So what we've learned this year is that mainstream bullshyt isn't lucrative

[ThaRealness]

Big Sean flopped, two chains flopped, Future will flop..

Kendrick hit a milli last year, J Cole is at what, 500k???

Hip Hop is now financially driven by serious fans

 

[Long Live The Kane]

Kendrick and J. Cole are mainstream rappers, whose fans aren't necessarily more "serious" than any other rapper's fans...just with different tastes and preferences...these lil silly ass titles y'all place on stuff and boxes you put stuff in are ultimately meaningless

 

[ThaRealness]

Kendrick and J. Cole are mainstream rappers, whose fans aren't necessarily more "serious" than anybody rapper's fans...just with different tastes and preferences...these lil silly ass titles y'all place on stuff and boxes you put stuff in are ultimately meaningless

Ya but they dont pander to mainstream audiences is what Im saying.

 

[ThaRealness]

Kendrick and J. Cole are mainstream rappers, whose fans aren't necessarily more "serious" than anybody rapper's fans...just with different tastes and preferences...these lil silly ass titles y'all place on stuff and boxes you put stuff in are ultimately meaningless

Accessible doesn't necessarily mean mainstream


You're right that Big Seans core fans aren't necessarily less passionate about hip hop then J Coles. But Big Sean is aiming to crossover & gain get a push from mainstream pop listeners, whereas Cole is just relying on his core fan base.

Since Cole outsold Sean, its clear that building a fan base in hip hop is much more important then crossing over into whatever passes for the mainstream these days

 

[Mastamimd]

The Seans/Wales/Futures make music that's disposable as fukk though...sure, they'll make music that will blare in the clubs and in peoples whips and shyt, but who wants to buy a full album of that shyt? Especially with all the ways to get free music nowadays? You can get a million features thrown on your shyt too but unless you establish YOURSELF as a brand that has something that will leave a lasting effect on your fanbase, nikkas will forget quick man.

 

[Digga38]

the industry will produce a chief keef or a trinidad james a couple times a year and use them for singles...give em an album after that its flop city

rinse spin repeat...

rappers with strong bases will still survive

 

[Digga38]

The Seans/Wales/Futures make music that's disposable as fukk though...sure, they'll make music that will blare in the clubs and in peoples whips and shyt, but who wants to buy a full album of that shyt? Especially with all the ways to get free music nowadays? You can get a million features thrown on your shyt too but unless you establish YOURSELF as a brand that has something that will leave a lasting effect on your fanbase, nikkas will forget quick man.

although i will say wale makes some deeper music he needs to change his image....talent wise he is right there....

 

[ThaRealness]

The Seans/Wales/Futures make music that's disposable as fukk though...sure, they'll make music that will blare in the clubs and in peoples whips and shyt, but who wants to buy a full album of that shyt? Especially with all the ways to get free music nowadays? You can get a million features thrown on your shyt too but unless you establish YOURSELF as a brand that has something that will leave a lasting effect on your fanbase, nikkas will forget quick man.

Exactly. Thats a more cynical yet equally valid way to look at it. Its all about branding. Just like in Indie Rock & Electro

 

[Long Live The Kane]

Ya but they dont pander to mainstream audiences is what Im saying.

Sure they do...I'm pretty close to certain I've seen J.Cole come out of his own mouth and pretty plainly state that Power Trip was deliberately conceived and put together with the expressed purpose of being pushed to mainstream corporate urban radio to be played every hour on the hour...it's a pretty standard by the books mainstream "for the ladies" rap radio record...the same for Swimming Pools and Poetic Justice for Kendrick (that one is produced by go-to mainstream rap hit producer t-mixx and the other features mainstream rap poster child Aubrey Grahmn I can assure you is no coincidence or accident)...they're both making music very obviously aimed toward mainstream rap listeners...where the confusion comes from, is the arbitrary and ultimately worthless distinction you try to make between certain kinds of mainstream rap music that you like as opposed to that you don't...

 

[ThaRealness]

Sure they do...I'm pretty close to certain I've seen J.Cole come out of his own mouth and pretty plainly state that Power Trip was deliberately conceived and put together with the expressed purpose of being pushed to mainstream corporate urban radio to be played every hour on the hour...it's a pretty standard by the books mainstream "for the ladies" rap radio record...the same for Swimming Pools and Poetic Justice for Kendrick...they're both making music very obviously aimed toward mainstream rap listeners...where the confusion comes from, is the arbitrary and ultimately worthless distinction you try to make between certain kinds of mainstream rap music that you like as opposed to that you don't...

First of all let me just say that I DONT even fukk with J Cole. I was actually hating on him hard a few months ago... since then Ive realized that his success is good for the industry


Anyways, you're def reaching on this... You just cited two singles as an example of Kendrick & Cole pandering to the radio. Theres a big difference between making one catchy single, and modeling your whole sound after whats currently hot.

& btw the whole selling point of Born Sinner was that Cole sold out on his debut, & his next project would be a return to form.

It was 100% targeted to fans that consider themselves passionate about hip hop

 

[Long Live The Kane]

First of all let me just say that I DONT even fukk with J Cole. I was actually hating on him hard a few months ago... since then Ive realized that his success is good for the industry


Anyways, you're def reaching on this... You just cited two singles as an example of Kendrick & Cole pandering to the radio. Theres a big difference between making one catchy single, and modeling your whole sound after whats currently hot.

& btw the whole selling point of Born Sinner was that Cole sold out on his debut, & his next project would be a return to form.

It was 100% targeted to fans that consider themselves passionate about hip hop

I'm reaching by telling you that Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole...two of the most popular rappers currently active in the world...signed to and backed by major mainstream record labels, and the full force of their financial might...are in fact, mainstream rappers?

There's absolutely nothing about either of them that makes them inherently less "mainstream" than 2chainz or Big Sean other than some arbitrary qualitative judgement you're making on I guess content or something else that doesn't really have sh!t to with whether an artist is mainstream or not...there's a reason Kendrick is getting features on the same exact pop songs with the likes of Robin Thicke as 2chainz is...in reality, the rnb infused records that Kendrick and J. Cole present for mass consumption are generally more mainstream friendly than, say a purely rap song about being under the surveillance of federal authorities

 

[SpacelySprockets]

Even an artist like Game who has no buzz and is considered "irrelevant" when the topic of the hottest rappers out comes up is selling more than guys who are all over the radio like 2Jigz and Jig Sean, because he makes music that caters to his fanbase.. the realest shyt Drake ever said was "all that hype dont feel the same next year boy".. I didnt understand it but I truly do now

core fanbase>buzz

 

[malc]

if anything mainstream hip-hip is as lucrative as ever right now if you do it right. album sales may not be as high but streaming services (rdio, pandora, spotify, youtube) making big payouts and touring is as relevant & lucrative as ever and not to mention merchandising.

 

[Danny Up]

There's no promotion any more artists cant help but flop. Record companies want the artist to flop. There isn't enough money. Even if the artist sells a million copies it means what exactly? not a damn thing.

 

[obarth]

Big Sean flopped, two chains flopped, Future will flop..

Kendrick hit a milli last year, J Cole is at what, 500k???

Hip Hop is now financially driven by serious fans

Who has sold the most this year?