Why rap has overtaken rock as the most popular genre among music fans

Overview of Music Genre Popularity

• R&B/hip-hop surpasses rock as the most popular genre in the U.S.

  • First time in history according to Nielsen Music's 2017 year-end report.

  • R&B/hip-hop leads total consumption, with Drake and Kendrick Lamar as top artists.

Key Statistics

• Top Artists: 8 of the 10 most listened-to artists were from R&B/hip-hop.

  • Drake: 4.8 million album equivalent units.

  • Kendrick Lamar: 3.7 million album equivalent units.

• Growth Trends:

  • Rap experienced a 25% increase in total consumption from 2016.

  • Latin music had the highest growth at 30%.

Chart-Topping Hits of 2017

• Notable viral hits included:

  • Lil Uzi Vert: "XO Tour Llif3"

  • Future: "Mask Off"

  • Post Malone: "Congratulations"

• Rising stars:

  • Cardi B: "Bodak Yellow"

  • Migos: "Bad and Boujee"

• Both Cardi B and Migos topped the Billboard Hot 100.

Grammy Recognitions

• Four of the five nominees for Album of the Year were R&B or hip-hop artists.

Sales and Streaming Dynamics

• Overall Music Sales: Down by 19% in 2017.

  • Streaming Growth: Increased by 43%, amounting to 400 billion streams.

  • Comparison with 2016 (252 billion streams).

Most Popular Albums of 2017

• Ed Sheeran: "Divide" - 2.8 million album equivalent units.

• Kendrick Lamar: "Damn." - 2.7 million album equivalent units.

• Taylor Swift: "Reputation" - 2.3 million album equivalent units.

  • Reputation sold 1.9 million copies in 2017 despite a late release.

Biggest Song of the Year

• "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber.

  • Achievements:

    • Total sales: 2.7 million downloads

    • Streams: 1.3 billion

  • Streaming represents 54% of total audio consumption, the highest ever recorded.

Streaming and Album Sales Breakdown

• 19 songs achieved over 500 million streams; 17 were from R&B/hip-hop.

• Rock remains dominant in album sales with 35% market share.

• Vinyl LP sales rose by 9%, now accounting for 14% of physical albums sold.

  • Most popular vinyl: The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band" (deluxe anniversary reissue).