Billboard‘s recent rule changes sparked a concerned discussion after they resulted in a two-week absence of rap music in the Hot 100 chart’s top 40 for the first time in almost three decades. “Is hip-hop dead?” became a familiar refrain among the culture’s commentators, as they wondered what a lack of top 40 hits meant for the genre in the mainstream.
But today, as the nominations for the 68th Annual Grammy Awards were announced, one thing became clear: You just can’t count rap out, even if it hasn’t had any new streaming hits for a while.
This isn’t the first time hip-hop was prematurely declared dead. You’d think all those Chicken Littles out there clutching their pearls and wringing their hands at the prospect of rap’s lost dominance would recall those times, or that many of the most culturally important rap hits weren’t in the top 40 at their time either. Arguably, many of those hits have outlasted whatever was deemed more popular at the time vis-à-vis cultural relevance, anyway.
But with three of the eight nominees for Album of the Year coming from rappers (Clipse’s Let God Sort ‘Em Out, Kendrick Lamar’s GNX, and Tyler The Creator’s Chromakopia) and rap well-represented in the two of the remaining three Big Four categories, the proof of rap’s continued relevance is in the proverbial pudding.
While Kendrick Lamar is unsurprisingly nominated for both Record and Song of the Year for his SZA duet “Luther,” his former labelmate Doechii is also nominated for both awards (for “Anxiety“) after winning Best New Artist and Best Rap Album at this year’s Grammys in February. Meanwhile, the rap-specific categories feature more women than ever, with Cardi B joining Doechii in the Best Rap Performance field (for “Outside“) and GloRilla also up for Best Rap Song (for “TGIF“). Glo is also nominated alongside Sexyy Red for their features on Tyler The Creator’s “Sticky,” and for Best Rap Album for her debut Glorious.
All of which adds up to a picture of rap that not only looks healthy, but forecasts continued evolution, even if it’s not necessarily mainstream popular. For what it’s worth, each of this year’s nominees are notable for breaking away from mainstream rap trends — less melodic, more lyrically focused, and much more self-aware and narrative-based than some of what’s been popular in the recent past. The concerns of the nominees’ projects are more insular, mature, and reflective than the pop-friendly records that have dominated for the past few decades.
Likewise, underground stalwart JID, who has long been lauded for forging his own thorny path, returned to the Grammys radar with a nomination for Best Rap Album for God Does Like Ugly — his first since 2022’s The Forever Story. Fridayy also continues to be a Grammy favorite after being nominated for Best Rap Song and Performance for appearing on DJ Khaled’s “God Did.” And Rapsody, who won her first Grammy this year for “3:AM” with Erykah Badu in the Best Melodic Rap Performance category, is once again nominated in that category alongside Terrace Martinand Kenyon Dixon for “WeMaj.”
So, no, the sky is not falling for hip-hop. If anything, the disappearance of rap from the top 40 suggest that the genre is more likely entering a chrysalis phase, withdrawing from the pursuit of mainstream approval and going back to its roots, developing out of sight of commercial interests. If anything, when it reemerges as a chart force, it’ll be the best version of itself, unfiltered, unalloyed, and ready to once again revolutionize the music world.