Music Trends

Hip hop has been on a relative downward spiral and it’s not hard to see why. Hip-hop 20 years ago is radically different from that of today. The music is different, the lyrics are different and heck, even the ideology is different. So why is hip-hop no longer as popular as it once was? What changes took place?

Auto-Tune

What was designed to be technology to fix inaccuracies in singing has been used extensively to not only fix inaccuracies but also make bad singers sound good. One too many hip hop singles are using too much Auto-Tune in their music.

The question of Auto-Tune comes back to its need. Why would you need to use so much Auto-Tune in the first place? Hip-hop fans want original tracks that have not been ‘Auto-Tuned’. In fact, only some of the top 100 singles have kept this genre alive.

Mix of Genres

Hip-hop, on its own, is a great music genre. It has captivated the hearts and minds of millions of people through the decades. However, hip-hop started to become rather plain. There was very little change in the industry and avid hip-hop listeners started to shy away from the genre. This is when genres started to be mixed.

Adding a spice of techno or rock to a hip-hop track is not a bad idea. However, when you completely fuse the two or let the other dominate the original genre (hip-hop), that is when it is not hip-hop. Throw in Auto-Tune and you have yourself some really bad “hip-hop” singles.

One Image

If there was one thing that hip-hop was well known for were its rebellious and ‘real’ lyrics. The lyrics in any hip-hop track spoke out to the listeners. They were lyrics that people could relate to, admire and enjoy.

However, hip-hop is now mostly centered around sex, money, online casinos, alcohol, partying sometimes gamand skimpy women. There is only so much of the same idea/image that people can take. Nobody wants to listen to why a music artist is better than other people or how they like to roam around in their Lamborghini. They want to listen to lyrics and music that they can relate to - the true idea behind hip-hop.

Although many inspiring efforts have been made to bring life back into the genre, it seems that unless hip-hop goes back to its roots, the music genre may never be the same again.

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We all believe that music is changing. What was once an era of meaningful lyrics and matching tunes has now become an era of Auto-Tune; an era where anyone and everyone is a music artist. Although music may have changed, can the same really be said about the genres?

Where do you live?

If you look at music globally, there really isn’t much change. The genre that was dominating the music industry 10 years ago is still doing so. However, if you analyze countries separately, you will notice that some genres have changed.

For example, in the first quarter of 2011, there was a sudden increase in pop music in the United States. However, Brazil saw a declining trend during the same period. On the other hand, there was a steady increase in pop music in India. Pop over to Vietnam and you will see hip-hop dominating the music industry with pop being a mere shadow genre.

Why the Changes?

Music is always evolving. As time goes on, trends in the generation influence the music industry. There was a classical, a punk and even a techno era. In India, classical music dominated the industry for 30 years. However, after 2000, pop music saw a steady increase. The fact is that people wanted something to dance to.

Thanks to the internet gaming, music became more widespread than ever. Since 2004, pop music has been declining in India. However, hip-hop has been on the rise. As the idea of a global village draws closer, people have moved away from the norm and have started to listen to a wide variety of music.

As time passes, new music genres emerge. In the United Kingdom, many music genres are in decline, especially pop. However, new genres such as dubstep and house music are increasing in popularity. Avid music listeners are tired of the same old music and want something different. These genres offer what they want.

So, can we really say that music has changed; a subjective question? What our children listen to is radically different from what we listen to. As time goes on, people will want something different. They will want to hear new sounds and experience a completely new genre of music. Music has not changed; it has evolved and will continuously do so. It will continue to evolve based on your listening preferences.

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