Hip hop and R&B are two genres that have been dominating the charts worldwide for years now, even influencing other genres and cultures. Nevertheless it seems that the lyrical content of hip hop songs is not as sophisticated as in Rock, Country or Pop. A recent study made by SeatSmart puts forward the lack of substance in Hip Hop/R&B songs and reports that today’s major artists songs don’t pass a third grade reading level. The study who was initiated by Andrew Powell Morse says the overall reading quality in Billboard hits has dramatically decreased since 2005 and Hip Hop has the lowest lyrical intelligence out of the four main genres in popular music. In his study Morse examined lyrics of some Billboard hits and put them through Readability Score and then found out the average reading level and other characteristics. It turns out that Eminem has the most advanced lyrics scoring just under a fourth grade level when Beyoncé, Kanye West and Chris Brown’s lyrics are below a third grade reading level. Take a look at the infographics:
