Whatever Happened To These '00s One-Hit Wonders

The following article includes references to addiction, violence, mental health struggles, and sexual assault allegations.

Popular music in the 2000s was a kaleidoscope of genres and sonic delights. Everyone from poppy girl groups to rap rockers managed to release ubiquitous songs that became the identifiable sounds of the decade. And while music titans like Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and Coldplay became household names during the aughts, there were plenty of acts that faded into relative obscurity. If they were lucky, some of these forgotten musicians became something that can be both coveted and reviled in the music business: One-hit wonders.

You might still remember the melodies and lyrics of these songs, but do you remember the people who made them? If the name MIMS doesn't ring a bell, but you can name all the geographical locations in the song "This Is Why I'm Hot," then this article is for you. Or how about you watched every episode of "American Idol" Season 4, but lost track of the show's runner-up? Then please read on. Let's face it, just because the world moved on from Juicy Couture tracksuits and Razr phones doesn't mean the artists who created some of the aughts' biggest hits stopped evolving. 

If you've found yourself wondering whatever happened to these '00s one-hit wonders, you're in luck, because this journey into Y2K nostalgia will take you back while catching you up.

By the early '00s, rock music had undergone a major transformation with the emergence of the rap-rock genre, with bands like Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park fusing hip-hop lyrical delivery with chunky guitar riffs. Crazy Town took rap-rock mainstream with their ballad "Butterfly" in 2001, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks. With its success, the band was catapulted to fame, but they faced backlash from some in the rock music community for their soft sound. Singer Shifty Shellshock told Rolling Stone at the time, "We have a lot to prove because of 'Butterfly.' We have to prove we're aggressive punk kids — a real band and not a pop act."

Unfortunately, Crazy Town's 2002 follow-up album "Darkhorse" tanked on the charts and the band went on an indefinite hiatus after its release. The years during the bands' hiatus were tough on its members. Former guitarist Rust Epique died in 2004. DJ AM, who along with Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker survived a 2008 private plane crash, passed away in 2009. Crazy Town's remaining members eventually reunited and even released an album called "The Brimstone Sluggers" in 2015. However, most of the Crazy Town-related headlines in the 2010s centered around Shellshock's alleged behavior, including his troubles with the law and health issues reportedly related to excessive drug use. 

When Shellshock and bandmate Bobby Reeves were filmed fighting each other in April 2023, the band was dropped from the "Nu Metal Madness Tour 2." Shortly after the incident, Shellshock was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence, per TMZ.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

In 2004, hip-hop collective Terror Squad had a massive hit with their laidback dance anthem "Lean Back." Fat Joe founded Terror Squad Entertainment, and the label's eponymous supergroup featured Fat Joe alongside Big Pun, Remy Ma, Cuban Link, and Tony Sunshine, among others. Sadly, Terror Squad suffered a serious setback when Big Pun died in 2000, but the group reached the zenith when "Lean Back" topped the Billboard Hot 100 four years later. The hit turn was a swan song of sorts for Terror Squad. They released an additional track called "Take Me Home" from their album "True Story," but it failed to match the success of its predecessor — and the collective hasn't released new music together since.

Since "Lean Back," life hasn't exactly been relaxed for former Terror Squad members. Cuban Link and Fat Joe have beefed since the mid '00s, and both Fat Joe and Remy Ma served time. Fat Joe received a four-month prison sentence in 2013 for failing to file tax returns; meanwhile, Remy Ma spent six years in a correctional facility for her involvement in a shooting, before being released in 2014. 

Despite their legal woes, Fat Joe and Remy Ma have found continued career success not only in music, like with their 2016 collaboration "All the Way Up," but also in movies and TV. He has made a number of appearances on both big screen and small, while she became a reality TV star on VH1's "Love & Hip Hop: New York."

Music superduo Gnarls Barkley's song "Crazy" was a smash hit in 2006, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that summer. Singer CeeLo Green and producer Danger Mouse combined forces for the funky, melancholy track that served as an early digital music distribution breakthrough. "Crazy" snagged a Grammy and became a popular song to cover, with popular '00s artists like Maroon 5, Nelly Furtado, and Pink putting their own spins on the track. Although Gnarls Barkley's 2008 follow-up album "The Odd Couple" failed to produce any significant hits, CeeLo and Danger Mouse's solo careers were just ramping up.

