Opinion: The Problem with Trap Music Going Mainstream (Part 2)
In the previous segment of this article, I explained how the newfound entry of hip-hop music into the genre of pop has led to rap becoming a more repetitive genre. I cited producer PVLACE to show that even when producers do make unique beats, “the market is so oversaturated” that “nobody [vocalists] picks them”.
I would like to heavily stress the fact that I do not blame the artists nor the producers. I blame the industry. I blame the listeners like you and me who fail to provide new music with at least a chance and adhere to our narrow mindsets. I firmly believe it is because of listeners like us that artists and producers are forced to remake the same song a dozen times for their albums to be “commercially successful”.
A potential argument that could be made against this is that these artists are not making redundant music, but rather adhering to their style. However, this viewpoint entirely fails to account for the fact that pop and hip-hop were not always this way. Graduation by Kanye West, Purpose by Justin Bieber, ASTROWORLD by Travis Scott, IGOR by Tyler, The Creator, and even Views by Drake--while some more than others--are all incredibly diverse in their music production yet were still commercially successful. These genres have been and can become categorizations of great music that are not afraid to be experimental and different.
It is glaringly obvious that as hip-hop has become more centered in pop culture, it has become more repetitive. However, this is not a testament to say artists have lost talent or music has lost quality. As listeners, we are the customers of the music industry. As we become more narrow-minded and musicians try to cater to the strict criteria we set, we should not be surprised when the genre goes static. The bottom line is, hip-hop needs to become more unique--but to let that happen, we must first become more accepting as listeners.
Image from billboard.com
