“A rap is a rap, a rhyme is a rhyme, and a riddle is a riddle. But to walk somebody through a story, in a masterful and flawless way, is the paramount and the tip top of the game,” explained Ice Cube on a “People’s Party” podcast.

Music, specifically R&B and hip-hop, has been a form of art and communication within cultures, individuals and society as a whole. Though recently, I have noticed a decline in hip-hop and R&B of today.

Since hip-hop and R&B music has such a broad audience with many different components connecting to it, there are many factors that have led to its recent decline. 

With the influence of gospel music, the existence of hip-hop and R&B was to help minority groups come together, share experiences and enjoy themselves without the pressure and judgment of others. 

Since discrimination is something that has been ingrained into the foundation of America, the idea of colorism, one of the factors of the decline, has been something that has voided the true meaning for hip-hop and R&B music’s existence. 

The problem with colorism within hip-hop and R&B is that the “good music” made by those of a darker complexion is undervalued and overlooked by those who are lighter than them. Not only has the trend of colorism played a part in the crumbling of R&B and hip-hop, but media platforms have also contributed to it as well.

Social media platforms, specifically TikTok, have also allowed artists to conform to the idea of releasing “small hits” and making music that is popular for a short period of time, rather than making music that is timeless, music that will last. Artists have also compromised the integrity of quality lyricism so that they don’t appear “corny” or “too serious.”

These “small hits” usually contain themes of sex, drugs, violence and infidelity, which causes it to trend, and allows artists to overproduce songs with these themes. In doing so, the songs become tired and overplayed quickly. 

The glorification of these topics have played a role in the influence of R&B and hip-hop as well. The need for relevance in the media has caused artists to feel as though they need to exploit themselves for attention, which usually doesn’t show them in the brightest of lights.

An example of the colorist nature within the industry is Alabama native rapper, Flo Milli.

Flo Milli has gone “TikTok viral” multiple times throughout the span of 2019 to now, with songs like: “In The Party,” “Conceited,” “May I,” “Bed Time,” and her most recent, “Never Lose Me.”

“Never Lose Me” was Milli’s first Billboard charting, which is known to be a major accomplishment within the industry. Many fans were shocked at this outcome because of how much attention previous songs had received. It made individuals begin to question how “Munch (Feelin’ U)” rapper, Ice Spice, gained popularity as fast as she did, while Milli was left in the background.

This is a constant trend within the industry. Examples of other artists who’ve fell victim to this colorist trend include Baby Tate, Ari Lennox, Lucky Daye, Jazmine Sullivan, Muni Long (Priscilla Renea), Bree Runway, Ravyn Lenae, Xavier Omär, SiR, Doechii, Sevyn Streeter and many more. 

While colorism may not be intentional (and most of the time it’s not), it still does occur and most don’t notice it until it begins to affect the image that men and women have of themselves.

In the past, artists like 2Pac, Slick Rick and Notorious B.I.G, used the mention of topics like sex, drugs, violence, and infidelity, as a method of storytelling and bringing awareness for social issues in their community, not for relevance or popularity.

The song “U.N.I.T.Y” by Queen Latifah addresses societal disrespect towards women by tackling street violence, domestic abuse and the derogatory language aimed at women in hip-hop culture. With lyrics like, “…don’t you be callin’ me out my name, I bring wrath to those who disrespect me like a dame” and “A man don’t really love you if he hits you” showcase how she used her voice to spread awareness about it, not for her own gain or popularity. 

Younger generations streaming music and adopting the negative influence of these themes into their lives has led, and will continue to lead, to the mental demolition of a generation. 

The lack of understanding within the creation of the art is a common theme surrounding music. Just as artists misunderstand the proper use of topics like sex, drugs, violence, and infidelity, there has also been a misunderstanding of agreements within music labels. 

Music labels are important when it comes to being noticed by the public. They help with the boosting of one’s craft, along with helping with funds for projects. One of the downsides of music labels is that they tend to take advantage of candidates who are new or inexperienced to the industry. 

Take rapper Megan Thee Stallion, for example. Her 2022 album release, Traumazine, wasn’t really an album that she found a lot of joy in releasing. Amidst death within her family and a shooting incident, she filed a lawsuit against her label, prior to the album’s release.  

According to Rolling Stone, in 2020, she filed a lawsuit against her former label, 1501 Entertainment, claiming to have signed it while she was young and new to the industry. With the deal, 1501 got a sixty percent cut from her recording proceeds, along with thirty percent of her touring and merchandise proceeds. 

More artists that have similar experiences with their former record labels are Taylor Swift, having to re-record all of her previous albums because she didn’t have the ownership to the masters of her music, and TLC, receiving only fifty-six cents, split between the three of them, for each album that was sold.

Having music labels take advantage of their prospects has caused many artists to become independent and release their own music under their own entity. With doing so, it forces the quality of music to diminish in favor of more publicity and recognition within the industry. 

Although evolution throughout music is inevitable, we are forced to confront the harsh reality of the exploitation of creatives, along with the exploitation of themselves, the media’s impact, discrimination within minorities and the compromise of quality through lyrics and music itself. 

For years, hip-hop and R&B has cried out for help, though we as a public have brushed past it and let it deteriorate. Do we continue, and allow it to suffer, or do we finally regroup and evaluate?