April 18th 2024.
In recent years, there has been a lot of talk on social media about the decline of hip-hop. However, 2024 seems to be turning things around. Future and Metro Boomin's joint album, "We Don't Trust You," along with their diss track "Like That" featuring Kendrick Lamar, have set a new record for single-week units moved, with a whopping 251,000. Not only did the album reach the top of the Billboard 200 chart, but the single also debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 100, with four other songs from the project also making it into the top 10.
This success from the dynamic duo highlights a shift in the trajectory of the music genre, which has been experiencing a fall from grace in recent years. "Like That" joins Megan Thee Stallion's "Hiss" as the only two rap diss tracks to debut at No.1 in 2024. To put it into perspective, in 2023, we didn't see a No.1 rap song until September when Doja Cat's "Paint The Town Red" took the top spot. Other rap songs to reach No.1 on the Billboard 100 in 2024 include Jack Harlow's "Lovin' On Me" and Ye, Ty Dolla Sign, Rich the Kid, and Playboi Carti's "Carnival."
So far, 2024 has witnessed three No.1 rap albums: 21 Savage's "American Dream," Ye and Ty Dolla Sign's "Vultures," and Future and Metro Boomin's "We Don't Trust You." Their highly-anticipated follow-up album, "We Still Don't Trust You," is also expected to debut at No.1 on the Billboard 200. It was only in June 2023 that we saw a rap album top the charts with Lil Uzi Vert's "Pink Tape." By the end of 2023, only four rap albums had reached No.1 compared to 12 in 2022.
At this time last year, there were only 18 rap entries on the Billboard 100, with a significant number of them coming from older albums like Kanye West's "Graduation," Drake's "Take Care" and "Views," and Tyler, The Creator's "Igor." However, by mid-April 2024, there have been 38 rap entries, with albums like "We Don't Trust You" maintaining their spot at the top.
The resurgence of rap can also be attributed to the ongoing feuds between big-name artists, such as Drake and Kendrick Lamar, and Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj. These beefs have been a topic of conversation not just online but also in real life, and it seems that the hype has helped these diss tracks reach No.1 on the charts.
According to Billboard writer Heran Memo, "Diss tracks evoke larger conversations not just online but also in real life, and those who need to be up to speed on what's happening inevitably have to listen to the songs that ignited it all, which have allowed "Hiss" and "Like That" to shoot to No.1."
He also adds, "This level of competitiveness and s--t-talking is at the core of hip-hop's spirit, so I definitely agree with Metro that the genre is alive and well. Rap is off to a great start in 2024, especially compared to where it was at this point in 2023, so I have high hopes for the genre."
In a related context, choreographer Sean Bankhead's viral routines have also been credited with reigniting interest in pop music. As the saying goes, "God's timing is everything." It seems that the timing was just right for both hip-hop and pop music to make a comeback in 2024.
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