companies could now make just as much money by manufacturing one-hit artists in succession while not having to invest the time and money that would make a mediocre musician into a star with more longevity . Trends were also changing more quickly and many artists could not keep up and adapt fast enough . As the world ' s society became more globalized , the pool of talent became bigger , making it easier to move onto the next new artist . The changes in technology and societal attitudes also meant that consumers ' attention spans got shorter . Some of the most memorable one hit wonders from the decade include , a-ha ' s " Take On Me ," Soft Cell ' s " Tainted Love ," Toni Basil ' s " Mickey ," Nena ' s " 99 Luftballoons ," and Dexy ' s Midnight Runners ' " Come On Eileen ."
Hip Hop & Rap
Hip Hop / Rap music originated in African American communities in New York City in the 1970s and became more mainstream and part of popular culture in the mid to late 1980s . Hip hop music originally had a difficult time breaking into the mainstream due to MTV ' s reluctance to show music videos of black artists . After much criticism , the network started to embrace black musicians like Michael Jackson , whose videos were amongst the most popular , paving the way for hip hop artists like Run DMC and LL Cool J to usher in the era of commercialized rap music . As the genre gained traction on MTV , it gave the white middle class a glimpse into inner city culture and many conservative parents of the time were disapproving of the genre that had been called the " new rock n ' roll ." Key elements of the genre include sampling old records , rapping lyrics , fun sounds with an underlying message , beat-boxing and electronic sounds . Hip hop music sounded like nothing that had been heard before in mainstream music and the late 1980s was thought of as the Golden Age , were everything seemed original and innovative . By the end of the decade MTV started airing the program " Yo ! MTV Raps " making the hip hop and rap music a global phenomenon . Important hip hop acts like Run DMC and LL Cool J made the genre commercial and were style icons , the Beastie Boys made the music " white friendly " and added elements of rock music , and Salt-n-Pepa were female pioneers of the genre .