Defining Pop Music: Locating a genre in the era of trap, indie and Ariana
The word pop is an abbreviation of popular. Does the term “pop music” follow the same expansion?
Last year, I wrote a piece about how hip hop has ascended into the most popular music of the now. I used some Billboard numbers to point to how hip hop has had most of the recent number one albums. After another survey of the Billboard 200 (with six months of data) 14 of the last 26 (weekly) Billboard charts had a hip-hop album in the number one spot. There was no true outlier taking up most of those spots either, only a three-time topper, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s Hoodie SZN. This seems to solidify my point from my previous post that hip hop has taken over the pop genre. Specifically, the subgenre of “trap” rap has asserted dominance at the top of charts.
So, if there’s a type of music that, in its relatively short existence, is now being made in ways that capitalize its chances of charting, is it pop music?
Recent releases from more classic pop artists say no. In my research, I found four traditional pop artists with number one albums; Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, P!nk and Backstreet Boys. Three of those artists released their albums in the last three months.
Even with this recent push from pop artists, trap still rules. This is where we come to the question that presides over the entire debate. Is pop a sound or statistical quality?
I had a conversation this weekend in the wake of the new Vampire Weekend release about whether their album was pop or not. It boiled down to whether the album was indie rock or pop. Indie rock is historically less hook-driven and has more of a sense of angst than pop.
The compromise was that Vampire Weekend, throughout their career, had made music that fit “indie pop.” A sound that, while containing indie rock traits, like underground and guitar-over-producer sounds, left some other key rock traits behind, like aggression and angst, focusing more on melodic hooks.
This is evidence of pop music as a sound, rather than a statistical quality. It should be noted, however, that Vampire Weekend has gained a huge following and will probably debut number one themselves when charts come out for Father of the Bride’s release week.
Now let’s look at another one of this article’s titular artists, Ariana Grande. Grande recently set Billboard records with her most recent album, thank u, next. She is both popular and an artist than many would associate with the pop genre. One of the interesting advancements in sound on Grande’s most recent album, however, was the introduction of (you guessed it) trap and hip-hop stylings.
On one of the album’s lead singles, 7 Ringz. Ariana spits what can not be called anything other than a rap verse. She incorporates 2 Chainz’ pink trap house aesthetic throughout the video and cover art and even has him on the remix. A remix that is based around a guest verse, a very hip hop structure. Not only that, she outraps 2 Chainz!
Much of this album has a notably hip hop-influenced sound. There’s the aforementioned 2 Chainz influence, she uses a sample on Fake Smile that was made famous on a 36 Chambers Wu-Tang song, and there are many trap hi-hats sprinkled around the album (particularly the second half). With Grande’s influence, the easiest way for her to go about this crafting this sound would be to hire the most notable trap and hip-hop producers in the game right now. Names like Metro Boomin, Boi-1da and Tay Keith come to mind. Looking through her track list, however, that’s not the case.
She hires mainstream pop producers like Max Martin, and sprinkles in producers she’s had around her for years, like Ilya, as well as producers who came up with hip hop and have shifted into more pop music (e.g. Pop Wansel and Tommy Brown).
Ariana Grande’s thank u, next is the most emblematic album of where pop music is right now. Her album has noticeable trap influences and is a picture of how music consumption has shifted since streaming took control. Pop music has always had a curative quality to it. The genre is organized around traditional song structures but brings in elements of many different types of music, often dominated by the genres most popular at the time.
Can we call Travis Scott, Metro Boomin and Juice WRLD pop stars? Probably. Does that mean Ariana Grande is losing her pop star status? Definitely not.
This debate can be seen of a condemnation of pop as the least independent genre, but that is a bit unfair. Pop’s influences have been changing for over 50 years, and the genre hasn’t died off. It is and always will be supported by other genres, and will always influence other genres, like indie and Vampire Weekend.
It’s very impressive to see how far hip hop has come, especially coming from such underprivileged communities. The genre is as strong as it’s ever been, perhaps at its apex, but the strength of hip hop will probably never replace pop music.
