Written By: Jon Gauster
Rappers finding success from TikTok instead of album sales, a lack of generational stars (Jay-Z, Drake, Kendrick, Eminem), oversaturation and gimmick inspired personas with no real message, some fear hip-hop is dying.
In 2018, hip-hop did the impossible, surpassing rock n’ roll and becoming the most popular music genre in the United States. Billboard stated more than a quarter of all on demand streaming services in the U.S. were in thanks to rap and hip-hop, but it was ultimately short-lived.
Since 2023, the genre has lost its title as the most popular in the U.S., losing its crown to country and Latin music. Hip-hop has also lost the top spot on streaming services, with pop now controlling the airwaves.
While this is the popular consensus, a number of hip-hop enthusiasts disagree. News Week reported a second wind in the genre, with hip-hop’s market shares resurging by 34% since the beginning of 2024. Many believe it isn’t dying, it’s simply undergoing a transition period.
Let’s break it down.
Hip-Hop is Dying
- Hip-hop’s no longer the music of the people. Finding its roots from expressing emotions about oppression and inequality, it became a way for voices to be heard. Today, many claim the genre is now fueled by capitalism, ruining rap for the sake of commercialization.
- What was once meant to unite communities now promotes violence and gun use. A number argue the genre has lost its way, with young rappers promoting and engaging in constant gun violence, with homicide rates higher amongst rap artists compared to any other genre.
- Dilution in quality due to over-saturation. Fans argue the genre has grown so much in popularity that its sound has become oversaturated, losing its essence entirely. The number of people who can create and distribute music thanks to technology is a supposed leading cause of this.
- The genre has become stagnant. Many believe there hasn’t been an expansion in hip-hop’s vocabulary for quite some time. They argue new names are simply copy-cating the artists before them instead of progressing and creating their own art. This stagnation could also be a result of losing many prominent young artists to drugs and violence, such as;
- XXX
- Juice WRLD
- Lil Peep
- Nipsey Hussle
- RS
- Pop Smoke
- Houdini
- Mac Miller
- King Von
- KTS Dre
- Young Dolph
- Rich Homie Quan
This is a short list compared to the overall number of lives lost.
- Artists focus on themselves instead of the music. Social media and the expansion of the internet over the decades have changed how a person generates popularity. Artists once garnered success from album sales, selling out shows, building a reputation, etc. Now, like Tyler the Creator discusses, artists are seen shoe shopping, flaunting expensive material items, and overall relishing in the lifestyle, rather than honing their craft.
Hip-Hop is Alive
- Hip-hop isn’t dying, mainstream music is. Strikes Magazine believes listeners are no longer interested in the “gimmicks” and “redundant” lyrics in many current hip-hop songs. Because of this, smaller niche genres of hip-hop are developing, while the traditional blockbuster sound it once had slowly disappears.
- The “TikTok” effect massively increases an artist’s popularity while doing it faster than ever. Hip-hop’s landscape is evolving. TikTok and social media have earned a reputation for making songs instant hits, helping artists gain mass amounts of popularity in a very short amount of time. Doja Cat is one artist who benefited from the phenomenon, with “Say So” quickly becoming a hit single around the world.
- It has no expiration date. As history tells us, hip-hop is alive and always evolving. Even its sound from 1997 to 2007 drastically differs, and it’s been the same case as time has gone on.
- Hip hop is taking influence from other genres more than ever. Due to its time at the top, many caught the hip-hop bug and began producing. But, with a vast number of genres now available, there’s been more cross-genre creation in music than ever before. Influences of country and punk rock are heard quite a bit in today’s hip-hop. From Beyonce’s country album to Shaboozey’s new found love for the genre, even Lil’ Wayne was recently seen practicing guitar for a concert on his own Eddie Van Halen signature.
- Hip-hop’s been making a comeback in 2024. The genre has had multiple No. 1 albums and singles on the Billboard charts this year. The genre is bouncing back in sales, still enticing youth culture. Hundreds of new artists have taken to streaming services, with playlists being curated to showcase the vast amount of new talent.
So, is the genre at death’s door? I don’t think so. What we know about hip-hop may be at an end, but it’s clear the genre is only metamorphosing into its next stage, where that road leads is a different question.
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