Blog Post - A Brief History of Hip-Hop/R&B

 By Adan Sandoval

Music, the audible art form that has existed for centuries, plays vital to culture, society and commerce. Recently the leading category of this art form was replaced in accordance to the times we live in. Hip-Hop/R&B took the forefront of music consumption in the United States, and in 2017, surpassed Rock to become the most popular music genre (USA Today). The data for these findings show that seven of the top ten most-consumed albums of the year were of the hip-hop/R&B genre. Albums Damn., More Life, andStarboy by Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and the Weeknd, respectively, sit in the second, fourth and eighth place rankings for the "Top Ten Albums" list. Additionally eight Hip-Hop/R&B artists decorate the "Top 10 Artist" list such as Drake, Future, Eminem, Lil Uzi Vert and Kenrick Lamar (Business Insider).

Rock emerged during the 1970s and claimed dominance in the music industry until recent years. Hip-Hop/R&B (Rhythm and Blues? arose before the turn of the 21^stcentury. Both genres have evolved in accordance to the times they endure and transcend, and just as there's been distinctive time eras throughout Rock's history, so too are there for R&B/Hip Hop. There are five main eras in the history of Hip-Hop/R&B thus far: The Pioneers/DJ Era, The Golden Era, The Rebuilding Era, The Ringtone Era and the Internet Era (Amino Apps & Rank the Era's of Rap).

The Pioneers/DJ Era consists of the early composition of the Hip-Hop genre. In 1982, ABC's 20/20 acknowledged the emergence of a new genre and "takes a look at the new cultural phenomenon, hip hop." From the mid 20^thcentury up until 1988, The Pioneers/DJ Era introduces break-dancing influences, MCs (rappers), and musical remixing with DJ turntables and similar technologies. Turntable mixing and lyricism were the pinnacles of this era. Big names during these times were LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, Rakim and MC Hammer, to name a few (Rank the Era's of Rap)

The Golden Era proceeds the DJ/Pioneer Era as Hip-Hop/R&B's most prosperous times to date. Gangster or "Gansta" rap became the hip-hop trend towards the end of DJ/Pioneering Era, mostly due to N.W.A. (Niggaz Wit Attitudes) influence. The Golden Era began after the 1988 release of N.W.A. album Straight Outta Compton (A Hip-hop Timeline). Influence resonated throughout the remainder of the 20^thcentury from 1989 through 1996. Dr. Dre and gangster conflicts are the cornerstones of this era. Dr. Dre's quest for musical independence from N.W.A. resulted in come ups for the likes of Snoop Dogg and Tupac, the latter of which's death helps proport Hip-Hop/R&B into the 21^stcentury. Other noteworthy mentions of the Golden Era are the Notorious B.I.G., Nas, Wu-tang, Outkast, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and many more.

Following the Golden Era is the Rebuilding Era. The Rebuilding Era is initially characterized by Tupac and Notorious B.I.G.' deaths, on September 13, 1996 and March 9, 1997 respectively. Prodigy of the former greats, Jay-Z, emerges with his debut album "Reasonable Doubt." The era progresses with Dr. Dre signing rap legend Eminem onto his aftermath record label. Lil Wayne also emerges during this era, setting the stage for Hip-Hop/R&B sounds of modern times. At the end of this era in 2002, into 2003 and until 2009 the likes of Bow Wow, Soulja Boy, Chingy, Paul Wall and Flo Rida scatter the era with short successes but with more experimental sounds than before, straying away from "gansta rap." This Era, coined the "Rington Era" also provided time-lasting, more conventional artists still heard of today such as, T.I., Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, Pharrell, Kid Cudi and Gucci Mane.

The last and current era of Hip-Hop/R&B is the Internet Era that started around 2010. From this era, the music industry received Drake, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky, Wiz Khalifa, Logic, Childish Gambino and many more prominent artists listened to today. More recently, mumble and Soundcloud rap seem to be laying the foundation for a new transition in Hip-Hop/R&B history. The internet Era is focused around the advancement technology worldwide and the mainstream use of the internet. More rappers can surface nowadays because of the internet than ever before. Nowadays, upcoming artists have the ability to share their music and their personal lives more easily and faster than ever before. 

Data shows that the internet directly affects the music industry, especially Hip-Hop/R&B as noted by Business Insider, "the growth in popularity of the hip-hop R&B genre was 'powered by a 72% increase in on-demand audio streaming' in the genre." However, this is only one area of data that the music industry delves into. Numerous other types of music data are collected from various sources such as Shazam and music streaming services such as sound and marketing data.