Billboard's blistering article about hip-hop's "magic" slipping away is totally on point, according to Eminem's artist Westside Boogie ... who says rappers have been slipping in their craft.
TMZ Hip Hop got the Compton-bred MC at LAX over the weekend, and picked his brain on the ongoing conversation about rap losing its dominance. We were looking for his 2 cents, but we got a dime.
While hip-hop/R&B remains the industry’s best-performing genre, its growth is slowing and execs are concerned excitement is stagnating. https://t.co/xFQ9MoP8ZR
— billboard (@billboard) October 18, 2022
Boogie says he can actually relate to Billboard's claim ... he says he's been listening to pop music closely and thinks those artists are putting more attention to detail in their music than rappers these days.
Now, he's not saying rap's devoid of talent ... in fact, he said there are plenty of capable rappers, but they're doing little to differentiate themselves in terms of verses, beat selection, or even lyrical delivery.
Boogie's been spitting for a decade now and knows how the roulette wheel operates. He says the magic will reoccur when today's hip-hop stars put more effort into their craft.
If Taylor Swift sells 1.5 mil first week... that would mean she would outsell Drake, Bad Bunny and Adele combined first week.... nah she'd be different.
— DJ Akademiks (@Akademiks) October 24, 2022
She broke every streaming record in the first 2 days for an album lets see it continues til Thursday.
The proof is in the DSP pudding -- Taylor Swift's new "Midnights" album drop fractured Spotify, and is projected to go platinum in just a week.
That would be more than Drake, Lil Baby and Kendrick Lamar's 2022 first-week outputs ... combined!!!
WSB dropped off his latest album on Eminem's Shady Records this year ... the critically acclaimed "More Black Superheroes" ... and thinks his label boss needs more recognition from the younger generation in wake of his 50th birthday.
He says kids like his 13-year-old son, don't understand the full impact of Eminem's career, because it was before his time.
As a result, Boogie says it's up to older generations to uphold the history and give credit where it's due -- especially if you sample or borrow from the greats who came before you.