Decline in Hip-Hop Music

I always wonder where Hip Hop music is going. Around 1990s Hip Hop was mostly rap, and by the time of 2000s it began to blend in pop element. Nowadays, you can put lots of music into the genre of Hip-Hop. This diversified trend makes Hip-Hop music become a hotchpotch of different music, which means Hip-Hop contains too many other elements. The definition of Hip-Hop became vague and broad, and people wonders if it is still Hip-Hop or pop. Is Hip-Hop going downhill? If yes, why does the decline happen so fast? What is Hip-Hop’s future? 

(50 Cents)

Trend

The up and downs of Hip-hop music is very huge in the past two decades. Hip-Hop music started to influence people from 1990s, and climbed up to its peak in 1999. During that period, a large number of youth was listening Hip-Hop music, and dressed up in Hip-Hop style. However, the decline of Hip-hop music was extremely fast. Between the year 2000 and 2009, the retail sales of Hip-hop music went down by 48.3 percent. After another 10 years, 2011 becomes the first year marking that rap and hip-hop music were no longer the most popular music among teenagers aged from 13-17. Moreover, because of the illegal download on the Internet, sales for all kinds of music were heavy hit. Hip-hop music was affected the most. The stagnant market and illegal download gave Hip-Hop music a double blow. What were more specific reasons beneath the decline of Hip-Hop music?

Reasons why Hip-Hop Music is declining

• ·       Audience believes the massive decline of Hip-hop music is due to lack of meaning, or “substance.” Even though Hip-hop music has changed a lot nowadays since Eminem, a white rapper, brought the idea that hip-hop did not have to be Gangster-like and can have deep meaning into it, the change cannot stop people switching their taste. A large amount of Hip-Hop music is notable for its cursing and use of provocative substances. People think this music is not a positive energy to a healthy society. Therefore, some people think that Hip-hop music is angry all the time and makes no sense to the audience. 
• ·       In addition, there are more and more crossover artists. Unlike many traditional hip-hop artists who mostly focus on the theme of drugs and alcohol, many successful crossover hip-hop artists begin to put more emphasis on the theme of love and positive relationships. They usually invite a female singer to perform the core melody, and insert limited rap into the song. Consequently, this type of music is more acceptable than traditional Hip-Hop. Umbrella by Jay-Z and Rihanna, was a successful example of crossover.
• ·       In Stanford Review, Jordan Carr, agreed the statement of the Root’s manager, Richard Nickels, Hip-hop is “collapsing because they can no longer fool the white kids.” Firstly, although the Hip-hop music is still prosperous in party song genre, since hip-hop music mixed with other genre, it is not able to stand out as an independent genre any more. People sought after Hip-hop because of the tidal wave of party/nightclub fashion, maybe not the music itself. Secondly, many rappers are not legendary and exceptional anymore like 50 cents, a famous rapper who survived from being shot nine times. Audiences sometimes are attracted by the dramatic background of the artists. However, the past idols are going to be aged, and rare young generation rappers should create new legends. Now youth do not have a new idol to adore, and then their passion to the Hip-hop music will fade by time. For instance, Jordan Carr believes that “white kids” or any other audiences besides black would think that rap is only for certain black people and not attractive anymore.

(Eminem)

The future of Hip-Hop

In New Yorker, Sara-Frere Jones wrote that hip-hop artists “work in a larger number of established subgenres that do small but consist business with loyal audience.” Hip-hop could hardly succeed by itself. It has to go crossover with other genres, like metal and jazz in the past decades. Singers like Rihanna gain more popularity while the sales for Hip-hop music are rapidly decreasing. This scenario indicates a trend that hip-hop is going to blend into lots of different genres.

Sources: 

Sasha Frere Jones(2009, October). Wrapping up, a genre ages out. Retrieved from http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/musical/2009/10/26/091026crmu_music_frerejones#ixzz2PbFYaNLH

Jordan Carr (2009, November). The Decline of the Hip-Hop Empire. Retrieved from http://stanfordreview.org/article/the-decline-of-the-hip-hop-empire/

Kaleb Schuppner. Rap sales falter on charts. Retrieved from http://www.kaneland.org/krier/2012/05/25/rap-sales-falter-on-charts/

Andrew Speers (2011, April). The Decline of Hip Hop. Retrieved from http://www.wemcenter.org/decline-hip-hop