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The year 2011 is quickly, sadly, drawing to a close. Except it's not sad! We're moving ahead with the speed of an iPhone 4S! And before you let separation anxiety and fear of change get the best of you -- no one looks adorable pouting in a party hat -- let's take a moment to reflect on the year in pop music. Being MTV Buzzworthy, the home of all things pop, we took an exhausting, in-depth look the biggest trends in pop music in 2011. It wasn't an easy job, but... it's actually our job! So, here are the songs, sounds and stars who were all over pop music in 2011.

EPIC COVERS
+ Everyone covered and/or remixed "Marvin's Room": Drake did it first, but Chris Brown remixed it, Teyana Taylor covered it, and R&B singer Sammie covered it. Paula DeAnda put out "I Can Do Better," and even CODY SIMPSON put his spin on "Marvin's Room" with "Evenings In London." But no one did it better than JoJo. Even Drake agreed.

+ Everyone covered Lil Wayne's “How to Love”: Justin Bieber made an acoustic remix of "How To Love", Demi Lovato covered "How To Love" on VH1's Top 20 Live, pop solo singer Tinashe and R&B singer Brandon Hines (who is INCREDIBLE, btw) all covered Weezy's heartbreaker.

+ Taylor Swift covered EVERYONE: Over the course of her seemingly endless "Speak Now" tour, Taylor covered Britney, T.I.'s "Live Your Life," Eminem, Nelly, Usher, Bieber, Shawn Colvin, Jimmy Eat World, Switchfoot, Nicki Minaj, Flo Rida, Uncle Kracker (!!!) and even Bryan Adams, often bringing out artists as surprise guests.

EPIC VIDEOS
+ Pop stars put out videos like MACHINES: Beyonce put out SIX official videos this year! Eight if you count her Live At Roseland DVD performance videos. Rihanna and Pitbull put out five videos, six if you count "Fly" with Nicki Minaj. Britney put out four videos, Lady Gaga put out FOUR videos (probably five, since "Marry The Night" is due out any minute, and six if you count her "The Lady Is A Tramp" duet with Tony Bennett, Bruno Mars released four videos, and Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj put out three videos each.

+ Everyone made SUPER dramatic, cinematic videos: Katy Perry's "The One That Got Away" video featured a heartbreaking ending we didn't see coming, Dr. Dre's "I Need A Doctor" video featured a car crash, death and a return to life, Britney's "Criminal" video was shot like a modern-day Bonnie & Clyde, and Rihanna's "We Found Love" terrified us in a very Darren Aronofsky kind of way.

EPIC TOURS
+ 30 Seconds To Mars played everywhere: Seriously, these guys played 135 shows in 2011 alone. By the time December 7 rolls around, they'll set a world record for most shows played within a single album cycle. Top that.

+ Britney Spears lap-danced everyone: Every seat in the house on Britney's "Femme Fatale" tour is a good seat, but one seat in particular was the best seat in the house. The chair (actually, it's a bed?) Britney put centerstage, upon which very special guests were treated to a lap dance. Very lucky fans got a lap dance from Britney, and so did some celebrity VIPs: Britney gave Joe Jonas a lap dance, Jason Trawick got a special ride, and DJ Pauly D enjoyed a lap dance from Britney too.

EVERYTHING GOT EMO AND/OR OKAY
+ Hip-hop got introspective: For every swag-brag record there were real-talk, real-problems introspective tracks, like Jay-Z and Kanye West's “Welcome To The Jungle” (and most of Watch The Throne, for that matter), Eminem/ Bad Meets Evil's "Lighters," and Lil Wayne's "How To Love," plus sad songs by Drake (most tracks, but especially "Doing It Wrong"), Kid Cudi's 2 Be Continuum's navel-gazey "No One Believes Me," and Lupe Fiasco's conscious "Words I Never Said."

+ Pop music got introspective: I'm okay, you're okay, we're all okay, okay? was a recurrent theme in pop music, from Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" to Demi Lovato's epic "Skyscraper" to  Pink's "F****** Perfect" reminded us that we all have insecurities, and that we're all perfect the way we are.

Check out more of the biggest pop music trends of 2011 after the jump!

