In 2010, Nicki Minaj became the first female solo artist to have seven singles simultaneously charting on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Her album Pink Friday was released on November 19, debuting at number-two on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 375,000 copies. Pink Friday couldn’t have come at a better time in Hip Hop as mainstream representation of women were more than lacking. Then her first crossover hit, “Superbass,” solidified her as the reigning Queen of Hip Hop; something that has yet to be topped despite a few threats.

Kendrick Lamar major label debut album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, was released in 2012 by TDE, Aftermath, and Interscope Records to critical success. There was lots of anticipation and questions for Kendrick Lamar’s follow-up to his groundbreaking sophomore album good kid, m.A.A.d city. Lamar won his first Grammy Award for “i”, the lead single from his critically acclaimed third album To Pimp a Butterfly (2015). The album, drawing on free jazz, funk, soul, and spoken word, debuted atop the charts in the US and the UK, and won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album at the 58th ceremony.

Barely 20 years old, Joey Bada$$ is the voice of post new New York. He harkens back without looking backward, and in an era where Tupac Shakur is clearly the thought whisperer of this rap generation, Joey channels B.I.G enough to balance out the rap scales.

Modern hip-hop is seeing the rapid development of new superstars in the genre, like Kendrick Lamar and ASAP Rocky. There is now so much diversity that it’s hard to characterize today’s hip-hop with one “style”. Powerhouse rappers like Drake and Nicki Minaj release mainstream chart-topping hits, mostly made for clubs, while rappers like J. Cole continue on the tradition of politically minded hip-hop rants. However, one thing is clear – when artists like Kendrick Lamar guest rap on pop icon Taylor Swift’s smash hit “Bad Blood”, and Kanye West reaches mega fame experimenting with sampling genres from all over the last century of American music, hip-hop is continuing to evolve. It has been accepted by the mainstream, and it’s here to stay.