Billie Eilish comes to mind, on Interscope. Outside of Interscope SZA has certainly gone from big to a superstar over the last 1-2 years. Morgan Wallen too. Sabrina Carpenter is next up, and Chappell Roan too. There are big new artists who are superstars or poised to be, but there's just not enough big music coming out at any one time to prop this up. There is no precedent for someone like Rihanna simply not releasing music during her prime. I'm not sure there's a rap precent for Kendrick taking 5 years to release an album. There's not much precedent for Ed Shereen staying on the road and dropping some half assed albums in between that the label doesn't have time to truly craft properly.
I also think it's a problem that most of the next big stars are pop stars. There are no upcoming big rap stars. Yeat fell off. Ken Carson is on the verge but I just don't buy it, perhaps I'll be wrong who knows. None of these guys are being properly molded or prepared, and they don't even give a fukk enough to want to. I don't fukk with Travis but you know what? He takes shyt seriously. He plans albums, he plans tours. He's an artist. He's also the template for most shyt that is coming out right now, him or Carti. Yet none of these young kids are crafting albums. They don't give a fukk about touring. And in 3-5 years they'll be gone while these pop stars get bigger and bigger.
That’s kind of what I’m talking about. An artist like SZA Id consider a “star” but she released her debut mixtape in 2013-2014 and debut album 2016. She’s very much part of that “old” model in the business that was basically a blend of mixtape/blog era blending into the SoundCloud/streaming era.
Travis Scott and Carti fall under this too. Both debuted in the 2010s and crafted mixtapes and albums that garnered them large followings and legitimate fans for life. And you’re right - both of them took that shyt DEAD ass serious in climbing their way to the top as legitimate rap stars.
Billie Elish, Morgan Wallen and now Chapelle Roan are massive pop stars that came out after 2020, no doubt. But what about the black pop stars?
Especially black American young pop stars? I love Tyla, Tems, Ayra Starr but they not “popstars” or American and even someone like Victoria Monet, I love her too but she’s in her 30s and been around for awhile.
I think we gonna get less and less fully crafted albums and more singles and cycling of artists from labels. I fukk wit Yeat and Ken Carson but there’s no way they carrying hip hop into the next decade. My question is - who is? It’s looking very bleak for the industry. Especially with a lot of the deviancy coming to light