CeeLo's 2010 single "F**k You" slow-burned its way to No. 1, and he became one of the original judges of NBC's reality competition series "The Voice" that same year. He left the show in 2014, and while his departure was amicable, he did so amidst some serious legal trouble. CeeLo faced accusations of sexual assault and was charged with a felony for furnishing a controlled substance in 2013. Per the Los Angeles Times, he pleaded no contest to the charge and served no jail time. Meanwhile, Danger Mouse continued to build his reputation as a powerhouse producer, working with the likes of Adele, The Black Keys, A$AP Rocky, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. He also serves as one-half of the indie band Broken Bells. 

Over the years, there have been teases of new Gnarls Barkley music, but as of this writing, they have yet to deliver.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

When James Blunt stayed at Carrie Fisher's house while recording his debut album, he probably couldn't have predicted that "You're Beautiful" would become a global phenomenon and one of the most popular songs of the 2000s. Blunt's pensive ballad struck a chord with lovelorn millennials in the mid-'00s, and after a slow global ascent on the music charts, it finally reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in 2006. Not only was "You're Beautiful" a chart-topper, but its album "Back to Bedlam" was the biggest album of the decade in the UK.

Those are high expectations to live up to, and while Blunt's follow-up efforts haven't sold nearly as many copies as "Back to Bedlam," his global music career has been very successful, with his albums "All the Lost Souls," "Some Kind of Trouble," and "Moon Landing" selling over 1 million copies each in Europe alone. He's also not afraid of changing his sound with the times. In 2017, Blunt collaborated with hitmakers like Ed Sheeran and OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder on his album "The Afterlove." Although he's shared some regrets about his biggest hit, Blunt has readily embraced his old song in new ways, like when he mirrored the music video for "You're Beautiful" for his 2019 video "Cold." As he told Esquire, "I think most musicians and bands are searching for that one big hit."

In 2023, a new audience was introduced to Blunt when "American Idol" Season 23 winner Iam Tongi auditioned with his song "Monster." During the finale, Blunt joined Tongi for a heart-wrenching duet of the song.

Canadian singer-songwriter Daniel Powter had the biggest hit of 2006 with his song "Bad Day," which spent five weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Licensed out for a French Coca-Cola ad campaign, the tune also had European success before it found its way in "American Idol's" farewell montage song that year. With that, "Bad Day" became ubiquitous in the culture. At the time, Powter admitted to MTV News that he didn't even watch the reality competition series, but that didn't stop him from performing "Bad Day" during Season 5's finale. 

Since then, Powter hasn't charted in the Billboard Hot 100, but he's continued to make music, releasing albums like "Under the Radar" in 2008 and "Turn on the Lights" in 2012. Although financially lucrative for the singer, Powter confessed he struggled with his "Bad Day" notoriety, telling CTV News in 2012, "I had such a hard time trying to break another song around 'Bad Day' because it was so big." After stepping back from his music career, Power eventually made peace with his biggest song. However, in the shadow of "Bad Day's" success, Powder also dealt with the pressures of fame through excessive drug and alcohol use, per an interview with Metro. After five years, Powter went to rehab and got sober; he's since embraced pastimes like surfing and yoga to maintain his mental health. 

These days, Powter's still in the music game, and he's even remixed "Bad Day" for the Gen Z-crowd, releasing a dance version of the song with Agent Zed in April 2023.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

The summer of 2001 arguably belonged to Blu Cantrell's song "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)" off her debut album "So Blu." A sassy breakup song about taking revenge on a cheating lover by going on a massive shopping spree, it peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Cantrell's 2003 follow-up album "Bittersweet" was nominated for a Grammy, and while her single "Breathe" with Sean Paul was a hit in the UK, it unfortunately couldn't crack the Top 40 in the United States. Its chart performance wasn't enough to clear Cantrell of her one-hit-wonder status.

