Massachusetts: This Is The State’s Favorite Music Genre
What is the most popular genre of music in Massachusetts? Wisevoter is a new organization that claims to “provide citizens, voters, and elected officials with the information, insights, and tools that amplify democracy in the modern age.” While they usually concentrate on politics, they recently took a deep dive into music genres. In a recent study, they found that rap is the favorite music genre in the state of Massachusetts.
Twenty-two other states felt the same way, as rap just beat out country as the most popular genre across the country. Rock music was a distant third, with five states (Rhode Island, Connecticut, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada) saying that was their favorite genre. When researching this topic, Wisevoter also identified the most sought-after artist in each state. These results were generated by analyzing YouTube search data.
Massachusetts Music
So who is the most popular artist in Massachusetts? Wisevoter says it’s Bad Bunny. Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, aka “Bad Bunny,” is a rapper from Puerto Rico. His latest record, Un Verano Sin Ti, was released in May of 2022.
Wisevoter’s report also detailed the top five music genres in Massachusetts. After rap was rock music. Country music was the third most popular genre in the state. They say that hip-hop was fourth, but didn’t explain the difference between hip-hop and rap. Pop music rounded out the list.
There are also plenty of opportunities to go see Massachusetts’s favorite music genre live in concert this summer. Rap artists LL Cool J, Logic, TLC, and Shaggy are all making Boston tour stops in June. Drake, T-Pain, and Ice Cube will then roll into town in July. Finally, in August, 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, and Lil Durk are some of the names you can see at various venues across the state.
10 Rap Albums & Mixtapes That Turn 10 In 2023
2013 was a good year for hip-hop. Most of the major players in rap came out with an album including Jay-Z, Kanye, and Drake, among many others.
Fast forward to 2023, many of these albums solidified rapper’s careers, specifically Drake. Prior to the release of Nothing Was The Same, he was solidifying his name in the industry with his sophomore album Take Care. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It featured the Weeknd, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Birdman, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, and André 3000. Songs such as “Marvin’s Room,” “Make Me Proud,” “Headlines,” “The Motto,” served as the singles for the project.
His 2013 release was Nothing Was the Same which had songs such as “Hold On, We’re Going Home,” “Started From the Bottom,” “From Time,” “Worst Behavior.” The album featured guest appearances from 2 Chainz, Big Sean, Majid Jordan, Jay-Z, Jhené Aiko and Sampha. Nothing Was the Same is now 4x platinum by the RIAA.
Drake was not the only one who made a noteworthy album in their discography in 2013. J. Cole released his second studio album, Born Sinner. The album has guest appearances from Miguel, Amber Coffman, Jhené Aiko, James Fauntleroy, Bas, TLC, Kendrick Lamar, and 50 Cent. While J. Cole is mainly known as a rapper, he also produced this album primarily solo but got some help from producers Elite, Syience, and Jake One.
The album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, and after two weeks in the runner-up spot, it climbed to No. 1. Born Sinner was promoted by the single “Miss America,” but the song does not appear on the album. Instead, “Power Trip,” “Crooked Smile,” “Forbidden Fruit,” and “She Knows” served as the four singles that were from the project. The album has been certified 2x platinum by the RIAA.
Take a look back at ten albums and mixtapes that will be celebrating their 10th anniversary in 2023:
Jeff Gorra is a Boston-based writer who has been with Beasley Media Group since the beginning of 2023. He writes about restaurants and food, as well as sports and rock music. His experience also includes show hosting and in-depth creative writing in rock and reggae dub music. Jeff’s an avid surfer, New York Giants, and Pearl Jam fan, however, if you make unforgettable pizza, he is sure to find you.
