 Dylan has been described as one of the most influential figures of the 20th century , musically and culturally . He was included in the Time 100 : The Most Important People of the Century where he was called " master poet , <unk> social critic and intrepid , guiding spirit of the counterculture generation " . In 2008 , The Pulitzer Prize jury awarded him a special citation for " his profound impact on popular music and American culture , marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power . " President Barack Obama said of Dylan in 2012 , " There is not a bigger giant in the history of American music . " In their 2008 assessment of the " 100 Greatest Singers " , Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at number seven . Rolling Stone then ranked Dylan at number two in its 2011 list of " 100 Greatest Artists " of all time , while " Like A Rolling Stone " was listed as the " Greatest Song of all Time . " In 2008 , it was estimated that Dylan had sold about 120 million albums worldwide . 
