ROUNDUPOFTHEDECADE: The 2010s
This decade has seen a huge shift in culture, particularly sonically. The rise of the internet has elevated hip-hop into a realm like never before with various branches emerging out of the hip-hop scene making it:
1. Easily accessible
2. Influential
3. Relateable
Soulja Boy managed to utilise the internet, YouTube in particular through the noughties and was arguably a pioneer of hip-hop in the digital age as it evolved from the pirate DVD and mixtape era. Due to the amount of artists gaining notoriety off streaming platforms over the past few years, the term SoundCloud Rapper has been used to describe the wave of new-gen artists, stereotypically the heavily tatted and drugged up rappers mumbling from lockjaw.
Social media has been able to give fans direct access to their favourite artists’ life without the need for MTV Cribs anymore. With this level of intimacy between consumer and artist, it takes a lot more than just talent to make it, but an entertaining personality too. One of the stars of the decade has been Cardi B, she gained a loyal fanbase initially through Instagram before releasing a run of mixtapes and appearing on Love & Hip Hop — now closing the gap between the success of male and female hip-hop artists.
Coming out of the highly successful run of 50 Cent and G-Unit, the beginning of the decade was a time of limbo for hip-hop as pop music began to dominate the charts. 2012 saw the emergence of the Drill sub-genre which, much like ‘Get Rich Or Die Tryin’’ 9 years earlier, caused a huge shift in culture. A young teen on house arrest waving heavy artillery, sagging True Religion denim and the now legendary Young Chop intro tag was our introduction to Chicago’s newfound sound. Given the capacity to now create music at home and connect with likeminded creatives coupled with the speed of sharing on the Internet, this sound was picked up globally with adaptations found in the U.K, Australia and South America, with New York’s Drill scene starting to blow up with the likes of Pop Smoke, Fivio Foreign and Sheff G. But as the case with all sectors, the success isn’t necessarily attributed to the innovator, but rather on the late majority that follows. However, part of the culture has paid it’s due respect with many emerging artists citing a young Chief Keef as their main inspiration, undoubtedly making Drill the #1 genre of this decade.
‘Swaggy rap’ is a concept created around art and fashion, delivered with a traditional hip-hop undertone alongside creatively shot videos. This was popularised by the likes of A$AP Mob, Tyler, The Creator and more circa 2011, creating a subculture rooted within the skateboard community who, for some time had felt outcasted from hip-hop, with limited representation consisting of Lupe Fiasco’s ‘Kick, Push’. But as hip-hop slowly became the #1 genre and the subcultures gaining mass appeal, this allowed for brands such as Supreme to be at the forefront of the fashion world.
Hip-hop has always had a fond attraction to fashion and have spearheaded trends for decades. The 00s saw Diddy, Jay-Z and 50 Cent all release their own collections and collaborative projects, but this never managed to branch outside of the hip-hop community at that time. However, as hip-hop continued to grow, so did the ability to market clothes to a wider audience, this allowed for the likes of Kanye West to produce arguably one of the most sought-after sneaker, Tyler to collaborate with Converse and Lacoste and Pharrell Williams to be the first artist to collaborate with fashion powerhouse, Chanel.
With yet another nod to a rapper who’s ahead of his time, Soulja Boy arguably pioneered the first viral dance with ‘Crank That’. Seemingly, many releases of this decade weren’t found without an accompanying viral dance. The one-hit-wonder collective Cali Swag Districts released their dance-based ‘Teach Me How To Dougie’ and The Rej3ctz who had people rolling on air-wheelchairs with ‘Cat Daddy’ as we entered the 10s. This wave of viral dances became the go-to move for rappers who were trying to capitalise off the viral culture as a result of social media, such as Silento with ‘Watch Me Whip’ and 2 Milly’s ‘Milly Rock’ but ultimately, these artists didn’t manage to secure their buzz with any follow-up records. Due to its viral popularity, the dances managed to seep their way into various forms of entertainment. Video games like Fortnite were even getting caught up in controversy for ripping off dance moves from creators, proving the impact that the hip-hop culture has on the mainstream.
The trap scene — in particular groups like MMG and Young Money dominated the early 10s but following the incarceration of Max B in 2009 a void for an authentic storyteller with a soulful melodic delivery was created. After 10 years, melodies have now become synonymous with hip-hop, with artists attempting to prove their versatility by trialling their luck with harmonizing, made possible by the ease of autotune. Coming out of the successful 2012 Chi-raq scene came Lil Durk who utilised the melodic style whilst incorporating the gang-driven roots similar to his drill counter-parts. More recently we see artists such as A-boogie wit da Hoodie, YNW Melly and Post Malone basing their career on this style of melodic hip-hop. In 2014 we were introduced to Kevin Gates through ‘Out The Mud’ where we saw a self-professed gangsta rapper delivering a melodic chorus’ and adlibs without compromising his tough persona, speaking on his struggles of prison life, gang life and mental health. More recently, in 2019 we were introduced to the new wave of this sound, Rod Wave — a Florida native who’s able to present his pain with soulful melodies that’s reminiscent of a young Bobby Womack but still can throw down bars like his hip-hop counterparts and is definitely one to watch out for the next decade.
