In today's music climate, hip-hop and the mainstream sound are one and the same. There are still sprinklings of pop and rock music in among them, but for the most part, 2017 was the year that the genre really took over. One veteran front man, though he and his group U2 have collaborated with rappers, including Kendrick Lamar, isn't the hugest fan of rap being the only place for a certain kind of artistic energy.
As per an interview he gave to Rolling Stone, Bono isn't down with the fact that hip-hop, in its current incarnation, seems to be the only place where musical creativity can show even a tinge of inner angst. "I think music has gotten very girly," he said, implying that rock music has lost some of its essence, which was usually associated with masculine hedonism.
"And there are some good things about that," he added, "but hip-hop is the only place for young male anger at the moment - and that's not good." Generally speaking, Bono still hasn't lost faith in the system and agrees with his son Elijah, who "believes that a rock and roll revolution is around the corner". The jury is still out on whether or not that will actually happen, since rock hasn't really had a top charting act, in the crossover sense, in quite some time. That being said, the recognition of hip-hop's front row seat in the pop culture lexicon by Bono is just another sign that the genre is as dominant as ever.
What do you think - is rock running as rudderless as Bono suggests? Let us know in the comments.