I'm starting to wonder if you know who E-40 is, are you perhaps confusing him for someone else? It would be difficult to count and track out the amount of times 40 has brought Bay Area music to new fans and advanced the scene. shyt, even Master P has given it up to him and his Uncle Saint Charles for being the ones he learned the independent game from.
Is Rakim And KRS-One More Relevant Than E-40 Is?
- Thread starter G.O.A.T Squad Spokesman
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G.O.A.T Squad Spokesman
Logic Is Absent Wherever Hate Is Present
E-40 was relevant enough for Biggie to mention him in 94 and he's still getting run with the youngins in 2019....he outlasted some of your favorites and was around before they were.
Homeboy Runny-Ray
From Around The Way
Name the Allstar hip hop tour you're referring to
im too smart for that.
i'll allow you to funnel information out of me AFTER you admit that youre out-of-the-loop and don't know what youre talking about.
whats funny is, you name-dropped ice cube, who has done a couple of these tours with both the '80s & '90s regimes, iirc. how come e-40 never gets invited?
he has no album that is anywhere near remotely close to being a consensus classic.
he has one of the most ridiculed flows in rap history, and you cant chalk it up to hate, cuz he was never a star.
staple of west coast rap according to whom? his fans?
yall just be making up chit & running with it.
hip-hop has always been a genre where the fans disregarded its history.
that's one of the reasons why it was so easy for this culture to be raped & pillaged.
so whats your point?
do you even have a point?
“Ayo son put on some of that KRS The Bridge Is Over, this finna bang in the whip”
it actually does bang in the whip, way harder than any e-40 track ive heard.
and I like e-40 so ive heard plenty.
You clearly dont understand what the fukk relevant means. What was it Jay Z said about numbers not lying? Cause E-40 has outsold KRS and Rakim combined.
Sunalmighty
Superstar
For anyone that's says 40 ain't a PIONEER
Stop The Breaks | Independent Music Grind
Heavy On The Grind: How E-40 Pioneered The Independent Hip-Hop Grind
Hao Nguyen
3 years ago
In an earlier article about Guwop being the trap god of mixtape grinding, we namedGucci Mane the most influential Atlanta rapper, but when it comes to the grind, you have to give it up to E-40 who is the most influential independent rapper of all time.
Everything that we’re seeing now in the independent rap game, whether it’s selling tapes hand-to-hand, going direct to the consumers, distribution partnerships with major labels, can be credited to E-40, one of the earliest pioneers of the hip-hop entrepreneurial spirit.
We started off selling tapes out the trunk of the car. I pioneered and coined it independent hustle. I coined that before the Master Ps of the world, before the Cash Moneys. Them my folks, but they’ll tell ya that I gave them the blueprint.E-40
The Bay Area legend personified that hustle and grind that’s so prevalent in independent rappers these days – from Nipsey Hussle to Currensy to Tech N9ne. Embracing that fearlessness and determination to succeed on his own, E-40 created the blueprint for rappers after him to grind independently to the top.
E-4o is so much about the grind that even his record label is named Heavy On The Grind – he’s forever hustling and making moves.
Starting the independent grind
Before there was Facebook, before there was Twitter, before there was DatPiff, before there was SoundCloud, before there was Snapchat, there was E-40. Coming straight out of Vallejo, California, he made his debut with four-track EP Let’s Slideas part of The Click.
Released via Sick Wid It Records, an independent label founded by the Bay Area rapper, Let’s Slide was the first of many, many projects that E-40 would release over the next few decades. From the very beginning, E-40 was determined to fund his own career, control his brand and retain creative monopoly over his music.
I really started from grassroots, without a handout or anything. There wasn’t one person who put money in my pocket, you know what I’m saying? I funded my own shytE-40
With the success of grinding independently, E-40 continued to drop music on a regular basis, blessing the local fans with projects like The Click’s Down and Dirty and his solo debut, Federal, which was released in association with regional distributor Solar Music Group.
