Pazz & Jop

[2][3] It was named in acknowledgement of the defunct magazine Jazz & Pop, and adopted the ratings system used in that publication's annual critics poll.

[12] The idea behind its name (a spoonerism of Jazz & Pop) was that, since the words "pazz" and "jop" do not exist, participating critics would judge a musical work on its own merits rather than be distracted by categories and genres.

[16] English singer Ian Dury and his band the Blockheads topped the first singles poll with "Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick" (1979).

"[13] Christgau's tenure as Pazz & Jop overseer came to an abrupt end when he was controversially fired from The Village Voice after a company buy-out in August 2006.

[22] Regardless, The Village Voice continued to run the feature, with Rob Harvilla succeeding Christgau as music editor and overseer of the poll.

[23] Christgau's annual Pazz & Jop overview essay was discontinued and substituted with multiple retrospective articles of the year's music written by a selection of critics.

A man wearing a plaid-red shirt speaks into a microphone.
Music critic Robert Christgau created the Pazz & Jop poll [ 1 ] and presided over it from its inception in 1971 to 2005.
A gray-haired man wearing a hat plays a guitar.
American musician Bob Dylan topped the Pazz & Jop albums poll four times.
Two African-American men rap into microphones whilst on stage. One wears a blonde wig, a grey jacket and blue trousers, and the other wears a green checkered hat, a white shirt and khaki shorts.
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003) by American hip hop duo Outkast garnered the most total points of any number-one album in the history of the poll.
A man holding a microphone in his right hand whilst on stage. He wears a black T-shirt with a tiger-like face on it, tight leather pants, and a kilk.
American hip-hop artist Kanye West topped the Pazz & Jop albums poll four times out of the eight solo albums he released during the poll's existence.
English musician Ian Dury performed " Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick ", which topped the first singles poll in 1979.
American rapper Missy Elliott is the only artist with two consecutive Pazz & Jop number-one singles: " Get Ur Freak On " and " Work It ".
Perfect Sound Forever and Watery, Domestic by American indie rock band Pavement were voted the number-one extended plays of their respective release years.
A sideview of two rock musicians performing onstage.
American rock band Nirvana topped the music videos poll for three consecutive years.