In 2018, 37.4% of all music consumers in the United States preferred Hip Hop (Rap) as their top genre (Statista.com). Hip Hop captures over 1/3 of the market because these artists possess compelling lyrics, a unique style, and a strong dedication to the culture of their music. This paper examines rap artists of the past and present who have what it takes to stand the test of time.
Rap is one of the most influential genres today. During the 1990s ‘Gansta Rap’ became popular. This style consists of lyrics containing violence and focuses on inner-city life of poverty. By 1999, hip hop was the top selling music genre. The group credited with the founding of ‘Gangsta Rap’, N.W.A, is responsible spawning one of the biggest icons in the rap community today, Eminem.
With his career of over 35 years Eminem remains one of the biggest rappers in the world. Overcoming an upbringing of violence, abuse, and trauma Eminem rose to the top. The movie “8 mile” depicts Eminem’s life and career as an early rapper and conveys how he wrote one of his most popular songs —"Lose Yourself”. He still
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A current artist on track to follow in the footsteps of Eminem is the The Weeknd. He is ranked number on Spotify with millions of listeners worldwide. The Weeknd started his career in the music industry 10 years ago where he began making music with deep meaning, often hard to understand. For example, from the song “Too Late” he raps, “Sources say that we’re done how would they know? We’re in Hell, it’s disguised as a paradise with flashing lights.” This is one of The Weeknd’s deepest lyrics, even though it seems as though this may be a random lyric, he’s speaking about relationships under the spotlight of being a famous artist. He has the capabilities to become a classic artist and stand the test of time because of his unique style and the meaning behind his