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In the ever changing landscape of America – news has just broke that rap music has overtaken rock as the most listened to type of music in the US – the first time rock music has been knocked of its throne since records began.
For many years, Hip Hop has been a steadily growing force which from its birth in the Bronx in the late 70s with pioneers like Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa to its modern stadium filling concert incarnation for Jay z and Kendrick Lamarr.
Nielsen Music’s mid-year report has come out, showing that hip-hop is the most popular music genre in the industry – this is the case for the first time in US history.
The Nielsen report, bundles hip-hop and R&B into one genre, unveils the stats in comparison to other categories and music genres. R&B and hip-hop reportedly make up for over a quarter of the music consumed in the US.
While that seems like a low number, it’s very interesting to take note of the fact that hip-hop has overtaken rock n’ roll in consumption, which clocks in at around 23 percent.
Hip-hop’s rise in the ranks can likely be attributed to the rise in music streaming services according to Forbes. Rock still leads in physical album sales, but the percent has actually been decreasing over the last few years.
Services such as Spotify and Apple Music have become top platforms for hip-hop and R&B to rise, it’s a growing number.
Artists such as Drake, who broke boundaries as Spotify’s most-played artist in its history, are at the helm of the genre’s success. His More Life playlist was reportedly streamed over 10 billion times on both Apple Music and Spotify.
While Kendrick Lamar’s latest album titled Damn, is considered to be one of the biggest albums in the US at this time.
Jay-Z is also still near the top of the game, which is a very impressive run. It’ll be great to see how the genre grows as time rolls on, with plenty of new artists coming up strong this year.
It shows how far the artform has come from being vilified in the late 80s by the US Government for protest songs like N.W.A’s Fuk Tha Police and the 90s Gangster rap movement which had Middle America running scared.
Now we can all delve into rap’s rich history from the comfort of our bedrooms and homes and thank the Hip Hop gods who spread the message from the early days of block parties and tagging trains.
Purple Revolver says: How can Hip Hop be Dead when Wu Tag is Forever!?