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Tags 30 Seconds To Mars, Adam Levine, Adele, ASAP Rocky, Best Of 2011, Beyonce, Big K.R.I.T., Blink-182, Brandon Hines, Britney Spears, Bruno Mars, Chris Brown, Chris Webby, Cody Simpson, Coldplay, Curren$y, Danny Brown, Demi Lovato, Drake, Eminem, Enrique Iglesias, Evanescence, Foo Fighters, Foster The People, Gym Class Heroes, Hot Chelle Rae, Incubus, J. Cole, JoJo, justin bieber, Katy Perry, Kreayshawn, Lady Gaga, Lana Del Ray, Lil Wayne, Lil' B, LMFAO, lou reed, Lupe Fiasco, M83, Mac Miller, Machine Gun Kelly, Macklemore, Marc Anthony, Metallica, Mike Posner, Missy Elliott, Nicki Minaj, Odd Future, Pitbull, Rebecca Black, Rick Ross, Rihanna, Scrillex, Selena Gomez, Snoop Dogg, Teyana Taylor, Theophilus London, Tony Bennett, Trey Songz, Tyler The Creator, Usher, White Gun Kelly, Will.i.Am, Wiz Khalifa

Credit: Getty Images

At a listening session for Cole World: The Sideline Story earlier this year, J. Cole told a group of journalists that he finished a track with Missy Elliott, but was still waiting on the final go-ahead to add the song to his album. We had to keep quiet -- until now. With Cole World's release a week away -- and leaked release earlier this week -- looks like the Elliott collaboration made the final cut.

Those hoping to hear her rhyme, though, may be disappointed, as Elliott only contributes sung vocals to the track that rhymes "Your son out in Barbados" with "My mind workin' like Plato's." "Nobody's Perfect," produced by J. Cole himself, loops a soulful guitar riff into one of the most soothing tracks on the album. While Cole showcases his own vocal skills, Elliott steals the song, with her hip-hop influenced style of R&B vocally nodding to mid-'90s R&B singers such as Aaliyah and TLC.

J. Cole seems to be hitting as many bases as possible with the release of each new single. "Can't Get Enough" nabbed the club demographic. "Mr. Nice Watch" used an experimental dance beat and fulfilled his long-anticipated Jay-Z appearance. And now "Nobody's Perfect" covers the smooth R&B tip. All we need is a New Jack Swing and hip-house track, and he's got the entire hip-hop spectrum covered. Fingers crossed.

Cole World is out Sept. 27 on Roc Nation.

+ Listen to J. Cole's "Nobody's Perfect" featuring Missy Elliott.

Related Content Video Premiere: J. Cole Featuring Trey Songz, 'Can't Get Enough', New Song: J. Cole Featuring Jay-Z, 'Mr. Nice Watch'

Tags J. Cole, Missy Elliott

Credit: Getty Images

ZOMG! This is the best news we've heard in a hot sec! First she goes all emotional and poignant on us with her chill-inducing song "Skyscraper" and now, Demi Lovato collabos on a hot new club banger with Missy Elliott and Timbaland? We thought we couldn't love her any more!

Slated to appear as the first track on her forthcoming Unbroken album, "All Night Long" features thumping club beats by Timbaland and blazing rhymes by Missy Elliott. Oh, and Demi's singing on the record too (obvs) and she sounds AHHHH-mazing! Showing off a side to her vocals that we haven't yet seen, Demi goes 100-percent pop on this record and at some points, her voice is even unrecognizable. She sounds all mature all bad-ass as she sings: "Don't make plans, come home with me, we'll stay up all night long/I want you in, I want you bad/Lets keep the party going all night long" ...but that's just to watch some Dawson's Creek re-runs, riiiight?

Next comes Missy, and you and I both know that Ms. Elliott doesn't just make a cameo on any old record. In fact, her appearances these days are so few and far between that we should probably write like, a thank you note to Demi for providing us with some new Missy tuneage. Even Timbaland is revved about his new collaboration, tweeting, "ms @ddlovato + @missyelliott + urs truly @timbaland = #allnightlong. ur gonna want to click that link while it lasts!" Trust us guys, he is VERY RIGHT.

+ Listen to Demi Lovato featuring Missy Elliott and Timbaland, "All Night Long," and watch Demi discuss "All Night Long."

