Liz Frank and Serena Barron, Canva

Trends influence everything from the way people talk to what music they like. Is rap just a trend that everyone is joining in on, or will it join pop in high schoolers’ music hall of fame?

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. – Imagine: You are scrolling through your pop hits playlist, and you hear Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish. One of your favorite Bruno Mars songs just finished, and you are patiently waiting to feel the thrill of the next song, but it is not what you were expecting. It is Kanye West.

This is what is happening to the popular music scene today. Rap artists like Drake, Kanye, Eminem and Kendrick Lamar are rising in the pop industry.

Starting from back in the 1970s in the New York City bureau of The Bronx all the way to now, the rap genre has taken over and risen above famous pop artists. In 2017, rap became the most popular music genre in the U.S., according to the Billboard website. Since then, there has been a 36% increase in streaming over rap music as a whole, says the World Metrics website based on an article published by Alexander Eser.

“I don’t hate it. A lot of rap artists are pretty good,” a Los Alamitos High School student said in response to a Griffin Gazette survey.

Many rappers have spent years climbing up the ranks to get to where they are today, while others have become an overnight sensation. The rap artist Ice Spice has made her debut within the past couple of years. In 2021, she posted a video of herself doing an outfit transition, and it soon blew up. She then took that opportunity to promote her new song “Munch” in a TikTok that quickly grew viral as millions watched her video. Ice Spice is now one of the most popular rappers of our time. She has been seen playing with both Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift. 

“I think (Ice Spice) is both (rap and pop). She has done a song with Pink Panther, and she is pop,” LAHS student Leonard Rosa said. 

Trends influence everything from the way people talk to what music they like. Could rap just be a trend that everyone is joining in on?

“A lot of people start listening to it because it’s trending, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing,” said Mr. Gutierrez, an English teacher at LAHS.

Today, TikTok is a huge resource for all types of artists to grow their platform. About 67% of all TikTok users will find new music they enjoy just through scrolling on the app, says Marjorie Aguimbag on musiccareers. This benefits both pop and rap artists. 

As rap has taken over pop, it has also taken over LAHS. At most school events, students can hear all of the top rap artists being played. During the morning announcements, ASB has chosen various rap songs for the song of the day. 

Mr. Gutierrez, an English teacher, thinks rap could be used as text to analyze for English assignments, as it has deep meanings behind the lyrics.

“For school, [rap] could be used instead of stories because it is very dense and has lots of devices,” he said.

With the catchy beats, quick tempo and strong lyrics, the charts have flown within the world of rap. This could be hurting the pop industry, as famous rap artists are starting to incorporate pop culture into their songs. Pop artists like Harry Styles, Shawn Mendez and Taylor Swift’s career could be in decline now that rap is rising above. 

Opinions on rap and pop differ. While some people believe rap has always been a popular success, others think rap is starting to decline in popularity. For now, it seems like rap is joining pop as a genre that gets people up and dancing, with many new styles likely waiting to take their place.