Why Rappers Are Falling off Faster Than Ever 

“Only real music’s gonna last. All that other bullsh*t… is here today and gone tomorrow”💯

That 2016-2018 era of rappers died off because they were to focused on drugs or there music only sounded good to those who were young at the time. Those kids grew up and moved on. Not every rapper obviously but that’s because they realized what would happen and started to change things

My take on it is if you blow up off of gimmicks and social media antics more than your music, you are bound to fall off. If you fail to adapt your sound, and instead try to recapture lightning in a bottle by using the same formula over and over again, you are also bound to fall off.

Y’all forgot rap isn’t just about having fun. It’s also about telling a story and teaching lessons

2016-2017 was the prime for SoundCloud. Without SoundCloud, we wouldn't have rappers like X & JuiceWRLD.

It's consistency and versatility. When people get tired of your music you have to repackage it in a new way to keep them hooked.

It all comes down to the fact that we’re living in a meme era… most artists are just trying to go viral nowadays

The problem is….there’s too many rappers and it’s way too easy to get on. That’s really the problem. The more rappers, the more saturated the sound gets, the quicker the rapper falls off. Back when there were a few mainstream artist. Wasn’t really an over saturation because they are all were different. If that makes sense

"A lot of rappers in this generation have fallen off, becuase they've fallen in love with the lifestyle rather than the process of making music" facts facts facts, if you don't love and respect your art, and do it just for the sake of doing it and because you are making good money at that moment, you will eventually fall off.

Trippie the perfect example of how to survive the music industry nowadays as a rapper. he consistently been dropping 2 albums a year since he got in the game. I guarantee if he woulda dropped allty1 and 2 then waited 2 years like Roddy did and dropped another album he would’ve fallen off. Nowadays all it’s really about is consistency, because people don’t got patience to wait for u to drop every 5 years if someone else doing something similar to u.

"I don't think anyone is planning to fail unless you fail to plan" - BlackySpeakz

“Nobodys planning to fail, unless you fail to plan” these straight facts 🔥 blacky killin it as always

"go do some nft scams" that one hit hard. I know people might say DJ Akademiks is a little too much at times but he truly has a point. Music making and the Industry is so much different than 2017. Back in the day alot of songwriting was more popular and accepted, now it feels like you NEED TO WRITE YOUR OWN MUSIC or your worth NOTHING. This means alot of newer artists need to feel even more pressure after making a number one single on accident.

Another thing we value as an audience now more than ever is authenticity. Whether that's Drill rappers living their talk or Jack Harlow being himself regardless of consequences, we can tell and it makes the artists music better for it

It’s crazy that we in the generation where it’s easier to blow up more then ever for doing anything especially with todays technology but harder to keep that audience with you, only way they staying with you is if your actually talented, being actually talented well help you a lot in the long run then being a mumble rapper who only chases trends and does what other people do.

Age also played apart too. I know people might forget, but most of the artist who blew up around 2016-17 were either in or barely out of high school. When you have an entire wave of rappers blowing up at such a young age, is it really a surprise that most of them couldn’t hold onto the fame? I know for a fact that if I suddenly reached that level of fame at that age, I’d probably have fucked up just as bad as them. That correlates to why the street rappers are the one staying relevant right now. Growing up in environments such as theirs forces you to mature faster than normal, so they’re able to make career decisions with more maturity than others. Additionally, getting popular gives them an opportunity to get out of said environment, so their drive to reach that level of fame and maintain it is going to keep them on top a lot longer than someone who makes music casually.

It's the fault of both the labels for treating artists like dirt and also music streaming as a format. Streaming makes artists a lot more disposable since constructing an album doesn't mean much anymore.

“You gotta consistently bring people value” that’s goes FAR beyond than just the rap game.. relationships,business,etc..! Wise words my man

No matter what you say about NBA Youngboy, you can't say that he doesn't have one of the best work ethics this generation. Man is an absolute workhorse.