Cantrell's record label contract wasn't renewed for a third album, and despite swinging onto '00s reality television with a stint on "Celebrity Circus," her career in the studio stalled. But as she told Fuse TV in 2016, "I've been eating off of those records and have been doing shows nonstop." In more recent years, the singer has maintained a pretty low professional profile — but the real reason you never hear from Blu Cantrell anymore might be a bit more personal. In 2014, Cantrell was hospitalized and put under a psychiatric evaluation after authorities found her wandering the streets of Santa Monica, California claiming to have been poisoned, per TMZ. 

While her Instagram has been dormant since late 2016, Cantrell has since leaned into the throwback phase of her career. In 2019, she joined the "Bring That Beat Back" tour in Australia and New Zealand; the following year, Cantrell crossed the pond to partake in the "KISSTORY Blast Off!" tour.

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

California girl group Dream hit the big time when they signed to Sean "Diddy" Combs' Bad Boy Records. A teenage foursome with the pop princess sound and look, Dream's hit 2000 song "He Loves U Not" peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart, and they became a staple of the wildly popular video countdown show "TRL." They were so popular that they hit the road on the MTV "TRL" tour in 2001 with other "TRL" stalwarts like Destiny's Child, Nelly, and Jessica Simpson. 

Dream seemed poised for future success, but behind-the-scenes drama and some unfortunate timing ultimately steered the group toward obscurity. Per Complex, their former manager, Judith Fontaine, sued for a portion of their profits just before their debut album "It Was All a Dream" dropped, and after the attacks on 9/11, Bad Boy ceased promoting the record. Melissa Schuman soon left the group, and those who stayed balked at the more mature, sexy look and sound demanded of them by their record label. When their 2003 single "Crazy" off their sophomore effort "Reality" barely cracked the Top 40, Dream went their separate ways. "That was why I think we ended up disbanding," Ashley Poole told the outlet. "It just started to not gel anymore. The music wasn't gelling."

However, the group's members have remained close throughout the years, and they even made a comeback in 2015 with a cover of the holiday classic "O Holy Night," before joining other millennial popsters for the "My2K Tour" in 2016. Sadly, Dream officially disbanded later that year.

MIMS's 2006 song "This Is Why I'm Hot," which hit No. 1 in 2007, was born out of the rapper's frustration with the music business, and ironically, its success brought him major label woes. In February 2023, MIMS told BET that while "This Is Why I'm Hot" grossed millions of dollars, he personally received little financial windfall from the track's success. He pointed to the label's accounting practices as the reason for allegedly not receiving his fair share of profits, and he spent seven years in litigation with Capitol Records, per an interview with AllHipHop. Financial disappointment and his soured relationship with his record label made MIMS dispassionate about being a music star, but his bad experiences in the music industry led to a successful career pivot into tech.

He co-founded the music app RecordGram, which promised artists the ability to turn their phones into a mini-recording studio. MIMS explained to Stereogum how his time in the music business influenced his app: "I think a lot of those negative situations lumped me into the world of technology. That's why I was able to create an app like RecordGram, because I wanted to democratize the way music works." 

Although "This Is Why I'm Hot" holds a tumultuous history for its creator, it seems MIMS is ready to embrace its enduring pop culture legacy. In April 2023, he dropped a parody of the song called "This is Beyond Hot" for Cheetos Flamin' Hot Tangy Chili Fusion. One imagines MIMS scored a good payday for the spicy track.

In 2006, "Laffy Taffy" wasn't just a candy confection, it was a chart-topping, record-breaking song. Atlanta-based hip-hop group D4L shook their way to No. 1 with their infectious ode to candy girls everywhere, making hip-hop snap music into a mainstream phenomenon. Not only was the song popular on the charts, but it holds a special place in digital music history: In 2007, "Laffy Taffy" broke the Guinness World Record for most downloaded song in the history of music. Not too shabby for a song that group members initially hated, per an interview with Complex.

