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\n\tSort of like the economy, the current state of hip-hop depends on who you ask. There were the reports last month<\/a> that, for the first time in 35 years, no hip-hop song had reached the top 40 on the Hot 100 that sent much of the rap world into an existential crisis. Even so, while rap\u2019s metrics might be down, it\u2019s influence is clearly going strong, as three rap albums make up the nominees<\/a> for Album of the Year at next year\u2019s Grammys. Tyler, the Creator\u2019s Chromakopia<\/em><\/a>,<\/em> Clipse<\/a>\u2018s triumphant comeback album Let God Sort Em<\/em> Out<\/em><\/a>, and, naturally, Kendrick Lamar<\/a>\u2018s GNX<\/em>.<\/em> Even if rap\u2019s been somewhat absent on the charts this year, it makes up for more than a third of the Album of the Year nominees.<\/p>\n \n\tThe two things might in fact be related. The most impactful mainstream rap of the past year has come in the form of craft-driven, full-length projects that, with the exception of Kendrick and SZA\u2019s chart-dominating hit \u201cLuther,\u201d leaned heavier on album cuts than the types of singles that play well on the charts, especially in the current algorithm-driven environment. Chromakopia<\/em> finds Tyler, the Creator grappling with the realities of adulthood, and takes on a distinctly narrative approach. Similarly, Let God Sort Em Out<\/em>, is as technically precise a rap album has been released in recent memory, and eschews obvious pop-baiting hits for pure raps. <\/p>\n \n\tKendrick Lamar, among the few rappers this year to dominate the charts this year, achieved a combination of both with GNX<\/em> \u2014 a rousing and bright offering that balanced the expectations coming off of his high-profile vanquishing of Drake, and delivered on a well-constructed assembly of his greatest strengths. With each of the rap albums nominated for Album of the Year, it\u2019s clear that as far as the artistry goes, hip-hop is in fact, in a pretty good place. In fact, it has been for some time, despite what naysayers might think. <\/p>\n \n\tThe nominations follow last year\u2019s Grammys, where Kendrick Lamar\u2019s zeitgeist-defining diss track \u201cNot Like Us,\u201d<\/a> took center stage garnering him the award for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Music Video.\u201d He could complete something of a hat trick \u2014 a Grammy for Song of the Year, a Super Bowl Performance, and another Grammy for Album of the Year \u2014 with a win this year. For Clipse, the nomination marks the duo\u2019s first in 22 years \u2014 since 2003, when they were nominated in the category Best Rap\/Sung Collaboration for their track with Justin Timberlake, \u201cLike I Love You.\u201d A win for Chromakopia<\/em> would be Tyler\u2019s third Grammy win, and would follow his rousing performance at last year\u2019s show.<\/p>\n \n\tAll of which is to say hip-hop remains clearly at the forefront of culture, especially in music, and chart performance, especially in a world of alleged streaming bots and viral one-hit-wonders, only tell part of the story. <\/p>\n