What Coronavirus has given us for Hip Hop During The Lockdown
The coronavirus epidemic has had a substantial impact on the genre of hip hop, reflecting its impact over numerous segments.
Various music events, including award shows, concert tours, music festivals, and the like were rescheduled or canceled. While some producers and rappers were able to use the time to generate fresh works, there were elapse consequences on the many receptive people who depended on entertainers for their income. Also, numerous album releases were postponed.
Virtual Performances
Thanks to the coronavirus, the hip hop genre too saw overall decreases in audio streaming though hikes in music video streaming. Due to all of the lockdown’s toxicity, hip hop professionals have made the best of the grim situation, improvising while reinventing themselves. For instance, a lot of artists have chosen to stream performances on the web.
The “At Home With TIDAL” live stream is one of the many stream performances series. Members and non-members equally can view performances via the music/podcast/video streaming platform from artists such as Lizzo, Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Daddy Yankee, and Jay-Z. Another case is when Post Malone held a live stream on his verified YouTube Channel. Broadcasting live from his abode, the rapper performed a set of devotee favorites and Nirvana hit songs; the stream profited The United Nations Foundation’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for WHO (The World Health Organization) in support of coronavirus aid efforts.
Versuz Battles
Another way musicians are entertaining their fans is by hosting Verzuz live battles. If you’ve been quarantining underneath a rock, a Verzuz battle is when two entertainers face-off live virtually, play their best hit songs, and allow the fans to judge. One Verzuz was Swizz Beatz vs. Timbaland. In the live battle on Instagram, Timbaland smacked Swizz with a six-song Jay-Z invasion, playing timeless cuts from Hov’s In My Lifetime albums. Plus, every time Swizzy put on DMX records Timbo cracked, “You playing your artist.” Many said Timbaland won this battle hands down.
As far as hip hop artists go, French Montana vs. Tory Lanez was a nifty Verzuz battle. In the midst, French nervelessly smoked hookah, while Lanez rocked “Kika” from Tekashi 6ix9ine’s Day69 but declined to mention whose track it was. In a world where the strongest hit forever takes the crown, French’s smashes “Pop That” and “Stay Schemin’” are always going to trump “K Lo K” and “Ferris Wheel,” even if the two joints are good and share practicality. Hence, French won the battle by a landslide.
Album Drops
Most major artists are postponing releasing their new albums, citing the COVID-19 outbreak as the grounds for the delay. While it is true that rappers and singers ought to be notables first, they are human beings still whose pursuits are subject to economic inducements. On the flip side, there are a few valiant artists that dropped LP’s regardless of the pandemic, being comforters, pals, and a rear-line exigency service in times of individualized turmoil.
Hip hop artists that dropped ‘corona albums’ include Drake, DaBaby, Chris Brown and Young Thug, Future, The Weeknd, Lil Uzi Vert, Jay Electronica, Tory Lanez, Westside Gunn, PartyNextDoor, Jhené Aiko, Nav, Smino, R.A. the Rugged Man, Childish Gambino, Mozzy, K Camp, Tech N9ne, Lil Durk, Bad Bunny, Kehlani, and Megan Thee Stallion.
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