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In 2018, Nielsen SoundScan’s year-end music industry report confirmed that R&B/Hip-Hop is America’s most popular genre. Of his 10 most-streamed artists, 9 of his 10 most-consumed songs in the U.S. are hip-hop/R&B songs, and as streaming has become a major way to consume music. Eight of them were rappers.
While that report focused on 2017, the period from 2015 to 2018 was a crescendo for the genre. Established artists like Ye, Jay-Z, and Lil Wayne still had a lot of talent. Young stars like Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Nicki Minaj have left their mark on the culture. Rising stars like Pop Smoke, Juice World, XXXTENTACION and Cardi B had already earned him an RIAA plaque. Everything was upside down.
Looking at the landscape of hip-hop today, you may have a different feeling. Rap is still very popular, but its growth is slowing. According to Luminate’s mid-year report, R&B/Hip-Hop still accounts for his 27.6% market share, the largest of any genre in the US. A term for a globally equivalent album unit. The total growth of on-demand streaming in the genre is expected to grow by 6.2% in 2022, which is lower than the overall market growth of 11.6%.
Say “I say, I’m worried” Carl Cherry, Creative Director and Head of Urban at Spotify. Chery has been feeling insecure about rap since last year, she says. My concern is that the magic is gone.
There are many reasons why the future of the genre feels uncertain. First, rap superstars like Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Post Malone are less invested in chasing hits and are aging into other chapters of their careers. This year, Drake took a detour on the dance floor, honestly, never mindon the other hand, Kendrick is a very personal Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers And Post Malone released his darkest album to date. 12 carat toothache The album debuted in considerable numbers, but then slipped off the Billboard 200 relatively quickly — each of its previous albums was a Hot 100-topping smash (“God’s Plan,” “Humble,” “Rockstar”). ), but this time, of the three, only Drake’s “Jimmy Cook” reached No. 1 and lasted for a week.the post said billboard Earlier this year, I said, ‘I don’t need No. 1. It doesn’t matter to me anymore.
These artists are even more influential due to the second problem with rap. Many would-be superstars died young. The late Pop Smoke, Juice WRLD and XXXTENTACION were three of the most important rappers of the last few years, not only because they moved units, but because they were also style innovators. Their untimely demise left a void at the heart of the genre — with the further loss of Nipsey Hussle, Mac Miller, Lil Peep, King Fong, Young Dorf and, most recently, his PnB rock. The void widened.
“Unfortunately, there is the tragedy of culture changers looking back on their days and failing to serve the purpose of the subgenre they represent,” he says. Letty Peniche,host power morning At Power 106 in LA, “We didn’t just lose [XXX, Pop, Juice]which also stopped that wave.
Then there’s the third problem with wraps.
“There haven’t been many new stars in the last few years,” says Chery. “[From 2015-2018], there were a lot of guys who seemed to come out of nowhere to become huge stars and put up numbers to rival the established ones. We don’t really see it now. “
It’s not that we haven’t seen a breakout rapper in 2022. Artists like GloRilla, SleazyWorld Go and Yeat are talented and have a bright future ahead of them. However, with the exception of Yeat, their success has been tied to hit singles and not establishing authenticity through full-length projects. They put in an impressive performance for a newcomer, but they’re nowhere near the superstar-type numbers Cherry mentions.
Meanwhile, some of rap’s most promising start-ups have seen their fortunes quickly turn around. dababy 2020 album, Blame it on baby We moved 124,000 albums’ worth of units in the first week. After several underperforming projects that reworked the same formula for 2022 baby on baby 2 Only 17,000 people moved in the first week. Megan Thee Stallion won Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards. Trauma Zine The album had fewer first weeks than her debut and produced no hits anywhere near “Savage.”Roddy Ricch had her last major No. 1 hit before the pandemic with “The Box.” However, his last single as lead artist, “Stop Breathing,” has yet to hit the Hot 100. From Young Thug protégé to independent star, his “Pushing P” has become a routinely produced cultural meme his rap.
