Is rap music in decline sales wise?

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I just read an article that said that only two rappers(Kanye and Fiddy) have sold over a million records this year and only 9 records have sold more than 150 000. I dont pay much attention to the Billboard charts so this really amazed me when I read it. Is it just that there hasnt been many great albums/high profile releases this year or that mainstream America are somewhat tired of rap? The article also mentioned the increasing sales of old farts like Rod Stewart, Bon Jovi and Paul McCartney and how record companies now are more keen to find the next Kelly Clarkson or Ashley Simpson.

I would put up a link to the article but its in Swedish.

― Lovelace (Lovelace), Sunday, 16 October 2005 18:19 (twenty years ago)

try this link for billboard album sales info:

http://www.ukmix.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=28185

mike jones sold over 1 milion, young jeezy is on the way to do it in a few weeks

― Coffee and Cigarettes Guy (abu), Sunday, 16 October 2005 18:43 (twenty years ago)

I would put up a link to the article but its in Swedish.

I think I've discovered the problem with this article.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 16 October 2005 18:49 (twenty years ago)

Ha! So you're saying *just* because it's Swedish it has to be faulty?

Anyways, so there is no truth in this and album sales are as strong as ever?

― Lovelace (Lovelace), Sunday, 16 October 2005 18:50 (twenty years ago)

haha well I dont think rap fans have decided they're more interested in hearing Rod Stewart. You're talking about two entirely different audiences here (unless you're counting ppl who like Rod Stewart and "Hey Ya" and "Lose Yourself"). I dont think rap sales are dropping all that dramatically, I'm sure rap is selling above its mid-90s levels, it may have peaked two or three years ago but I'm sure sales are still stratospheric relative to other non-country genres.

― deej.. (deej..), Sunday, 16 October 2005 18:57 (twenty years ago)

"haha well I dont think rap fans have decided they're more interested in hearing Rod Stewart."

neither do I, or the article. it could be that they just dont buy albums any more, or they download them. various reasons. but since im no expert in the billboard charts and what gets sold in the us i cant really say, and since you seem to think the premise of the article is wrong i cant really argue with you.

― Lovelace (Lovelace), Sunday, 16 October 2005 19:01 (twenty years ago)

Well I dont really have much statistical evidence to draw on, I'm just saying the only thing that has moved into the urban market is 1) dancehall, which seems to peacefully coexist w/ rap because its penetration isn't that deep (we get Rhianna's and Sean Paul's but not really Bounty Killers and Vybz Kartels) and 2) reggaeton which could take a big bite out of rap but is actually sort of rap anyway.

― deej.. (deej..), Sunday, 16 October 2005 19:05 (twenty years ago)

a possible decline in album sales doesnt have to be because of reggateon or dancehall. the majority of the people who buy rap are suburban kids right? i get the impression many of them like rap and rock at the same time. if they get tired of rap they could just turn their focus on rock instead...which has indeed become much more popular in the last few years.

― Lovelace (Lovelace), Sunday, 16 October 2005 19:14 (twenty years ago)

its because of grime. everyone is buying grime.

― okokok, Sunday, 16 October 2005 19:16 (twenty years ago)

― Lovelace (Lovelace), Sunday, 16 October 2005 19:17 (twenty years ago)

Jay-Z mentioned something like in his NYTimes profile - only two acts had broken the platinum barrier when it was written (August?), that's why he didn't want to sign someone for too much.

― Are You Nomar? (miloaukerman), Sunday, 16 October 2005 19:28 (twenty years ago)

Lovelace i should point out to you at this time that sales on a single-artist level do not mean that sales for the genre as a whole are down at all; if the market is saturated, people's tastes are more diffuse.

― deej.. (deej..), Sunday, 16 October 2005 19:59 (twenty years ago)

did missy really drop the ball on the new one?

― chris andrews (fraew), Sunday, 16 October 2005 21:56 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, I think more white teenagers are listening to emo and fake indie now, as far as albums go.

― Gavin, Monday, 17 October 2005 14:17 (twenty years ago)

Re: Missy, I've always been surprised she didn't sell more album. She seems to be ubiquitous (or was for atleast 2 or 3 years there) and doesn't she have only one platinum album? Always seemed impossible to me.

― matt2 (matt2), Monday, 17 October 2005 14:18 (twenty years ago)

Isn't ALL music on the decline saleswise?

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Monday, 17 October 2005 14:26 (twenty years ago)

Music seems to be less important to most of the people I know who are now in there early 20s than it was to me at that point in my life. In fact, it seemed that music was one of the few primary concerns of 20-somethings back then. Our wardrobes were shit, our food was shit, our alcohol was shit, our apartements were shit, relationships and attitudes were shit... but, man did we have a big record collection. The kids I know now are mostly into hip hop, but not because they really that into it; just because it's fun and mindless and exactly because they don't really care about it. Listen to an album for a month and throw it away. It's a completely different attitude from the one that represented my generation, as exploited in the movie High Fidelity.

