades. In the latest news, Billboard is putting the spotlight on The Top Songwriters of the 21st Century on its Hot 100 list.The latest Billboard list was released on November 14 and lists 25 writers with the most No. 1 hits on the chart between 2000-2025. In this timeframe, there was a total of 327 No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits, covering a variety of topics and genres.It is important to distinguish that the list is not an artist showcase but rather one aimed at recognising the songwriters behind some of the last quarter century’s biggest hits. That’s how Max Martin, who recently collaborated with Taylor Swift on The Life of a Showgirl, is first on the list.While the most recent Billboard offering is meant to showcase writing, the list is bound to anger segments of the online community who interpret it as a one-dimensional, opinion-based ranking of artists.Billboard’s The Top Songwriters of the 21st Century List examinedThe Billboard list of Top Songwriters of the 21st Century is an interesting examination of the music scene and how it has evolved. In fact, many names featured in the Top 10 are almost unrecognizable to the majority of the general public despite their contributions to some of the most heralded music of their generation.While names like Max Martin and Jack Antonoff are known commodities because of their work with Taylor Swift, Dr. Luke, who is second on the list, is largely unknown. The latest Billboard list has also put a spotlight on other lesser-known artists like Mikel Eriksen, Tor Hermanson, Shellback, and Cirkut, who are all squarely in the top 10 on the list, but do not garner a level of notoriety proportionate to their success.Despite not being an artist showcase, the list did put a spotlight on the 4 major acts who did crack the top 10. While it is common for several songwriters to work on a single song, the list shows that the following grouping of artists has played the largest role in the writing of their music amongst those that qualified.Of the ‘big four’ on Billboard’s list, Drake is the highest-ranked artist at number 3.Behind Drake at the 4th spot is icon Taylor Swift. She is the highest-ranking female songwriter on the list and comes in one spot ahead of Beyoncé, who placed 5th. Bruno Mars rounds out the top 10 in 10th place. Other notable artists appearing on the list include Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, Fergie, Jermaine Dupri, Kanye West, Sean Garrett, Pharrell Williams, Philip Lawrence, Benny Blanco, Louis Bell, Timbaland, Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, and Jay-Z.