Rapper's Delight: The Rise of Meme Rap

Two things about 2016 really saved the year from being 100 percent horrible: hip hop and memes. But the best moments came when, more often than ever before, the two began to overlap and influence each other. 

The notable examples aren’t difficult to recall, probably because a lot of them are still at the top of the charts. “Panda” launched Desiigner into the stratosphere last February and eventually hit No. 1, and it didn’t hurt that his wild performance at the BET Awards months later gave the song a second wind of popularity when it got memed to death by the internet. Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles” followed in the summer and rode the viral Mannequin Challenge straight to No. 1 as well. And how could we forget the best and most recent? Migos’ “Bad and Boujee” is both an undeniable banger and a meme powerhouse — oh, and it also peaked at No. 1. 

What does this tell us? I mean, besides the wonderful fact that hip hop is consistently the most popular genre of music on the charts? I think it’s safe to say the internet and hip hop have found their next beneficial partnership: What high-speed internet did for the rise of the free mixtape, meme culture is now doing for singles. 

Think about it. Lil Wayne and Gucci Mane leveraged the wide reach of the internet by flooding it with mixtapes (varying in quality, but that’s beside the point). Thanks to websites like DatPiff, free mixtapes could circulate nationwide instead of just regionally, even internationally for certain artists. The internet is no doubt to thank for the success of many artists from the 2000s, including Drake, the statistically proven most popular rapper of today. 

I don’t need to remind you how memes have helped Drake, I hope. Think “Hotline Bling.”

But the internet’s been here for a while now, and people use it for much more than music. Social media’s proliferation came first, followed quickly by the popularity of memes. Even my parents know what memes are now; it’s a crazy cultural phenomenon that everyone relates to.

It’s no stretch at all to say rappers and performers love memes too. Just ask DJ Khaled, who surged to new levels of popularity thanks to his Snapchat antics. Rappers who get memed turn around and retweet and share those memes because plenty of them think it’s hilarious, including Desiigner and Rae Sremmurd. The relationship is beneficial: You create a zany or oppressively catchy song that has meme potential, fans love it and use it to produce millions of memes, you end up making tons of money while they play your song on repeat and laugh at the memes about it — the single takes on new life and everyone has a good time. 

The only problem comes from people declaring that songs which do get memed are only popular because of the internet; that they have no artistic merit alone to warrant that No. 1 spot on the chart. 

Ignoring the fact that high chart positions don’t make music exceptional, this is still a bogus idea. “Black Beatles” and “Bad and Boujee” are incredible songs, regardless of memes. My 60-year-old father, a huge classic rock fan, loves both of them. Millions of people played them before they got memed, which then eventually led to the memes. That’s the case with basically all these songs: The popularity precedes the memes, leads to memes, and increases later because of them.

Memes do not produce music. In fact, when they do is when you know the music will most likely suck. Soulja Boy has recently resurfaced, trying to pick fights with anyone online and getting memed in the process for his blatant grabs at relevancy. His new album will be named for his stupid internet fights with other rappers, but don’t expect it to be anything but hot trash. 

Memes and music are creating something magical and hilarious together. You can expect more in 2017, if you stop listening to “Bad and Boujee” on repeat that is. 

Reach Editor-In-Chief Mohammed Kloub at arts@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @LessIsMoh