Noir

2y

Only on KTT would I see posts arguing that hip hop is lacking star power because its artists are afraid of Drake. Jesus Christ. The broader issues at play are not unique to hip hop and can be seen across numerous mainstream genres.

Think about it for a second. Where are the new stars in western popular music in general? Bad Bunny, maybe, but he isn't a newcomer anymore. Ariana, Lorde, Adele, Taylor, these are all artists that came to prominence years ago and have arguably peaked.

The music landscape, driven by streaming, playlisting and payola has flattened things out to the point where there isn't a meaningful incentive to stand out as a public figure anymore. Music sales come from a sticky song being a constant presence in the charts through streaming and influencers pushing the song on social media.

So honestly, who needs to be "the guy" anymore? Who thinks about music that way when people are increasingly looking backward to previous decades to find music? What's the point in decimating your competition when playing along and securing a feature is your best bet in being playlisted?

People hold hip hop so near and dear to their hearts because of their investment in the culture that they can't see outside of it to larger industry-wide trends. The era of competition, stars, mystique, celebrities feeling galaxies away from their fans, it ended years ago. Hip hop isn't dying out as a creatively relevant cultural force because Drake hasn't been replaced. If it's dying on out on those terms, it's because individual scenes aren't being fostered and creativity isn't being encouraged by the music industry and global economy.

The average artist with a hit gets a few months to upwards of a year or two when they can make a meaningful impact on music. Streaming platforms prioritize the old guard because it's a known quantity. If you had a shot to make it in music and feed your family, what would you do with your 5 minutes? Do your thing, or try to supplant Drake?

It's scary as hell just being alive these days and going into music is a massive financial risk. Only about 0.000001% of all musicians are making any money through streaming. Where is the incentive to stand out and plant innovative ideas in the mainstream when it's so much simpler to get swallowed up by the algorithm?

People are tired. They're tired of the news cycle and the 6ix9ines and Kanye Wests of the world have burned themselves out. Getting along is all anyone feels like doing anymore. I feel like we're all just trying to survive as a society and it makes for a lot of safe music.

Gay Ave Stan

2y

Alright, so, um, I'm zoingy-boingy, I'm high. But uh, I've been meaning to go on this rant, m'kay, it's not an angry rant like my Batman rant, okay? As you can see from the picture, I'm chillin', chillin' like a villain, but I'm not the Joker, okay? Let's tie that back to Batman. Anyhow, this is just, I don't know, it's a deep dive, right? But not to get too caught up on the setup. Cause every great story needs one, right? Hahaha. But anyway. So hip-hop is in a decline, okay? I know nobody wants to say it and if you say it, you're out-of-touch, you're any of that... It's on a f***ing decline, okay? It's to the point black people are saying it. You'd have been seen as a c**n or a lame motherfucker if you said that, but now, black people are saying it. Young black people are even saying it, okay? It's bad. And yes, hip-hop has had a quote-unquote "decline"... The genre has had a decline, a big decline that was noticeable in the Shiny Suit Era, right? But hip-hop didn't become lame, right? There was still cool s*** coming out in the shiny suit era - I was even a part of the Shiny Suit Era. Hip-hop is lame right now, and that's worse, y'know? And we were talking about it in the chat last night, where, that... Hip-hop was for a period now, the default music genre around the world for what's cool. And now that hip-hop has become lame, it's given way to other genres to blow up, y'know, and people to give a chance. Um, with country and pop and y'know, some of those rock elements in music, slowly creepin up right now, but internationally as well. That's why you even have a lot of young people - period - listening more to f***in' Burna Boy than somebody like Lil Durk, or... not even Lil Durk, but like, somebody like that, for example. Because those other genres are providing that cool factor. While hip-hop is - for the most part - it's lame right now. And that can't be denied. It's lame, it's negative, it's emotionless, it's humanless. That's what it is overall right now. That is the representation of it. And so, for like Mexico specifically, right? We were talking about this in the chat, it was brought up, how, y'know, Peso Puma and all these guys, they're providing that cool American factor, y'know - with the videos, with the fashion, with the visuals. And they're looking like the cool rappers. While also now, they're making cool music for their own culture. So they're like, "Okay, f*** hip-hop, we're getting the cool stuff that we got from hip-hop, and we're getting our culture authentically, let's go to that". And the whole world. Like we were talking about in the chat. How, y'know, people within Mexican culture that wouldn't even- that would look down on the Mexican regional music, cause they were Mexican-Americans. Now they're even listening to the f***ing Mexican authentic music. Y'know, because that's become the cool thing that's a lot of... Across all these genres, they're all becoming more cool, in the wake of hip-hop becoming lame. And that's a problem. Okay? And we need to - there's no more not acknowledging it. You're not an oldhead. You're not a lame. You're not out-of-touch. It's clear as day. Okay? And I said I wasn't gonna get mad with this one. But, I'm feeling like imma get turnt up. So before that happens, imma slow down, and just leave y'all with that. Happy Friday, or Saturday. For a lot of y'all 'round here, Sunday. SUNDAY FUNDAY!!! Sunday Funday vibes. Alright, we out.

