Pop Genre Research

Pop:

Pop music is one of the most popular genres of music and it originated in its modern form in the United States and United Kingdom during the mid-1950's. Although pop music is seen as just the singles charts, it is not the sum of all chart music. Pop music is eclectic, and often borrows elements from other styles such as urban, dance, rock, Latin and country; nonetheless, there are core elements that define pop music. Identifying factors include generally short to medium-length songs written in a basic format (often the verse-chorus structure), as well as the common use of repeated choruses, melodic tunes, and hooks. Some characteristics of pop music include an aim of appealing to a general audience, rather than to a particular sub-culture or ideology, and an emphasis on craftsmanship rather than formal "artistic" qualities. Music scholar Timothy Warner said it typically has an emphasis on recording, production, and technology, rather than live performance; a tendency to reflect existing trends rather than progressive developments; and aims to encourage dancing or uses dance-oriented rhythms. The lyrics of modern pop songs typically focus on simple themes - often love and romantic relationships - although there are notable exceptions. Throughout its development, pop music has absorbed influences from other genres of popular music. Early pop music drew on the sentimental ballad for its form, gained its use of vocal harmonies from gospel and soul music, instrumentation from jazz and rock music, orchestration from classical music, tempo from dance music, backing from electronic music, rhythmic elements from hip-hop music, and spoken passages from rap. Pop music has been dominated by the American and (from the mid-1960's) British music industries, whose influence has made pop music something of an international monoculture, but most regions and countries have their own form of pop music, sometimes producing local versions of wider trends, and lending them local characteristics. Some of these trends (for example Europop) have had a significant impact of the development of the genre.

Justin Bieber:

Justin Drew Bieber was born March 1st, 1994, and is a Canadian singer and songwriter. His fame began when a talent manager discovered him through his YouTube videos covering songs in 2008 and signed to RBMG, Bieber released his debut EP 'My World' in late 2009. It was certified Platinum in the U.S. In addition, he became the first artist to have seven songs from a debut record chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Bieber released his first full-length studio album 'My World 2.0' in 2010. It debuted at or near number one in several countries, was certified triple Platinum in the U.S. and continued his single "Baby". Following his debut album, he had his first headlining tour, the My World Tour, releasing the remix albums My Worlds Acoustic and Never Say Never - The Remixes - and the 3D biopic-concert film Justin Bieber: Never Say Never. He released his second studio album, Under the Mistletoe, in November 2011, when it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Bieber released his third studio album, Believe, in 2012. His fourth studio album 'Purpose' was released in November 2015, spawning three number one singles "What do you mean", "Sorry" and "Love Yourself". Following the release of 'Purpose', Bieber was featured on several successful collaborations, including "Cold Water", "Let Me Love You", the remix of "Despacito" and "Im the One". His U.S album and singles sales total 44.7 million. He has sold an estimated 100 million records, making him one of the worlds best-selling music artists. Moreover, Bieber has won numerous awards, including the American Music Award for Artist of the Year in 2010 and 2012. In his career, he has won one Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording for the song "Where Are U Now" at the 2016 ceremony. He has been listed four times by Forbes magazine among the top ten most powerful celebrities in the world in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Bieber also became the first artist to surpass 10 billion total video views on Vevo.

Lana Del Rey:
Elizabeth Woolridge Grant was born June 21st 1985, known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer, songwriter and model. Many people liked her music for its stylised and cinematic aesthetic, its preoccupation with themes of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia, and its references to pop culture, particularly 1950's and 1960's American. The genre of music she produces is pop, however she incorporates many different kinds of pop music, for example; Baroque pop, Indie pop, Dream pop etc. However at the beginning Del Rey was born and raised in New York and embarked on a music career in 2005 and first received widespread attention in 2011, when the music video for her single "Video Games" became a viral internet sensation. Moreover, Del Rey received further recognition after her major-label debut Born to Die peaked at number two on the United States charts and was the fifth best-selling album of 2012. A remix of its single "Summertime Sadness", produced by Cedric Gervais, peaked at number six in the United States, and the Paradise EP followed that November, garnering Del Rey her first Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album. Three of the EP's tracks were featured in her short film Tropico, which premiered in December 2013. In addition, in 2014 Del Rey released her third studio album, Ultraviolence; it became her first number-one album in the U.S. In 2015, following a North American tour with Courtney Love and Grimes, she released her fourth studio album, Honeymoon. Both albums received positive critical response. Lana Del Rey is set to release her fifth studio album, titled 'Lust of Life', on July 21st, 2017.

