Why Have All The Rap Groups Disappeared?

Times have changed in Rap. Though the genre is more popular and visible than it’s ever been, the genre is extremely saturated and anyone with a computer or a phone can spit a verse that someone on the internet will enjoy or use to create a meme.

In addition, the hunt for the almighty dollar at the sacrifice of any semblance of quality has created a version of the genre that is lazy and creatively bereft. It doesn’t seem to be a coincidence, then, that the Rap group — on which the foundation of the genre was built — is now seemingly endangered.

The first records in the history of the genre came from groups — most notably The Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” in 1979.

From that record on, groups dominated the industry. In the 1980s, there were RUN-D.M.C, Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, and Eric B. & Rakim. In the 1990s, there were N.W.A., Outkast, Wu-Tang Clang, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, and Mobb Deep. In the 2000s, there were the Clipse and Little Brother.

But it seems the age of the hip-hop group has largely fallen to the wayside while individual acts continue to thrive. The last group to reach those heights of quality, popularity, and accolades was the Migos, which disbanded a year ago following the murder of member Takeoff.

While I’d be remiss to not mention groups like Run the Jewels and EarthGang — both of whom have release albums recently — they are not nearly at the level of other groups of the past in terms of accolades (not to say that they aren’t just as talented).

While several factors could play into why groups aren’t as prominent, the one that seems to stand out the most is selfishness and greed. It seems that MCs are more willing to put artists on than they are to work together. Every artist has their own collective or record label that they roll with, but none of them create music as a proper group.

This trend began in the mid-2000s when Cam’Ron had Dipset and 50 Cent had G-Unit. This continued in the late 2000s and the early 2010s with G.O.O.D. Music, Young Money, MMG, Top Dawg Entertainment, Odd Future, Pro Era and Dreamville. This is prominent now with crews like YSL and Concrete Boys.

Yes, these collectives dropped compilation projects and were often featured on each other’s songs, but they never complete studio albums in which they collaborated on every track — likely because it’s just easier to profit off of an individual.

Furthermore, the internet has made it much more difficult for groups to be created organically. Many of our favorite groups of all time knew each other personally before deciding to make music together. Nowadays, artists think they work well together because they send over a couple of beats and it came out well. It doesn’t mean that the same synergy can be replicated when they get in the studio or are on stage together.

With hip-hop is in a creative slump that’s been buoyed largely by the exciting Kendrick Lamar-Drake beef, perhaps we should consider getting more bands together to see if they can bring the genre back to it’s heyday.