In a short politics lecture at a public affairs event held this week at the Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, Professor Annenberg reminded the audience that politics is downstream from culture. In my view, the debate can go both ways, but since culture often reacts to politics, it can be difficult to track exactly what’s downstream. Whether it’s David Bowie’s Space Oddity or Starman, Radiohead and the Chicks’ response to the invasion of Iraq, Taylor Swift’s feminism, or the abstraction of mumble rap that exploded in the era of President Donald Trump. See the technological advancements of the 1960s reflected in its nihilistic nature. office. Since then, modern hip-hop has been dethroned as the country’s most commercially viable genre. Last week’s Billboard 200 had only one hip-hop song in the top 10. Future — Further down the chart are sparse top entries from Eminem, Travis Scott, and Drake. The Hot 100 is a similar story.
It was in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic that I saw country music become so popular, aesthetically influential, and commercially successful. My colleague showed me Orville Peck’s music and explained to me how Stagecoach, as opposed to Coachella, is real. Despite not being a country fan before, I quickly understood the hype and, out of curiosity, began digging into the back catalog of Morgan Wallens, the Laney Wilsons, and even Taylor Swift’s discography. I did.
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As a die-hard hip-hop fan, I’ve become disinterested in the genre due to the complacency of its pioneers, many of its giants releasing too much music on autopilot ( Drake), or otherwise, were guilty of doing little to advance the genre. Either they release music often enough (Kendrick Lamar) or they stay dangerously within their comfort zone (most rappers).
Part of the reason hip-hop music has been so dominant in the music world for so long is because, like rock music, it combines genre-bending experimentation with a lyrical quality. Helps tackle complex subjects. Racial struggles are part of what shaped the roots of hip-hop. But the genre also allows for great creative ways to tackle other human experiences and issues, such as mental health and substance abuse.
The appeal of country music, in contrast to hip-hop, perhaps lies in the genre’s refusal to transcend genre boundaries, its emphasis on tradition, and its lack of potential for drug-infused psychedelic experimentation. Probably. Frankly, after four years of the Trump administration and two years of the coronavirus pandemic, people were tired of artists tackling serious, dark issues and wanted something more comforting. Country provided a blanket of safety and nostalgia for Americans as well as Europeans, even though their relationship with the country was less familiar.
It’s possible that this culture has grown weary of hip-hop’s complex concept albums, the life-and-death urgency and violence of gangster rap, and even its drug-induced nihilism. This is definitely one of the reasons why so many modern rap icons were created. He died too soon.
Needless to say, after all this, we have landed in a world where society seems constantly on the brink of cataclysm at the hands of artificial intelligence and virtual reality technology. But no one seems excited about it.
We are entering the summer of 2024. Country has reached its peak, and the best of Zach Bryan, Luke Combs, and Taylor Swift could be behind it. It’s a sad day when Beyoncé jumped on the trend of selling Levi’s jeans, indicating that something has reached its peak.
Instead, we’ve seen Sabrina Carpenter and Chapel Lawn, two very different artists, appease our insatiable appetite for female-led pop, plus a club-meets-hyperpop-infused break from Charli xcx. Their success is strongly intertwined with Gen Z’s media savvy and obsession with authenticity, which plays a key role in the success or failure of new initiatives by artists, such as the panning of Katy Perry’s latest album or YouTuber KSI’s latest single. Fulfilling. I can’t get in touch.
Current trends toward more traditional pop may indicate a continuing desire for less serious music, but these trends emerge shrouded in a fog of undetermination. What’s next for the industry? Has the hip-hop of the past been banished by millennial laziness? And is new hip-hop left to starve underground? Are country’s glory days coming to an end as well, and will pop become the new mainstream genre? Will Kamala Harris’ inauguration increase this trend, or will Donald Trump’s inauguration as president? Or is this a complete cultural break? Are you waiting for the next big trend? If so, where does it come from?
