2017 has been a great year for music. As we approach the end of the year and with the Hurricanes Irma threatening to tear cities apart, we could do with some positivity. Here are 5 reasons why hip-hop has and will continue being the dominant Music Genre in the US.
Drake, Kendrick Lamar along with other rappers possess bigger star power
With the gradual rise of stars like Kendrick Lamar and Drake, legendary individuals like Jay-z have found the right people to pass the mantle to. The influence of these stars globally and within the United States is immeasurable.
Apart from their impressive musical talents, they are able to create trends and are consistent on many levels. This has allowed hip-hop to attract large masses of listeners from other genres due to its attractive culture and the big stars who spearhead it who are on the rise.
Thug-mentality and its lifestyle is being less preached
There was a time that rap music was mainly centered around life struggles, poverty, drugs, gang violence, and women. It would be far from the truth to say that these themes are not still being propagated by hip-hop but at least there’s more diversity now and hip-hop is growing from those negative themes. With artists like Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yatchy, and Chance the Rapper more positivity is being injected into hip-hop.
This has obviously attracted more listeners who just want to enjoy good music that is more relatable to and have a good time.
Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms have become artists’ selling points
Platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and countless others have allowed fans to interact with their favorite artists and get a peek into their personal lives, feelings, and character.
Social media has greatly worked in favor of hip-hop allowing fans to differentiate between the lifestyle portrayed in music and real life. Artists are now able to get the faithful following through social media which could translate to musical success because fans get attracted to their all-around work and lifestyle. In some other cases, social media has led to hip-hop artists attaining musical success.
The perfect example is Migos, whose song ‘Bad and Boujee’ completely blew up after it spawned viral memes on social media. Another example is Rae Sremmurd’s ‘Black Beatles’ that became a hit due to the viral mannequin challenge.
F**k Donald Trump!
Hip-hop has always been blunt in voicing its opinions on political and social issues. Rappers were very vocal on discrediting Donald Trump as a fitting presidential candidate and they preached through their music along with social media. They were also strongly supporting Hillary Clinton throughout and they don’t normally hide the preferences. This hilariously led to a song called FDT made by rape ace YG. This also applies to social issues especially in the controversial events that involved black people getting shot by policemen.
Many people are able to relate to hip-hop music now due to the fact that it highlights issues that people are going through.
Fashion is being embraced in the hip-hop community
Hip-hop’s dominance comes at a time when its stars are able to influence in the fashion world. With stars like Kanye West and Young Thug certain ‘boundaries’ have been broken. When Kanye West started wearing skirts, he was met with fierce criticism from all corners of hip-hop until it became a trend and people started praising him for his bold fashion sense. The same applies to Young Thug who is undoubtedly more daring in his fashion. This sense of hip-hop welcoming new ideas and things into its culture has made it more attractive to the larger masses because it was more restrictive of its fashion sense before characters like Kanye started new waves.
Recently we saw Migos strutting their diamond chains at the Met Gala which is a really big fashion event.
Hip-hop will continue to influence and grow with time while its diversity will continue to attract much more to the culture and music.