But their follow-up single "Betcha Can't Do It Like Me" didn't pop like its predecessor, and although the group didn't release any more music together after that, members of D4L still went on to make moves in the entertainment industry. While member Fabo continued to record new music, co-founder and member Shawty Lo teamed up with 50 Cent's G-Unit imprint in 2012. Shawty Lo also dabbled in reality television with his controversial Oxygen show "All My Babies' Mamas," which followed his relationship with 11 children with 10 different women. Backlash against the show, including a Change.org petition and objection from the Parents Television Council, caused it to be canceled before it aired.

Sadly, Shawty Lo's life was cut short when he died in a single-car crash in 2016 at age 40.

In the 2000s, "American Idol" was a cultural phenomenon that introduced the world to music megastars like Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, and Fantasia Barrino. Season 4 runner-up Bo Bice's rock-infused version of the "Idol" finale track "Inside Your Heaven" peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard chart in 2005, and his second-place status seemed to be setting him up for success. He told Rolling Stone at the time (via Today), "The label 'American Idol' was not for me. I'm not a pop person. It would have been harder to play my kind of music if I had won."

Indeed, he played his kind of music on his debut album "The Real Thing," which also charted — but Bice's career cooled after his "Idol" shine faded. In the years after "Inside Your Heaven," Bice has kept to his rock roots by becoming the lead vocalist for classic rock band Blood, Sweat & Tears, touring the world with the group for five years until 2018. In January 2023, Bice even applied his hard-rocking persona to a production of the musical "Rock of Ages" in Florida. 

Reflecting on his music career and his experience on "Idol," Bice told Swampland.com, "I never called it work. I am doing what I always dreamed of doing at this level. To have these great fans who voted on the TV show and still come out to see us play is just a blessing — that's what this is all about."

Macy Gray scored a Top 5 hit in 2000 with the soulful earworm "I Try." The song was a smash, garnering Gray a Grammy for best female pop vocal performance and a Moon Person for best new artist at the MTV VMAs. However, she admittedly didn't keep things humble. 

On "Where Are They Now," she later confessed to Oprah Winfrey, "I was a massive a**hole and I probably made a lot of people upset." Gray also started to use drugs excessively, but she got sober after she saw how drug use impacted her looks. Although she got her health in order, Gray's music faltered after her initial burst of fame. "I had all that success really early and ... I hadn't had a plan to make it last," she noted. "I just kind of took it for granted and assumed that it would be like that for the rest of my life."

In the years after "I Try," Gray continued to work in the music business, putting out a number of albums in the '00s and 2010s. In 2021, she competed on the Australian version of "The Masked Singer;" stateside, she represented her home state of Ohio on NBC's "American Song Contest" the following year. Also in 2022, Gray made headlines for making transphobic comments during an appearance on "Piers Morgan Uncensored." She seemed to go back and forth on an apology on Twitter, but ultimately said on the "Today" show, "I said some things that didn't go over well, but my intention was never to hurt anybody."

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Cassie had the sound and the look for music stardom when she dropped her song "Me & U" in 2006. The minimalist track peaked at No. 3 in 2006, but the singer failed to follow up it up with another hit. Instead, Cassie's career branched off into acting and modeling. In the 2000s and 2010s, she appeared in movies like "Step Up 2: The Streets" and "The Perfect Match," as well as on the hit TV show "Empire." She's also modeled for brands like Calvin Klein, ASOS, and Forever 21.

Although clearly a busy professional, Cassie also stayed in the public eye for her decade-long on-again-off-again relationship with Diddy. There are multiple reasons why Diddy and Cassie split, including her reported impatience regarding a marriage proposal, as well as alleged police-involved arguments and infidelity from both parties. Cassie eventually moved on from Diddy and married Alex Fine in 2019. The couple have two children together, and these days, she shares both her personal and professional life with her over 9 million Instagram followers. While Cassie hasn't released a proper album since 2006, Diddy appeared to process the demise of their relationship with the 2022 track "Gotta Move On." However, it's safe to say Cassie won't respond musically to her ex's laments. 

As Cassie told The Cut in January 2023, "I'm not fearful of the decisions that I make for myself because they're mine and they're for the benefit of me and my family at the end of the day."