When you hear a song from Jay-Z, 2 Chainz, Nicki Minaj or Childish Gambino, do you think to yourself “This Is America”?
A new survey has determined that 50 percent of Americans believe that rap and hip-hop are the genre that most closely represents the country today. Other high ranking genres:
- Country with 47 percent
- Pop with 42 percent
- Classic Rock with 38 percent
- R&B with 32 percent.
On the other hand, nearly 72 percent of respondents feel that the country is too diverse to be represented by a single genre.
The data seems to be divided down racial lines. Most white people think that country is the music that defines modern-day America (54 percent), while black folks overwhelmingly think hip-hop (69 percent) and R&B (53 percent) are the closest match. (YouGov)
Fasho thoughts:
- Most hip-hop artists come from urban areas — isn’t there something that suburban and rural audiences would find more relatable?
- It might not be as much about race as where you come from.
- The hip-hop format lets artists speak more candidly on issues than other genres.
- Hip-hop tracks are usually a little less “evergreen” than songs from other genres.

Source: CS / CS