Lil Nas X, Elon Musk & more feature in TIME’s 100 most influential people of 2021

Time Magazine’s annual list of the top 100 most influential people has been released for 2021 and it features the likes of Lil Nas X and Elon Musk.

Since 1999, Time Magazine has released its highly publicized annual Top 100 list of the most influential people of the past year. Exclusively chosen by the magazine’s editors, the people on the list are recognized for changing the world in their own ways, despite the consequences of their actions.

When it comes to the list for 2021, two names stand out the most — ‘Old Town Road’ artist Lil Nas X and Tesla founder, Elon Musk.

Time Magazines Top 100: Elon Musk and Lil Nas X

Appearing on the annual list is often seen as an honor, and some influential people have even appeared on the list several times throughout their lives. This is the case for Elon Musk, who has appeared on the list a total of four times — 2010, 2013, 2018, and this year, 2021.

Breaking free of the ‘norm’, Elon has gone from co-founding and selling online payment company PayPal, kick-starting the electric vehicle movement with Tesla to even landing astronauts on the moon with SpaceX.

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Over the last year, Musk has helped build up a craze around crypto, considered making a real-life hovercar, and even named his newborn child after a Call of Duty killstreak.

While hip-hop artist Lil Nas X may be celebrating his first year on the top 100 list, he was included in Time’s 2019 list of most influential internet stars as he was taking over the scene with his viral song Old Town Road with Billy Ray Cyrus.

He has gone on to become the first artist to come out as gay while holding a top-charting song, the most nominated male artist at the 62nd Grammy Awards, as well as being an active creator on TikTok and even had his fair share of controversy with his ‘satan blood’ shoes.

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Fellow hip-hop artist Kid Kudi had this to say when asked to describe why Lil Nas X deserves to be on the list: “To have a gay man in hip-hop doing his thing, crushing records—that is huge for us and for Black excellence. The way he’s unafraid to make people uncomfortable is so rock ’n’ roll. He’s a true rock star.”

While Time Magazine has included Elon and Lil Nas X in the top 100 list, it will be interesting to see if they are included in the most influential internet users list for 2021, if Time decides to release one.