The Death of Hip-Hop?

Graphic by Noah Concordia

By: Noah Concordia

The state of Hip-Hop is in limbo. If you’re in the loop with the Hip-Hop community, whether that be on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, etc., then you’ve most likely seen people saying that “Hip-Hop is dying” or “rap sucks now” throughout the year. 2023 has been pretty underwhelming in terms of the amount of quality rap albums that we’ve gotten; especially when you look at the numbers. There have only been two rap albums to hit number one on the Billboard 200 chart this year: Pink Tape by Lil Uzi Vert and UTOPIA by Travis Scott. Pink Tape didn’t drop until July, leaving rap without a number-one album for the first six months of 2023. From 2018-2022, January was the first month that a Hip-Hop album went number one, so what’s different about this year? 

Some might point to 2023 as proof that the genre is on the decline, but when you really put the year under a microscope, it’s clear Hip-Hop is more alive than ever. Over the last few years, the rap landscape has been morphing into a much more diverse genre with a myriad of different styles and sounds. The late-2010s era of “trap” that dominated the charts has quietly turned into an era where experimentation amongst the most popular names in rap has somewhat become a new norm – for better or worse.

The biggest Hip-Hop projects of the year, Pink Tape and UTOPIA, illustrate this movement perfectly. Lil Uzi Vert’s version of Whole Lotta Red was a conglomeration of punk rock, metal, pop, anime, moshpit-rap, and a tiny bit of Uzi’s signature melodic style. Pink Tape is a prime example of a mainstream rapper going against the norms, making an invigorating, original sound, and still getting mass attention. 

UTOPIA, however, garnered even more buzz. Travis Scott’s fourth studio album is, to a degree, a love letter to Kanye West’s Yeezus, which pioneered this wave of genre-bending rap albums. While Scott built on a sound that already existed, he was still able to make another world-building album that was significantly more experimental than ASTROWORLD. UTOPIA wasn’t afraid to let some of the most unorthodox artists in the industry get a shot at the spotlight either. Teezo Touchdown and Westside Gunn — two rappers on opposite sides of the experimental underground spectrum — were given moments to let their anti-mainstream sounds shine. Seeing an emphasis on diverging from what people are expecting, and instead giving them something refreshing and exciting is pivotal for Hip Hop’s growth.

Aside from these two chart-topping albums, there were plenty of other projects that embraced new sounds from names we wouldn’t expect. Lil Yachty shockingly dropped an AOTY contender with his psychedelic-rock project Let’s Start Here. Yachty’s new persona has become one of the most entertaining stories in all of music this year. Since the release of his album, he’s dropped a plethora of music, collabing with a wide range of artists from Current Joys, JID, Miguel and more. Yachty alone is pushing the envelope of meshing rap into other genres in creative new ways. 

 Aminé and KAYTRANADA collabed for an upbeat, electronic rap album that intertwined hard-hitting bars and beachy house vibes. KAYTRANADA’s role in the Hip-Hop community is more important than ever with the increase in popularity of dancehall, techno music amongst the younger generation. I’m sure this won’t be the last time we see the grammy-winning producer make a Hip-Hop album.

 We also got some hidden gems from artists like IDK, whose jazzy, Formula 2-inspired concept album F65 was a breath of fresh air. In what was one of the most well-produced rap albums of the year, IDK’s versatility beamed as every track brings a whole new element to the project. 

Another rising star, Jordan Ward, delivered a fantastic project with the boundary-pushing FORWARD. His unique high-pitched voice is used as a relaxing instrument throughout the LP, and Ward’s confidence is radiant throughout. His groovy swagger is something that the rap industry could use a lot more of.  

Paris Texas’ debut album MID AIR showed the pair’s growth as they refined the edgy rock & roll-rap style that they have helped elevate over the last couple of years. The chaotic production is better than ever with intense guitar and drums scattered throughout the album. The deeper album cuts also showed the duo’s softer side where they were  really able to show their artistic maturity. The lyricism effort was their best yet as they didn’t shy away from letting their honest, and sometimes intrusive, thoughts out.  

So, all these releases beg the question: is rap really dying, or is it just evolving? Maybe we haven't seen as many rap albums on the Billboard charts as we’re used to, but who cares? Allowing more rappers to feel like they can step outside their comfort zone and take creative risks as artists…  that is more important for the state of Hip-Hop than anything else.