2017 in Review

Tom Petty’s death in 2017 – and a string of other rock losses in 2016  – slightly stirred up one of those typical “_insert old genre_ is dead” debates that we get from time to time. With rock music, it’s partially odd to say when one of the year’s best albums, A Deeper Understanding, so obviously drew influences from Petty’s era of music. 

But in a way, the sentiment was true. Rock-and-roll, as it has been known for most of music history – with a reliance on male rock star leads and electric guitar – had been waning, and much more women-led projects were making an impact. Art-rock by St. Vincent and Mitski, alt rock by Wolf Alice, Mannequin Pussy, Big Thief, Courtney Barnett, Waxahatchee, and a huge roster of singer-songwriters and bedroom pop folks – Julien Baker, Angel Olsen, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, Japanese Breakfast, Alvvays –  whose softer, personal style of ballads would continue to grow in popularity through the end of the decade. 

Kendrick Lamar again made a splash in 2017, and finally also saw a big commercial breakthrough with the more accessible but just as poignant DAMN. “Humble” was a crossover hit, and his first solo No. 1 song in the U.S. For a few months, Kendrick took the hip-hop crown from Drake, probably the only artist to really do so since late 2010. 

While Kendrick went more mainstream, hip-hop itself moved in a lot of different directions. And if you want to see how the industry is shifting, you can always look to Drake, a chameleon who always changes his style to capitalize on the trends of the times. In 2016 and 17, those trends included Caribbean Dancehall, British grime and R&B, and modern trap. The features on Drake’s More Life are also a snapshot of the time. Appearances include verses by the three Migos – coming off the release of their breakout album Culture and “Bad and Boujee,” one of the biggest hits of the year; 2 Chainz; Young Thug; and Travis Scott – who was a year removed from “Goosebumps” being a hit and a year ahead of being a superstar himself with Astroworld. Emo trap and cloud rap from the likes of XXXTentacion, Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti and Juice Wrld also began to gain a lot of attention. 

Hip-hop, overall, became more commercialized than ever before. Most of the folks mentioned above had top 25 tracks throughout the year, with extensive pop radio play. Acts like Calvin Harris leaned more on the genre for collaborations. Another crossover success story was Post Malone, who shifted from a hip-hop influence the year earlier to a much more poppy performance in 2017. 

Outside of hip-hop, other big pop releases included Harry Styles’ solo debut, The Killer’s comeback album, and Lorde’s stellar sophomore album. Insistent singles included Portugal. The Man’s crossover hit “Feel It Still,” “Despacito” and “Bodak Yellow,” to name a few.

Songs of the year

Rock

Hip-Hop

Pop