Trending In Culture: Current Marketing Trends In Hip-Hop Culture (Q2 '25)
- DeJuan Wright
- Mar 31
- 7 min read
Actor and entrepreneur Wendell Pierce once waxed poetically that, “The role of culture is that it’s the form through which we as a society reflect on who we are, where we’ve been, where we hope to be.” As far as explanations of the very essence of what culture is all about—you’d be hard-pressed to find a better description than that.
If the recent pervasion of AI into our day-to-day lives has taught us anything, it’s that ordinary life as we’ve always known it—could drastically change fast.
With various aspects of hip-hop culture tending to change around every 90 days or so, what has remained the same is that for millions of people around the world, the role of hip-hop culture has helped define who we are, where we’ve been, and what we aspire to become.
If your brand's target audience consists of Gen Z and Millennials, odds are that hip-hop culture currently plays a crucial role in influencing their purchasing decisions. Which is why it is imperative that your brand is always aware, understanding of, and espousing what is currently hot in hip-hop culture.
Our quarterly series Trending In Culture, was specifically created to help brands like yours continuously stay cognizant of all things currently trending in the culture.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let's get into what you really came here for, which is the hottest artists, brands, platforms, television shows, and trends in hip-hop culture for Q2 2025.
Hottest artists
Once a commonly used phrase in hip-hop discourse, if we’re “keeping it all the way real,” from a purely musical standpoint, we must avow that the first quarter of 2025 was… well, let’s just say—pretty lackluster when it comes to album releases from hip-hop artists.
Analogous to other genres like pop, rock, R&B, and country—hip-hop/rap music is currently going through a transition phase as it pertains to the direction of its content, sound, and overall image.
Regardless of the slow start to the year album wise—a sizable number of artists have still found ways to remain relevant enough to keep hundreds of millions of fans still focused on their moves and their music.
These are currently the hottest artists in the culture at the moment:
BigXthaPlug: You’d probably think that if an artist was featured in two major ad campaigns for two different brands—they’d also be signed to a major label as well.
While that may have been the case in the past, it is no longer the case today.
Thanks to the prevalence of DSPs like Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube Music, having the backing from a major record label is no longer a prerequisite in order for an artist or their music to appear in a spot for a national ad.
Dallas, Texas, native BigXthaPlug, would be one of the best examples to verify the fact that you don’t need to be signed to a major record label—in order to receive the same perks as an artist that is signed to one.
Signed to distributor UnitedMasters, BigXthaPlug’s music is currently featured in an ad for Wingstop. While the artist himself also stars in a national ad for PrizePicks.
But none of this Madison Avenue success would be possible if BigX wasn’t hot on the streets musically. Which he is by no uncertain terms. His tracks, The Largest, Mmhmm, and Change Me, have officialized BigXthaPlug’s music as a rotation mainstay in the streets.
Bossman Dlow: If there is one thing that Bossman Dlow has in common with artists like Gucci Mane, Chief Keef, and Young Dolph—it’s that although mainstream hip-hop fans may be unfamiliar with their music—they have all been considered favorites by fans in the streets at one point.
Released December of last year, Bossman’s debut album, Dlow Curry, peaked at #36 on the US Billboard 200. And despite not having top 10 album success, you wouldn’t be able to tell by the reception that Bossman receives from fans in the streets, the clubs, and on social media.
Doechii: Throughout its 52-year history, the lines between rap and R&B music have never been more blurred than they are today. From the melodies, to the subject matter, even down to the artist's image—it’s difficult to distinguish today’s rap artists from their R&B counterparts and vice versa.
Whether it’s rapping or singing, one of the myriad of dope things about hip-hop is that as long as you identify with the culture and openly embrace it musically—consumers within the culture are willing to categorize you as a hip-hop artist.
Falling under the umbrella of both singer and rapper, multifaceted Grammy-winning artist Doechii epitomizes today’s amalgamation of hip-hop music.
Despite being released in the summer of 2024, the Tampa, Florida, native’s most recent project, Alligator Bites Never Heal, has been so well-received—Doechii recently grabbed the crown of having the most monthly listeners of any female rapper on Spotify.
GloRilla: From the very moment that she first stepped upon the national scene with her distinctive voice, unruly lyrics, and raunchy interviews—Gloria Hallelujah Woods, AKA GloRilla—has kept hip-hop fans absolutely captivated.
Perhaps the thing that has been most remarkable about GloRilla’s now successful 3-year run, is the fact that a strong case could be made that her active presence on social media is just as responsible for her immense popularity as her hit singles, mixtapes, and debut album, Gloria, all have been.
Which speaks volumes about the Memphis, Tennessee, native’s social media marketing prowess.
