An Overview of Rap's Evolution to so Called Mainstream

​People often use the terms "hip-hop" and "rap" interchangeably. However, hip-hop is a much broader term that describes a culture, including the musical genre of rap. Breakdancing and MCing, for example, are also key elements of hip-hop culture. Rap itself comprises numerous subgenres, such as gangsta rap, boom-bap, trap, and rap rock, among others, as well as freestyle rap.

The origins of hip-hop culture and rap music extend back centuries, but more recent developments began in the early 1970s in the Bronx, New York. Early rap, as well as many modern iterations of the genre, generally consisted of the interplay between two key contributors: an MC, usually short for "master of ceremonies" but in this case referring to the person or people rapping, and a DJ, a person manipulating prerecorded tracks to provide musical accompaniment to the rap.

DJ Kool Herc invented the b-beat, often considered the first hip-hop beat. Initially, rappers performed on the streets, in parks, or at private parties, but within a few years, local club and venue owners saw the commercial potential and started booking MCs and DJs. Sugarhill Records producer Sylvia Robinson recorded the Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" in 1979, often viewed as the first commercially successful rap recording.

Individuals can easily track the growth of rap music by looking at record sales in the United States by decade. In the 1980s, rap records did not rank among the top 100-selling albums of the decade. The following decade, numerous rap and hip-hop records sold millions of copies, led by Lauryn Hill's debut solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Hill had provided vocals to the hip-hop band Fugees and continued to explore soul, R&B, and rap on her own; The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill has sold approximately 20 million copies, No. 23 for the 1990s.

MC Hammer enjoyed considerable commercial success as a mainstream hip-hop artist. His third studio album, Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em, sold 18 million copies, No. 38 for the decade. Album sales derived largely from Hammer's smash hit, "U Can't Touch This."

Many other 1990s albums featured rap and other hip-hop elements, including TLC's Crazysexycool, The Score by Fugees, and Big Willie Style. Dr. Dre released the top-selling "pure rap" record of the decade, with sales approaching 11 million copies.

Rap's ascension to the top of all album charts occurred the very next year with The Marshall Mathers LP by Eminmen. With 32 million records sold, it ranks as the No. 1 album of the 2000s, edging out 1 by The Beatles. Eminem's 2002 follow-up, The Eminem Show, sold nearly 21 million copies, No. 6 for the decade.

According to ChartMasters.org, at least 30 rappers have sold more than 30 million records during their careers, all of whom rose to prominence in the late 1990s, 2000s, or 2010s. Along with Eminem, top-selling rappers include Jay-Z, 2Pac, Kendrick Lamar, and Snoop Dogg.

Simone Monasebian

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