Oct 10, 2020 We're almost through with the first year of the decade. The kings of the 10's are slowly entering into OG status: Kendrick's gone quiet, Cole's doing his own thing in his own world and Drake's become some sort of mutant algorithm hybrid pop-meme monster. Question is: who's next? Who are the mega-superstars of the next decade? Obviously we can't know for sure but its always fun to guess. And to clarify I'm not talking about artists that'll just have a good or even great career (ASAP Rocky, Big Sean, Freddie Gibbs, etc.) I'm talking about the massive, world-domination likes of Kanye, Em, Wayne, Jay, Drake, etc. Based off their recent output, numbers and quality, I'd have to go with some combination of the following: Lil Baby: from generic Thugger clone to the people's champ. What a story. Ok thats a huge oversimplification, but still. The sucess of his album, the incredible The Bigger Picture and the whole mystery and excitement around 4PF. He's number 1 on my list. DaBaby: I'm not sure if his peak has already come and gone or if there's more to come. Eitherway, he's gotta be a contender NLE Choppa: It is insane how many features, streams, views, songs this guy has done. His energy is infectious, his presence and charisma is massive. He's got the XLL co-sign, he's dropped a really solid debut a few months back, can't see him going anywhere but upwards. Roddy Ricch: Out of everyone moulding and meshing different sounds and styles, half-rapping, half-singing, Roddy's one of the best doing it (note: not the best, but definitley the biggest star potential). The Box was a game changer and everything he's touched since has turned to gold. All he has to do is keep it up. Polo G: This is a gamble. Still too early to say but the number don't lie, plus he's got the critical acclaim to back him up. Megan Thee Stallion: no-brainer. Sure she's strutting over the bridges Nicki and Cardi built but she does it all with her own style thats already got her name firmly in contention. Lil Uzi Vert: Uzi's already a contender for one of the top artists of the previous decade, but only started half-way though. He's outlived and outperfromed his contemporaries and his latest album was his biggest and best yet. Also, hard to say what'll happen next but its possible he could just keep growing and growing like some kind of purple-haired anime expandable water bean things. Some other contenders: Fivio Foreign: Sad truth is Pop Smoke would absoutey be on the above list. Fivio's great but don't think he has the staying power. Not sure anyone from the current NY scene does tbh. (Sheff, Sleepy, etc are all great but same thing - not broad enough appeal). Who knows though? Stranger things have happened. Griselda: These guys have already done an insane amount but how much further can they go realistically? A solo career for Benny is probably the likeliest prospect. Someone from Detroit: Sada Baby is getting BIG. Talented, creative, he ticks all the boxes. There's potential there. 42 Dugg or YN Jay are both other potential Detroitians but too early to say. JID: Lots of hype around this guy, but does he really have what it takes? 2 solid projects and a handful of really good features dos not a star make. Baby Keem: Like, JID plenty of hype but not yet enough to prove he really has what it takes. Alright... what did I miss? Why does my list s---? Tell us more about the sad state hip hop is in?
Oct 10, 2020 Good list, Pop Smoke would have definitely become a big star and Lil Baby also has high potential to reach superstardom in the next few years. I'd like to think 21 Savage, Gunna and Don Toliver could become bigger than they already are, since their projects always doing great numbers. Baby Keem could use his family ties with Kendrick to gain access to the masses that listen to his cousin (some Michael and Janet Jackson type s---) Still, I think the reign of Drizzy, Travis, Kendrick and Cole is far from over and no one will come close to them for atleast a couple of years from now.
Oct 10, 2020 Even if there are some great choices, I don’t see anyone from this list to achieve the status like Kanye, weezy, drake, em etc.
Oct 10, 2020 Yeah I’m dead. Not a chance any of these squids become anymore famous. They all s---. I would say Hopsin and Logic once he comes out of retirement. He’ll be forced to when the baby bills start stacking up and his twitch persona doesn’t make it.
Oct 10, 2020 Yup, but we're living in different time's too. Peoples attention spans aren't what they used to be as well as consumer behavior. People don't sit through a whole album anymore trying to grasp an artist, sure the streaming services are allowing everyone an easier access to the market, but I believe by this we're sacrificing part of what made the artists you mentioned legends: The organic growth of their fanbase, the struggles they had to go through to get theirs and especially (and this has to do with the aforementioned attention span) the nuances in personas and diversities in styles. Don't get me wrong, it's great that so many artist can easily get exposure nowadays, but it also feels like the music industry is turning into some sort of fast food chain. The algorithm/sound that works at the moment/is trendy will be milked until your ears bleed. (like the whole scene doing Afrobeat or that Latin Despacito-esque rhytm for 9 months straight). I sometimes get the feeling like consumers move on really quickly nowadays, also because of the younger playlist-listening-generation that sets the trends, and we don't really give artists a chance to develop a persona or vice versa, the artist is in for the quick buck and doesn't give too s----s about a concept or what he/she stands for. I mean how fast was Desiigner dropped? Rae Shremmurd? Joyner Lucas? Not hating on those folks, it's all love, but just look at how they got treated by the customers.. So I believe it's gotten harder to not get stuck in that one-hit wonder zone and be thrown away after a few tracks (cuz people might know that 1 song that blew up, but they don't give a f--- about what you have to say on your album, that might make you more interesting and increase the longevity of your career). The last artist, even though he's also been cancelled now, that was bold enough on a eminem-scale level was Tekashi 6ix9ine, that guy had so much hype, I could see him up there, but since all what has happened it's become a lot more quiet around the dude. So you see how fast the tables can turn on you. Imagine the same drama in the 90s, without the internet hive mind, would we have cancelled and crucified Em too for the rude (but obviously hilarious and comical) s--- he did? That being said, I'm vouching for Tory, I've got the feeling he's playing his cards right at the moment, even with all the s--- being thrown at him. He probably wont reach the level of stardom you mentioned, but I can see him last longer and get even more spotlight onto him. That Daystar album wasn't all too bad. Who knows what'll happen.
