American Rapstar
Trump's America's troubled, lo-fi teenage rappers have used SoundCloud to become hip hop's most culturally disruptive force, frightening the world with their boisterous antics, prescription drug usage, facial tattoos, and punk attitude. How do these newly billionaire artists reflect youth culture and the music streaming economy? We analyze SoundCloud rap's top performers from within the culture and in the broader musical context to understand how we got here and where we're going.