Justin Timberlake:
Justin Randall Timberlake was born January 31st 1981 and is an American singer-songwriter, actor and record producer. He was born and raised in Tennessee and went to appear on the television shows Star Search and The All-New Mickey Mouse Club as a child. Timberlake rose to fame in the late 1990's as one of the two lead vocalists and the youngest member of NSYNC, which eventually became one of the best-selling boy bands of all time. However, in 2002 he released his debut solo album 'Justified', which yielded the successful singles "Cry Me a River" and "Rock Your Body", and earned his first two Grammy Awards. Moreover, his critically acclaimed second album 'FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006), characterized by its diversity in music genres, debuted atop the U.S. Billboard 200 and produced the Hot 100 number-one singles "SexyBack", "My Love" and "What Goes Around... Comes Around". During the beginning of his solo career his first two albums both exceeded sales of 10 million copies. He produced records and collaborated with other artists. From 2008 to 2012, Timberlake left his music for a while and focused on his acting career. However, he resumed his career in music in 2013 with his third and fourth albums 'The 20/20 Experience' and 'The 20/20 Experience - 2 of 2'. He became the best-selling album of the year in the US with the largest sales week, and spawned the top-three singles "Suit & Tie" and "Mirrors", while the latter produced the top-ten song "Not a Bad Thing". In 2016 he produced his fifth Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping single, "Can't Stop the Feeling!" which was also the soundtrack for DreamWorks Animation's 'Trolls' where Timberlake voiced one of the characters. Among numerous awards and accolades, Timberlake is the recipient of ten Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, three Brit Awards, and nine Billboard Music Awards. 'Time' names him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2007 and 2013. His other ventures include record label Tennman Records, fashion label William Rast, and the restaurants Destino and Southern Hospitality.

Hip Hop Genre Research

Hip Hop:
Hip Hop music, also called hip-hop or rap music, is a music genre developed in the United States in the 1970's. Some characteristics of this genre consists of a stylised music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted. It developed as part of hip hop culture, a subculture defined by four key stylistic elements: MCing/rapping, DJing/scratching with turntables, break dancing, and graffiti writing. In addition, other elements include sampling beats or bass lines from records (or synthesised beats and sounds),  and rhythmic beat-boxing. Hip hop's early evolution occurred as sampling technology and drum machines became widely available and affordable. Techniques such as scratching and beat matching developed along with the breaks and Jamaican toasting, a chanting vocal style, was used over the beats. Rapping developed as a vocal style in which the artist speaks or chants along rhythmically with an instrumental or synthesized beat. Notable artists at the time include DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, Fab Five Freddy, Marley Marl etc. In addition, the 1980's was marked the diversification of hip hop as the genre developed more complex styles. Before this hip hop was confined to just the United States. However, during the 1980's, it began to spread to music scenes in dozens of countries, many of which mixed hip hop with local styles to create new subgenres. Moreover, the popularity of hip hop music continued through the 2000's, with hip hop influences also increasingly finding their way into mainstream pop. Starting in 2005, sales of hip hop music in the United States began to severely wane. During the mid-2000's, alternative hip hop secured a place in the mainstream, due in part to the crossover success of artists such as OutKast and Kanye West.

