Shorter albums, change in lyricism marks hip-hop shift

In 2020, I predict there will be a shift in the hip-hop landscape. Albums will be shorter, wordplay will make a comeback, and women will finally get their fair say in the industry.

I would be remiss to gloss over the outstanding lyrical and conscious hip-hop that came out in the 2010s. Between Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, their respective crews (TDE & Dreamville) and others, there’s no shortage of music that makes you think, laugh, question and critique society. There is no arguing, though, that this form of hip-hop has taken the backseat to more surface level material in the mainstream.

Of course, you have your Lil Pump’s and Lil Baby’s when you’re at a party. But what about when your friend is asking you about the best new artists? Let me ask you this: if your friend is in town and asks for the best food, are you going to give them fast-food suggestions, or a hearty meal that they’ll remember for years to come?

Music fans who were teenagers when Lil Pump got famous, will grow older and discover true hip-hop: the type that takes us back to the “Golden Era” when pure rapping ability was the biggest factor to an artist’s success. In the next decade, these music fans will mature and gain the attention span to process deeper meanings in the art they consume. This will force Spotify to meet the consumer’s desires, instead of us conforming to the fast-food they put in front of our faces each week.

There’s evidence that people want poetic music, but just don’t know where to look. Although they’re not usually on the home pages or main playlists, the slow and steady rise of artists like JID, Saba, Noname and Maxo Kream are encouraging. Let’s be responsible consumers and pay attention when Maxo raps about the Houston struggle or when Saba raps about Chicago’s gun violence.

But there are also clout-chasing artists who dye their hair, get face tattoos or blow up overnight, and simply cannot make a cohesive album — i.e. Lil Xan, Lil Pump, 6ix9ine, Desiigner. This cycle repeats every six months or so.

It would be wise for artists to ditch the current model made famous by Drake’s “Scorpion” and Migos’ “Culture II,” when artists throw more than 20 songs on an album for the purpose of gaining more streams. Instead, I recommend what we’ll call the “Kanye Model,” where albums are about 30 minutes long and get straight to the point.

Yes, the albums are shorter. But they’re also more memorable with replay value for years to come. I’d rather rack up 100 million streams over the course of 20 years than a 100 million streams in a matter of months, and then be forgotten in history.

Speaking of history, it’s time for the women in rap to be heard. The first 40+ years of hip hop’s existence hasn’t allowed many women rappers in the mainstream. When Nicki Minaj came around about 10 years ago, the culture pinned her against Lil Kim and everyone turned their backs on the latter. When Cardi B rose to fame, the community pinned her against Nicki.

I hope this is the last of the “Queen of Rap” battles, because there is room for dozens of extremely talented women rappers at the top. There are countless women coming up in the game at the moment that are set to break out in 2020: Rico Nasty, Little Simz, Tierra Whack, Noname, Dreezy, Meghan Thee Stallion, Queen Key, Kae Draco, Leikeli47, IAMDDB and CupcakKe, just to name a few.

UK’s Little Simz is fresh off her second album, “GREY Area,” which contains some of the most succulent lyrics of the last few years over filthy instrumentation. She shatters gender norms, discusses pain and suffering, racism, nostalgia and much more on ten tracks spanning 35 minutes in length.

Even Offset, one of the men responsible for rap’s current sound, told The Breakfast Club that he feels like “content music is coming back around. All the swag and all that, that’s finna go out the door.” People are sick and tired of hearing how many ways you can flip it and whip it, how much money you have and how poorly you treat women.

Young rap fans will grow old and demand music they can chew on. Artists will come to understand the long-game, and make records that are short but timeless. The community is ready to give women their fair say.