Rap Soars To Record As Streaming, Ed Sheeran Boost British Entertainment To $9.8 Billion

Rap music from artists such as Stormzy and Dave is at a new peak in Britain, with its record rise eclipsing the growth of pop and rock by likes of Ed Sheeran and Dua Lipa. The BPI association of record labels revealed the statistics in a new report.

British artists continue to invade the charts following acts such as The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Amy Winehouse, who all had success in their home country before becoming big on the world stage. Rap, hip-hop and now grime are achieving a record share of the market, based on sales and streams, according to Official Charts Company data analyzed by the BPI.

The genre accounted for more than a fifth (21.5%) of all consumption in the U.K., up from 20.9% for singles in 2018, almost twice the 11% in 2015 and the most since BPI began researching its share in 1998.

“U.K. rap is at a new critical and commercial peak,” said Geoff Taylor, who is the chief executive of both the BPI and the BRIT Awards.

There were chart-topping albums from two BRIT winners in 2019: Stormzy (whose Heavy Is The Head followed his headline slot at Glastonbury) and Dave (whose Psychodrama won the Mercury Prize.) There was more rap success for AJ Tracey, D-Block Europe (DBE), Skepta, MoStack, Loyle Carner, Fredo, Slowthai, Kano and Krept & Konan. There were also top 10 placings for the American-born Post Malone, Tyler The Creator, Kanye West and NF, this year followed by Eminem. Female artists are now also succeeding in what has been a male-dominated genre: after Americans Lizzo and Cardi B, Britain has Kate Tempest and Little Simz (both shortlisted for the Mercury Prize) and Stefflon Don. They may be overtaken by America’s Megan Thee Stallion and Doja Cat.

The BPI’s annual handbook, All About The Music 2020, adds that rap is third in market share among albums, behind rock (38%) and pop (27%), with the international success of Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Mabel, Rex Orange County and Lewis Capaldi.

Music-industry watchers worldwide watch Britain as a key market. Sales of video, music and games grew by 2.4% in 2019 to reach a record of $9.8 billion (£7.8 billion in local currency terms), the seventh year of growth, and 90% driven by internet sales, the Entertainment Retailers Association said.