Kendrick Lamar:
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born 17th June 1987 in Los Angeles) better known as just Kendrick Lamar is an American rapper and songwriter. He begun his musical career as a teenager under the name K-Dot, he released a mix-tape that garnered local attention and led to his signing with indie record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). He began to gain recognition in 2010, after his first retail release, "Overly Dedicated". The following year, Lamae independently released his first studio album, "Section.80", which included his debut single, "HiiiPoWeR". By that time, he had amassed a large Internet following and collaborated with several prominent artists in the hip hop industry, including The Game, Busta Rhymes and Snoop Dogg. He continued to gain success when his major label debut album, "good kid, m.A.A.d city", was released in 2012 by TDE, Aftermath and Interscope Records to critical success. It debuted at number 2 on the US Billboard 200 chart and was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The record contained the top 40 hit singles "Swimming Pools (Drank)", "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" and "Poetic Justice". Kendrick went onto win his first Grammy Award for "i", the lead single from his critically acclaimed third album "To pimp a Butterfly" (2015). The album drew on free jazz, funk, soul, and spoken word, debuted to the top of the charts in the US and the UK. Then continued to win the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album at the 58th ceremony. Moreover, he released his fourth album Damn in 2017; its lead single "Humble" topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Kenrick has received a number of accolades over the course go his career, including seven Grammy Awards. He has been described as the number one "Hottest MC in the Game".

Nicki Minaj:
Onika Tanya Maraj was born in December 8th 1982, and is known professional as Nicki Minaj. She is a Trinidadian-born American rapper, singer, songwriter and model. Minaj earned public attention for her music after releasing three mix tapes between 2007 and 2009. She was signed to Young Money Entertainment since 2009. Minaj's first and second studio albums, Pink Friday (2010) and Pink Friday; Roman Reloaded (2012), both peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and produced the successful singles "Super Bass" and Starships", respectively. In 2010, Minaj became the first female solo artist to have seven singles simultaneously charting on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Her third studio album, The Pinkprint (2014), was preceded by its second single, "Anaconda", which peaked at number two on the Hot 100 and is her highest-charting single in the U.S to date. Minaj was the first female artist included on MTV's Annual Hottest Mc List, with a New York Times editor saying that some consider her to be "the most influential female rapper of all time". In addition, in 2016, Minaj was included on the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world. Her rapping is distinctive for its fast flow and the use of alter egos and accents, primarily British cockney. Early in her career, Minaj was known for her colourful costumes and wigs, She has the most Billboard Hot 100 entries for a female artist in the charts history, while being ninth overall. Minaj has received ten Grammy nominations throughout her career, and has won six American Music Awards, eleven BET Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, and was the recipient of Billboard's Women in Music 2011 Rising Star award. She has also sold over 20 million singles as a lead artist, and 60 million singles as a featured artist worldwide.

Eminem:
Marshall BrucE Mathers III was born October 17th, 1972, known professionally as Eminem is an American rapper,record producer, and actor. Eminem is the best-selling artist of the 2000's in the United States. Throughout his career, he has had 10 number-one albums on the Billboard 200 and five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. With US sales of 45.1 million albums and 42 million tracks as of June 2014, Eminem is the second best-selling male artist of the Nielsen SoundScan era, the sixth best selling artist in the United Stated and the best-selling hip hop artist. globally, he has sold more than 172 million albums, this being one of the world's best-selling artists. Rolling Stones ranked him 83rd on its list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, calling him the King of Hip Hop. Moreover, after debut album Infinite (1996) and the Slim Shady EP (1997), Eminem signed with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and subsequently achieved mainstream popularity in 1999 with The Slim Shady LP, which earned him his first Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. His next two releases, 2000's The Marshall Mathers LP and 2002's The Eminem Show, were worldwide successes, with each being certified diamond in U.S. sales, and both winning Best Rap Album Grammy Awards- making Eminem the first artist to win the award for three consecutive LPs. They were followed by Encore in 2004, another critical and commercial success. Eminem went on hiatus after touring in 2005, releasing Relapse in 2009 and Recovery in 2010. Both won Grammy Awards and Recovery was the best-selling album of 2010 worldwide, the second time he had the international best-selling album of the year (after The Eminem Show). Eminem's eighth album, 2013's The Marshall Mathers LP 2, won two Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album; it expanded his record for the most wins in that category and his Grammy total of 15.