These types of lists are published for a set of reasons that are not always related to the subject of the list. In Rolling Stone's case, the list was posted to:
- drive magazine sales, and also drive more clicks on their website. In other words, "clickbait".
- create "buzz". The intent is to create buzz for Rolling Stone Magazine, not the singers on the list.
- get folks talking about the list and casual conversations and internet forums, which drive more folks to Rolling Stone's website.
From that perspective, the list fails the relevancy test.
Now, back to the music....