As an independent rapper selling tapes locally and partnering up with regional distributors to push his music, E-40 was making a lot of money since he was bringing home a majority of the profits. He could sell a fraction of what major label artists at the time were selling and still be making the same amount of money, if not more.
One hundred thousand is ghetto gold, and when you got a distribution deal, the amount of money you make equals a Platinum album on a major label. So I’ve been successful since the beginning of my career.E-40
It’s very similar to whatFreddie Gibbs is doing at the moment – by being independent and owning his record label, Gibbs is able to bring in a majority of the profits of any music sales. You can also see it with Chance The Rapper who’s thriving in the independent world – he’s focused on getting dope music to his fans so they can support him on tour or buying merchandise.
Partnering with a major label
After years of selling his music independently, E-40 was ready to take his career to the next level, negotiating a deal with major label Jive Records in 1994. Since he had been successful without a major label for all those years, E-40 had all the power when it came to making a deal.
You can see this pattern repeated with Mac Miller who signed a major partnership with Warner Bros. in October 2014 to take his career to the next level. After years of being the poster boy for the new generation of independent rappers – building his fanbase organically via social media and dropping a number one album – Mac was ready to sign a major deal and begin building up his label REMember Music with the resources of Warner Bros.
By signing a major record deal with Jive, E-40 was positioning his brand and music for mainstream exposure and wider commercial success. In a Major Way, his major label debut released at the beginning of 1995, was a big success, hitting number 2 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number 13 on the Billboard 200, selling 70,000 copies in its first week.
The album also featured a guest appearance from the biggest rapper at the time, 2Pac, and has since sold a million copies, E-40’s only platinum plaque to date. He could have made a lot of money by grinding independently and not signing with Jive, but E-40 recognised an opportunity to take his brand to the next level and as we can see – it paid off perfectly.
Still heavy on the grind
Since his career beginnings, E-40 has released close to 30 projects to date – some of them independently, some of them with major labels like Jive, EMI and Warner Bros. Despite all the years he’s spent grinding in the rap game, E-40 hasn’t slow down one bit.
E-40’s a shining example of how important a strong work ethic is to a rapper’s longterm success. In 2014 alone, he dropped two projects – Sharp On All 4 Corners: Corner 1and Sharp On All 4 Corners: Corner 2 – and featured on Big Sean’s platinum hit “I Don’t fukk with You” which hit number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Not to mention, his other entrepreneurial ventures outside of the music world which includes: investing in Microsoft, opening a Fatburger franchise, authoring a book, E-40’s Book of Slang, creating new lines of alcohol beverages and plenty more.
As a pioneer of the independent hustle, E-40 managed to accomplish some amazing feats just by sticking to his brand of music, working extremely hard on creating great products and being very diligent on distributing to his fans.
Can you imagine if he had access to the online channels and marketing tools like the independent rappers have these days?
But now my method is Twitter, Facebook, all the social media, Instagram, staying visual, rocking with everybody that’s somebody that rock with me. Being E-40.E-40
Looking back at his illustrious career, there’s not much else to say about E-40, other than the fact that he was the best ever to do it independently. You can trace E-40’s hustle and grind influence from the early 80s to the top independent rappers today.
Whether it’s Chance The Rapper retaining creative control and going direct to the consumers, Mac Miller partnering with a major label,Tech N9ne building his own independent label or Currensy’s approach of dropping music regularly and touring – it’s everything E-40 had a big hand in pioneering.
As the new generation of independent artists grinding hard, you have to use the legendary veteran as an example and learn from everything he’s done. Let’s give it up to E-40: the most influential independent rapper of all time.
Categories: Independent Case Studies
Leave a Comment
Stop The Breaks | Independent Music Grind
Back to top
Stop The Breaks | Independent Music Grind
Heavy On The Grind: How E-40 Pioneered The Independent Hip-Hop Grind
3 years ago
In an earlier article about Guwop being the trap god of mixtape grinding, we namedGucci Mane the most influential Atlanta rapper, but when it comes to the grind, you have to give it up to E-40 who is the most influential independent rapper of all time.
