In the second installment of his Beauty of Independence series, Ben of HipHopNumbers talks to talented poet-turned-emcee Dell Nellson about poems, process and philosophy.
Tyler, the Creator’s Personal Evolution: A Lyrical Analysis
Early in his career, Tyler, The Creator gained fame as an innovative producer whose abrasive lyrics leaned heavily on topics like rape, violence, and homophobic slurs – also known as “shock-rap”. But when Tyler’s new album Igor drops later this week, the project will come from a man whose music is nearly unrecognizable when compared […]
The Grammys are Statistically Biased and Hip-Hop Doesn’t Need Them
It’s 2019. Hip-hop has been the biggest genre in music for more than two years now, but The Grammys still reek of bias against the genre. Recent snubs of iconic albums like Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. and Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy sting badly, but sadly they weren’t a surprise to anyone who has been paying […]
HipHopNumbers: Future’s Love of Lean, Drake’s Social Silence, Missy’s Musicianship, & more
You’ve stumbled into an ongoing collaborative series between CentralSauce and HipHopNumbers, where I take a deep dive into the best tweets and statistical discoveries of the previous week. There’s a healthy helping of numbers and always a slight twist of ya girl Iggy in the mix. Enjoy! Future raps more about Lean on #THEWIZRD than […]
HipHopNumbers: Hip-Hop is the New Pop, Lil Wayne’s 2018 Pussy Resurgence, & More
Welcome to the very first installment of an ongoing collaborative series where we will dive into the best tweets and discoveries uncovered on HipHopNumbers Twitter Account over the last week. I promise nothing except that you will leave these articles entertained, informed, and maybe slightly frustrated, depending on how much you like Iggy Azalea. Hip-Hop […]
Unprecedented: Big K.R.I.T.’s Groundbreaking Career as a Dual-Discipline Artist [Beats & Bars]
In today’s era of collaborative production, Big K.R.I.T. stands alone. Despite producing 67.9% of his album tracks alone – with no co-production whatsoever – K.R.I.T. has ascended commercial peaks historically reserved for elite rappers backed by production rosters as long as a phone book. He has carved his own path from the very beginning, employing […]
“The Black Album”: Lyrical Breakdown of Jay-Z’s Least Collaborative Record
Fifteen years ago, Jay-Z announced that he was leaving hip-hop: but only on his own terms and with his own voice. The Black Album was meant to be the climax of Jay’s career, a raw and personal record with minimal features. For the first time ever, here are the numbers to cement the album’s legacy […]
Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, Drake or Kanye West: Who Was the Most Self-Obsessed Lyricist in 2018?
Back in 2017 it was discovered that Nicki Minaj mentioned herself on wax significantly more than her contemporaries. To recap, 11.5% of Nicki Minaj’s discography prior to QUEEN contains self-references by Nicki.. In this analysis, Nicki was far ahead of the competition, even handily beating out noted egos like Kanye West and Jay-Z, who came in […]
Does Nicki Minaj Empower Female Rappers? Here’s the Data
In the eleven years following her debut mixtape, Nicki Minaj has released 164 songs, 4 albums, and 2 additional mixtapes as a lead artist. Strangely enough, it wasn’t until QUEEN, Nicki’s fourth studio album, that the platinum-selling recording artist chose to feature another female rapper on one of her tracks. But why has Nicki Minaj […]
While Nicki Minaj Raps More and More, Her Album Sales Plummet – Why?
The age-old debate: “Pop Nicki” vs “Rap Nicki”? Fans and critics alike have been divided on Nicki Minaj’s musical duality since her debut album was released back in 2010. With the early numbers from her latest album QUEEN now coming in, a distinct statistical trend has emerged. As far as the numbers are concerned, the […]
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