[skookum]

The list feels like the equivalent of an 80s canon that includes Rick Astley but omits Depeche Mode.

The approach of taking what was most popular at the time and intersecting it with what is most recognizable now doesn't seem like the right way to define a canon. A canon in art is usually meant to identify those works that, with the benefit of hindsight, were the most important or influential on the development of the art form. This list is heavily weighted towards R&B & pop-rap that has had virtually no lasting impact on subsequent works and I suspect many of these songs are only listened to today either out of personal nostalgia or in humorous contexts.