Simon Cowell on Britney Spears…..The Worst Comeback in History.

“[MTV] they exploited Britney in helping to end her career. When Britney was opening, near the end, I felt so bad for her. I said, ‘Man, it’s a dirty game. This game will chew you up and spit you out.’” – Kanye West to NYZ’s Z100

Speaking of Kanye, he will do just fine as arrogant as he is – but his genre is having trouble..

As we already know, rap sales are in trouble. The music biz is hoping 50 Cent and Kanye West can revive the sinking genre although its highly doubtful.

Through the first half of the year rap albums are down 30% according to Neilson Soundscan with 26 millions sold to date.

Not to long ago hip hop acts were selling close to 100 million albums in the U.S.

Rap has declined the fastest among all genres but radio doesn’t seem to look at that trend. If top 40 Radio really wanted to make an attempt to keep its influence then HIP HOP wouldn’t DOMINATE the playlists. At least keep the playlist balanced.

Mayfield said hip-hop is also showing its age as a genre. It had practically 20 straight years of growth but it has finally gotten to the point for that it is an established genre prone to the same the cyclical issue that other established genres face. (NYPOST)

Rap Music Sales in Units

2004 – 81.4M
2005 – 75.1M
2006 – 59.5M
2007 – 26M