Hip-hop sales decline, "white kids" no longer fooled
by Joel Cusumano

In a Time magazine article published this week, Ta-Nehisi Coates speculates on the rapid decline of hip-hop record sales, down 44% since 2000 and moved from 13% of all music sales to 10%. She tracks the rise of 1990s rap entrepreneurs, which arguably reached its apotheosis in 2001 during the height of enterprises such as Roc-A-Fella, No Limit and Bad Boy, through to the industry's current diminution. The article interviews some insiders, such as Steve Rifkin, the CEO of SRC Records, who stick to dubious platitudes about rap music needing to "get more creative." It mentions Russell Simmons, who recently made an admittedly half-assed call for rappers to start censoring themselves as well as cut down on the flaunting of their wealth.
Maybe a bit more convincing is the Roots' manager Richard Nickels, who claims that hip-hop has lost some of the excitement it gained during the 1990s' gangsta rap. "You had these black guys who came out and had guns. It was exciting to white kids ... It's collapsing because they can no longer fool the white kids." Q-Tip suggests "In rock you have ... all these different strains. And there are different strains of hip-hop, but record companies aren't set up to sell different strains." Coates' overriding paradigm is that rap is a product that needs to be updated. What do you think '' is this correct way to think about the hip-hop problem? Does the term 'gangsta rap' even apply to today's rap? Would ditching the bling-blang and foul language or 'maturing' boost sales?

I'd be curious to see how hip-hop record sales compare with all other record sales. The CD is a dying medium, amid the digital platform. Why is rap treated more as solely a sociological phenomenon, when you have the disappearance of record sales among most pop music genres?

Oh, wait. I forgot. It's the most readily identified to a problematic people. Surely, the depth of hip-hop has been ignored on the commercial end, but the same could be said for straight-ahead jazz during the 1980s and 1990s compared with fusion and West Coast contemporary jazz.

So how long did black artists think they could put on the black face and entertain white audiences, at the expense of their own kind? Between the enterprises and the artists, they could re-invent themselves and come up with creative ways to entertain without playing the jester so a spectrum of audiences can take them seriously.

angel345 said:

If this were the totality of it, I'd agree with you. Rap has been, and is, so much broader than this, that this is like faulting all filmmakers for the "American Pie" movies.

- As has happened many times, when black folks come up w/ something that white folks realize they can profit off of, it becomes exploited and watered down

- Black rap artists w/ real rap talent can't even get a record deal

This is part of what happens when black folk let others control something they know nothing about

- It's time for a new genre of music and this time no leeches

So it's not just a bunch of dudes making music that they and their friends like?

purplemansionFL said:

Can I slap that Time author first?
Rap sales are suffering for the same reason the music industry is. No is buying what they can get from friends for free.
Ditching the bling-BLING and foul language or "maturing [whatever that means in regard to rap] will not change how people acquire the music they listen to.
It's no less popular, it just sells less because there are other avenues of acquisition.

ThreadBare said:

the music industry is going to have to re-make it's self as a whole, not just rap/hip-hop.

I blame the Man

I think they are trying to poison the youth and the stupid who fall for it, to think that all Black music is about is vulgarities, bragging and dissing women, Imagine how many stinkin times they play that Baby Got Back Song on the Radio,

I mean really there is other selections out there,

it is a monopoly....they own the radio, but in reality the people are too smart to go out and support this garbage, no offense to Soljah boy but he was on the View today and he was sporting all kindsa blingy bling and I thought what a waste, how can you promote this image of materialism and watch the rest of the community suffer

I can't wait for a pop star to shit on the industry and make a real statement about oppression, it takes alot to hold us back

SUPRMAN said:

It's proof that the ignorance I lamented when I worked in the news biz is alive and well: The most basic, logical news story often gets twisted illogically when black people are identified as being central to it. Pity this hasn't died with the countless jobs that have been lost in that industry in recent years.

I'm still a bit confused here.

What exactly had white kids "fooled" they they no longer are fooled about?

JustErin said:

That's what I want to know.

JustErin said:

When hardcore rap started to gain popularity, it was because suburban white kids thought the whole "gangsta life" was exciting and dangerous, and that made it more appealing to them because they could front like THEY were living that life, and mainly, vicariously through the rappers' lifestyles and their lyrics. This also made those surburban, white kids that did associate themselves with that type of rap more popular amongst their peers. Their "cool factor" rose, and this was a safe way to prep the role without actually being close to the danger described in the raps.

