Most Gen Z kids remember bopping to songs by Kesha, Katy Perry, Flo Rida and Soulja Boy at middle school dances or in the car with friends.

Music in 2009 was made to dance to in your denim shorts and boots with all your pals in “the club.” These pop-esque songs are reminiscent of a time where the majority of music was written about being in love or heartbroken with intense beat drops and dynamic electronic sounds.

Fast forward to 2019.  Music has greatly developed.

In 2009, hip-hop was most popular. Artists like Drake and Kanye were pioneering their careers, and released music that would advance the now more popular genre of hip hop and rap music forward.

According to a poll ran by The Inquirer, music platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music have significantly decreased the use of illegally downloaded music in Britain. Anyone can upload music on Soundcloud, and freeform music is increasing in popularity. Artists like Bhad Bhabie, who profited on her five-minutes of fame and became a rap artist, have been extremely successful.

Young artists have found ways to get their music out there without a proper studio or producer.  Making music is now as easy as editing a video on your laptop, and releasing it is even more simple. Rappers such as 6ix9ine, XxxTentacion, Lil Pump, and Lil Uzi Vert have found themselves in an immense amount of popularity at a young age because of sites like Soundcloud.  

A lot of content now-a-days revolves around simp culture, or a “I don’t care about anything but drugs and money” attitude. So generally, younger artists who can relate to this mindset and combine it with a good beat have found success.

The rap genre, since 2009, has become the normal music at social hang outs, and has evolved into the overall genre that has completely dominated the charts.

Many people from both Generation Z and Millennials enjoy listening to “throwback music”  which is usually classified as music from 2009 and earlier. Whether or not music has improved since then is up to the listener, but there is a clear difference in the sound.

I have put together a playlist that can be found on the Webb Canyon Chronicle Spotify including some of the top charting music from 2009 and today.