The reign of rock music as the most popular genre in the United States is over, and there is a new king in town: Hip-hop. The only group of people in my mind that we can thank for this, in my opinion, are Millennials because, let’s be honest, it was definitely not their parents. I have found myself as part of this group that pushed hip-hop to the top. As a child, though, I would have never seen myself owning a hip-hop or rap song, never mind it being the genre of music that dominates my music library.

I never listened to rap or hip-hop until I was in middle school, and I mean NEVER. I grew up mainly on country music. My cassette tapes and compact discs consisted of melodies from my favorite artists that I still remember every word of to this day. Songs by Montgomery Gentry, Toby Keith, and Garth Brooks were played all the time around my house and in the car. This is the music I was surrounded with until I was ten or eleven years old, and I never really saw any need to change that. Sure, my dad played some AC/DC and Bon Jovi every so often, but more often than not, country would be playing. It didn’t even stop at Christmas time. We never played the Christmas albums from Michael Bublé or Elvis Presley; we played Garth Brooks’s album every year, and it was fantastic. My family and I would watch the Top 20 Video Countdown on CMT every weekend, and I would get furious if my favorite bands weren’t in it, even if I still enjoyed the songs that were. Now, you’re probably wondering how I managed to go from hillbilly to hip-hop, but even looking back, it was a very quick change.

Once sixth grade hit and I heard my first rap song, I completely shut out country music. This wasn’t because I suddenly hated country; it was more because I got very interested in rap songs. I binge listened rap albums more than I will ever binge watch any show on Netflix. The first hip-hop song I ever heard was “Pursuit of Happiness” by Kid Kudi, and I absolutely loved it. The lyrics had a message that was easy to understand and the song itself was pleasant to listen to. It had to do with some problems with his depression and, even though I was not depressed, I felt the lyrics and sympathized with him. The second I got home that day, I made a Pandora station for that song, and it exposed me to loads of new music that I still enjoy listening to today. The first rapper that I genuinely started to follow, who I discovered on this Pandora station, was a rapper named Watsky. Even now I only have two or three friends who have even heard of him, but he is my favorite rap artist of all time. Not only was he the first rap artist that I got into, but all of his songs have some very deep meanings. Watsky, come to find out, started his early career as a slam poet, which is probably where he can credit getting a lot of his lyrics from. When he raps, it truly sounds like he’s reciting a poem over some catchy music. I do not dislike a single song of his, and he keeps getting better every time I listen to him.

I will say this as a disclaimer: I do not like all rap and hip-hop. At the time I gained an interest in it was the same time when artists like Soulja Boy, Flo Rida, and Pitbull were starting to get popular. These artists taught me quickly that there is a big difference between songs with messages and songs that just have a cool beat. Even today, popular hip-hop tends to have a concept of beat fetishism: where you make a cool beat and rap essentially whatever you want over it. People love it not because of the words, but because it “sounds sick." I avoid this area of hip-hop and if anyone dares play it, I just tune out. My favorite rap songs are those that have great wordplay, cultural significance, or a personal message that the artist is trying to convey.

Many of my favorite artists have clever banter and spread positive messages that can have cultural and personal significance. For example, I got into Watsky because of his poetic flow in his music. There was not too much cultural significance, but he included a lot of clever wordplay that always caught my attention. On his newest album, x Infinity, he stepped his game up to a whole new level. He has tracks concerning topics such as mental illness, school shootings, politics, and religion, just to name a few. All of them make you think and dissect the lyrics, all while keeping the clever wordplay that he has had his whole career. This is why it is now my favorite hip-hop/rap album, and why I would highly suggest that people give it a listen. I am also happy to see that some of my other favorite artists are releasing songs and albums that have the same effect but on a larger scale, due to some of their mainstream popularity. The rapper Logic, for example, has always spread messages of equality and social justice, but his new album kicks it up a notch. Not only is it dedicated to spreading a positive message for equality and speaking out against racism, but it also has one song that has had a huge cultural impact since its release. The song “1-800-373-8225," which is the Suicide Prevention Hotline phone number, addresses depression and how it is okay to reach out for help. He recently performed it on the MTV music awards and after the performance, calls to the hotline have increased by about 50%. To have a direct impact like that on thousands of people is fantastic, and I’m very excited that it is getting the mainstream attention that it very well deserves, both for the lyrics and the profound impact it has had on its listeners. I could go on and on about other artists who I think do a great job with this, such as Kendrick Lamar and Chance the Rapper, but there are too many for me to name, and the artists I keep discovering continues to grow.

The transition from my early days captivated by country music to my current interest in hip-hop and rap has been an oddly smooth one. They are two completely different genres with no visible differences. In fact, any time country and rap somehow mix, it becomes crap (sorry about the awful joke). Nonetheless, I still listen to the country that I grew up on, just not what has recently been released. Montgomery Gentry and Garth Brooks will always be some of my favorite artists to listen to, but there is so much more to hip-hop now that I think there is in country. The rappers I listen to are able to tell stories in such a short amount of time that it amazes me. I want to listen to every word they have to say. Not that country can not do the same thing, but I just think that there is more flexibility in hip-hop and rap lyrics than there has been in country lyrics, in terms of topics and the amount of content you can put into a single song. I never saw myself being anything other than a country fan at an early age, but my interest in hip-hop, as well as my playlists and music library, will continue to grow.