The author is intimating that once that "excitement" of all that began to wane, and he suggests it's because the white kids are discovering that most of the gangsta rappers either have never lived that life or they've embellished on it solely to gain fame, money, sales, and therefore, the white kids aren't all "geeked-up" anymore about wanting to be down with that whole "gangsta world".

MuthaFunka said:

So he's saying that it's exclusively white kids that bought into this? Cuz when I look around I see tons of kids of ALL races and economic backgrounds thinking the whole rap star lifestyle is cool - they did then and they still do now - "gangsta, playa, whateva" doesn't matter.

I do not understand this "marketed for white kids" claims that people are constantly saying.

These guys are making the music they love and want to sell records and make money - that's all it's about.

And music has pretty much always been about bravado and people buying into it...I don't see why rap music is being singled out here.

JustErin said:

But the biggest demo that was actually buying G-rap/Hardcare rap at that time was the suburban white male. That's who he's really talking about.

MuthaFunka said:

How do they get this info? Just curious.

But he's also talking about rap as it sells (or doesn't sell) today and that's what I'm questioning.

angel345 said:

I dont know about the "no longer fooled", when i go to the mall, Hanna Montana aged white girls are still singing Iil' Wayne.

JustErin said:

Record companies either use companies that track this very thing or they do it themselves.

MuthaFunka said:

But how? Like track where they sell? Like which neighbourhoods or something?

The whole genre is suffering mainly down to the most high profile acts around today, they're shit.

JustErin said:

Yeah, it's usually based off where the record was bought.

It could be because rap and hip-hop is not a piss stain on the rug that is music, but rather that ugly, yellow, amoeba shaped, circle on the padding that people don't always see, but can sense when walking into a room. Just that faint stink that you eventually grow immune to, yet still irks you that it's there, until one day you finally pull back the carpet and cut it out and toss it in the trash where it belonged from the get-go.

CelibateMushroomCanopy said:

You know what I get really tired of SOME black people blaming everything on the white men or white people in general. Not everything is the white man’s fault. Take some responsibility for your own actions. You have these black rap artists coming out and making these vulgar songs…no one is putting a gun to their head and making them do this. You also have many black owned record companies that produce ignorant rappers like that. As well, as many of black youth that buy and listen to that mess. So it is not all the white man’s fault, ok? And just remember to there are white people on this forum as well.

kimrachell said:

Exactly.

Even as hip-hop album sales are dropping (when it's GREAT good to my ears anyway, since I want to see the RIAA fail!), we still have the issue of media corporations (READ: Clear Channel) using FM radio station in promoting shit-hop, rhythmless bullshit (r&b), weak-rock, & Disney-pop.
[Edited 5/25/09 14:51pm]

I don't see why people feel to debate a known fact, a fact that's been known since the mid 90s. There's demographic tracking on extremely sophistcated levels and there has been for decades. Not only is it done by tracking outlets of purchase, but by focus groupings. Almost noting in America is simply put on the market w/o serious research. If anything is killing music and it's diversity (as well as other aspects of life), it's the focus group.

LOL@ at there are "white people here"...yeah, so what? Logically, nothing could dominate a market in the US w/o their majority participation. It's a numbers game, simple as that.

The mainstream music scene is a mere shadow of its former self. Doesn't matter how “creative” one gets; there’s no home for it.

And it’s nothing short of veiled racism in blaming hip hop for the remaining success ignorance is having at selling to ignorance.

Music sales in general of all genres are in decline and it's not about what race bought what, people love music...period, even if it doesn't sell. That article is dumb too.
[Edited 5/25/09 15:52pm]

NO longer fooled my behind. I went to a party recently and ((being the only black person there) was stereotyped as the guy who would love the popular rap music, and when I told them I didnt like it I was the one who got the weird look..as if I did something wrong. I says, "I like old school r&b and pop mostly"..then they asked me, "oh yeah you like Jodeci and Boys II Men"? I just

I cant blame the person that wrote the article though. In a way I almost agree, however..they should do some extensive research before disputing a claim.

The most telling stat in the article is that hip-hop accounts for a lower percentage of overall music sales, so its not just an issue of all cd sales dropping. I agree that the genre seems stale and lacking in exciting new ideas.