Is it true, the latest report is that HIP HOP has been murdered, yep ya heard me murder in the first degree. Why all the bulletins on this latest death, my theory is because everyone wants to be the first one to say they called it right. I mean you have economists (Sorry had to go deep, look at the name of my blog!) every year that guess the rise and fall of the stock market and each year its guaranteed one side will be wrong. But whoa if you're on the right side, you will be published in newsletters, show up on CNBC, and probably even get a book deal if it happens to be one of the largest rises or falls ever known to the market. I will get off this analogy but think of it this way, image if you were the analysts that on tv or on print predicted the fall of the tech boom in the 90's or the market slump after 9/11. These guys were heralded as outright geniuses...but how many of those genius analysts predicted that the market would come roaring back like it has. Haven't checked, well the Dow has recently set its ALL TIME HIGH.
But back to the topic at hand:
Read the HIP HOP autopsy
We are all in the prediction game, but what ammunition do the naysayers have. Well try this on for size. This years 2006 Billboards did not record 1 hiphop artist in the top 10, except for Eminem's Curtain Call...but this was a greatest hits album. I know, your next question is what the heck made up the top 10, check this out and don't rub your eyes...I already tried:
1 SOME HEARTS CARRIE UNDERWOOD 3,721,7622
2 HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL SOUNDTRACK 3,252,743
3 ALL THE RIGHT REASONS NICKELBACK 3,043,246
4 ME & MY GANG RASCAL FLATTS 2,761,915
5 THE BREAKTHROUGH MARY J BLIGE 2,636,062
6 CURTAIN CALL: THE HITS EMINEM 2,576,365
7 BACK TO BEDLAM JAMES BLUNT 2,231,085
8 THE ROAD AND THE RADIO KENNY CHESNEY 2,100,744
9 THE LEGEND OF JOHNNY CASH JOHNNY CASH 2,004,003
10 BREAKAWAY KELLY CLARKSON 1,980,966
As you can see country dominated the theme. Overall these numbers look low but I guess we have been spoiled by the numbers Ludacris, Eminem, 50 Cent, Jay Z and other popular hiphop artists have registered recently. So where is hip hop closest representor that would be TI's King @ roughly 1.5M records sold. As you can see R&B was well represented with Mary J at #5, Mariah Carey #11, pop/hiphop group Black Eyed Peas #14, Jamie Foxx #15, Chris Brown #17, Justin Timberlake #18, Ne-Yo #28, and the next true hiphop artist Chamillionaire at #35 with 1.2 M. Get Rich or Dye Tryin Soundtrack, Notorious BIG, Gnarls Barkley and Lil Wayneare other notables just above 1M.
So what does this all mean, two things in my theory. I think that this was just the year of the singles for hiphop. You have a number of big singles from smaller artists and these artist will need time to crossover. Think of the huge singles of 2006:
Walk it - DJ Unk
Soul Survivor Young Jeezy ft Akon
Lean Wit it Rock Wit it - Dem Franchise Boyz
Chicken Noodle Soup
We Fly High - Jim Jones
What You Know About That - TI
Golddigger - Kanye West
Grillz - Nelly
Ridin - Chamillionaire
Hustlin - Rick Ross
Look at this list closely and realize that most of these artists are on their first or second album. My second theory is the lines of R&B, pop, and hiphop are blurring and definitely more because of hiphop. Again the top albums and in R&B and pop have a heavy dose of hiphop influence. Check this list out:
Chris Brown - newcomer with hiphop influence. Example had a song featuring Little Wayne
Ne Yo - first single was a hiphop track with Peedi
Mary J - long ties to hiphop with classics of her and Method Man, Game, and P Diddy
Mariah Carey - same can be said of her hiphop collabo's
Jamie Foxx - his hit single featured Ludacris
Pussycat Dolls - hits singles featured Busta Rhymes and Snoop Dogg
Fergie - part of Black Eye Peas
Justin Timberlake - productions ooze of Timbaland, a well know hiphop producer and artist (courtesy of Timbaland you can now throw Nelly Furtado and Omarion)
Ciara - featured Bow Wow and Chamillionaire on songs
Do you get my point!!! And to finish things off, we had none of our heavyweights drop albums this year. My prediction, this will be a huge year for hiphop and other artists with huge hiphop influences. These albums and more will make sure of that:
The Game - Doctor's Advocate, not a classic...but creeps close
Jay Z - Kingdom Come, this album has brought even me back to Jay Z's side, check out my write up on his tight track "Lost Ones"
Nas - Hip Hop is dead is the name of the new album and he's teamed up with Jay
Ludacris - great album, and he's evolving...kinda like Nelly has
Young Jeezy - note he was a newcomer less than two years ago
Akon - already blazing the charts
Eminem - he's put together a compilation album "Eminem presents the Re UP"
50 Cent - album coming soon
Snoop Dogg - The Blue Carpet Treatment
My prediction HIP HOP takes its throne back and we shake our way back into 2007!
Nuff said
