Rap's the rage: The numbers prove it

By PHIL KLOER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TOP TEN SINGLES



• 1. "Baby Boy": Beyoncé featuring Sean Paul

• 2. "Shake Ya Tailfeather": Nelly, P. Diddy & Murphy Lee

• 3. "Get Low": Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz featuring the Ying Yang Twins

• 4. "Right Thurr": Chingy

• 5. "Frontin' ": Pharrell featuring Jay-Z

• 6. "Damn!": YoungBloodz featuring Lil Jon

• 7. "P.I.M.P.": 50 Cent

• 8. "Into You": Fabolous featuring Tamia/Ashanti

• 9. "Stand Up": Ludacris featuring Shawnna

• 10. "Where is the Love?": Black Eyed Peas



Source: The Billboard Hot 100 singles chart

Rap music is so pervasive in society that it has accomplished a musical milestone: All of the Top 10 singles on the new Billboard Hot 100 chart feature rap.

From No. 1 ("Baby Boy" by Beyoncé and Sean Paul) to No. 10 ("Where is the Love?" by Black Eyed Peas), rappers rule as never before on the chart, which is released today.

"Hip-hop is as mainstream now as rock and pop were 10 years ago," said Dylan Sprague, program director for Atlanta Top 40 radio station Q100.

"To kids growing up today, hip-hop is pop music," he said. "It's only adults who look at it differently."

Musically, rap and hip-hop are the same thing -- lyrics spoken over a steady rhythmic beat. Hip-hop culture, which includes the music but also slang, dance and fashion, has been steadily increasing its influence in youth culture for years -- from TV commercials to suburban teens who get Eminem-style short haircuts.

White consumers now buy an estimated 80 percent of hip-hop CDs by many mainstream acts, according to industry estimates. And white musicians once identified with pop are blending their music with hip-hop. Justin Timberlake, formerly of boy band 'N Sync, guests on the Peas' "Where is the Love?" and Christina Aguilera's latest hit, "Can't Hold Us Down," is a duet with rapper Lil' Kim.

In addition, three of the Top 10 songs have Atlanta roots: "Get Low" by Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz featuring the Ying Yang Twins (No. 3); "Damn!" by YoungBloodz featuring Lil Jon (No. 6); and "Stand Up" by Ludacris featuring Shawnna (No. 9), indicative of Atlanta's importance in the hip-hop world. And the No. 1 CD on Billboard's album chart is "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below," by Atlanta hip-hop duo Outkast.

The Billboard Hot 100 reflects what's popular on radio, says Silvio Pietroluongo, who oversees the chart. Years ago, the chart covered sales of singles, but record companies rarely release hit songs as singles anymore. The radio dominance of hip-hop is being fueled by listener demand and the marketplace. The album chart, where Outkast is No. 1, is based solely on sales.

"What made hip-hop distinct 10 years ago really doesn't exist anymore, the idea that it expressed a particular consciousness of a group of people who were left out of popular culture," said Consuela Francis, assistant professor of African-American literature at the College of Charleston in South Carolina.

"It's not about struggle anymore -- how much is Puff Daddy struggling?" she said. "But it still has that allure, and that allure has transcended racial boundaries. Everybody wants to buy it."

Source: http://www.ajc.com/living...5686955365

It's kinda sad. It's now become as indistinguishable as pop music. With a few notable exceptions, hip-hop is now mostly a bore.

Yeah, looking at that list, is that something to be proud of?

Boy, I hate popularity contests and charts. They express such ignorance.

namepeace said:

Yup. Time for the kids to come up with something new. We always do.

beyonce number one... moonbeam your fav!

namepeace said:

Cloudbuster said:

we posted at the same time ...thats weird

Christopher said:

Slut!

Cloudbuster said:

Christopher said:

Cloudbuster said:

:beyonce:

Christopher said:

:chrismartin:

Cloudbuster said:

Goddamn, rap sucks.

Christopher said:

Cloudbuster said:

[/quote]

You fucked that up!


[This message was edited Thu Oct 9 4:39:57 PDT 2003 by Cloudbuster]

savoirfaire said:

It is something to be ashamed of, actually.

Cloudbuster said:

Christopher said:

That's a tune. The Bee Gees wrote that.

Cloudbuster said:

lol yes but beyonce was singing it on the video.

Christopher said:

She's the kind of woman that would make me put my sometimesgayness in a box. Maybe forever.



:untilchrismartincomesalong:

Cloudbuster said:

you all could make alot of money with that video
.
..
[This message was edited Thu Oct 9 5:07:56 PDT 2003 by Christopher]

Its funny that I barely hear any of these songs on the radio here in NY. You hear Baby Boy and Where is the Love, and Frontin, but the rest nowhere to be found. The top hits have Donna Summer, Britney & Modonna, dance stuff like Amuka/You Don't Appreciate Me, Rock Your Body by Stagga Lee, etc. I Don't know why these, most popular, songs are not seen on the charts. Do they not go on airplay aymore?

this weeks tops at radio:

1-Something Happened on the Way to Heaven - Deborah Cox
2-Rock Ya Body "Mic Check 1,2" - M.V.P. feat Stagga Lee
3-Baby Boy - Beyonce feat Sean Paul
4-Never - Roc Project
5-Crazy In Love - Beyonce feat. Jay Z
6-Alone - Lasgo Robbins
7-Frontin' - Pharrell feat. Jay Z
8-Try It On My Own remix - Whitney Houston
9-Dance With My Father - Luther Vandross
10-Where Is The Love - Black Eyed Peas
11-Into You- Fabolous
12-Appreciate Me - Amuka
13-I Begin To Wonder - Dannii Minogue
14-Something - Lasgo
15-Never Leave You - Lumidee
16-Simply Being Loved - B.T.
17-If I Didn't Know Better - Luther Vandross
18-You're So Beautiful - Donna Summer
19-Up Against All Odds - Tarralyn
20-Give It Up - Kevin Aviance
21-Make Me Wanna Scream - Blu Cantrell
22-Me Against The Music - Britney Spears
[This message was edited Thu Oct 9 5:24:06 PDT 2003 by jthad1129]

Christopher said:

You wanna film it?

Cloudbuster said:

Christopher said:

Okay, you can join in as well if you want.

Cloudbuster said:

sure ... but i hope you all have been tested for rabies before hand