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Tags Demi Lovato, Missy Elliott, Timbaland, video

Credit: Getty Images

+ As we mentioned, Demi Lovato has some cool collabs on her Unbroken album, including Missy Elliott and Timbaland. "I was so stoked when I went into the studio. I was working with Timbaland, and Missy was there ... she heard one of the songs and she asked if she could rap on it," says Demi in this interview. (MTV News)

+ Nicki Minaj gave a sneak peek on her website of her October issue Glamour magazine spread. As always, looking fierce! (ONTD)

+ In case you missed it last night, peep the TV premiere of Nicki Minaj, Flo Rida and David Guetta performing "Where Them Girls At" on "America's Got Talent." (Neon Limelight)

+ Taylor Swift gets the comic book treatment in a graphic novel coming out in a couple weeks. A preview of some of the artwork is here. (Celebuzz)

+ T.I. was released from prison and entered a halfway house yesterday after serving 10 months. VH1 will document his return, with behind-the-scenes looks into his personal life and his return to the recording studio. (Rap-Up)

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Tags Buzz Bites, Celebrity, David Guetta, Demi Lovato, Flo Rida, Missy Elliott, Nicki Minaj, T.I., Taylor Swift, Timbaland

Credit: Getty Images

+ Trace Cyrus, formerly of the band Metro Station, and Disney Channel star Brenda Song are reportedly expecting their first child together! We think "Aunt Miley Cyrus" has a nice ring to it, don't you? (E Online)

+ Demi Lovato unveiled the track listing from her forthcoming Unbroken album, which drops next month. Guests include Timbaland, Missy Elliott, and Jason DeRulo. (Neon Limelight)

+ Selena Gomez looks sweet and now fans can help make her first fragrance sweeter. This autumn, fans can vote on ingredients; the most popular will be added to the final scent. There's also an opportunity to win a tour of the fragrance lab conducted by Sel herself. (Just Jared Jr.)

+ True or false? All day yesterday it was like, are they together, or did they split? "We are still together, and our marriage is intact," Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith said in a joint statement. (MTV News)

+ Where does Curren$y find the time? He dropped another mixtape yesterday, this on the heels of his recent album release, Weekend at Burnie's. The new mixtape's called "Verde Terrace" and you can get it here. (Pitchfork)

+ Amy Winehouse's family revealed that the toxicology report indicated the singer did not have illegal substances in her system when she died last month. (Rolling Stone)

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Tags Amy Winehouse, Buzz Bites, Celebrity, Curren$y, Demi Lovato, Jason DeRulo, Miley Cyrus, Missy Elliott, Selena Gomez, Timbaland, Trace Cyrus, Will Smith

Credit: Getty Images

If there's one thing we know, Missy Elliott can get cray-cray. If not in her outfits (see: trash bag ensemble in her "Supa Dupa Fly" video) then definitely in every single song where she graces us with her presence. More proof can be heard in the new Katy Perry jam, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) Remix."

This is how I think this collabo went down: The "Firework" singer wakes up one morning and says, "You know, 'Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)' just isn't fun enough. I'm going to call my girl Missy and make it even crazier." And because famous people can call whoever they want, Katy called Missy and she obliged. And of course, Missy's remix doesn't disappoint.

"Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) Remix" mirrors the original starting with the song's staple swingy guitar riff. Then Missy starts rapping in that infamous growl of hers, and I'm going to say this: Just when I thought Perry's Friday evening was naughty enough, Missy starts telling us about hers: "It's a Friday night, now here we go/I ain’t no stripper, but I work the pole." You know it's an event if there's a pole present.

The only real bummer is that Missy doesn't stick around at the party for very long. She raps a few lines at the start, teases us with what I wish my past weekend was like, and then the song reverts back to the original. Sure, she sneaks back in a bit later with a slurred "T.G.I.F" chant, but we were hoping to hear more about Missy's evening of "pole art."

+ Listen to Katy Perry featuring Missy Elliott, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F) Remix."

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Tags Katy Perry, Missy Elliott

Credit: Atlantic Records

It's shaping up to be a week of welcome comebacks by much-missed artists. First, Lil Wayne pacified his fans with "Tunechi's Back," and now Missy Elliott, who's been taking a break from music while battling Graves' disease, can be heard rapping on a track by Jamaican dancehall star Spice, succinctly titled "Fun." (And don't forget last week's dose of Justin Timberlake.)

