The Neptunes flattened formerly distinct genre boundaries across US radio

Evidence

By the time Murphy’s track was released, Pharrell and his production partner Chad Hugo had already reshaped the sound of American Top 40 radio. In the 1990s, hip-hop had grown from an urban subculture into a global force, but clear genre boundaries persisted between rap, R&B, pop, rock, and electronica. Beginning in 1998, the Neptunes racked up a long stream of hits by blurring these lines, creating a signature sound that united disparate audiences. By 2003, their productions accounted for a staggering 43 percent of US radio singles. — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 82

Categorization

• XREF: Directly instantiates the chapter’s ‘omnivore monoculture’ thesis in a concrete music-industry case — connects to the book’s core argument about the collapse of subcultural difference.