Everything that we’re seeing now in the independent rap game, whether it’s selling tapes hand-to-hand, going direct to the consumers, distribution partnerships with major labels, can be credited to E-40, one of the earliest pioneers of the hip-hop entrepreneurial spirit.
We started off selling tapes out the trunk of the car. I pioneered and coined it independent hustle. I coined that before the Master Ps of the world, before the Cash Moneys. Them my folks, but they’ll tell ya that I gave them the blueprint.E-40
The Bay Area legend personified that hustle and grind that’s so prevalent in independent rappers these days – from Nipsey Hussle to Currensy to Tech N9ne. Embracing that fearlessness and determination to succeed on his own, E-40 created the blueprint for rappers after him to grind independently to the top.
E-4o is so much about the grind that even his record label is named Heavy On The Grind – he’s forever hustling and making moves.
Starting the independent grind
Before there was Facebook, before there was Twitter, before there was DatPiff, before there was SoundCloud, before there was Snapchat, there was E-40. Coming straight out of Vallejo, California, he made his debut with four-track EP Let’s Slideas part of The Click.
Released via Sick Wid It Records, an independent label founded by the Bay Area rapper, Let’s Slide was the first of many, many projects that E-40 would release over the next few decades. From the very beginning, E-40 was determined to fund his own career, control his brand and retain creative monopoly over his music.
I really started from grassroots, without a handout or anything. There wasn’t one person who put money in my pocket, you know what I’m saying? I funded my own shytE-40
With the success of grinding independently, E-40 continued to drop music on a regular basis, blessing the local fans with projects like The Click’s Down and Dirty and his solo debut, Federal, which was released in association with regional distributor Solar Music Group.
As an independent rapper selling tapes locally and partnering up with regional distributors to push his music, E-40 was making a lot of money since he was bringing home a majority of the profits. He could sell a fraction of what major label artists at the time were selling and still be making the same amount of money, if not more.
One hundred thousand is ghetto gold, and when you got a distribution deal, the amount of money you make equals a Platinum album on a major label. So I’ve been successful since the beginning of my career.E-40
It’s very similar to whatFreddie Gibbs is doing at the moment – by being independent and owning his record label, Gibbs is able to bring in a majority of the profits of any music sales. You can also see it with Chance The Rapper who’s thriving in the independent world – he’s focused on getting dope music to his fans so they can support him on tour or buying merchandise.
Partnering with a major label
After years of selling his music independently, E-40 was ready to take his career to the next level, negotiating a deal with major label Jive Records in 1994. Since he had been successful without a major label for all those years, E-40 had all the power when it came to making a deal.
You can see this pattern repeated with Mac Miller who signed a major partnership with Warner Bros. in October 2014 to take his career to the next level. After years of being the poster boy for the new generation of independent rappers – building his fanbase organically via social media and dropping a number one album – Mac was ready to sign a major deal and begin building up his label REMember Music with the resources of Warner Bros.
By signing a major record deal with Jive, E-40 was positioning his brand and music for mainstream exposure and wider commercial success. In a Major Way, his major label debut released at the beginning of 1995, was a big success, hitting number 2 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number 13 on the Billboard 200, selling 70,000 copies in its first week.
The album also featured a guest appearance from the biggest rapper at the time, 2Pac, and has since sold a million copies, E-40’s only platinum plaque to date. He could have made a lot of money by grinding independently and not signing with Jive, but E-40 recognised an opportunity to take his brand to the next level and as we can see – it paid off perfectly.
Still heavy on the grind
Since his career beginnings, E-40 has released close to 30 projects to date – some of them independently, some of them with major labels like Jive, EMI and Warner Bros. Despite all the years he’s spent grinding in the rap game, E-40 hasn’t slow down one bit.
E-40’s a shining example of how important a strong work ethic is to a rapper’s longterm success. In 2014 alone, he dropped two projects – Sharp On All 4 Corners: Corner 1and Sharp On All 4 Corners: Corner 2 – and featured on Big Sean’s platinum hit “I Don’t fukk with You” which hit number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Not to mention, his other entrepreneurial ventures outside of the music world which includes: investing in Microsoft, opening a Fatburger franchise, authoring a book, E-40’s Book of Slang, creating new lines of alcohol beverages and plenty more.
