There are few things that can bring college students of all different backgrounds together. Hip-hop music has certainly become one of those uniting elements. It is not very difficult to come to this conclusion after attending the homecoming concert with rap giant 2 Chainz.
The concert at Reynolds Coliseum commenced the events to the Wolfpack Red and White Week leading up to the homecoming game. The show featured rising rapper K Camp and was headlined by perennial Billboard Hot 100 contender, 2 Chainz.
For the past four years, NC State homecoming concerts have been dominated by hip-hop artists with three out of the four concerts headlined by them — Tory Lanez headlined in 2015, but was opened by Ty Dolla $ign. The other headlining performers were T.I. last year, and Big Sean in 2014.These performances that pack Reynolds Coliseum are an indicator of the changing musical landscape in America. Ten years ago, it would have been unusual for a rapper to sell out at a PWI, but now we see lines wrapped around campus to attend a 2 Chainz concert.
A Nielsen Music report found that the combined genres of R&B and hip-hop make up 25.1 percent of all music consumption in the nation. The combined genres surpassed the perennially most-listened to genre in the U.S., rock music. The report also found that the consumption gap is only going to increase as time progresses.
It is not just concerts like homecoming where the music can be heard either. At any large social event with music, whether it be during the day or night, rap music can surely be accompanied by it. Throughout the Carter-Finley tailgate parking lot, rap music is the dominant category played by tailgaters. Hip-hop/R&B is also the preeminent genre within the social nightlife here at State with the overwhelming majority of songs heard at parties being some type of R&B or hip-hop.
The ever-increasing popularity of the genre could also be a symptom of its vast diversity. Even within the concert on Friday, there were diverse aspects of the genre. The opener, K Camp, had a much different form of rap than his successor. K Camp performed mostly thoroughly fast-paced, energetic songs as opposed to the mainly slower-tempo songs by 2 Chainz. The diversity of the genre was also displayed by the songs 2 Chainz performed. The rapper would go from mellow, trap tracks like “It’s a Vibe” to intense thrills like “I’m Different.
Having such a broad selection of music under one category is one of the defining characteristics of the genre’s success. Hip-hop/R&B’s diverse nature allows for it to have songs that can cater to almost anyone’s musical palette.
And with performances like the one 2 Chainz put on, it is not much of a mystery to see why the popularity of the genre has soared. The scintillating performance by 2 Chainz brought out the pack spirit in Reynolds. At times, the artist did not even have to rap, as the crowd would fulfill those duties rapping the lyrics verse-for-verse in unison. On the ground floor there was an atmosphere like no other with hundreds of college students packed together, all feeding of each other’s energy.
Without a doubt, many college students are definitely fans of trap music. 2 Chainz did not start this trend of students liking the genre, but he certainly made it evident to anyone in attendance at the concert that they are not alone in the appreciation of this type of music.
