On Sundays Patriot Act, Hasan Minhaj explored the influence of streaming on hip-hop from the rise of Soundcloud rap to emcees sparking political movements.
Rap, Minjah explained, is the most-consumed genre in the U.S., accounting for eight of Nielsen Musics top 10 albums of 2018. It even reached the Upper East Side, he joked, referring to the massively popular Hamilton musical. Isnt that mind-blowing? Hip-hop had to go all the way around the world and get repackaged as a history lesson by a theater nerd just so it could be accepted. Thats what it took for old, white people to embrace rap: They needed a concert where people would sit in complete silence.
And streaming has been crucial in hip-hops market saturation, with artists like Lil Pump and Post Malone building Soundcloud accounts into stardom. Minhaj, an old-school hip-hop fan, admitted hes a bit baffled by the subgenres lyrical repetition and visual style.
See Hasan Minhaj Respond to Saudi Arabia Censorship Controversy on 'Patriot Act'Netflix Removes 'Patriot Act With Hasan Minhaj' Episode in Saudi ArabiaThurston Moore: 5 Songs That Influenced Me Early On50 Country Albums Every Rock Fan Should Own
When it comes to the sound, these days, I dont know what the fuck Im listening to, he said. Have you guys heard [Lil Pumps] Gucci Gang? If you havent, I just gave away 90 percent of the song OK, that guy who looks like Lenny Kravitz fucked a Christmas tree is Lil Pump. He is the current face of Soundcloud rap.
He embodies the Soundcloud rap starter kit: face tats, colorful dreads and rainbow grills, he continued. Look at Post Malone: He looks like the guy whos dating your drug dealers mom. Lil Xan looks like the guy whos dating your drug dealers daughter. This is hip-hop today. Im only 33, but I feel so old. Look, this is the XXL Freshman cover I dont know if these are rap names or WiFi networks. Like, Im walking into a Coffee Bean, and Im like, Hey, whats the password for Smokepurpp?'
While streaming has helped spawn the mumble rap movement in the U.S., its also helped breed political consciousness unternationally. Minhaj focused much of his segment on Thailands Rap Against Dictatorship, who have earned over 58 million views with their song My Country Has.
The host praised the track as ballsy and Pusha-T level for speaking about against political corruption in a country where citizens have been recently arrested for acts like using the three-finger Hunger Games salute and hosting pro-Democracy picnics. The songs video, inspired partly by Childish Gambinos This Is America clip, even references a 1976 photo from the Thammasat military massacre in which the government killed at least 46 student protestors. This video got so big so fast, the government just gave up trying to censor it, Minhaj said.
Because of streaming, hip-hop is helping to galvanize movements around the world, the host concluded. The same music that gave me the confidence to get contact lenses and gave birth to Lil Pump is now helping people call brutal dictators kinda annoying. And if youre a brutal dictator, that must be kinda annoying.