Some of this may have been unavoidable. In many ways, rap audiences were so ready for the transition to streaming that the genre was overrated in its early days. “The movement of mixtapes from the free music world of LiveMixtapes, DatPiff, and blogs to proper monetized releases was really important,” says the founder and CEO of Signal Records. Jeff Vaughan, for the period 2015-2018. “There was a segment of music consumption that used to go unnoticed that is now trackable and profitable.”
As the pendulum swings in the opposite direction, the playing field is beginning to even out as country, rock, pop and Latin catch up to the streaming advantages of hip-hop. (including popular artists Bad Bunny) are undoubtedly influenced by hip-hop, but their triumphs don’t count towards hip-hop’s market share.
Over the past two years, upheaval has become the norm across all genres. The biggest factor has been his COVID-19 pandemic, which has brought the entire music industry to a halt and disrupted the momentum of countless careers. But the rise of TikTok has also had a major impact on marketing. Turning the song into a viral sensation overnight, it spawned all kinds of breakout hits for him, but few had a lasting career.
“What I see is people stick to songs they like,” explains Peniche. “They don’t want to hear the rest of the song TikTok has in mind. will you be?”
Peniche adds that things like TikTok have helped change the role of radio in music, from breaking hits to simply reminding people of their favorites. TikTok offers 2020s rap hits like BRS Kash’s “Throat Baby” and Popp Hunna’s “Adderall (Corvette Corvette)” and crossovers like Doja Cat’s “Say So” and Jack Harlow’s “What’s Poppin”. It has helped create breakthroughs for overhauls, but may already have lost revenue.
“Some songs have gotten a lot of attention on TikTok, but they haven’t gone all the way,” says Chery. “They play a lot of streams on Spotify and might be added to a big playlist, but they don’t get very far.”
Chery also points out that TikTok has also helped keep old music like J. Cole’s “No Role Modelz” consistently successful. “The reality of the market today is that we’re not only competing with other new music, but with the best musical eras past or present,” adds Vaughn. “In the meantime, first week sales will be in the range of 10 to 30,000. Unless something changes, that will be the new reality of business.”
These days, YouTube and TikTok celebrities compete with musicians for attention, but today’s influencers may discourage future aspiring musicians. “People can get rich from their bedroom now,” says Peniche. “People can get rich by playing games on Twitch. Are you going out looking for scrap?”
Vaughn believes the problem goes beyond TikTok. yes.It’s major [labels’] Is your market share and influence declining relative to your ability to move the market? Yes. Is there more money, attention, attention, and people in the hip-hop space today than there was five years ago? Yes. So all of this combined makes for a very different landscape. “
The pandemic has also disrupted release schedules and forced concert cancellations, and Chery recalled when she asked two party promoters what was blaring in clubs in 2021. They struggled to find an answer other than Drake’s “Way 2 Sexy.” “At what point in the history of hip-hop did club bangers run out?” Cherry asked. “I never have.”
Despite these concerns, there was a silver lining this year. Future is enjoying its biggest commercial year yet. i didn’t like you The album scored the best solo opening week of his career, and “WAIT FOR U” became his first Hot 100 No. 1 as a lead artist. Lil Baby, Jack Harlow and Moneybagg Yo continue to establish themselves as hitmakers. Rod Wave, Polo G and YoungBoy Never Broke Again are his cult artists with legions of fans. Doja Cat, Lil Nas X and The Kid Laroy have followed the rap and pop line but hit big with their albums and massive crossover hits on the Hot 100 are doing.
“Overall, I’m still incredibly bullish on the art form,” says Vaughn. “He’s been here for 50 years, but I don’t think he’s going anywhere.”
Finally, like Luminate According to interim reports, hip-hop is still number 1. To stay fresh, you have to find the spark.
“I’m always worried about where it’s going,” says Chery. “But music is cyclical. I don’t think we’ll ever live in a world where hip-hop isn’t the most influential type of music or culture. helps to organize [culture] and move everything. “
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