Marc Spector
the 4'11 Cuban
The sound of Hip Hop has NEVER been this diverse. Outside of the Trap Rap sound that Mike Will, 808's Mafia, Metro, Sonny Digital and TM-88 use, there really isnt a signature sound.
Artists like CHildish Gambino, Fetty Wap, Wiz, Drake, Nicki incorporate more pop sounds into their music
Youve got artists like Kanye (who basically birthed Prog-Rap with YEEZUS), Travis $cott, A$AP Rocky, Run The Jewels, Even Kendrick with "To Pimp A Butterfly" use more prog and experimental production in their music.
Id say guys like Post Malone, Young Thug, Makonnen, Macklemore, G-Eazy skew more toward alternative hip hop in that their sound/content isnt fully pop, isnt fully traditional/gangsta rap, but still contains popular elements of music production in their soundscape.
And going back to Pop Rap for a sec, whats even crazier is that the line separating hip hop and pop has never been this thin. Youve got pop artists like Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez incorporating hip hop ambiance into their music. Artists like Taylor Swift making a song with a "conscious" rapper like Kendrick Lamar.
On one hand, I think its a sign of how Hip Hop has fallen from grace. Dying album sales killed our ability to stand independently of pop music. Control of the music has shifted back to the suits heavily. A shrinking market share means the suits are going to dictate what sound you make and who you make it with (sad because the Internet Age should've allowed us greater freedom from the Labels). So Hip Hop becoming synonymous with pop music is at least halfway by design.
The other half is that the internet has bolstered the creativity and open mindedness of current and future generations. Black kids arent laughed at anymore (at least not as much) for wanting to be different and express themselves. White suburban kids can be just as invested in a trap rapper from Zone 3 just as much as someone who actually lives in Zone 3.
Basically, the internet really has brought us closer together and that closeness, that lack of boundaries in culture, creativity, and collaboration is being manifested in popular music. Which is great because we're seeing artists break through (for good and bad) that never would've when hip hop was dominated by regional sounds, scenes, and more street oriented imagery.
What say yall?
Artists like CHildish Gambino, Fetty Wap, Wiz, Drake, Nicki incorporate more pop sounds into their music
Youve got artists like Kanye (who basically birthed Prog-Rap with YEEZUS), Travis $cott, A$AP Rocky, Run The Jewels, Even Kendrick with "To Pimp A Butterfly" use more prog and experimental production in their music.
Id say guys like Post Malone, Young Thug, Makonnen, Macklemore, G-Eazy skew more toward alternative hip hop in that their sound/content isnt fully pop, isnt fully traditional/gangsta rap, but still contains popular elements of music production in their soundscape.
And going back to Pop Rap for a sec, whats even crazier is that the line separating hip hop and pop has never been this thin. Youve got pop artists like Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez incorporating hip hop ambiance into their music. Artists like Taylor Swift making a song with a "conscious" rapper like Kendrick Lamar.
On one hand, I think its a sign of how Hip Hop has fallen from grace. Dying album sales killed our ability to stand independently of pop music. Control of the music has shifted back to the suits heavily. A shrinking market share means the suits are going to dictate what sound you make and who you make it with (sad because the Internet Age should've allowed us greater freedom from the Labels). So Hip Hop becoming synonymous with pop music is at least halfway by design.
The other half is that the internet has bolstered the creativity and open mindedness of current and future generations. Black kids arent laughed at anymore (at least not as much) for wanting to be different and express themselves. White suburban kids can be just as invested in a trap rapper from Zone 3 just as much as someone who actually lives in Zone 3.
Basically, the internet really has brought us closer together and that closeness, that lack of boundaries in culture, creativity, and collaboration is being manifested in popular music. Which is great because we're seeing artists break through (for good and bad) that never would've when hip hop was dominated by regional sounds, scenes, and more street oriented imagery.
What say yall?
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