According to The Jamaica Star, the remix came as a surprise to Spice, who was stoked and honored the famous femcee would want to rap over her song. "One day my manager played the song for me, and I didn't know about the remix, and when I heard Missy on it, I was over the roof," she told the paper. "Missy ripped it up. The beat is a dancehall beat, it's not trying to be hip-hop and she did well on it."

So once Missy Elliott has remixed your song, why not celebrate by making a video? The new "Fun" video (the song's second one) features Spice and Missy cavorting with friends in a tropical location, splashing in a pool, dancing and generally, well, having fun. A little simplistic? Perhaps. A lot delightful? Most definitely.

+ Watch Spice and Missy Elliott's "Fun" video.

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Tags Missy Elliott, Spice

Credit: Getty Images

If Nicki Minaj's new video for "Super Bass," directed by Sanaa Hamri, is any indication, it's going to be one cold summer. The video, which is an orgy of neon fluorescent colors -- including the green and pink wigs on Nicki's head -- is reminiscent of both Katy Perry's candy-coated wonderland in "California Gurls" and Lil' Kim, with whom Nicki is embroiled in a nasty slab of beef. Seriously, those ultra-short shorts and crimped hair is vintage The Notorious K.I.M. "No Matter What They Say"/ "How Many Licks" Kim. Very interesting.

In the "Super Bass" video, we get to see Nicki in a sort of winter wonderland, bathing poolside and traipsing through a sprinkling of snow in a sexy bathing suit and slinky heels. Big bass speakers are made of ice, as is a giant sculpture of a motorcycle, which Nicki mounts like a pro. Between this and the video for Lady Gaga's "Judas," it looks like Hell's Angels are making a big return, no?

Not since Tweet and Missy Elliott heated up the inside of some sort of ice cave in "Oops (Oh My)" have we seen an artist make the cold look so hot. And, again, this is Nicki Minaj we're talking about here, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that an entire sequence is shot in the dark, with only Day-Glo colors providing us with the shape of Nicki's luscious lips and scene-stealing badonkadonk (speaking of Missy).

+ Watch Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass" video.

Tags Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Lil' Kim, Missy Elliott, Nicki Minaj, Tweet

(Credit: John Parra/Getty Images for Bubble Rock)

Seems to be a minor trend going on these days of female R&B singers embracing elements of dance and electronic music in their sound. Not that this a particularly new phenomenon--from the disco days of Diana Ross to the electro-funk of Missy Elliott, the two genres have always mixed well. But there seems to be a real uptick in the stylistic cross-pollination these days. We've seen Kelly Rowland's recent foray into house music, Amerie's new techno sound, and now, Mya, embracing an '80s freestyle/electro-pop sound with her new single, "Fabulous Life."

"Fabulous Life" has been described in some circles as a J-Pop song. She released in Japan first, and she worked with acclaimed J-Pop producer Jeff Miyahara on the track. But to our ears, this jam is ready for the roller-skating rink. Whether it's in Tokyo or New York City, it's an addictive piece of dance pop stuffed with melodies.

Let's hope Mya continues in this dance-centric direction when her new album finally drops. The singer has recently been working with legendary dance producer Junior Sanchez on the album. We can't wait to hear the results.

+ Listen to Mya's "Fabulous Life."

Tags Amerie, Diana Ross, Kelly Rowland, Missy Elliott, Mya

(Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for VH1)

In the spirit of Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Fridays, Swizz Beatz' Monster Mondays and my local deli's Day-Old Bagel Wednesdays, Timbaland has gotten into the music giveaway game with Timbaland Thursdays.

Hosted over at the appropriately named TimbalandThursdays.com, a site where, aside from releasing music, Tim lobbies folks like Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas for collaborations, the super producer has begun this new music series with a bang.

"Take Ur Clothes" off is the reunion of one of pop music's most potent duos, Timbaland and Missy Elliott. While the track doesn't quite cave the floor in the way say, "Get Ur Freak On," did, it's still a welcome return. There's really nothing like hearing Missy spit sweet nothings over Timbaland's stuttering and droning beat wizardry.

Rumor has it that Missy and Timbaland will be releasing new material, hopefully together, this year. Fingers crossed.

We leave you with a special message from Timbaland to Joe Jonas.

P.S. yes, that's an Elmo sweatshirt.

Tags Demi Lovato, Joe Jonas, Missy Elliott, Timabaland