Born in the East coast then catching waves in the West, hip-hop has solidified itself in the South this decade. From production to flow, it’s safe to say that the Southern states have produced the most influential sound of the 10s. Rappers from here have always used their unique style to make their mark on the scene, from the chopped and screwed sound of the 90s to OutKast bringing funk back in the early 00s. The South has always had a niche within hip-hop, with the strip club sound blowing up towards the end of the noughties, having out of town rappers like French Montana from New York tapping into the Southern sound before blowing up. Southern rappers have also rarely compromised their sound and this decade has definitely seen their perseverance pay off.
After releasing their hit, ‘Versace’ Migos have continued to stay on top, releasing solid projects both as a group and individually. Arguably being the first rappers to put mumble rap into the charts as they updated Atlanta’s infamous Trap sound made famous by the likes of Gucci Mane. The mid-10s saw artists from all coasts adopt their jumpy flow, described perfectly by Snoop Dogg on his GGN show back in 2014.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0OdmRtuQew
Travis Scott has elevated up the ranks this decade, creating a buzz and impact that has been unmatched. Producing a selection of his own Cactus Jack Jordan’s, breeding a billionaire Jenner and even having his own Netflix documentary it’s safe to say that his energy, music and style is incomparable, taking the 90s sounds heavily influenced by DJ Screw, Scott definitely pays the respect that’s due. Paying homage to his hometown of Houston, Travis has also reopened the once closed theme park, Astroworld to create an annual festival for his fans.
Being one of the most distinctive rappers in the game and no matter what you think of him, Young Thug has become one of the most influential rappers of this decade. Coming off mixtapes and features, Young Thug has managed to create a sound like no other like his legendary verse on Rich Gang’s track ‘Lifestyle’ epitomizes the term mumble rap. Representing Atlanta and founded by none other than the Trap God, Gucci Mane, Thug only released his first album this year with ‘So Much Fun’, which seems unbelievable when you think about the effect he has had on the culture and the influence on new rappers such as YNW Melly.
Without forgetting the most noticeable personality in the world, DJ Khaled has taken the role of executive producer to new heights. Hailing from sunny Miami, Khaled still manages to bring together the hottest artists on every project he drops. Releasing tracks like ‘We Takin’ Over’ and ‘All I Do Is Win’ more recently ‘Wild Thoughts’ which all have become timeless records. His consistency has taken him to the top this decade and with thanks to social media, DJ Khaled has gained fans for other reasons than music and could be thanked for singlehandedly boosting Snapchat’s popularity.
The most successful artist, regardless of genre to come out of this decade is inevitably Drake. Aubrey Grahame has managed to stay on top year-on-year with each project released hitting charts, within 10 years Drake has successfully managed to stay on the Billboard top 10 charts for 476 weeks — not including features, namely Travis Scott’s ‘SICKO MODE’ which stayed on for 33 weeks. Last year Drake surpassed The Beatles for having the most songs simultaneously on the Billboard 100 charts whilst also having 12 tracks in the Top 10 in a single year! Not only does his music chart without promo, but his team of A&Rs help to keep him on top of upcoming new sounds globally, this has allowed for JB Blockboy to have the summer 2018 hit with ‘Look Alive’, becoming a catalyst for the Weeknd and PARTYNEXTDOOR and releasing the Afrobeat inspired ‘One Dance’. Allowing him to keep his ear to the streets and with Canada historically having a closer connection to the U.K, Drake got the landlord, Giggs 2 features on his ‘More Life’ album. Not to forget, being the force which allowed for the resurrection of Top Boy, even giving a nod to the U.K Drill scene with his very own Linkup TV Behind Barz freestyle and more recently releasing his latest track, ‘War’ whilst keeping true to the aesthetics of Canada Goose jackets and ski-masks.
The South’s reign at the top doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon either. Charlotte’s native, DaBaby has closed this decade off strong. Being the hottest newcomer out, his witty lyrics, creatively comical visuals and his consistency have rocketed him to the top in 2019 and we expect to see him continue his success into the 20s.
As internet chat shows and podcasts have slowly been gaining popularity, a couple of hip-hop OGs have begun to capitalise off this. N.O.R.E and Joe Budden, who both, granted have been inactive musically but are exhibiting their ability to utilise these platforms to make a resurgence in the scene, rebranding themselves as talented hosts who are able to provide invaluable insights into the culture using first-hand industry experiences. In addition to social media, which scratches the surface of an artist’s character, these platforms give the consumer an insight into their lifestyles and personalities allowing them to voice their opinions with no filter.
Companies that have been traditional household names globally have also been modernising how they market themselves and produce content to their consumers, using YouTube as their base to tap into a younger demographic the logical step is to tap into the #1 genre. From sport to fashion, hip-hop is being used to produce engaging content, such as GQ’s ‘On The Rocks’ and Complex’s joint venture with Formula 1, ‘The Pitt’ which see rappers being interviewed for content.
Billboard have announced that they will be taking into consideration YouTube streams when compiling sales figures for their charts. Without a doubt in recent years we have seen YoungBoy Never Broke Again absolutely crush the YouTube charts, becoming one of the most-watched artists on this global platform, as they begin to roll out this new standard we will definitely start seeing a shift in chart-toppers in the coming months.
As we enter the 20s years, we have already seen the state of hip-hop shift into a realm of superstardom. Last years Nielson report shows hip-hop to be the most popular and consumed music genre of all time, surpassing Rock & Roll. However, nothing lasts forever and whilst hip-hop is reaching its peak I believe the impact that the culture has had will no doubt heavily influence anything that comes after it. From lyrics to flow to fashion and even video direction, even paradoxical genres such as pop all contain an essence from hip-hop.
Written by Ali Twice
