00:00I came to dance, dance, dance, dance. I hit the floor cause that's my planes, planes, planes, planes.
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at artists that defined the 2000s, but disappeared shortly after the decade ended.
00:14Is this life what you thought, like a younger you, when you think of like settling down and getting married, like is it what you thought it was going to be?
00:21Absolutely not.
00:24Khalees. In 2003, she broke out of the European bubble and into our hearts.
00:29That was the year Khalees released the effortlessly catchy Milkshake, propelling her to international stardom.
00:40Within a year, she found herself nominated for a Grammy and collaborating with household names.
00:47She was suddenly dropped by her record label in 2007, prompting her to take a hiatus from performing.
00:53She had started training in the culinary arts the year prior, and devoted her energy to becoming a saucier.
00:59I've had times when people hated me. I'm still here.
01:03You know, I've had times when people loved me.
01:05I'm still here. I think it doesn't have any, it doesn't make or break me.
01:08By the time she returned to music in 2010 and dropped her fifth album, her moments in the mainstream have passed.
01:14Her last project came out in 2014, and since then, she's found a new niche for herself, making guest appearances in various cooking shows.
01:23I'm sure of American, like, food is always coming from a black woman, but as soon as you put on a chef coat, and you're like,
01:30Hey, let's add a Bear Blanc, and let's do a mother sauce, and everyone's like, whoa!
01:33Kevin Rudolph.
01:34Despite being signed at the very beginning of the decade, he wouldn't reap rewards until the end.
01:40After learning from Timbaland, Kevin Rudolph released his first and biggest single under his own name in 2008.
01:55Let It Rock, featuring Lil Wayne, was the perfect fusion between rap and rock and roll, and it easily resonated with the general public.
02:04It hit the top five within its first week, a spot most new artists would kill for.
02:10His moment in the sun would prove to be fleeting just a year later, when his follow-up attempt didn't even crack the top 50.
02:22Besides one other small hit in 2010, he hasn't charted since.
02:26He's still dropping new music, albeit to a much smaller audience than before.
02:31Use my hands on a masterpiece, losing myself to the mouth of me.
02:38Daniel Powder
02:40There was a period of time in the mid-aughts where you could hardly turn on the TV or radio without hearing his mega-hit.
02:54Yet, despite the massive reach of 2005's Bad Day, Daniel Powder has all but disappeared.
03:00He released more music through the end of the 2000s, but unfortunately didn't see the same success he had captured before.
03:07He quietly exited the scene in 2011 to prioritize his family.
03:12He returned a year later, but his star had waned.
03:15I try to be cool, but I want more.
03:18Now I'm standing right here at your front door.
03:22He has sporadically dropped a handful of releases and announced a new song for the fall of 2025.
03:28Only time will tell if he'll be able to re-enter the zeitgeist once more.
03:32Just get up and show what you can do.
03:41LMFAO
03:41This uncle and nephew may have come onto the scene at the tail end of the decade, but the impact they made is undeniable.
03:48We came to party rock, everybody is on.
03:51Let's go!
03:52Shots, shots, shots, shots, shots, shots, shots, shots, shots, shots, shots.
03:56LMFAO originally got their start in the club circuit in 2006, and by 2009 had found mainstream fame with songs like Shots.
04:05They carried that infectious 2000s energy into the beginning of the following decade, and released two smash hits in 2011.
04:12And we gon' make you lose your heart, and we started to have a cool, cool, cool time.
04:21Unfortunately, their party wouldn't last much longer than that.
04:24In 2012, they dropped their final single as a duo before going on an indefinite hiatus.
04:31Both Red Foo and Sky Blue have come out with solo work since then to varying levels of success,
04:37but neither have been able to recreate the heat they originally found together.
04:41I ain't afraid to show it, show it, show it, show it.
04:46I'm sexy and I know it.
04:47Christina Milian.
04:49Every little thing that we do, should be between me and you.
04:53Thanks to a Ja Rule single in 2000, she was catapulted from minor television fame to a potential pop girl.
05:00By 2004, Christina Milian had only released two albums, yet was already being compared to industry veterans like Beyonce.
05:08Her 2006 record, So Amazing, ended up falling just short of the top 10 on the Billboard 200.
05:21But despite it being her most commercially successful, she was still dropped from her label a week later.
05:27Her next project remained in limbo for years until it was ultimately cancelled in 2011.
05:33By that point, she'd already returned to acting.
05:36Since then, her career has remained on the screen, with roles in a variety of television shows and movies.
