When Spotify’s 2026 Q1 Global Wrapped data revealed that 78% of the platform’s top 100 tracks featured trap-influenced production or explicit rap sections including entries from nominally “pure pop” artists-it…
I was watching the CBS live feed, and for a second, I thought my TV had cut out. The audio dropped completely. The camera panned awkwardly to a wide shot…
Rap is a style of music built around rhythmic speech rapping delivered over a beat. The rapper’s voice functions like percussion and melody at once: timing, rhyme, cadence, and tone…
The cultural origins of hip-hop Hip-hop began as a community practice before it became a category in record stores. In the 1970s Bronx, it formed under conditions that were felt…
Longevity in U.S. music isn’t an accident, and it isn’t just about hit songs. The American artists who stay influential across decades tend to master three arenas at once: the…
