Image via Rolling Stone
I couldn't help but wonder...
According to Billboard, not a single hip-hop song or album has earned a coveted #1 spot on the Billboard 100 or 200 charts in 2023.
Last year, the atmosphere was quite different with six rappers earning #1 albums:
DS4Ever, Gunna
7220 - Lil Durk
Call Me if You Get Lost - Tyler the Creator
It’s Almost Dry - Pusha T
I Never Liked You - Future
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers - Kendrick Lamar
And two songs had topped the charts including:
First Class, Jack Harlow
Wait for You, Drake ft. Future
With hip-hop as the source of inspiration for today’s pop music and fashion and every damn thing else, how could the world’s most powerful sound not be #1?
How could the category be slipping from 28% to 26%?
Billboard calls out two factors that could account for hip-hop “losing its dominance in terms of market share.”
Chart-toppers like the aforementioned have yet to drop projects this year. Without albums from big name talent, hip-hop declines on the charts, despite being culturally relevant.
“New” genres like Afrobeats have seen a surge in popularity, forcing Hip-hop to share its fans and market share with other categories.
Could one big drop tip the scales for hip-hop in 2023? Is Travis Scott’s Utopia going to be the album that shakes things up?
And are we ready to admit that topping the charts has very little to do with actual influence and popularity?
What are your predictions for hip-hop x Billboard for the rest of 2023 and in the years to come?
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