In today's world, it is easier than ever for a person to make music. All you have to do is download some software, have a decent mic and upload it to the internet. This not only makes it easy for just about anyone to make music, but it also means that the bar for entry into music has been lowered.
With the bar lowered, it is extremely easy for people to become "meme rappers."
There is no official definition for a meme rapper, but I would define it as someone who makes music that is really dumb and liked by people ironically.
Some of the most well-known in recent memory are IceJJFish, Lil Yachty, Ugly God, and Lil B. When these guys become popular, it's usually from some really stupid song that sounds like its meant to be a parody. Lil Yachty became famous after "1 Night" went viral in 2016, and the same happened that year when Ugly God released his hit single "Water."
Two of the most recent meme rappers are Lil Nas X and The Boyboy West Coast.
Lil Nas X went viral after releasing "Old Town Road" and so has The Boyboy with "U Was at The Club."
Whenever one of these meme rappers pops up, the only thing I can think about is how long will they be relevant. Some of them, like Lil B and Lil Yachty, both transitioned from making "meme" music to actual rap songs.
When meme rappers don't make this transition, they end up forgotten and irrelevant.
Does anyone really think about IceJJFish regularly? Judging by his Twitter account, no one does. He's verified and has over 83,000 followers, yet can't even get at least 100 retweets. He released an EP in early May, but it had zero buzz or hype behind it.
I can almost see Lil Nas X and The Boyboy heading down this same path.
For weeks on my Instagram explore page, I could not escape videos featuring "U Was at The Club." But about two months later, he is nowhere to be found. In fact, I never even heard anyone mention him outside of Instagram.
So far, Lil Nas has managed to keep his relevancy. He performed at an NBA game, and he's been working with Billy Ray Cyrus and Young Thug. It seems like he is going to try and make serious music.
I think the problem with meme rappers is that a lot of their fans just like their music because it's stupid and funny, not because it is actually good.
Eventually, they get tired of laughing at the same thing over and over again. So when a meme rapper doesn't transition to being an actual rapper, they lose most of their fans and are left with a very small real fanbase. It is important that meme rappers realize this when they decide to make music.