Oct 11, 2020 You've raised some fair points but I do think the streaming era is just the next in a natural progression of the 'tv-killed-the-radio-star' nature of the industry. There's been plenty enough one hit wonders and short-lived careers for decades. Remember the ring-tone era? Then just a few years later artists like Cole and Kendrick organically growing strong, long-term careers with life-long fanbases. True, streaming makes it all much more visible to us now, but the playing field has also become more level and there's more artists with a greater chance of reaching those astronomical heights. The consumers move quickly but the musicians keep up, thats the crazy thing. Drake is the perfect example. Who's to say others can follow in his footsteps? Look at Travis Scott, Young Thug, even Tyler the Creator. They're evolving right before our eyes, adapting where need be. The Em/Tekashi comparison is interesting but there's some huge differences - for one, Em was/is freakishly talented and garnered respect from the community and fans from day one. Tekashi is just a spectacle, there was never really anything beyond that - snitch or not. Say what you will about todays political climate but there's absolutely still space for an Em-like shock/'pressing-the-buttons' character (provided they're not a Tom Mcdonald lol) Tyler's a great example. Or any number of the new wave of Detroit artists. I've never really been able to get into Tory's music. He's talented and verstaile, no doubt but nothing he does stands out to me. Plus he kinda f----- up by shooting Meg lol.
Oct 11, 2020 Roddy Ricch probably. In this era ahead I see no one dominating long term. Will be more different artists having hit singles rather than albums.
Oct 11, 2020 Honestly I'd have to diagree about Savage and Gunna. Dont get me wrong I both their music and they have had had plenty of pop success, I just don't know if they can go any further than he has already. They've progressed far enough in their careers to show that they're both too one-dimensional (in their own ways), and don't have that superstar spark imo. Don Toliver is actually a big yes, definitley has what it takes. I think the same can be said for St. Jhn. I'm a dumbass for forgetting Travis lol, but yeah he's already there and definitley has more to come. If anyone's the heir to Ye's throne its him.
Oct 11, 2020 What I love about you guys is that you have your fingers firmly on the pulse of hip hop culture, its incredible
Oct 11, 2020 Possibility for sure. The more I think about it though, the artists that will dominate havent even come out yet. Or havent even started rapping yet.
Oct 11, 2020 You might be right about Gunna but I Am > I Was and Savage Mode 2 really showed me that 21 is capable of becoming greater and more successful than he already is. There weren't many releases outside the Big 5's that had such a huge hype around them and were universally loved both by fans and critics.
Oct 11, 2020 Tried listening to the first song and had to give up already. This definitely not going to be the biggest in the 2020s the same way Em, Kanye, Jay Z were. f--- no. If there is someone that becomes that big it's likely going to be someone that pops out of nowhere. Not someone that's already out there. A lot of things can happen in 10 years.
Oct 11, 2020 Honestly believe we’re gonna enter a decade of female rap dominance. The evidence is there: Cardi is as big of a public figure it gets, Megan is rapidly getting there—probably just needs another solo hit like WAP, Doja Cat had hit singles...there’s probably another wave coming in. Hopefully they also become legitimate album artists as well, feels like rap became to singles-dominated and rarely do we get those transcending albums lately.
Oct 11, 2020 dare i say baby is already a superstar, the biggest rapper out rn. not dababy, lil baby ofc
Oct 11, 2020 Roddy Rich is cool, nothing special but certainly capable. I think he has a few more hits in him. DaBaby I think will keep having hits too but I'm not convinced he'll be able to have albums as good as Kirk and Baby On Baby unless he changes things up. Lil Baby and Megan have the most longevity imo. Lil Baby is allegedly Kanye's favorite rapper and has long-since had cosigns from Thug, Future, and Drake. Megan has cosigns from Beyonce, Cardi, and Nicki. They've shown to be hit makers along with the ability to craft albums and expand their sound so I think they're gonna continue to grow.
