We Need the Party
The need for pop music and hip hop heads
The music’s still playing, but the energy feels different. The beats that once had everyone moving are now met with silence, and the conversations have become more heated than celebratory. Maybe it’s the sound. Maybe it’s the crowd. Or maybe it’s the rappers. Whatever it is, the room’s getting quieter.
The Party
The Partygoers
The fans are the partygoers—they bring the vibes, the energy, the so-called “life of the party.” But right now, the vibes are off. The dancing has stopped, and the conversations have turned toxic. Endless debates over who’s the greatest of all time, or who’s pulling the biggest numbers online, are rotting the entire listening experience. The party is dying.
The DJs (artist)
The pop rappers are played out. Their songs no longer hit like they used to, and the dance floor is clearing out. Partygoers are heading to the country bar down the street. The commercialized sound, with every beat starting to blend together, has become so stale that people won’t even shake their ass to it anymore. The push for a hit TikTok sound has led to unfinished songs where the only listening value it has is a 15-second hook. Even by pop music standards, the industry’s definition of what a rapper should be has reached an intolerable level of inauthenticity. The aux needs to be passed because the party is dying.
The Promoters
The media—specifically the memers, the streamers, the content creators, podcasters, and hip hop accounts—are, for the sake of theme, the party promoters. Narratives are being spun to promote outrage, going viral by any means necessary. People are attaching themselves or their brand to certain artists to clout chase, creating fake stories just for likes. The music has become an afterthought, with the biggest criticisms being “I didn’t like the sound” or “it didn’t chart that well.” The music being pushed and the conversations being had are killing the vibes in the room. The party is dying.
Pop rap is important. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but you can probably apply the 80/20 rule to hip hop fandom. 80 percent of hip hop content is consumed by 20 percent of the listening base (hip hop heads), while 80 percent of hip hop listeners only consume 20 percent of the content (the casual fans). Hip hop doesn’t stay the most dominant genre in music without the casual fan. That being said, the 80 percent shouldn’t be the voice of hip hop.
The media mentioned earlier caters to the casuals. The music has become stale and played out because underground artists can’t break through—it’s seen as easier to push narratives about already established rappers and chase a bag by getting clicks. The biggest voices in some spaces aren’t hip hop heads. They’re well-versed in the mainstream but don’t have the passion to discover underground artists. Hip hop dying doesn’t faze them—they’re still getting their clicks, their fame, and their bag.
There needs to be a conscious shift for hip hop heads who are truly tapped into the culture to support and amplify each other. There’s space, there’s a need, and there’s a want for fresh hip hop. If you’ve found yourself reading this far, you’re probably a hip hop head. This is your call to action. You are not alone. Even if you don’t consider yourself a “party person,” help create a party that’s at least enjoyable to attend.
