Behind The RS 100 List: Selecting the Agents of Change

Radiohead, Tina Fey, Sacha Baron Cohen, LeBron James, J.J. Abrams, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Banksy and Barack Obama all have something in common: they're forward-thinking individuals on Rolling Stone's RS 100 list of agents of change. Perhaps you've perused the list and wondered how the RS editors selected these folks — if so, don't miss deputy managing editor Nathan Brackett breaking down our methodology in a behind-the-scenes video, above.

Then count down the Top 20 Agents of Change and check out Change on the Cover of Rolling Stone, a look back at members of the RS 100 club's past features in the magazine.

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  MUSIC Exclusive Live Chat With Linkin Park and Incubus
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  MOVIES & TV Peter Travers: 'The Avengers' Has it All
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  POLITICS Matt Taibbi: Jon Corzine Is the Original Zimmerman
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  VIDEOS Exclusive Premiere: Tenacious D's 'Tinnitus'

Song Stories

“Baby Got Back”

Sir Mix-a-Lot | 1992

While watching a Budweiser commercial during the Super Bowl, Sir Mix-a-Lot thought the skinny female models in the ad didn’t represent reality. So he wrote this ode to ample bottoms, featuring its famous to-the-point lyric: “I like big butts and I cannot lie.” MTV banished the video, featuring shaking booties and sexually suggestive fruit, to 9 p.m. or later. “I thought my career was over,” he told Rolling Stone. “Then I called Rick Rubin, and I told him the video was banned, and he was like, 'Great!' We sold another 2 million records.”

More Song Stories entries »

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