For the first time in 30 years, no Hip-Hop album or single has hit number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 or Billboard 200 charts.
The somber statistic was reported on Monday by Billboard magazine as the music industry celebrates Black Music Month.
According to Billboard magazine, by June 2022, 6 Hip-Hop albums and two Hip-Hop songs had reached number 1 on the Billboard 200 and Billboard Hot 100 charts.
Critics blame the drought on record labels signing drill rappers rather than invest in real artists.
Drill rap is a violent subgenre of hip-hop music. Record labels prefer to sign drill rappers like Lil Durk because they have a habit of dying from unnatural causes. Record labels earn more money when rappers die.
King Von (pictured), Takeoff, FBG Duck, XXXTentacion, Pop Smoke, MO3, PnB Rock, Bankroll Fresh and Young Dolph are some of the young rappers who lost their lives to drill violence.
SZA is the only R&B artist to hit number 1 on the Billboard charts in 2023.
Billboard says Hip-Hop music is “losing its dominance” to other music genres such as Afrobeats, K-Pop and Reggaeton.
Rapper Bobby Shmurda condemned Hip-Hop music as “dangerous” to children. He says he no longer listens to rap because it’s “bad for the youth.”
Despite the lack of number 1 hits this year, Billboard reports both R&B and Hip-Hop are up 6.3% in overall units sold in 2023 compared to last year.