Kendrick Lamar: Speaking of successful runs, unquestionably, no artist in hip-hop has had a better one throughout the last year than Kendrick Lamar has. What more superlatives could be said about the Compton, California, MC that haven’t been said already?
Coming out as the clear and unanimous victor in last year’s battle with Drake, Kendrick’s victory lap post-battle has been quite impressive to say the least.
Just months removed following his performance during Super Bowl LIX halftime show (which was the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show in history, with 133.5 million viewers), this spring, Kendrick is set to co-headline, The Grand National Tour, with his former labelmate SZA.
And with a slew of slappin’ songs off his wildly successful album, GNX, currently sitting atop the Billboard charts, it’s a safe bet that Kendrick Lamar’s 2025 will continue to be just as dominant as his 2024.
Playboi Carti: Similar to delineating between today’s rap and R&B artists, for a certain time period (from around 2007 to 2014) one would have a pretty tough time making a distinction between rappers and rock artists as far as appearances was concerned.
Fitting the hybrid mold of many rappers of that era, Playboi Carti is an artist that combines both the energy and appearance of a rock star—with the subject matter and swagger of a rap star.
The Atlanta, Georgia, born rapper’s third album, Music, released on March 14, 2025, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with an impressive 298,000 album-equivalent first-week units.
Sexyy Red: A phrase often used in hip-hop circles is to “get it out the mud.” Which essentially means to advance to a favorable position; starting from the harshest of conditions. If any of today’s rappers could be the poster child for getting it out the mud, it would be St. Louis, Missouri’s, own Sexyy Red.
Sexyy’s rise to fame has been so impressive—many hip-hop fans on social media have accused her of being an industry plant.
All accusations aside, Sexyy is one of the hottest artists in hip-hop today because her music has resonated with her target audience.
Despite not having released an official debut album, her three mixtapes, along with a multitude of features on other artists projects—has put Sexyy Red in one of the most favorable positions any hip-hop artist could ask for.
Notwithstanding the fact that she started from the harshest of conditions.
Hottest hip-hop platforms
Just five years ago, if you were to make the claim that a podcast host or an online streamer could become a bigger star than mainstream hip-hop artists, it would be considered a preposterous statement to say the least.
But lo and behold, in 2025, some of the most popular people in hip-hop culture aren’t the rap artists—they are actually podcasters and streamers.
These are the hottest hip-hop platforms in the culture at the moment:
Art of Dialogue
Club Shay Shay
It Is What It Is
Joe Budden TV
Million Dollaz Worth Of Game
Kai Cenat Live
VladTV
Hottest fashion brands
With each new season, brings with it new fashion trends. Now that spring is here, not only do we see that most people’s wardrobe’s tend to become brighter and lighter—history has also shown us that many of the brands that people rocked during winter months—are often disregarded with the arrival of spring.
These are the hottest fashion brands in the culture at the moment:
Amiri
Balmain
Celine
Chrome Hearts
Dior
Givenchy
Moncler
Hottest television shows in the culture
While it’s true that people do seem busier than ever before, millions of viewers within hip-hop culture still find the time to set aside to do absolutely nothing—except catch up on their favorite television shows.
These are the hottest television shows in the culture at the moment:
Abbott Elementary
All American
Poppa’s House
Power Book lll: Raising Kanan
The Upshaws
Tyler Perry’s Beauty In Black
Hottest social media platforms
A 2024 survey conducted by The Harris Poll revealed that 82% of Gen Zers associate social media use with the word addicting. Undoubtedly, for the vast amount of consumers within the culture, social media is absolutely addicting.
Whether people are shopping in stores, working out at the gym, or doing just about any other activity these days—it’s only a matter of time before most people will find themselves logging on to their favorite social apps.
These are the hottest social media platforms in the culture at the moment:
TikTok
Instagram
X
Facebook
Snapchat
What's fading
Belly, Boyz N The Hood, Juice, Menace II Society, and Paid In Full. If you're familiar with each of those movies, then you already know that one thing they have in common—is that they all are categorized as being classic hood flicks.
But if you’re a true film buff, then you also know that another thing that all of the above-mentioned films have in common is that all of them also first premiered in movie theaters.
Sadly, for millions of fans of the “Hood Flicks” genre, viewing a hood flick on the biggest of screens in a movie theater now appears to be obsolete.
And while the production and distribution of hood flicks are in abundance on streaming platforms like Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Tubi—there’s something to be said for being able to watch a good hood flick in a movie theater with the aroma of popcorn, nachos, and pretzel bites in the air.
Woefully, many of today’s younger moviegoers have never experienced the exhilarating joy that goes along with watching an elite hood flick in a packed theater with their peers. And going by the looks of the movies set to be released this calendar year, it doesn’t appear as if that will be changing any time soon.
Which for those of us who have been fortunate enough to have viewed classic hood films in theaters—is a straight up shame.
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