The place In The Rap Are We At?! |

“…You by no means thought that hip-hop would take it this far.”

— “Juicy” (1994)
The Infamous B.I.G. (1972 – 1997)

It appears to be a notion that rap followers in every single place have usually taken a minute to sit down with ever for the reason that late Christopher Wallace first spit such illustrious phrases on wax many, many moons in the past. The lyrics are particularly vital as we surpass hip-hop’s milestone fiftieth anniversary celebration that took over 2023 with grandstanding festivities all yr lengthy. Properly, we’re now two years faraway from all of the whistles and horns, but it feels in some ways just like the tradition has been dialing it again in a giant approach.

As an example, let’s take a look at a debate that’s been circulating for a lot of this month surrounding rap music and the coveted Billboard Scorching `100. With the final chart for the month locked within the books as of yesterday (November 25), we will formally report that solely two hip-hop songs appeared within the High 40 for your complete period of Hip-Hop Historical past Month 2025. Of these two “rap drought saviors,” each fell out of the High 40 by the point the subsequent chart replace was posted per week later. One track didn’t even see a Week 3; the opposite is sitting 5 spots under its earlier peak following a fifteenth week on the chart.

It’s the most recent blow to a longstanding streak in hip-hop that ended again in October after a whopping three-and-a-half-decade chart reign.

To look again 20 years in the past throughout a time that many would contemplate to be a Golden Period in rap, these garbage outcomes can be removed from the case. The primary track within the nation was hip-hop — “Gold Digger” by Kanye West, in its tenth week on high no much less — with The Black Eyes Peas and Jeezy rounding out the highest 5, respectfully. Total, 15 out of the High 40 have been hip-hop songs or featured a hip-hop artist in November 2005.

Even 10 years in the past compared wouldn’t have been the case. Drake was sitting solely behind Adele — hey! — together with his earth-shattering hit, “Hotline Bling.” Not far behind was Fetty Wap at quantity 9 (“679”), Drake once more alongside Future at 16 (“Jumpman”), Macklemore throughout his breakout yr at 21 (“Downtown”), iHeartMemphis — keep in mind him?! —proper behind at 22 (“Hit the Quan”), Fetty Wap staying on Drizzy’s neck with one other one himself at 24 (“Lure Queen”), pop star Selena Gomez rising the charts with assist from A$AP Rocky at 25 (“Good For You”), Travis Scott in his peak period at 27 (“Antidote”), Future and Drake — sure, once more! — at quantity 30 (“The place Ya At”), Wiz Khalifa driving excessive on anthem standing at quantity 34 (“See You Once more”), Fetty Wap actually going neck and neck with a 3rd hit at 35 (“My Manner”), Submit Malone throughout his rap part at 36 (“White Iverson”) and eventually Fetty Wap with a powerful fourth track inside the High 40 at quantity 39 (“Once more”).

2025 compared is laughable, significantly when contemplating every of the aforementioned names as they stand within the sport immediately. Kanye West has all however turned his again on any and everybody who doesn’t agree together with his bigoted ideologies. Previously 5 years alone, Fetty Wap has been divorced, tragically misplaced a daughter and most not too long ago been imprisoned in a correctional facility. Each Macklemore and IHeartMemphis are nowhere to be discovered, Submit Malone determined to go nation and regardless of the burden that A$AP Rocky, Travis Scott and Wiz Khalifa every nonetheless maintain within the sport, neither has managed to create any actual fanfare round their single releases or album drops inside the previous few years.

Other than Future, who made historical past in 2024 as the primary rapper to drop three primary albums in a calendar yr, the hip-hop hitmakers of yesteryear are barely within the zeitgeist a decade later. What does that say concerning the style of rap when Tame Impala, the hit psychedelic rock band who acquired its begin again in 2007, continues to be driving excessive on the Various/Rock charts primarily based on the success of their fifth studio album launched final month? How has CeCe Winans been capable of graciously keep afloat over on the planet of gospel for effectively over 40 years, but the announcement that Nas and DJ Premier are dropping a long-awaited collaborative album titled Gentle-Years in just a few weeks (December 12) barely moved the needle?

Whereas hip-hop is in severe want of some assist in the mean time, all hope isn’t misplaced by an extended shot. The 2026 GRAMMYs ceremony is gearing as much as be a memorable night time for the tradition with three rap albums nominated within the coveted Album Of The 12 months class— it’s a primary in Recording Academy historical past. If both Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, The Creator or Clipse win, it is going to be the primary time since Outkast took dwelling the gramophone all the way in which again in 2004 — you realize, when the tradition was nonetheless in its peak.

On Tuesday night time (November 25), we acquired to sit down in on a personal screening in NYC for a mini documentary that tells the background story of BK Gudda, a rising emcee out of Brooklyn signed to rap icon Busta Rhymes’ The Conglomerate imprint. It detailed his story from foster care to imprisonment and ultimately on the best path immediately which features a megamix collab alongside the aforementioned Rhymes, in addition to heavyweights like Papoose, Large Daddy Kane, Lil Fame & Billy Danze of M.O.P., Tek & Steele of Smif-N-Wessun, Buckshot, Talib Kweli, Rampage, Gorilla Nems, Maino and Spiff Star.

Talking in a well timed sit-down dialogue following the screening, Busta spoke to his present mindset as a hip-hop artist and supervisor in 2025 who occurs to have over 30 years of success beneath his belt, telling the viewers, “I’m clear on precisely what I do know [needs] to be executed in understanding how the eras have modified. I feel a very powerful factor that I worth and I maintain on to probably the most — and I’m by no means going to repair this, as a result of it ain’t broke! — is the truth that I don’t enable myself to stray from feeling, soul, intuition and listening to the way in which the sound makes you’re feeling. That information analytic and algorithm shit actually fucks individuals up — numerous executives and artists inside the final yr have misplaced their jobs. The identical ones that used to sit down in these rooms and say, ‘Your new artist don’t acquired sufficient engagement on his Instagram’ or ‘He doesn’t have sufficient followers on his Twitter‘; they’re all searching for properties and new jobs now. A few of them name our telephones and wish to seek the advice of. I used to sit down in these conferences and go, ‘Rattling: so that you’re actually going to overlook out on the subsequent attainable B.I.G. or 2Pac as a result of they don’t acquired sufficient social media engagement?”

The OG might need a degree.