Hip-hop is in a weird place right now. Research says that the genre, in both streaming and chart performance, has declined over the last decade. And while rap artists can still get number one songs on the Hot 100, it’s a far cry from the peak of trap circa 2017, when Nielsen data named hip-hop as the most popular genre in the U.S.
So what does that mean for the future of rap? To find out, producer Reanna Cruz spent all weekend reporting from Inglewood, CA, at the California edition of the world’s largest hip-hop festival: Rolling Loud. Through talking to attendees and catching the weekend’s hottest sets, they learned about the current state of hip-hop – the good and the bad – as well as what the future may hold.
To read Reanna’s highs and lows from the festival, check out their Vulture article here.
Special thanks to Antonio Cruz for his production help on this episode.
Songs Discussed:
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Silk Sonic's Retro Soul (with Tayla Parx)
AJR Conjure Broadway on 'OK Orchestra'
Return of the Funk Guitar: Cory Wong Breaks Down Dua Lipa, Jessie Ware and Nile Rodgers
What the 63rd Grammys say about the state of pop
Kimbra reflects on a song that we used to know
Kaytranada's journey from basement beat-making to the Grammys
JP Saxe Didn’t Mean for His Grammy Hit ‘If the World Was Ending’ to Be So Literal
Adrian Younge's new project sounds like James Baldwin meets Marvin Gaye
The Scandalous Sounds of Bridgerton (w Kris Bowers)
How The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” used retro sounds and modern bass to break every record
Epik High is our gateway into Korean hip hop (with Tablo)
Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” is a full throttle power ballad
D.O.C. (Death of the Chorus) with Emily Warren
ICYMI: The End Of Pop Music As We Know It: Fall Out Boy & Charli XCX
ICYMI: Do You Believe in Life After Autotune?
Wham! Op. 84 “Last Christmas” with Chilly Gonzales
Taylor Swift has "evermore" of a good thing
Women's Rap Renaissance
Red Hot + Blue with Meshell Ndegeocello
The Cyndi Lauper Conspiracy (with Sam Sanders)
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Good One: A Podcast About Jokes
Vulture Festival Podcast
The Vulture TV Podcast