Hip Hop is Now The Most Popular Music Genre in The US

After years of hip hop being minimized to just a fad, the music genre is now finally starting to get the respect it deserves. According to Nielsen Music’s mid-year report, hip-hop is the most popular genre in the music industry for the first time in U.S. history.

The Nielsen report, which classifies hip-hop and R&B under the same genre, breaks down the stats for the genre in comparison to other categories. Hip-hop and R&B reportedly make up 25.1 percent of the music consumed in the United States. That number may seem fairly low, but something interesting to note is that hip-hop has surpassed rock n’ roll music consumption, which checks in at 23 percent.

The shift in rank can be attributed to the rise in streaming services, according to Forbes. Although rock is still leading in physical album sales, the percent has steadily decreased over the last couple of years. With that being said, services like Spotify and Apple Music have become the premier platforms for hip-hop and R&B to thrive.