List of honorific titles in popular music

Honorific titles are often conferred upon popular music artists for their contributions to the field. Steve Holsey of the Michigan Chronicle observes "[b]ehind most nicknames there is a story. The reasons for them can be logical, based on a reality aspect of the person, or they can be whimsical. That is part of the beauty of nicknames - they can range from the silly to the sublime, and everything in between." Holsey adds, "[t]here is certainly no shortage of nicknames in the world of entertainment. Titles either." These titles—such as King/Queen, Prince/Princess, or Godfather/Godmother—may be given to them by the media, marketing departments of the record companies, fans, or critics. In some cases, more than one artist may have been given the same title, while a single artist can be attributed multiple titles.

Ashante Infantry of the Toronto Star wrote in 2004 that among the world's popular music artists, such as Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Bob Marley and Michael Jackson, these honorific titles have remained "undisputed", regardless of death or diminishment.

The title can be used as a promotional commercial tool by the artist or record company. For example, Buddah Records released The Five Stairsteps compilation album, The First Family of Soul: The Best of the Five Stairsteps in 2001. Similarly, in 2008, Michael Jackson and Sony BMG released a compilation album called King of Pop in various countries. As a marketing tool, Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro titled her 2005 sixth studio album Queen of Hip-Pop, signifying her transition from Japanese pop music to Japanese hip hop.