This is why no hip-hop songs are in the top 40

[Apollo Creed]

From a historical perspective, we’ve been LONG overdue for a new genre

Black men no longer in the for front of black society culturally so no surprise shyt is dead lol

 

[Chelsea Bridge]

Coddling or allowing their artists to grow and develop?



Only black people have these stupid ass limitations on art. Meanwhile white legacy acts can still tour with one foot in the grave and one on stage.

Taylor swift has developed? From what to what? lol

 

[Wig Twistin Season]

Taylor swift has developed? From what to what? lol

Couldn’t tell you one Taylor Swift song. Not my lane.



But she went from a country singer to a pop star. That’s something.

 

[IsThatBrothaMouzone?]

Underground will always thrive but the days of mainstream commercial hip-hop being at the top are done (for now at least).

Ironic, because with all the chaos....a Tupac, Public Enemy type act with strong lyrics and beats would be a gold mine. Feel like the end started about 25 to 30 years ago when rap became all about cars, clothes, watches and heauxs. It became an easily digestible commodity that white record execs could control. It lost the revolutionary/pro-Black edge.

It survived because of all the talent, but this was the logical conclusion.

It's been around for at least 50 years, maybe longer if we're talking NYC only. It's been mainstream for over 40 years.

Think of it like this...the gap in time between Pac vs Biggie beefs versus today.....is like the gap in time between The Temptations doing "My Girl" live on TV....and the Pac vs Biggie beefs (about 30 years).

 

[Lonj]

lol billboard reworked the algorithm and now 90% of the top 40 is taylor swift…its not just rap.

It was already on a decline even before they reworked the algorithm. The highest charting "hip-hop" song was Luther, a song that was almost a year old.

 

[Chelsea Bridge]

Couldn’t tell you one Taylor Swift song. Not my lane.



But she went from a country singer to a pop star. That’s something.

It really isn’t. Her type of delivery is still the same, it’s just on a different beat. That’s not growth or development…

She just has different producers.

Every bland Taylor Swift song is trying to fill the thirst of the masses of insecure women that are thirsting for some Alannis Morissette, Jewel, and Sarah McLachlan authenticity. Unfortunately they’re not getting it on a mainstream level and this is what we have now.

Billie Eillish is at least giving something. Her last album>>>>>>> but of course Taylor has the machine behind her.

 

[2 Up 2 Down]

It really isn’t. Her type of delivery is still the same, it’s just on a different beat. That’s not growth or development…

She just has different producers.

Every bland Taylor Swift song is trying to fill the thirst of the masses of insecure women that are thirsting for some Alannis Morissette, Jewel, and Sarah McLachlan authenticity. Unfortunately they’re not getting it on a mainstream level and this is what we have now.

Billie Eillish is at least giving something. Her last album>>>>>>> but of course Taylor has the machine behind her.

I don't listen to her music but I'm sure the subject matter of her songs from her teenage years as a country singer is far different from what's on her latest album.

 

[Xyrax]

JID 35 and been making noise since 2016/17…neither new nor young. I would describe new and young as an 18-28 year old rapper who got on 2020 - now

JID is great. He's also 35.

He's closer to Kendrick, Cole and Drake's age than he is NBA Youngboy.

Damn I aint know that nikka was 35, I legit thought nikka was like 28 fr. Thats wild.

nikka been dropping heat regardless.

 

[Shadow King]

It did a dead cat bounce during the trap era then its been slowly sliding off the cliff.

If you have to search for “real rap” then accept that rap is now jazz status.

This. It "exists" but is no longer the mainstream force it was. Despite cats tryna push the "we used to dig in the crates" narrative, 90% of people wasn't doing that. The other 10% did it and the cream rose to the top.

From a historical perspective, we’ve been LONG overdue for a new genre

If trap music was properly categorized as such we'd be having a different conversation.

Hiphop needed drake. He was carrying the genre on his back…

After that battle… hiphop ain’t really had no hits.

Like when 50 killed hiphop by attacking everybody

That was an artificial position he and his backers created. When your label acts as a personal hit factory instead of a spreading of opportunity, while riding the waves of other artists on the come up, this is what happens.

There is no inspiring story anymore. Rap needed to pivot past the tiresome cliches corporate forced down to the masses and return to making music for black people about the black experience.

There's enough to talk about, people just don't wanna hear it.

Drake kept rap alive…

See the above.

 

[summwunn]

 

[Chelsea Bridge]

I don't listen to her music but I'm sure the subject matter of her songs from her teenage years as a country singer is far different from what's on her latest album.

Listen to her songs lol

 

[Blessings]

This is all part of the multiple levers:
-Anti-DEI(DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION)
-Anti-Black/Creativity/Culture/Individuality + pro-uniformity
-Anti-intellectualism/literarcy, lack of reading/language arts

Zero media literacy, people are easier to market to and fall in line with whatever BS agenda is being pushed.
Damn near everyone wants to be, look, act the same.
It's impacting everyone, but more so on black folks.
More anti-black agendas are pushing us towards more white-adjacent bullshyt and away from blacks in the diaspora.

So many levers being pushed smh it's nasty


On the mainstream/national level, there's no new resistance/political-focused music, dances, storytelling, or introspective tracks in hip-hop.

 

[Blessings]

Yall crucified the only mainstream rapper that was making GOOD music consistently

Now upcoming rappers copying NBA Youngboy or Thot Rap and the clones keep getting worse and worse

All self-inflicted

 

[O.Red]

Make Boom Bap Great Again

Y'all nikkas part of the problem too

 

[Blessings]

This and all previous versions of hip-hop from Westcoast to Boom Bap are played out otherwise they’d be poppin right now.

Someone needs to come up with a new sound, only downside is it’d get copied ASAP and saturated.

The last part is the problem and I’ve said it many times on here. It’s way too easy to make music today. If you have a computer you have access to all the multimillion dollar instruments and equipment studios are full of right inside your laptop.

It was crazy to be able to play the exact same instrument on my computer that sooo many of my favorite songs from the 80’s and 90’s was made with (Yamaha DX-7). You know how much it used to cost to afford these instruments?

Everyone can do this now if they have a laptop rather than only a handful of people having access to sophisticated, expensive instruments.

Music in general and “playing with sounds” is saturated, period.

-Creativity is stifled on so many levels
-Labels, music listeners who actually can invest, don't want to invest in "different" or "interesting"
-The economy is shyt, people don't have the discretionary income like years past
-Layoffs at record labels, and throughout media/creative agencies.
-When money is tight, those with it would rather take a conservative approach and push the same old bullshyt

So many other more points...it's only going to get worse as we progress further from....
-Young vocalist honing their talent in the choir, creative/academic programs(which are defunded)
-People don't read/write/work on improving their communication and understanding of the world around them

This is exactly what the power structure wanted....uniformity as a means of control (which also strips/stifles creativity)