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
The Jonas Brothers' Yacht Rock Revival
From Westeros-techno to trance metal: Eurovision 2023
Who killed the key change in pop music?
A.I. Drake has put music in a tailspin
BTS goes solo together
This Generation's Caroline Polachek
The Shakira Conspiracy
Reinventing Bach
100 gecs and the new sound of hyperpop
Switches Brew
Modern Classics: Seal - Kiss From a Rose
How John Denver got huge in Asia
Chartbreakers: Jersey Club, Complicated Country, and 50s Crooners
Five years later, the legacy of Nipsey Hussle's "Victory Lap"
“Flowers” and the art of the response song
Rihanna Party! ICYMI
The L.A. guitar shop that reinvented indie folk
A History of Whammies at the Grammys - Into It with Sam Sanders
Wonders: Bobby McFerrin
The New Wave of Paramore
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Good One: A Podcast About Jokes
Vulture Festival Podcast
The Vulture TV Podcast