Maybe none of us should have been surprised by the instant popularity of the Fox TV series “Empire.” After all, hip-hop has been a powerful force in culture for decades, even as it remained largely ignored by prime time.

The drama about a family-owned hip-hop and entertainment company was the second most-watched new show among those ages 18 to 49-year-olds after its debut in January, averaging 17.33 million viewers. According to Nielsen, 61% of the show’s audience was African-American — a figure no other show, new or old, comes close to matching.

Meantime, real-life hip-hop music stars are having a banner year in 2015. Consider Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly” as exhibit A. The third LP from the 27-year-old rapper received widespread critical acclaim for its expansive sound and socially charged lyrics. In Rolling Stone, critic Greg Tate described the album as “a masterpiece of fiery outrage, deep jazz and ruthless self-critique.”

More importantly, listeners were fans of it as well. It gave Lamar his first #1 on the Billboard 200 with 324,000 units sold in the first week. The new record also broke a single day streaming record on Spotify upon its release with 9.6 million listens, resulting in an estimated payout between $921,600 and $1,290,240 for Lamar in one day.

But there are lots of other standout hip-hop records burning up the charts too. Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again” single set records on Spotify for most plays in a day and in a week. The single (featured on the soundtrack of “Furious 7”) is also the fastest-selling single of 2015. Drake’s mixtape “If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late” was so popular that at one point, all of its 17 songs were on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart simultaneously. Other 2015 releases from Action Bronson, Rae Sremmurd, Young Thug, Joey Bada$$, Earl Sweatshirt, Wale, A$AP Rocky, and Snoop Dogg all received largely positive reviews.

However, it’s not just in music and television where hip-hop is making a mark this year. Jay-Z’s launched the high-def music streaming service Tidal. Kanye West recently rolled out a fashion line with Adidas Originals, which has led some to wonder if his wattage can brighten the fortunes of the struggling sportswear company. While Pharrell is executive producer (along with Sean “Puffy” Combs) for new movie called Dope about teens obsessed with 90’s hip-hop culture coming of age in the rough neighborhoods of Inglewood, California.

For fans of hip-hop, there’s plenty still to look forward to in 2015, including these forthcoming releases:

Pusha T – “King Push” — June 30

Ghostface Killah – “Twelve Reasons to Die II” — July 10

Azealia Banks  — “Fantasea II: The Second Wave”  — TBD

Chief Keef – “Bang 3” — TBD

Rich Homie Quan – “Best of Life” — TBD

Kid Cudi – “Speedin’ Bullet to Heaven” — TBD

Rihanna – “R8” — TBD