<P> The dominance of gangsta rap in mainstream hip - hop was supplanted in the late - 2000s, largely due to the mainstream success of hip - hop artists such as Kanye West . The outcome of a highly publicized sales competition between the simultaneous release of his and gangsta rapper 50 Cent's third studio albums, Graduation and Curtis respectively, has since been accredited to the decline . The competition resulted in record - breaking sales performances by both albums and West outsold 50 Cent, selling nearly a million copies of Graduation in the first week alone . Industry observers remark that West's victory over 50 Cent proved that rap music did not have to conform to gangsta - rap conventions in order to be commercially successful . West effectively paved the way for a new wave of hip - hop artists, including Drake, Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole, who did not follow the hardcore - gangster mold and became platinum - selling artists . </P> <P> The American music industry is dominated by large companies that produce, market, and distribute certain kinds of music . Generally, these companies do not produce, or produce in only very limited quantities, recordings in styles that do not appeal to very large audiences . Smaller companies often fill in the void, offering a wide variety of recordings in styles ranging from polka to salsa . Many small music industries are built around a core fanbase who may be based largely in one region, such as Tejano or Hawaiian music, or they may be widely dispersed, such as the audience for Jewish klezmer . </P> <P> The single largest niche industry is based on Latin music . Latin music has long influenced American popular music, and was an especially crucial part of the development of jazz . Modern pop Latin styles include a wide array of genres imported from across Latin America, including Colombian cumbia, Puerto Rican reggaeton, and Mexican corrido . Latin popular music in the United States began with a wave of dance bands in the 1930s and 1950s . The most popular styles included the conga, rumba, and mambo . In the 1950s Perez Prado made the cha - cha - cha famous, and the rise of Afro - Cuban jazz opened many ears to the harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic possibilities of Latin music . The most famous American form of Latin music, however, is salsa . Salsa incorporates many styles and variations; the term can be used to describe most forms of popular Cuban - derived genres . Most specifically, however, salsa refers to a particular style that was developed by mid-1970s groups of New York City - area Cuban and Puerto Rican immigrants, and stylistic descendants like 1980s salsa romantica . Salsa rhythms are complicated, with several patterns played simultaneously . The clave rhythm forms the basis of salsa songs and is used by the performers as a common rhythmic ground for their own phrases . </P> <P> Latin American music has long influenced American popular music, jazz, rhythm and blues, and even country music . This includes music from Spanish, Portuguese, and (sometimes) French - speaking countries and territories of Latin America . </P>

This song form is at the root of most forms of american music