So far, 2020 hasn’t had the best first few months, but the rap and hip-hop scene is at a very high point.
Famous rappers like Lil Uzi Vert, Drake, Lil Baby, and many more have released music in 2020, and everybody seems to be enjoying it.
Although 2020 has seen some hits, 2016 is widely recognized as the best year of all time regarding rap and hip-hop.
“I think this year was the best year since 2016. 2016 has brought so many people into rap culture, and a lot of popular rappers right now came into the game in 2016,” Carlmont sophomore Nate Anson said.
“I definitely think 2016 had the best music because it was so many rappers’ breakthrough year. A new hit was coming out from an underground artist every month,” Carlmont sophomore Ari Ravi said.
Artists like 21 Savage, Lil Uzi Vert, and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie are just a few examples of rappers who had their breakout year in 2016 and are still at the top of the charts.
21 Savage had his breakout year in 2016, the year most people regard to as the best year for rap of all time.
Others argue that the years in between had the best releases.
“In my opinion, 2018 was the best year of music in the last decade. We saw albums from people like Travis Scott, Lil Baby and Gunna, Drake, J. Cole, and so many more. All the albums released by those artists are classics, and people are listening to them daily almost two years after they released,” Serra junior Justin Anderson said.
“I think 2019 was better because it had albums from people like Roddy Ricch, Lil Mosey, and Young Thug. A lot of artists I listen to in my day to day life dropped albums in 2019,” Carlmont junior Trevor Douglis said.
Already, in the four months of 2020, we have seen many top-chart hits from the likes of rappers who are at the top of the game; highly anticipated albums like “Eternal Atake,” “LUV Vs. The World 2”, “Artist 2.0”, “After Hours,” and many more records have dropped from popular rappers in 2020 already.
Artists now have more time than ever to create music, and the fans have more time to listen due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Many people depend on music as an outlet from everything going on in the world right now, so fans need music more than ever.
“2020 has had a great start with some major names dropping albums, but it has to keep going up. We’re going through such a unique time, people need entertainment, and for me, that’s music. Music has made these times a lot easier; I listen every single day,” Carlmont sophomore Brad Ayers said.
“Music definitely has helped over the past few weeks as it gives me something to entertain myself. I use it as an outlet to get away from all the madness going on right now, and it just helps me relax and calm down,” Ravi said.
Like Ravi, Anderson finds he is listening to more music now.
“You can listen to music when you’re doing anything, and with so much free time on our hands, I find myself listening to a lot more music than before,” Anderson said.
The end of 2019 also brought hits into 2020.
“[Lil] Tjay dropped in the last quarter of the year, Roddy [Ricch] dropped in December, and [YNW] Melly dropped in November, so we got a lot of good music leading into 2020,” Anson said.
The future looks even brighter with rumored albums from artists like Playboi Carti, Drake, J. Cole, Roddy Ricch, 21 Savage, Kendrick Lamar, Juice WRLD, and more allegedly releasing by the end of 2020.
2020 has been an excellent year of rap and hip-hop so far, and, hopefully, it will only get better throughout the year.
