You know why i think rap is struggling?

because all of the damn downloading

every question it seems someone wants to downlad some songs. that is why all these one hit wonders and club bangers keep coming out cus they know they dont have to make a good album cus people are going to just downlad that one song anyways. i bet like 6 people own the soulja boy CD, and i bet 2 million have it downladed. maybe if we started buying the albums like you use to have to the artisit would put a little more time into trying to make a "quality" album instead of a hit that is going to bring a lot of money in real fast. take these for example

chronic
doggystyle
East 1999

the whole album was good and you bought it for that reason. i would actually go and buy those again if i ever lost them or something, even though they are over 10 years old.

thumbs down to downloaders

yes i agree about rock too, which i zalso listen to, there has been a rock album that has really made some buzz for a long time

all of what u say is not true. commercial rap sucks. they make it to impress 15 and 16 year old girls so they go buy the records. and rap takes no skill? im sorry, but maybe the horse**** u listen to. and everyone that i know would buy a album if it was worth buying. and im not bragging, but i do know more then 5 people. if u think rapping takes no skill whatsoever, ill list one album that will change your mind. and on a side note, i have bought this album 3 times. and i d/l some albums

EXACTLY

Downloaders are killing the next great rock album as well. No musician wants to write a concept masterpiece anymore. The download makes them want to hustle singles out as fast as they can find them.

I agree with Lonnie. Rap is NOT music . It never was and I think people are starting to wake up to that fact.

Is rap struggling?
I think you should tell snoop and dre that.

haha what? that's inept and ridiculous. downloading enables us to preview albums and if we like them, we'll download them. it's not like "ancient" times where we had to buy the whole album, which was pretty much a risky gamble. if people keep buying material from people (i wouldn't consider them artists in any respect) who put no soul, thought, or effort into their work, they're just going to pump more crap into the market. if anything, it should influence artists to make better quality albums lol. maybe if soulja boy was a genuine artist, he wouldn't be such a stereotypical gimmick haha. big artists don't make a majority of their income strictly on album sales anyways, they diversify and have several other ventures. we live in a new age, get used to it haha.......oh yeah, another reason why many artists suffer today is because their labels no longer take the time to develop their careers. labels are no longer concerned about or appreciate true artistry, simply artists they can dispose of once the next big thing rolls in lol. as long as you stereotypically look and act the part, you're set.

Rap is struggling because, as a genre, rap SUCKS!! It isn't even real music!

No rhythm
No instrumentation
No lyrics (don't even TRY to say that rhyming crap is lyrics -- my friggin' DOG can do that!)
No talent required