As a pioneer of the independent hustle, E-40 managed to accomplish some amazing feats just by sticking to his brand of music, working extremely hard on creating great products and being very diligent on distributing to his fans.
Can you imagine if he had access to the online channels and marketing tools like the independent rappers have these days?
But now my method is Twitter, Facebook, all the social media, Instagram, staying visual, rocking with everybody that’s somebody that rock with me. Being E-40.E-40
Looking back at his illustrious career, there’s not much else to say about E-40, other than the fact that he was the best ever to do it independently. You can trace E-40’s hustle and grind influence from the early 80s to the top independent rappers today.
Whether it’s Chance The Rapper retaining creative control and going direct to the consumers, Mac Miller partnering with a major label,Tech N9ne building his own independent label or Currensy’s approach of dropping music regularly and touring – it’s everything E-40 had a big hand in pioneering.
As the new generation of independent artists grinding hard, you have to use the legendary veteran as an example and learn from everything he’s done. Let’s give it up to E-40: the most influential independent rapper of all time.
Categories: Independent Case Studies
Leave a Comment
Stop The Breaks | Independent Music Grind
Back to top
Homeboy Runny-Ray
From Around The Way
biggie didn't mention him. he was asked to rate him, along with a bunch of other rappers.
e-40 outlasted who and how???
like I said, just being around and politicking, doesn't mean that youre poppin. hes not outlasting anybody. if he stopped rapping today, nobody outside of the bay would notice.
you keep dancing around that tho.
as I predicted, youre throwing chit on the wall.
you claim he advanced the scene but didn't give not one example. instead you say "bu bu but he and his uncle gave tips to master p".
DESPERATE
A Tribe Called Quest ™
Make Em Say Ughh ... Silk da Shocker
Nah nah nah that disregard history shyt is not true, nikkas listen to Nas/Jay/NWA/ATCQ but not Rakim/KRS
My point is nikkas came in the rap game, and outdid what both them nikkas did on technical level
.. If people want to listen to spitters there are better spitters than both
. No one will ever out do the ATCQ/De La Soul line that’s why more people listen to they shyt nowadays. No one is going to tell stories like Slick Rick/Scarface but why would I listen to KRS/Rakim/Kool G Rap when I got modernized better versions of it
G.O.A.T Squad Spokesman
Logic Is Absent Wherever Hate Is Present
Okay he responded to a question about him and he thanked him on Life After Death
And if lingering in hip hop and still getting big bags was easy why isn't everyone doing it? Why is the nikka from Whodini working average jobs to make ends meet?
They both are, Rakim and KRS helped in the overall development of the genre in the era beforehand while 40 was a trailblazer in what would later be known as trap music and has managed to make his unique style (albeit a dumbed down version) fit right in with the modern era.
Homeboy Runny-Ray
From Around The Way
luke, eazy & j.prince all came before him.
watch ya mouth weirdo.
and e-40 does the vast majority of his numbers within the bay market.
'90s rappers generally have more reach because their legacies have a platform. youre gonna get a lot of '90s nostalgia specials, marathons and such because most of the people behind the scenes are from the era, the labels that theyre on are either still around or were merged into the ones that are still here, so theres a lot more money to be made. etc etc etc.
and keep it a buck. youngns aren't listenting to most of the older guys that youre claiming either. youre just in here trying to prop up your favorites.
but yea, youre wasting my time. lets just end it here, before it takes a disrespectful turn.
Okay he responded to a question about him and he thanked him on Life After Death
And if lingering in hip hop and still getting big bags was easy why isn't everyone doing it? Why is the nikka from Whodini working average jobs to make ends meet?
that's cuz e-40 put him in his place & humbled him.
you know what it is, stop playing dumb.
whodini is from a completely different era. theyre also didn't have a bizarre market like the bay to fall back on.
you just want e-40 to be more than he was, and more than he currently is.
but I know this board loves to deal more with illusion than reality.