The reason why alot of rappers fall off fast nowadays, is because of lack of passion, over saturation of party tracks, and no effort in being versatile. They are just in it for the money and not to hone thier skills as a artist, the last great generation of rappers I feel was 2010-2013 you had Drake, Nicki, Cole, Kendrick, Big Sean, Meek Millz, Wale, and Wiz Khalifa coming into the game and you sense thier passion which is why the majority still got a core fan base till the day, and alot of the newer rap acts in the last 6 or 7 years dont have it which is why they fizzle out so quick

1985 by J. Cole aged like fine wine. this song has flipped my life apart, it still does, it makes me question and rethink my life decisions always, like acting as the last checkbox before finalising something.

That’s why I admire Trippie Redd for not stopping the grind, always being consistent with « personally » good music 😈😍

Pump being in the thumbnail is an example of artists falling off including others.

I don't care what people say Lil Durk he is a prime example of what hard work will get you because he's been in the game for a long time but he worked hard and he never let up and that's why he's is where he is

A big part of why these dudes fall off is consistency fs. They see others flopping and get scared to drop for fear of flopping themselves , they get a hot song w an ego and think they on kendricks level and can pull off leaving for years w no effect, or get distracted w the bs like girls and drugs. The reason YB been on top for a minute is cuz he’s 1) recording consistently and 2) Has built a solid fan base who pays attention to him for the music. Dudes like pump and 69 because they’re so antic heavy, box themselves in to a point where the music has to come second, because people see them as clowns more than musicians

I think one of the issues is the demise of the mixtape era. You look at the big dogs of the previous gen (Cole, Drake, Kendrick, Sean, etc) they got to perfect their craft with mixtapes and grow into their stardom. Artists these days have their mixtapes basically judged as albums now cause of streaming and it means any offering is viewed in a completely different lens, that’s why one bad move and you “fell off”. You got too many guys blowing up over one song or one project before they even get to develop their artistry and are ultimately destined to come and go

Pretty interesting topic. I couldn’t imagine blowing then falling off just 2 years later. Peaking at a early age. Being consistent is hella important.

Great video, agreed with a lot of your points. Most artists of the past 5 years became famous off of Soundcloud and for an image rather than the music. Most of those artists don't have longevity when it comes to the music, plus their styles are all ones that were done successfully before. The music isn’t quality like it was in the past. Timeless music seems to have fallen off since nearly a decade ago

It’s crazy that 2016/2017 is literally it’s own moment in history. It’s like it’s own generation all in 2 years

I like this. It forces rappers to actually work hard to develop their skills and branding to stay relevant

The more people you have rapping, the more people you have falling off, and not everybody becomes a star.

They’re focused on everything outside of the music. They got lost in the lifestyle; rappers like 6ix9ine, smokepurpp and lil pump were focused on controversy, clout chasing, etc., than their rap careers and they fell off. I think that’s what J Cole was saying in 1985. On the other hand, rappers like Polo G and Lil Baby are popping right now strictly because of their music. OG rappers like J Cole and Nas shown in the video have also managed to stay relevant for so long. It’s sort of a competition and you have to stay on top of your game if you want to make it far in the rap game.

Rappers nowadays just don’t put the same passion into their music as Cole, Kendrick, Kanye, Jay Z, Eminem. Another thing is they think they can drop 1 ep or some singles and think that’s going to solidify their career. Some artist like Lil Baby, Playboi Carti, Uzi, and DaBaby take their initial success and capitalize off of it and try to experiment with different flows sounds and stay consistent with it because the sound that took them to the top isn’t going to keep them there.

