It means that labels are truly done with rap as a whole. If the 50th Anniversary push cannot stimulate sales, then 2024 onward the outlook is very bleak.
The whole Mass Appeal Hip Hop 50th feels more or less like a 'Goodbye' rather than a celebration.
This is exactly how i feel about all of the celebrations for Hip Hop 50 this summer. It's almost like saying goodbye to a friend or relative whose been in your life forever, but got that job overseas, and you know that you'll probably never have the same moments or experiences with that person. To me, it's like saying goodbye to that friend, because it'll never ever be the same again. I think hip hop as a genre is in the danger zone, and when acts like Drake, J-Cole and Kendrick hang it up for good, that will be the end of rap as a mainstream genre. It's going to go the way of alternative rock stations, with just throwback songs, and a few current songs.
Drake might be the last truly big hip hop star, if we're keeping it real. I'm not a fan of his, but he's the only current hip hop star that can do an arena tour on his own, and sell out shows. He's also the only major hip hop star that can drop an album and sell 100K+ the first week. Travis Scott is also in that rarefied air too. When both those guys bounce from hip hop, That might be the last time you'll see any hip hop star with the ability to sell out arenas, and release #1 albums.