The Miseducation of Hip-Hop: Digital Age
Welcome to the now.
The current end of the Hip-Hop timeline is what I call the Digital Age. It's powered by the internet, streams and the like. The movement that started at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue is officially a global phenomenon with global stars. The radio is slowly being replaced by the use of streaming apps. Music videos aren't as important as they once were.
The biggest issue with studying it is the fact that it is currently happening. We have no idea of when the end will come, or how. It's therefore with a grain of salt that we can speculate on its beginning. I would suppose that it begins in February of 2009, with the release of Canadian rapper Drake's So Far Gone, a mixtape released under his October's Very Own label.
The reasoning of it is quite simple in retrospect. It was released at a time where two of the greatest rappers of the time, Eminem and Jay-Z, haven't released in that year since they had released just the year before. The field was wide open for newer artists. As well, this is an international artist tapping into a new market with a different sound. The star making power of the project, supported by its lead single "Best I Ever Had" put Drake on the map. However, what made it an era defining moment is the fact that it was a mainly digital release.
Otherwise, we cannot say much more about this digital era. It's easy to proclaim all of Hip-Hop's successes, which include Grammy wins by Childish Gambino and being regarded as the most listened to music genre by Nielsen. It is a lot. Women have taken a much bigger stage, thanks to the likes of Megan Thee Stallion, Nicki Minaj and Young M.A. Rappers can explore more, with the much bigger stage of the internet: mumble rap and emo rap has taken precedence on Soundcloud, while people like Chance the Rapper and Macklemore can make names for themselves while being independent.
With all of the positives, we've also seen a lot of negatives during this era. It's no longer about the culture, but the cult of personality that comes around the star. Cardi B has made her name off of this, being known for her personality even more than her music. Since 2009, we've seen countless artists win fame, at the cost of their creativity and legitimacy. The prime example being 6ix9ine.
As well, we've lost countless stars due to shootings and drug overdoses. Lil Peep, XXXTentacion, Bad News Brown, Juice WRLD and Nipsey Hussle are only a few of them.
The Digital Age, whenever that comes to an end, will probably go down as the highest that Hip-Hop has ever been, in terms of reach, commercial viability and impact. To be frank, I hope that this continues forever, but nothing goes that way. Everything must eventually come to an end.