I swear that’s why yb is doing so well still. He stays consistent with his dropping and mainly stays in his lane when it comes to his sound(not really recently) and he found what worked. He also has the memes and beef keepin him relevant

AK didn’t lie, most of these rappers don’t even hone their craft or experiment with different sounds. They only wanted to do this for money, fame, etc. Most of them signed slave contracts tbh

That half time performance woke alot of people from their sleep.... People were forced to compare the foundations to the scaffolding, the roots to the leaves... People are starting to remember, it wasn't always about the bag and leaving... It was about the magic of the actual music. We REMEMBER.

I think that goes with any industry you in. Passion has to drive cause it's gonna keep you consistent. If you doing it for cash, you not gonna last long

Most people in music don't make much money, it's very expensive to tour they only get a piece of the tour money. Even some rock bands I listen to are playing small venues, it's hard to keep a paying audience for years

Great vid like always bro. When I blow, I’ll be consistent for sure. I’m going to remember this video. Consistency is key. Just like with RU-vid.

I feel that the lack of intimacy with fans and the music contributes to rappers falling off so much is coming and going. Yes we can see them on lives, but the anticipation and the build-up is gone such as going to the store to buy the CD or buying tickets a concerts and that stuff has fallen off even before the pandemic the concerts weren't as prevalent. They always wait for festivals and I think that whole part of that intimacy has the music need...its now more about numbers to and to feel the need to always put out music and rush for that, so the whole nostalgia of it is not there anymore .. It's Like fast food you quickly eat it, it's good at the moment and then you look for something else that's even better later...

Love when Mr. Speakz comes to preach! 🙏

You are correct! Drugs are having big impact on these rappers lives and destroying their careers or making them overdose 😞.. it’s like a formula, come in for the love of music then they get caught up in the lifestyle and clout, then they fall off, smdh

Needed this. I’m a rapper who wants to be famous one day and it’s refreshing to be told these things, just to keep perspective and atuff

Akademiks is actually very right. You are the one who's supposed to be consistent with your music and you're the one who's supposed to be protecting yourself from falling off.

You have a higher chance of staying in the rap game if you began your career with releasing good mixtapes.

If a rapper is bubbling or just got hot, they needa drop singles consistently and maybe a mixtape or a 15 or so song album. After that it’s fine to work on an album or a year or 2 as long as the drop is either loaded with hits or loaded with content. But it’s a risky move because of the expectations

tiktok ruined hiphop. real fanbases dont exist anymore and everyone just follows hype. the followers have ruined music.

Shout out to Akademiks. That man has been grinding for close to a decade now and still at the top of his craft

The fact X would have been so incredibly huge, so much potential, we were robbed of such an generational artist, so many bangers...

This is facts bro, I took a year off from making videos and now I get like 12 views per video lol. Gotta stay consistent and feed the audience, keep them entertained. Fans aren’t gonna wait around for you.

It's crazy to think that someone who died 2 YEARS AGO (pop smoke) is still more poppin then most of these rappers now I understand that since he's gone and can't make anymore music people are going to slowly move on and most people already have but it's just crazy that he's gone and still more popular then most of these guys

I personally think it is because of the oversaturation of the market, hip hop has been oversaturated since 2014.

Hip-hop has become more of a business than any other genre. There is a lack of passion for craft in favor of “getting the bag” through merch, NFTs, live shows, etc. The music itself is merely the foot in the door to sell you something. That could be due to the streaming era devaluing the music itself, but it’s never been more evident that this music shit is nothing but a paycheck to many of these rappers. If they’re not passionate about their music, how can they expect their fans to be?

Makes you see how good artists like Kanye west and Jay z are because of how long they been around and they still relevant.

I’d like to think society as a whole is maturing to some degree when it comes to music 😂

The fact that kendrick still relevant, despite not dropping since 2017

this kinda makes me think it might happen to some of the underground artists coming up now on the verge of blowing up & becoming mainstream… sipping lean popping pills on the daily, yeah maybe it’s just for entertainment by them promoting that stuff. Some of these guys have some potential, it would suck to see some of my favorite artists now fall off because of drugs.

