In a year that seemed to take away an unreasonable number of cultural figures and celebrities, 2016 also brought culture-shifting music in light of what the general public perceived as a tumultuous 12 months. Music has long been the bridge between culture, politics, style and movements, and in 2016 especially, urban music catapulted to the forefront of many conversations with numerous critically-acclaimed works.
Many artists left an indelible impact on the scene in 2016, namely artists such as Solange Knowles, Frank Ocean, YG, Bruno Mars, Bon Iver, Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, J. Cole and Childish Gambino- to name a few. A notable exception is Kanye West, who always seems to be in the middle of any conversation surrounding American culture, but is absent from the group of three artists who created moments that had the biggest impact on the year in retrospect.
Perhaps the most popular artist in music currently, Drake released his fourth studio album “Views," which was the most anticipated and highest-selling album of the year. It’s not just the album's commercial impact with hits such as “One Dance” and “Hotline Bling” - but also the genre shift that Drake seemed to single-handedly create.
Beginning with the album’s rollout, the album’s cover, a picture of Drake sitting on top of the CN Tower in Toronto resonated because of the lofty heights he had reached while also immediately becoming a meme. Drake mastered the social media era and used meme-culture to his advantage, as the “Drake sitting on things” meme became one of the many social media trends of the year. The album also became the first to crack one billion streams on any one platform, officially ushering in the age of streaming.
Although still lesser known than Drake, Chance the Rapper broke out in 2016 after having debuted in the scene four years prior. The Chicago native’s stream-only mixtape, “Coloring Book” broke barriers and helped Chance become the face of independent music. Without being signed to a major label, the 23-year old became the first artist to have a stream-only album accumulate enough plays to enter the Billboard 200, slotting in at number eight.
Besides the impact Chance had as an independent act, the artist’s gospel-tinged album received universal acclaim and was the sound-track to a revival in religion within the urban music community. Coloring Book touched on the murder-rate in Chicago, freedom from large corporations, the Black Lives Matter movement and the presidential campaign of Donald Trump.
In relation to some of the themes covered on Coloring Book, Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” covered similar topics while also touching on themes of infidelity and womanhood. Expanding on her previous album, Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” had an accompanying hour-long visual album that premiered on HBO, ultimately receiving Grammy and Emmy nominations for the work.
The conversation started at Super Bowl 50, where Beyoncé debuted her socially-charged single “Formation” with dancers dressed in Black Panthers attire. In a year filled with social figures making political stances, namely Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling during the National Anthem, Beyoncé became the first and most notable figure to champion a movement in 2016.
While all three artists brought something different to music in 2016, each artist and their accompanying project seemed to transcend music and truly shift culture. In comparison to the events that occurred throughout the year, music became the voice of a culture on the brink of explosion.
Lemonade album cover by Beyoncé
Coloring Book by Chance the Rapper
