Hip Hop has been on the rise of popularity as a genre for the last twenty years. The art form has made monumental strides regarding its sound, social impact and its definition of a Hip Hop artist. The birth of streaming has ushered in a new generation and demographic of rap fans. A genre that was once developed, governed and engineered by minority groups is now enjoyed on every continent. The introduction of platforms such as SoundCloud and Spotify has given hopeful creatives everywhere the opportunity to be the next number-one artist. It seems this shift in Hip Hop and music itself has opened the doors to the next era of pop culture.
This week, global pop star Justin Bieber has been under the foot of this evolution following the debut of his single ”Yummy”. The singer relaunched his musical career this year after a four-year hiatus. Bieber has always claimed to enjoy a challenge and even considers himself as the underdog in most circumstances. He has had a target on his head since 2009. He and his team surely saw success when they put together the plan to release ”Yummy” at the top of the year, while the rest of Hollywood was still on holiday. The only thing they couldn't predict was Hip Hop newcomer Roddy Ricch’s single ”The Box” battling their corporate mega team for the number-one spot.
By January 3rd, the single had been out for a month. No A&R could've predicted the rocket-like trajectory of the song, or Roddy Ricch’s popularity. He quickly became a famous name in Hip Hop loving American homes. To reach Billboard’s top position in five weeks isn't unheard of, but selling out superstar Justin Bieber is quite rare. This isn't the first time in recent history that Hip Hop has bested Pop music for the nation’s heart. Taylor Swift, America’s sweetheart, was blocked from her usual number-one on the charts when another Hip Hop newcomer, Lil Nas X’s ”Old Town Road”, was on its twelfth week on top of Billboard’s Hot 100.
In 2020, Roddy Ricch now holds the title of the first new song to top the charts of the decade. A triumph such as this was unheard of for rap music over twenty years ago. More people listen to Hip Hop now than it's creators could fathom in the late ’70s. This new era of genre-less music may make feats such as this obsolete. Now, artists of any age have infinite possibilities in front of them. An artist that has just kick-started their career can reach the heights of musical veterans. We're learning, it's not always about the money and marketing. It's about what people want.
