We’re giving you a glimpse into how Queue Points episodes are often developed. The conversations generally start in our weekly meetings. Listen in on a recent conversation.
Is Joe Budden On To Something?
During a recent Queue Points meeting, DJ Sir Daniel raised the comments that Joe Budden recently made about the state of rap music, specifically he said “…the girl rapper wave is over.” Despite mixed reactions, we acknowledge that Joe’s critique may hold some truth. His observations extend beyond gender, though. In his follow up comments, he suggested that rap music, as a whole, faces challenges in today’s pop culture landscape.
Building off Budden's critique, in our conversation, highlighted a broader concern that rap has become overly accessible, losing its essence and innovation. This dilution has led to a lack of standout commercially successful hip hop albums and a general decline in quality.
We don’t want to be overly nostalgic, though. Hip-hop culture has been generally focused on expansion and commercialism since the earliest years. It appears, its 50th year that those chickens are coming home to roost.
Hip Hop's Evolution
The incorporation of hip hop elements across genres has blurred lines, making standout lyricism and soulful production in today’s market rare and valuable. For us, this shift prompted a reflection on hip hop's roots and the importance of maintaining its core values amid widespread commercialization.
Hip hop's transformation into pop juggernaut, solified by the mid-1990s, arguably began as far back as 1991.
“On June 22, 1991, Billboard announced a new album had surpassed Out of Time, by R.E.M., to become the most popular in the country. It was Niggaz4life, by N.W.A., which had debuted the previous week at number 2 and sold nearly a million copies in its first seven days. Billboard had published an album chart for 45 years, but this marked a historic week: It was the first time that a rap group claimed the top spot on the Billboard 200.
For several years, music historians have considered this, the consecration of rap on mainstream music charts, the watershed moment in modern music, marking the death of hard rock and the dawn of a period where hip-hop has merged with several genres, including country, dance, and even alt-rock, to become the modern sound of pop.”
“1991: The Most Important Year in Pop-Music History” - The Atlantic, 2015
Celebrate and Teach the Culture
There’s an urgency in celebrating hip hop's rich, diverse history to ensure its legacy is both honored and understood. We are hoping for a renewed focus on authenticity and cultural preservation.
Recent celebrations honoring the 50th anniversary of hip hop may be too little too late for some, but for others, it may be just the spark they need to innovate. Our call to action for artists, fans, and the industry is to incorporate hip hop's roots into today’s art and work towards a future that consistently honors its legacy while embracing evolution.
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There's hope in artists who continue to prioritize quality and innovation in their work. Commercially, we think of folks like Kendrick Lamar, Rapsody, CSW and others who serve as a reminder that hip hop still has voices dedicated to its advancement and cultural significance.
Yes yes y'all, ya don't stop!
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