Do you think streaming is revising how the history and trajectory of hip-hop is seen?

[Dead End]

Think about it. A lot of people get their music today solely from streaming sites such as Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, Soundcloud and to a lesser extent, Tidal and a few other platforms.

Combined, these services have a crazy amount of music. Just forget that you don't own a single second of a single song by using these, just being able to leave the house with that much music is still mindblowing if you grew up having to carry around CD's, cassettes, batteries, etc.

But these services don't have everything. Most of De La Soul's discography is missing and may never end up on there. Aaliyah? Just her first album. The Beatnuts first 4 records are nowhere to be found. Above the Law's greatest albums are still not available digitally. A lot of early Southern hip-hop is spotty. There's a lot more, too.

Do you think the non-availability of some of this music, a lot of which was pretty influential, changes how people view the development of hip-hop? Do you think it changes how people grow into hip-hop and how they are influenced by it?

 

[DaveyDave]

That’s the main reason I don’t fukk with streaming that much. I was thinking about something similar the other day, what about all the rare remixes and b-sides that never got released on an album what about mixtape blends and everything else that Hip Hop has done over the last 40 years?

 

[mortuus est]

loads of music isnt on streaming sites , it is what it is
the internet is here for a reason, you can always look things up if you cant get a hold of it

the landscape will probably change in the next few years yeah

 

[Mentch15]

A lot of that music is still available on youtube and other places if you actually want to look for it, people just shut themselves off from it because they either don't want to hear it or they don't want to know about it

 

[Mowgli]

Only if you let cacs dictate the narrative

 

[Dead End]

Yeah, there's always Youtube or even "illegal" downloads, but that's still not the same. That turns Aaliyah or De La Soul into obscure artists you have to dig for, rather than Billboard charting, massively influential acts. Maybe it doesn't matter because a lot of rappers and producers are serious hip-hop heads and so will be aware of this stuff regardless of its digital availability.

 

[letti cook]

Aaliyah and some of Nolimit/Cash Money's catalogue missing really bothers me

I also hate that so many artists have alternate versions of songs streaming, that they clearly didnt have the righs to and redid as a money grab.

I was at an improv show and the dj played Ruff Ryders Anthem but it was a shytty remake X did for his fake ass greatest hits album

Master P got an album like that too with butchered ass versions of joints off Ghetto D..

i hate the thought of cysing these artists and having youngn's go check them out only to get these wack, watered down versions of these legends.

 

[IAmListenin']

A lot of that music is still available on youtube and other places if you actually want to look for it, people just shut themselves off from it because they either don't want to hear it or they don't want to know about it

Basically.

If you grew up to it, then you already know what isn't on streaming services, but you probably already have it. I recently started a free trial, and I was looking to see what they had, and noted for instance, "Okay, Live and Let Die is the only G Rap and Polo album on here." But I already have the physical copies of Road to the Riches and Wanted: Dead or Alive, so it doesn't make a difference to me. I was simply browsing their inventory. So only someone who wasn't already there at the time wouldn't realize what was missing, but if you weren't there at the time and come across something you like, it isn't difficult to Google their discography to check out more. And if someone's interested in something, one would think they'd be motivated to find out more anyway.

 

[DaveyDave]

Basically.

If you grew up to it, then you already know what isn't on streaming services, but you probably already have it. I recently started a free trial, and I was looking to see what they had, and noted for instance, "Okay, Live and Let Die is the only G Rap and Polo album on here." But I already have the physical copies of Road to the Riches and Wanted: Dead or Alive, so it doesn't make a difference to me. I was simply browsing their inventory. So only someone who wasn't already there at the time wouldn't realize what was missing, but if you weren't there at the time and come across something you like, it isn't difficult to Google their discography to check out more. And if someone's interested in something, one would think they'd be motivated to find out more anyway.

I’m not sure that these kids would even bother googling they can’t even google up a bloody link for an album they’re looking for. They would just assume whatever is on Spotify is what the artist has put out

 

[Kyle C. Barker]

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