By JULIO NUNEZ North Miami Beach High School Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones. These are today's pop classics. As for 25 years into the future, there are no definite answers. Three music critics, Howard Cohen, Fernando Gonzalez and Eliseo Cardona were recently asked to define a classic and share their thoughts. Not even they can agree. Gonzalez, a writer for the jazz magazine Downbeat, defines a classic as something that "captures a moment in history, like Marvin Gaye's "What's going on." Cohen, of The Miami Herald, disagrees.  "Something that too closely defines a time gets locked in that time," he said. "A timeless song becomes a standard. The classic torch songs of the '40s, sung by people like Frank Sinatra, are still sung today by pop and jazz artists and they don't sound like songs of any time. They sound like great songs. Timeless." Gonzalez says a classic needs "great melody, great lyrics and it has to have great sound." Cohen looks for "a strong melody and sharp lyrics."  Cardona, a music critic for a number of publications, says Carlos Santana defines a classic as "a record you can listen to in any mood." The Webster's New World Dictionary defines a classic as "being a model of its kind" or "of the highest class."

LASTING ARTISTS: Hip-hop queen Lauryn Hill, above left, guitarist Carlos Santana, above right, and R&B sensation Sisqo, right.

That last requirement stumps some experts.

"We are at a weak period of music, because everything is so recycled," says Cary Darling, Sunday features editor for The Herald. "There is nothing original coming about."

Darling and other critics say some performers who will last. Among them, they name Carlos Santana, whose current album "Supernatural" is selling 20 to 50 copies a week, per store, in South Florida. Other predictions are Mark Anthony, the popular Puerto Rican artist, singer Christina Aguilera and Madonna.

Cardona says beyond specific artists, there are some types of music that we will definitely be dancing to in 2025.

"Pop appeals to everyone," Cardona says.

Life is fast, he says, so we have to listen fast. Some music requires attention to be understood, and many people don't have time for that. That's why he thinks there are fewer listeners of classical music.

"Pop changes a complex thing into what can appeal to everyone," Cardona says. "It's fast to fit in with life, which is fast paced."

Critics say another type of music that will last and grow is World music - music from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, which has already made the charts and is gaining popularity rapidly.

In an unscientific poll conducted in mid-June, teenagers between the ages of 15 and 17 chose Lauryn Hill and Mariah Carey as the two most likely artists to become "classics."

Cohen disagrees on the choices.

"I don't think anything Mariah Carey has done since her first album stands a chance of lasting," he said. "The sampled music that she is doing is very disposable."

He's more positive about Madonna, who did not make the teen's top-10 list.

"A number of Madonna's pop singles will last," he said. "Though I think her '80s dance pop tunes are awfully dated, we still hear them on the radio. She is an exception."

Jack Shan, a DJ who works in area clubs, warns that classics depend on who is listening at the time.

"The classics depend on the taste. Now, we like hip hop, tomorrow we may only like jazz," Shane, 20, said. "A classic...is something that gets inside of the people."