State of rap in 2019

After blowing up with his bass-heavy, noise-making singles in 2017 and early in 2018, Lil Pump began to disappear from the rap charts late in the year, and his outlook for 2019 isn’t good. His newest single, “Butterfly Doors”, shows that he hasn’t really made any progress as a rapper, and his current skills won’t get him much further than he is now.

Gunna has secured a series of spotlight features, including on Metro Boomin’s new album and with pre-incarceration Tekashi. While his ability to succeed on solo tracks is still somewhat of an unknown, he is definitely in a good place coming into 2019. He’s able to mix his flows and lyrics up depending on the song and has become much more versatile over the past couple of years. Look for Gunna to mak...

When your biggest hit of the year is with Bhad Bhabie, you know there’s a problem. Far, far away from his days of fame at this point, Yachty has become a “feature-only” rapper. Almost all of his good songs, past or present, have been a collaboration with another rapper, whether it be KYLE, Tee Grizzley, or NBA Youngboy.

2018 saw the release of “DAMN.” and “Black Panther”, both of which received critical and commercial success. “DAMN.” received the Pulitzer prize for poetry and topped the charts in the US. Kendrick continues to perform at a high level with a wide variety of songs, from the popular hit “HUMBLE.” to the ballad “DUCKWORTH.” As Kendrick grows into fame, he still maintains his reflecti...

Cardi has become the epitome of “talk loud, get famous”. While I’ll admit that she is definitely solid as an entertainment host and comedian, her talent as a rapper is limited. She showcased a bright future with her hit “Bodak Yellow”, but her recent songs have shown a similar pattern and lacked much innovation. It’s not over for Cardi, but she needs a breakout hit in 2019. ...

This year, Jay Rock literally released an album named “Redemption.” After a three-year release hiatus and a motorcycle accident that left him hospitalized, Jay Rock has stepped out from under the shadow of other TDE artists and taken his place as a standout artist. Songs like “Rotation 112th” and “King’s Dead” have showed his lyrical skills. While he’s definitely blown up in recent y...

6ix9ine had arguably the biggest year of any rapper in 2018. His album, ‘DUMMY BOY’, featured multiple hit songs that became mainstays on RapCaviar towards the end of the year. Unfortunately, his past problems continued to haunt him, and 6ix9ine ended up in jail...again. It appears he’s going to be there for a long time and with the charges he’s facing, his chances of receiving any type of mercy ...

The adlib of “Blueface babyyyy” is all over the place. Blueface, a rapper who has no rhythm whatsoever and sounds like a 12 year old in the middle of puberty, is on the way to the top. His songs “Respect this Crypn”, “Thotiana” and “Bleed It” have become hits in the rap world, and despite his shortcomings, he isn’t totally without depth. He certainly isn’t like other rappers, and...

Everything about Sheck Wes just screams one-hit wonder. His release of “Mo Bamba” generated immediate recognition and fame, and while the song has had staying power atop many charts, it appears that his novelty is fading. His album, “Mudboy”, was extremely cliche and didn’t have a single notable song. Unless something changes quickly, it appears “Mo Bamba” will be the single defining mom...

Although “FM!” is only 22 minutes long, the project is probably one of the best of the year. Besides providing us with incredible bangers like “No Bleedin’”, the projects depth comments on the current state of the genre. The project is reminiscent of his debut studio album: “Summertime ‘06”. With this success, Staples has made a comeback from the extremely experimental “Big Fi...