Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye's 'What's Going On' became the first R&B album to sell over 2 million copies while addressing social issues, earning him two Grammys and a 99 Metascore—higher than the average R&B classic of its era (85). His follow-up 'Let's Get It On' spent 77 weeks on the Billboard 200 and established the template for sensual R&B, outselling #1's equivalent 1973 release by 15% in first-year units. Gaye remains the only Motown artist to have three posthumous #1 hits, a durability unmatched by any other on this list.