Now, I am not here to be sweet or nice and say that everything is rainbow and sunshine when it is obvious that it is not. The question that has been going round the mouth of every person since it awakened us with the year 2023 as a brick wall is quite straightforward: is hip hop dying? And honestly, after diving deep into the numbers, the drama, and all the behind-the-scenes chaos, I’ve got some thoughts that might surprise you.
The short answer? It’s complicated. Like, really complicated.
The Numbers Don’t Lie (But They Don’t Tell the Whole Story Either)
Let’s start with the elephant in the room. In 2023, hip hop couldn’t catch a break on the charts. For the first time in years, is hip hop dying became a legitimate question when the genre failed to produce a single number one album or single for months. We are discussing a genre that literally ruled the charts for more than half a decade having had its swagger taken away.
It is deplorable to say the least that rappers could produce or release only three hip-hop albums in 2023 that entered the top 25 most hip-hop albums consumed in the year 2023 compared to 2018 when 13 new rap albums took that spot when most people compared it to 2018.
This is where it becomes interesting though. Hip hop made its comeback in 2024, having three number one albums in first quarter alone: 21 Savage American Dream, Ye and Ty Dolla Sign Vultures and Future and Metro Boomin We Don Trust You. In the meantime, Kendrick Lamar was the winner thanks to his song called squabble up and his performance at the Super Bowl.
The Real Tea About What’s Actually Happening
The truth about whether is hip hop dying is way more nuanced than clickbait headlines want you to believe. On an industry report, the world hip-hop was making revenue of over 25.3 billion USD in 2020 and one-fourth of all listeners of music globally, that is, 1.85 billion, listen to rap and hip-hop music.
That does not sound to you like a dying genre? The reason is because it does not to me.
What is really going on is what I would like to call success fatigue. Hip hop became too big, it became too mainstream and everywhere, so it began to eat itself. The market share got so huge that one can hardly distinguish what hip-hop is, and what is not anymore, which forms a strange kind of paradox of this genre achieving success to the point where it is fighting against itself.
The Streaming Wars and Platform Politics
One thing will make you dizzy having in mind that, of the four major streaming sites, finally, Apple has hip-hop/rap dominant above all, but the top category in Spotify, Amazon, and YouTube music are pop. But before you start panicking about is hip hop dying, remember that hip hop fans were literally the first to embrace streaming.
They established these stages, and today they are experiencing these stages getting overwhelmed by the late adopters who fell in love with other genres. It is the cool kid on the block who has found the band and nobody has heard of it and then all a sudden everyone tries to hop on the bandwagon because the band was cool and you are loser again.
In the middle of 2022, the market share of hip hop occupied was more significant, 27.64%, and then in the middle of 2023, it decreased to the figures of 25.92%, but this remains enormous when you compare it to Latin music, K-pop, and other international genres that are literally blowing up in these times.
The Superstar Problem (And Why It Actually Matters)
Among the greatest challenges that hip hop is currently grappling with is not good music but rather super stardom. Both Drake, Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole turned past the age of 35 and are no longer seen at their peaks by listeners and the music trade. And the kicker, it is not immediately obvious which next generation is ready to take over.
Do you remember Jay-Z, Eminem and 50 Cent totally destroying the hip hop scene not only but the entire music in general? After that Drake, Kendrick and J. Cole came along to fill in those shoes. But now? Even the contenders of the throne, disappoint NFL fans (cough, Lil Baby and Roddy Ricch) or simply not be able to produce at the superstar level on a regular basis.
In the meantime country music is cackling its way to the bank with evident emerging superstars such as Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs, and Chris Stapleton who are amassing huge, allegiant followings.
The Global Picture Changes Everything
But wait – before we start planning hip hop’s funeral, let’s zoom out. The question of is hip hop dying gets really interesting when you look at the global picture. The scene has experienced the boom of hip-hop inspired by the sound and this is an impact felt worldwide, and going forward with glocalization growing and the U.S. attempting to weaken its cultural dominance, hip-hop evolving in the globe is gaining significance.
Bad Bunny identifies himself as a rapper but instead is labeled Latin. The UK drill is going viral. Pieces of hip hop are being included in Afrobeats. It is not the genre that is dying rather it is adapting and growing in forms that even the American chart measure cannot grasp.
Thirty-seven point one percent of the listeners between 15 to 25years of age in China are hip-hop aficionados, whereas 59 percent of digital music listeners in South Africa listen to hip-hop. Such figures are crazy and do not correspond to the story about dying.
The Authenticity Crisis (Because We Need to Talk About It)
Here’s where I’m going to get a little controversial. Part of the reason people are asking is hip hop dying is because the genre has lost some of its authenticity. Hip-hop began as a genre that represented the voice of the Black people to point out racial injustice and inequality and mass appeal also meant mass commercialization.
When everything sounds like everyone began following the same formula, when musicians start chasing trends and not actually doing anything meaningful, when it becomes more about what will go viral rather than what will actually have a story behind that now fans will consider boring. Most young African Americans that have been interviewed held the view that videos of rap music displays too much sexual content and degrades black women and black men.
The fans are not quitting hip hop, it is just that they want better. And honestly? Well, that is good.
What 2025 Actually Looks Like
So is hip hop dying in 2025? Absolutely not. However, it is also evolving in a manner that would not sit well with the old school heads. 2024 was actually one of the best years the genre has ever seen with the West Coast literally taking over via Vince Staples, Tyler the Creator, proceeds by Kendrick, and ScHoolboy Q.
There is also increasing competition. Joey Bada$ is taking shots at the whole west coast and this is bringing that old East Coast vs West Coast vibe to the scene that keeps hip hop in such a good place. Musically, new artists such as SAILORR, Zeddy Will and Qing Madi are introducing new melodies and ideas.
There are new materials of such talented representatives of the genre as Yugen Blakrok and Brother Ali, proving that the genre continues creating sensible, well-designed work not depending on the gimmicks and tendencies.
The Bottom Line: Evolution, Not Extinction
And listen, every few years we hear something about hip hop being dead. It occurred in 2007 where the sale of albums decreased by 44.4% with respect to 2000. It recurred in different business doldrums. And it is going on… now.
But here’s what I’ve learned: hip hop dying is usually just hip hop evolving. It has never been a genre that is either about adapting, improvising or about reflecting the culture. That currently entails embracing sounds around the world, trying out new platforms, and yes, there will be some growing pains as it finds out what is next.
Whether hip hop is dying is not the big question but whether you are observing where it is heading to. It went somewhere fantastic I tell you. And if you’re still asking is hip hop dying by the end of 2025, you probably haven’t been listening hard enough.
The culture is alive, the numbers prove it, and the next generation of artists is already here. Hip hop isn’t dying – it’s just getting started on its next chapter.
