After watching an ad with Taylor Swift, the pop mogul, listening to Future “Vandross” and Drake’s “Jumpman” track, I realized that hip-hop is now a staple of pop culture. While it's strange enough that rappers like Drake can make full-on love songs with no hip-hop flare whatsoever and still be considered hip-hop, it's even stranger that artists like Taylor Swift can seamlessly transition into hip-hop culture through adverts and Twitter beefs. Back in my day we never would have guessed that full diss tracks could be made about Youtube personalities or presidential candidates. Nevertheless, hip-hop is everywhere, and is possibly the most influential genre of our time.
From pop culture references to political influence, to genres in a completely different territory, hip-hop has left its mark on this era. When you hear an interviewer ask Bernie Sanders “What do you do if Young Metro doesn’t trust you?” then you know you are in hip-hop’s domain. But what makes it so special?
My educated guess would have to be that its public appeal and marketability complement each other endlessly, creating a snowball effect that goes beyond any other genre. Whenever a hip-hop record goes platinum or even charts, that influences people to go and check it out.
Consequently, verses and lines become pop culture references which become so infectious that even other artists in different genres begin to reference them. Then in circular fashion, when your favorite artist references a popular meme, you find yourself going back to the original source. In short, who hasn’t been tempted to say “look at the flicka da wrist” while they’re cooking?
Even when we don’t see the hip-hop or understand that it is tied to the very fabric of our society, it still has a huge effect on what we enjoy. Think of your last favorite pop track or musical track in general. Did you hear an instrumental with fast high hats subtly overtopping the other instruments? If you answered yes, then hip-hop is responsible for your favorite song.
The shift in what is considered “acceptable” in many different musical genres has been heavily influenced by modern hip-hop. It is almost as if genres have blended together. You can’t even listen to a Beyoncé song without hearing her break off into a flow that reminds you of a hook from a Drake track. Even Justin Beiber, the one man boy band has his rebellious teen phase where he thought he could spit the hardest bars and even had Chance the Rapper on a song. You can even see through the genealogy of Chris Brown how hip-hop has influenced him.
He began as an R&B prodigy that sought out to be the next Michael Jackson, and now he has become the background vocals to every Nicki Minaj and DJ Mustard track for the past two years. He even took to freestyling on radio stations and partying with Crips and Bloods (which turned out very poorly for him last year). Ultimately, even if you don’t like any of this music and you find it all the same, there is no denying that modern hip-hop culture has influenced a lot of the musical world.
In our attempt to understand why it is that hip-hop is so popular, we have probably contributed to its popularity. What was once seen as “taboo” has now become a V.I.P. club full of celebrities who may or may not understand its origin. As long as its making money, who is going to stop it? What a Time to be Alive, indeed.