― DJ Guitarist, Monday, 17 October 2005 14:36 (twenty years ago)

As exploited? What are you, some kind of natural resource that needs preserving?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 17 October 2005 14:37 (twenty years ago)

Kids these days!

― Gavin, Monday, 17 October 2005 14:42 (twenty years ago)

This could totally go off right about now.

I for one hope it does / welcome our new overlords, etcetera.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Monday, 17 October 2005 14:43 (twenty years ago)

No, I don't mind that they've exploited it. It was a smart idea.

― DJ Guitarist, Monday, 17 October 2005 14:44 (twenty years ago)

isn't new country supposedly doing well because its fans are least likely to dl?

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Monday, 17 October 2005 16:08 (twenty years ago)

uh? what? Kids seem pretty into music nowadays if you ask me! There were plenty of casual music fans in the 90s...yr mental!!!!! not buying records/=not being into music...

The kids I know now are mostly into hip hop, but not because they really that into it; just because it's fun and mindless and exactly because they don't really care about it.

READ ONE RAP BLOG!!!!!

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Monday, 17 October 2005 17:15 (twenty years ago)

not because i particularly agree wirth dj guitarist

but there might be something in people spending more money on dvds, mobiles, spending tiem online or playstation games etc etc

(this argument does however somewhat negate the point that these have been around in some form or other for years and the ubiqituity of the ipod but hey everyone loves a flawed argument)

― secondhandnews (secondhandnews), Monday, 17 October 2005 18:30 (twenty years ago)

Is rap music in decline sales wise?

Don't know about that, but it certainly seems on the decline quality wise!

:::ducks::::

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 17 October 2005 18:38 (twenty years ago)

...am i right folks?!

― deej.. (deej..), Monday, 17 October 2005 19:02 (twenty years ago)

I just read an article that said that only two rappers(Kanye and Fiddy) have sold over a million records this year and only 9 records have sold more than 150 000.

that doesn't sound right at all. maybe they mean over 2 million? but even then, Game has sold that much, and at least a couple other people have gone over 1mil, the aforementioned Mike Jones, plus BEP, if they count.

― Al (sitcom), Monday, 17 October 2005 20:50 (twenty years ago)

also, if you want to be a stickler, several of last year's 4th quarter releases have sold more than a million this year (Eminem, Ludacris, T.I.)

― Al (sitcom), Monday, 17 October 2005 20:58 (twenty years ago)

Kids are into hip hopjust because it's fun and mindless and exactly because they don't really care about it ? Maybe their wardrobes, food, alcohol, apartements, relationships and attitudes are OK and they don't obsess as much as you do.

― blunt (blunt), Monday, 17 October 2005 21:12 (twenty years ago)

did.

― blunt (blunt), Monday, 17 October 2005 21:12 (twenty years ago)

liquor's way better than it was 10 years ago! nowadays there's all kindsa fancy vodkas and whatnot....it used to be that Smirnoff and Absolut were "top shelf" in the midwest...man...i'd be even more of a drunk if i were in college today.

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Monday, 17 October 2005 21:49 (twenty years ago)

Music seems to be less important to most of the people I know who are now in there early 20s than it was to me at that point in my life.

Does it seem so troubling with a few key words highlighted you might have missed the first time?

― DJ Guitarist, Tuesday, 18 October 2005 01:05 (twenty years ago)

Don't tell me I fed the same troll again.

― blunt (blunt), Tuesday, 18 October 2005 01:31 (twenty years ago)

did.

Although I take issue with the categorization of "troll" simply because you disagree with my views. But, hey, if it makes you happy... then, why do you look so sad?

― DJ Guitarist, Tuesday, 18 October 2005 01:46 (twenty years ago)

ROCK IS BACK

― Cunga (Cunga), Tuesday, 18 October 2005 01:49 (twenty years ago)

do the words "critic's darling" mean anything to you?

― hstencil (hstencil), Tuesday, 18 October 2005 01:52 (twenty years ago)

Most of her albums are certified at least double platinium, starting with Supa Dupa Fly.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 18 October 2005 14:02 (twenty years ago)

To put this to rest...

Supa Dupa Fly = Platinum
Da Real World = Platinum
So Addictive = Platinum
Under Construction = 2x Platinum
This Is Not A Test = Platinum
http://www.riaa.com/gp/database/default.asp

The Cookbook has sold more than 500,000 copies in the US, but hasn't been officially certified gold.
http://www.urbanconnects.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=575

― R. Greene, Tuesday, 18 October 2005 21:38 (twenty years ago)

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