The 10 Biggest R&B/Hip-Hop, African Music Stories of the Year: Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé & the Women of Hip-Hop Reign Supreme

Well, 2024 is quickly drawing to a close. And what an eventful year it was in R&B/hip-hop and African music. 

No doubt still uppermost in the minds of many is the epic feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar that exploded in March. Captivating the music industry and fans alike, the beef laid bare a rocky relationship dating back to 2013. However, it simultaneously injected a needed jolt of creative energy into a genre whose mainstream success had rendered it formulaic and uninspiring in the minds of fans and cultural pundits alike. With Lamar set to headline the global stage, which is the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show, hip-hop’s impactful presence can’t be denied.

Also in March, Beyoncé sparked a different debate with the release of the No. 1-debuting Cowboy Carter. Her full-length foray into country drew critical praise — and also its share of negative dismissals. But the album shined a deserving spotlight on Black country pioneers like Linda Martell (the first Black woman to play the Grand Ole Opry) and newcomers working to wedge their boots in the door, such as Shaboozey. The latter is up for a best new artist Grammy after a historic 19-week run at No. 1 on the Hot 100 with “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” tying Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus. Not to mention, Cowboy Carter scored 11 Grammy nominations for Queen Bey herself. 

On both the chart and touring fronts, the women of hip-hop — Nicki Minaj, Megan Thee Stallion, GloRilla and Doechii, among them — made major breakthroughs this year. As did female African music artists like Tyla and Tems. And in the R&B realm, current three-time Grammy nominee Chris Brown added several more career milestones to his account, including tying with Lil Wayne for the second-most No. 1 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart and first RIAA diamond certification for “No Guidance” featuring Drake. Meanwhile, Muni Long notched back-to-back No. 1s on the Adult R&B Airplay chart with “Make Me Forget” and “Ruined Me” from her Grammy-nominated album, Revenge. 

It’s also been a year marked by several high-profile legal cases involving hip-hop artists. Those include Young Thug’s recently settled YSL RICO trial, Drake’s surprise legal petition filed against Universal Music Group and Spotify, Sean “Diddy” Combs set to go on trial for sex trafficking and racketeering and, most recently, Lil Durk’s indictment — along with several members of his Only the Family crew — on a federal murder-for-hire charge for allegedly trying to kill rapper Quando Rondo. 

All the while, the music industry continued to shrink — kicking off the year with Universal Music Group’s restructuring into East Coast and West Coast operations and Warner Music Group’s reorganization of Atlantic Music Group. The ensuing layoffs included the departures of 300 Entertainment chairman/CEO Kevin Liles and Atlantic Records’ president of Black music Michael Kyser; layoffs at iHeartMedia and other radio chains plus SiriusXM and other companies further stoked talk about the industry’s growing lack of diversity and equity in the wake of George Floyd and #TheShowMustBePaused. 

And speaking of losses, R&B/hip-hop paid homage to the legacies of Quincy Jones, Frankie Beverly and other revered members of the Black music community who passed away this year. Now, before R&B/hip-hop and African music close the door on 2024, here’s a look at this year’s top 10 stories.