Why are rappers falling off faster than ever? The reason is they were never talented in the first place. They saw it as a quick money grab and making music is a lot easier than it was probably 20 years ago. Plus they had do extra gimmicks/dumb shit that had nothing to do with the music just for people to check their music out.

Rappers who fell of due to drugs, women, etc, was never made for the industry anyway

It's really simple. Only a handful of rappers are talented and the rest are social media influencers that make wack music. As their fans age they outgrow these wack rappers and the younger fans are already on a new wave of rappers that they will soon outgrow as well. The guys with talent survive this cycle and the guys with no talent are left behind.

The day these rappers surfaced, I knew there would be no longevity. Something about the times we are in, phases come and go like no other.

I'm actually really glad that the passion and love for the craft is what is being awarded instead of the trends and gimmicks

Roddy Ricch never fell off, he’s making music and running a RU-vid channel going by the name of ‘BlackySpeakz’

man, AK lost my respect for a while there (not that it matters) but after watching that stream, i felt like there was a little bit of hope for these new-era Hip-hop journalists. hes %100 correct, most of the artists to drop over the last 3-4 years really shouldn't have been there to start with. its not a life for everyone. everyone wants the highs without realizing that there are equal lows.

“i don’t think anyones planning to fail unless you fail to plan” -Blackyspeakz

The lack of substance within music is also a big problem

Alotta these dudes were memes, memes dont last forever. I would argue that alot of these guys didn’t fall off, they were never on, they went viral for a gimmick and never developed themselves as an artist to keep that wave going.

The ”scarier” at 3:45 was so genuine

Two videos in a row, we getting fed 😮‍💨

Real quick, I love that blacky started this with an Ak clip. Shows how he ain’t scared to post his competition

The quicker you get here the quicker you're gone! That's why as quick as 1 hit wonders come they leave just as fast!

IMO the fall off is happening faster because of the pace expected in order to remain relevant. People dropping 5+ mixtapes, 15 features or more and a single every month and then an album sometimes 2 a year is unsustainable but it is the standard a lot of these people set at the start. Once they slow down even a little bit they are seen as a fall off artist. The smart ones drop an album, maybe a couple features and a tour. The faster your release schedule the hotter your candle burns and the faster it burns out.

Gotta keep the work ethic. Never rest on those laurels.

To me, the most consistent rappers have to be Denzel Curry and Pusha T. They simply cannot miss

They’re falling off faster because it’s fast food music for a fast food generation of overgrown kids who’re overstimulated.

cant struggle in music if i aint even been put on yet , hell yeah

NBA Youngboy wanted to quit rap 3 years ago and Biggest rapper in game last 4+ years💀💀

Love the fact that AK stay so tapped in that he knows about NFTs and the fact that washed up celebs be running scams. He's gonna be a goat one day

this video was amazing, i think you always know exactly how to describe what’s going on behind the scenes💯

You said something i agree with. People say one hit wonder or falling off. As if there aren't hundreds of millions of people who wouldn't kill to have that 1 hit.

Rappers are only here now to fill in for trends and not for actual longevity and legacy like before with rappers like Jay Z, Nas , or even Ye ppl now like lil xan , pump, smokepurp , kid buu, and even skies and other came all for trend in the SoundCloud era

I hope the 2020s will be the decade where hip hop truly grows up, where most rappers care about the quality of their music and have lyrics about real shit, and are working consistantly.

I’m not gonna fall off when I make it! I won’t stop the grind!

The guys who had sustainability, X Peep and Juice all died. Lil skies had hella potential but let his foot off the gas. Man 2017 was something else.

The soundcloud era was just a couple of teenagers blowing up and getting big, these guys were in it for the money and just to make their teenage dream come true and they did. They got into the lifestyle and that’s ALL they wanted. They didn’t wanna stay in music, they wanted to blow up. In their eyes, they have won, the teenager version of them is happy and proud and got what they wanted and as a teenager myself, about to get out of highschool. That’s the happy ending for them. Side note: 2022 is Lil Uzi Vert’s last year.