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Hes one of the headliners along with Snoop & Ice Cube in the legends of hip hop tour that has dates coming up in august and September. Hes been on lots of tours and festivals over the years of his career. He really has not drifted out of relevancy much throughout his career to be honest. He stays a popular feature request, he stays doing shows, he stays making albums, he has his hand in numerous other business ventures and he has for over 20 years consistently. When soundtracks and compilations were a big thing back in the 90s he was featured on a ton of those. When the remix era was poppin he was all over those, hes been in a ton of hip hop documentaries, etc, etc, etc...His career is full of relevance.this is stupid talk.
what market do they have? whens the last time they dropped a record?
does the r&b community ask these questions about Gladys knight? does the rock community ask these questions about axl rose?
EDIT: or did you not get the memo that @G.O.A.T Squad Spokesman misquoted me, claiming that I said rakim & KRS were still relevant?? if this is the case, then disregard the stuff that I just said.
they tour in America as well.
what great big tours has e-40 ever done at any point of his career, even in his prime?
MaxBundles
Veteran
T.he I.nformant
1st Ballot HOF Teller
*Are 
KRS upcoming dates
- Sunday 18 August 2019
- KRS-Onewith Method Man, Redman, and 3 others
Dell Music Center, Philadelphia, PA, US
BUY TICKETS
Interested" data-tracking-text="Interested" data-subject-upcoming="true" data-analytics-category="signup_cta" data-analytics-label="38474344" data-analytics-action="artist:on_tour:interested" action="https://www.songkick.com/trackings" accept-charset="UTF-8" method="post" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 12px 0px 0px; border: none; background-repeat: no-repeat; position: relative; display: inline-block; float: left;">
Going" data-tracking-text="Going" data-subject-upcoming="true" data-analytics-category="signup_cta" data-analytics-label="38474344" data-analytics-action="artist:on_tour:going" action="https://www.songkick.com/trackings" accept-charset="UTF-8" method="post" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 12px 0px 0px; border: none; background-repeat: no-repeat; position: relative; display: inline-block; float: left;">
- Tuesday 20 August 2019
- KRS-One
The Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ, US
BUY TICKETS
Interested" data-tracking-text="Interested" data-subject-upcoming="true" data-analytics-category="signup_cta" data-analytics-label="39018669" data-analytics-action="artist:on_tour:interested" action="https://www.songkick.com/trackings" accept-charset="UTF-8" method="post" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 12px 0px 0px; border: none; background-repeat: no-repeat; position: relative; display: inline-block; float: left;">
Going" data-tracking-text="Going" data-subject-upcoming="true" data-analytics-category="signup_cta" data-analytics-label="39018669" data-analytics-action="artist:on_tour:going" action="https://www.songkick.com/trackings" accept-charset="UTF-8" method="post" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 12px 0px 0px; border: none; background-repeat: no-repeat; position: relative; display: inline-block; float: left;">
- Sunday 08 September 2019
- KRS-One
Yoshi's Jazz Club, Oakland, Oakland, CA, US
BUY TICKETS
Interested" data-tracking-text="Interested" data-subject-upcoming="true" data-analytics-category="signup_cta" data-analytics-label="38982033" data-analytics-action="artist:on_tour:interested" action="https://www.songkick.com/trackings" accept-charset="UTF-8" method="post" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 12px 0px 0px; border: none; background-repeat: no-repeat; position: relative; display: inline-block; float: left;">
Yoshis and the Stanhope House are both 300 seaters.
Homeboy Runny-Ray
From Around The Way
KRS doing a 300 seater by himself in e-40s turf >>>>> e-40 not being able to fill a 13 seater in the Bronx.
and KRS might be headlining the dell show, which is a good legendary venue.
e-40 on the other hand...….
we already covered that.
its not the legends of hip-hop tour(altho, theyre doing different tours now with this name and featuring a lot of old chitlin circuit acts so I could see e-40 getting on those types).
and no e-40 is not no dam headliner on the tour that youre referring to.
im still waiting for you to give some evidence as to how e-40 is a pioneer for the bay.
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