ryuH

2y

Maybe it’s KTT that’s dying

provider 4 u

2y

this site been ran outta s*** to talk about, which is crazy lol

Caun

2y

It died when ye fell of tbh

xxxkiraxxx

2y

ehhhh idk man some of the best music in my country came from big crises. Other scenes like nigerian Afrobeat are rising up in the last few years and the country is not getting better too. Mainstream music is just uninspired and people want recycled sounds. I do agree that captalism and social media hype has taken away pushing real artistry tho

Edit: I think I‘ve misread your point about the financial aspect for artists growth

DicherdownDAVE9

2y

And another thing where the f*** are these black people saying hiphop is on the decline? I don’t hear this anywhere lmao

Stop letting spotify charts cloud y'all brain I remember y’all thought the same s*** in 2018 when white rappers started taking over the charts

Caun

2y

It died when ye fell of tbh

Iron Lion Zion

2y

I think some of you are just getting older now and set in your tastes. Hip hop has become more decentralized since it's the top genre and that's not exactly a bad thing.

There's plenty diversity of music for everyone if you are passionate enough to look beyond just the big names.

Chloe Hotleezy

2y

rap is only on the decline if u listen to mainstream music only. dawg its so many rappers & scenes out there. Rap is at its most creative and expansive gotta look in the right places.

Chloe Hotleezy

2y

rap is only on the decline if u listen to mainstream music only. dawg its so many rappers & scenes out there. Rap is at its most creative and expansive gotta look in the right places.

Noir

2y

Only on KTT would I see posts arguing that hip hop is lacking star power because its artists are afraid of Drake. Jesus Christ. The broader issues at play are not unique to hip hop and can be seen across numerous mainstream genres.

Think about it for a second. Where are the new stars in western popular music in general? Bad Bunny, maybe, but he isn't a newcomer anymore. Ariana, Lorde, Adele, Taylor, these are all artists that came to prominence years ago and have arguably peaked.

The music landscape, driven by streaming, playlisting and payola has flattened things out to the point where there isn't a meaningful incentive to stand out as a public figure anymore. Music sales come from a sticky song being a constant presence in the charts through streaming and influencers pushing the song on social media.

So honestly, who needs to be "the guy" anymore? Who thinks about music that way when people are increasingly looking backward to previous decades to find music? What's the point in decimating your competition when playing along and securing a feature is your best bet in being playlisted?

People hold hip hop so near and dear to their hearts because of their investment in the culture that they can't see outside of it to larger industry-wide trends. The era of competition, stars, mystique, celebrities feeling galaxies away from their fans, it ended years ago. Hip hop isn't dying out as a creatively relevant cultural force because Drake hasn't been replaced. If it's dying on out on those terms, it's because individual scenes aren't being fostered and creativity isn't being encouraged by the music industry and global economy.

The average artist with a hit gets a few months to upwards of a year or two when they can make a meaningful impact on music. Streaming platforms prioritize the old guard because it's a known quantity. If you had a shot to make it in music and feed your family, what would you do with your 5 minutes? Do your thing, or try to supplant Drake?

It's scary as hell just being alive these days and going into music is a massive financial risk. Only about 0.000001% of all musicians are making any money through streaming. Where is the incentive to stand out and plant innovative ideas in the mainstream when it's so much simpler to get swallowed up by the algorithm?

People are tired. They're tired of the news cycle and the 6ix9ines and Kanye Wests of the world have burned themselves out. Getting along is all anyone feels like doing anymore. I feel like we're all just trying to survive as a society and it makes for a lot of safe music.

SyIIabIes

2y

I didn’t read this but I agree solely off the first 2 sentences

RICHAXXVOYCE

2y

Niggas listen to 5 rappers and want to complain about hip hop.

Not to worry i posted a picture of myself

X7JQ9L2MF4A8Z

2y

bro how many times are one of you dumbass niggas gonna make this point

Chloe Hotleezy

2y

untill ppl understand a genre of music could never die. this whole thread silly

ImmortalLikeChrist

2y

TLDR : The rap throne is for the taking, watch me take it!

so much pain

2y

most of the artists who were making the best trap over the last 7 years either moved on or faded away but the sound is still popular letting the rank amateurs come in

that’s why metro’s album was so big it borderline felt like a throwback