Trippie Redd called it and said it best. “He’s poppin right now but I’m aiming for longevity”. Look at where Trippie is now and look at 6ix9ine.

The lil pumps and 6ix9ines never had a rap career to begin with they got on by clout chasing and eventually that gets tired! They was 1 trick ponys It was never their music that was getting them on their music was below average if not horrible!

I completely disagree with the 6ix9ine point. If he released a song rn it would chart and he would get like 20+ mill view on YT. Lil Pump and Smokepurp can’t do that anymore

It's simple the industry has switched back to its roots being the streets/criminal element and has fully taken back it's mark in hip hop and these dudes who are now coming up are hungrier then ever just to be on top or on the same levels as thier peers or to just make thier mark in the game

So many facts spoken in this video man. I'm all for young guys staying off the streets but genuinely if you find success in the music industry and that allows you to elevate out of a situation you were in when you were broke and down and then suddenly you start making a little money and then want to be about the hype and lifestyle more than securing yourself and your family and continuing to feed the people who enabled you then you really don't deserve sympathy when you get distracted and fall off

it sucks that so many rappers from 2017 fell off. my favorite era so far. rappers that done well with this are trippie redd, 21 savage, kodak black, play boi carti, tory lanez, and ty dolla $ign. i have hopes for a boogie with da hoodie, pnb rock, lil uzi vert, swae lee, and ski mask the slump god. they are fire and can still make it in this day and age. lil skies, migos, and fetty wap were fire but fell off unfortunately.

And applying pressure, rappers who do make it, think they can pull a Kendrick or a kanye or cole or a drake and drop every 2 and some cases like kendrick 3-5 years in between release because they feel they hit that ceiling when their wrong. You been grinding and finally made it out the trenches, you've already busted your ass to make it out. Just because you made it doesn't mean you can just stop. Kanye dropped Late Registration a year after the college dropout Kendrick dropped Good kid maad city a year after section.80 Drake dropped take care a year after thank me later Cole dropped Cole world a year after friday night lights. Every artist who get on top know they must be right back in the studio creating and working to drop a couple projects consistently or be on features heavy so that if they aren't dropping their own music, they been able to feed their fanbase by doing features with everyone else's favorite artist. Lil baby was featured on Kanye's album and drake album and then got on track with nicki. Mans ain't dropped a solo album since my turn but been feeding everybody with these features and did the collab album with durk

Also you mention KOD by Cole, but for real that might be one of his MOST impactful projects. Say what you want about it, but that project was ahead of its time/

"Because J Cole told them what they gonna look like!" Hits Hard

It’s sad man But we gotta see what the ones wit talent gonna do next

Speaking of 2016-2018 , I can't help it but think about all the artists that were so underground that no one really talks about , while everyone was hyped up with these clowns

This is why even when underground rappers take some time off to work on their album they release EP’s and mixtapes to continuously feed their fanbase. In the current rap meta, you have to maintain relevancy. If you’re an underground artist and make a track that you don’t want on your album, leak that shit or drop that shit on your soundcloud because that’s a form of maintaining relevancy don’t hoard all your tracks, go ghost for a few months and become surprised when you see a decline in views. Also feature with everybody you can that you respect, you’ve got to maintain relevancy when you’re not dropping officially as an upcoming artist nowadays or people stop caring. For example, Izaya Tiji went from being the most relevant, to just an obscure artist due to his inconsistencies despite how good his music is. Now Tiji can still easily bounce back but he’s an example of what happens when you take your foot off the pedal.

"Falling in love with the lifestyle, rather than the process of making music"

Shit hits diff when you an artist and still aint on and you aint got your consistency and focus right. Good thing is, you still got the time to make it right

Whenever I take a break from watching akademics I end up watching videos about nigggas talking about him, mans so deep into the culture now you can’t get away from him