05:42Where's my desk?
05:44Hmm?
05:45What's that?
05:46Detective Maria Elguerta, I work here now, and I don't fraternize with colleagues.
05:51Oh, uh, uh, okay.
05:54Metro Station.
05:55So now you're falling in love.
05:57Let me go now.
05:58This thing that's tearing me up.
06:00While their siblings were working on Hannah Montana, Mason Musso and Trace Cyrus were ruling MySpace.
06:06After being discovered in 2007, Metro Station soon found immense success with their 2008 hit, Shake It.
06:21They were at the top of the world, but it wouldn't last long.
06:25During a tour with Miley Cyrus in 2009, their drummer and keyboardist both quit.
06:31It wasn't long before Trace and Mason split ways as well, choosing to instead focus on their own solo output.
06:38It would be years before they would come together again in 2014, and by then, their moment had been over for some time.
06:45They've briefly come together to release a few singles since then, but have made no concrete plans to reunite for another album.
06:58Akon.
07:01If you told someone in 2006 that he'd stop solo charting by the end of the decade, they'd never believe you.
07:13Akon ruled the 2000s with irresistibly catchy R&B hits, scoring 7 top 10 hits in 4 years.
07:20His association with legends like Eminem all but ensured his long-term success.
07:26Then in 2011, he took a break.
07:28He sporadically appeared as a featured artist, but didn't release another solo song until 2013.
07:37Unfortunately, his singles and albums have failed to reach the same level as his earlier work.
07:42He's switched his focus to constructing a city named after himself in Senegal.
07:47But as of 2025, that's proven to be just as lucrative as his recent musical output.
07:52No matter how rough that goes, far you go, take it easy and live life slow.
07:58Ashanti.
07:59Almost ashamed how I'm mesmerized.
08:02Such a shame.
08:03I lose my thought looking in your eyes.
08:04I know why.
08:06In 2002, her work as a featured artist helped her become the first woman to nab the top two spots on the singles chart.
08:14A start like that should have secured her fame, but Ashanti ended up getting the short end of the stick.
08:19I can't see how you could bring me to so many tears after all these years.
08:24Her debut alone earned a litany of awards, and her later work continued to sell, but she was still dropped from her label in 2009.
08:34She came back onto the scene years later to limit its success.
08:38She then struggled personally with a controversial music video promo and taking a stalker to court.
08:44Though she's overcome both, with her last album being released in 2014 and no new one in sight, she may never regain her status as a pop star.
08:53Let you get a thing for me, and show me, and if I like it, baby, watch the things that I could show you.
09:00Shawn Kingston.
09:02Life has a way of coming at you fast, even if you're a global superstar.
09:07After being discovered online in 2007, Shawn Kingston struck gold with his debut single, Beautiful Girls.
09:13Your way to beautiful girls, that's why it'll never work.
09:20By the end of the following year, he was touring with Beyoncé and Kelly Clarkson.
09:25He continued to work with established artists into the next decade.
09:29The truck will be wine, wine, wine, wine, wine.
09:33Oh yeah.
09:34I wish our hearts could come together as one.
09:37By the end of 2013, his own music was failing to chart, and wouldn't again.
09:42Unfortunately, a comeback most likely wouldn't be in the cards for him for a while.
09:48In 2024, he and his mother were both arrested for theft and fraud, after attempting to scam luxury sellers.
09:55A year later, they were convicted, and as of 2025, have both been sentenced to multiple years in prison.
10:02His mother was sentenced in July to five years in prison.
10:05Today, the rapper, who rose to fame in 2007, was sentenced exactly to 42 months in prison and supervised release for three years.
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10:28Tayo Cruz
10:31In 2009, he was primed to become the next big thing.
10:43Songs like Dynamite and Break Your Heart blew up around the world, taking Tayo Cruz to heights he'd never expected.
10:51It wouldn't be long before he was brought back down to Earth.
10:58Gonna break, break, break, break, break your heart
11:01His next project was leaked online, causing him to scrap it and start over.
11:06This had an immense impact on the album's success when it dropped in 2011.
11:10I gotta hang over, whoa, I've been drinking too much for sure
11:18He continued to release music throughout the 2010s, but couldn't recreate that initial spark.
11:24His attempt to use TikTok in 2020 to rebuild his audience ended in him being bullied off the platform.
11:31Since then, he hasn't returned, and it's unclear if he ever will.
11:35Which 2000 star would you love to see make a comeback?
11:38Let us know in the comments below!
11:54Hope for next week!
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