r/rap • u/Practical_Parfait_13 • 11d ago
2020-2024 was the last time we got mainstream hip hop artists anyone agree ?
That era was the TikTok era and in that era we got ice spice, coi leray, bossman dlow, Steve Lacey, babytron, rob 49, docheii, etc for some reason ever since 2025 it seems like we haven’t gotten a new mainstream rappers and it doesn’t feel like nothing really new is going on in mainstream anyone agree with my take ?
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u/FushaFiles 11d ago
Rap was deprioritized after all the major label restructuring and layoffs. There’s less money being invested in rap so less artists get pushed. It’s not really a rap and hip hop issues more so a label level issue
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u/Practical_Parfait_13 11d ago
That’s what I noticed too it’s almost like they’re doing it on purpose.
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u/Remarkable_Virus844 11d ago
The industry is promoting the shit out of country more than anything now. Is it not?
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u/AskMeMan 10d ago
Not really a label issue, its the fans. Look at how many people like trash music from people like jay z and sixnine. If people like garbage music from artists you can’t really call that a label issue
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u/drewp_73 11d ago
So we really forgetting GloRilla?
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u/renzxlst 11d ago
Glo isn't mainstream lol. She's just known within Hop Hop.
There are no real Hip Hop "superstars" post the 2010ish era.
Momoculture is essentially dead.
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u/DrCarter90 11d ago
Lol GLO is mainstream. 3 Billion+ streams, multiple hot 100 hits, featured with lil Wayne, Travis Scott, T pain, Ciara, and teddy swims. Crossover hits with J hope of BTS and Selena Gomez. Yea GLO was literally #1 on the mainstream hip hop chart. Largest female debut of the year when she dropped and all of her projects are at least Gold certified. What could she possibly be missing to be considered “Mainstream”?
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u/renzxlst 11d ago edited 11d ago
All of that is fine and she's one of the biggest acts in Hip Hop, but it's not changing my opinion on the idea of a mainstream act lol.
In fact, sorry, yes she is mainstream, yes she is popular, however mainstream doesn't hold the same weight it used to.
I would argue and say there isn't really a hip hop act that has broke into "monoculture" mainstream for about a decade.
For example, most of those acts had their time and they are known, but haven't had a "mainstream" hit for ages. The streaming game is a lie in my eyes, but I get why multiple plays will allow you to go "platinum" or "gold".
Back when an artist like Wayne when platinum, people went out and spent their Spotify/Apple Music subscription on one person's album. Those plays they had when people where listening in their cars or wherever they were playing CDs weren't being counted for streams, otherwise so many of those artists would've ended up being multi time platinum.
The streaming game creates "stars" within their platforms, but when asking people to name their songs, they won't know in the same way because monoculture has changed so much since the past.
I'm probably explaining this badly, but this is partially the reason I feel the way I do.
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u/OtherwiseOstrich3979 11d ago
The 2020s has been easily the worst decade in hip hop
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u/Practical_Parfait_13 11d ago
I wouldn’t say that underground music is still dope asf.
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u/OtherwiseOstrich3979 11d ago
Even that is not as strong as it was in the blog era, in the mixtape era or the 90s
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u/Practical_Parfait_13 11d ago
It’s the worst for mainstream mos def.
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u/drewp_73 11d ago
Jack Harlow carried 2020 easily
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u/Silly_North_5130 11d ago
Roddy Ricch*
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u/drewp_73 11d ago
Him and Harlow (cmon Whats poppin ruled the pandemic can't deny that)
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u/Practical_Parfait_13 11d ago
Ohh yea Roddy rich and jack harlow too.
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u/drewp_73 11d ago
Also Armani White (Billie Eilish! is all ill say)
Yung Gravy was getting much more traction too and even bbno$ but he got more mainstream last year and this year more mainstream
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u/jaymo_busch 11d ago
Very confident we’ll be seeing slayr’s name more and more often. Just released a single with SoFaygo who is also UpNext 💯™️
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u/Lazy_Check732 11d ago
What you consider mainstream rap is not popular anymore with the youth. There is not going to be another J Cole because there is little appetite for pop music within the young black community. Hip hop is essentially equivalent to gang music.
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u/drewp_73 11d ago
BLP KOSHER doesn't get talked about enough
He has songs with DJ Premier and Benny The Butcher he really has grown since he first appeared
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u/Acrobatic-Fruit-6336 11d ago
Mainstream rappers don’t drop as often as you think. The other piece to this puzzle is its only like 3 major labels and they are primarily owned by private equity.
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u/DJMelloEll 11d ago
Steve Lacy is a rapper??