PrinceDeeDer
Rookie
Based God....
Will There Ever Be A Black Rapper Who Will Sell 350k+ While Independent?
- Thread starter Tuc2DaBoot
- Start date
If only he could get coherent, or even a writer for a legit single or two. The pack had some singles, see what that young L nikka been working on and go claim your fanbase.
MegaTronBomb!
Power is in my hair nikka
Currensy is doing well on that Warner/Atlantic deal for a rapper who's niche is pretty small.
he's dropped 7 albums,4 Ep's and 2 Group Albums since 2009....some rappers wont even make it to 7 albums in their career
for him, a major label distribution deal is clutch....he makes a good amount of money off the Jet Life apparel too.
i can't call it on KRIT tho, cause i don't really listen to him or check for his music.
Tuc2DaBoot
Pro
Currensy is doing well on that Warner/Atlantic deal for a rapper who's niche is pretty small.
he's dropped 7 albums,4 Ep's and 2 Group Albums since 2009....some rappers wont even make it to 7 albums in their career
for him, a major label distribution deal is clutch....he makes a good amount of money off the Jet Life apparel too.
i can't call it on KRIT tho, cause i don't really listen to him or check for his music.
Never said Spitta isn't eating. He's eating nicely. But he has to do shows EVERY damn week to maintain that. If he took any time off, he'd be up out of here. But let's be fair, 3 of those 7 albums were indie released, Amalgam style.
But okay, another good example would be Chip Tha Ripper/King Chip. Had every chance to blow. And it's like... he doesn't know how. So instead of dropping heat, he's dropping random tracks here and there and fading to black. And he's better than a lot of rappers above him. But artists like him can't survive without a major. But he should be successful with selling albums while indie too. But can't.
Who's gonna be the rapper that can?
MegaTronBomb!
Power is in my hair nikka
What year were you born? 1995?
It has nothing to do with the digital age. Multi-million selling artists signed to major record labels have been going flat broke and bankrupt in their prime because of "bad deals" with major record labels since forever. Most notably, it happened to TLC in the 90's.
http://www.mrldavis.com/industry_review/how-multiplatinum-artist-like-toni-braxton-and-tlc-can-go-broke-and-bankrupt/
And as far as "shows and appearances" there is something called a "360 deal" in this day in age where the record company takes a cut out of everything an artist makes.It ain't the 90's anymore where people are basically forced to buy a cassette or a CD at Sam Goody or Best Buy. Hella people download music and don'y buy the sh!t, myself and millions of others inculded, so major record labels wisened up and made 360 deals the norm.
But rappers have been signing bad deals with majors for decades. East Coast rappers in the 80's and 90's were harshly effected. My man from Jersey's old brother used to wait tables with Dana Dane. DJ Premier was locked in a bad contract with Warlock records. Philly Freeway was complaining about wanting to stop rapping but his record contract was forcing him to try to push out more albums.
it's funny you bring up 360 deals tho breh.
dudes like Tyler,Wiz,Mac Miller and Currensy aren't just selling their music, they sell their image too.
so for every dollar they don't see from album sales/singles,they have multiple revenue streams to pull from ( clothing lines,streaming music sites,shows/touring,reality tv/movies,endorsements etc.)
a fan might skip out on that $12 album, but still pay $25-50 to go that rappers concert and spend $25 more on some merchandise....watch their TV show,pay to see a movie they're in,drink their liquor, pay for streaming music service etc.
most of these horror stories you hear from artists with fukked up deals, are cause they had no business sense at the time....some dudes would've signed their lives over just to get on.
TLC in particular is a cautionary tale of some people who got hustled to the max, T Boz still hasn't learned how to manage her money either. she just recently had her house foreclosed on.
Freeway wanted to stop rapping, cause of Islam....but he knew he was contractually obligated to the label,until he put them albums out...that's another story for another thread tho.
Flo Rida and Pitbull completely debunk the idea of big singles will make you broke....those two pretty much made careers off that.
it's the music business tho, they sell dreams...somebody will forever get the shyt end of the stick.
FreshFromATL
Self Made
T.I.
MegaTronBomb!
Power is in my hair nikka
Never said Spitta isn't eating. He's eating nicely. But he has to do shows EVERY damn week to maintain that. If he took any time off, he'd be up out of here. But let's be fair, 3 of those 7 albums were indie released, Amalgam style.
But okay, another good example would be Chip Tha Ripper/King Chip. Had every chance to blow. And it's like... he doesn't know how. So instead of dropping heat, he's dropping random tracks here and there and fading to black. And he's better than a lot of rappers above him. But artists like him can't survive without a major. But he should be successful with selling albums while indie too. But can't.
Who's gonna be the rapper that can?
We're probably gonna have to see a rapper who either comes from money, or just raps as a hobby
almost on some reclusive/enigmatic type shyt like Prince, where he makes music when he feels like it...doesn't really care for the money/fame but still wants to give the fans good music
Tuc2DaBoot
Pro
That's my point from earlier. It's gonna come to someone with the money by themselves or in their clique to make it happen. It seems easier than ever to push an image, it's just more about grabbing attention for the long run. If you can do that and make people think that you're actually deep (Macklemore, for example), then you got something good going.
Maybe my def of "hip hop" is fukked up.
But when I think of fun party hip hop I think of shyt like "Summertime" or "Nuthin But A G Thang". Its fun, its accessible, but its still rooted in black music. Its still something you can dance to. Macklemore & BEP do not make black dance music. The beat for "Lets Get It Started" could have been for any genre of music w/not even much tweaking. It was like the opening theme for an ESPN show. So I dont really consider their success success for hip hop. Because to succeed they had to throw away everything that defines hip hop. Its like an omelette with no egg.
LunaticVillage415
All Star
But hardly anyone drinks rapper liquor.
When Jay-Z had Armendale, nobody even knew or cared. Cam's Sizzurp even fared worse commercially. And no, Puffy does not own Ciroc, he just pushes it. Alcohol is like clothes; its dominated by a handful of companies (i.e. Hennessy, Remy, various beer companies). Jordan and Polo dominate clothes nationwide. I have yet to see any piece of clothing Wiz Khalifa or Mac Miller has come out with.
Streetwear brands are also well established being well over ten years old (i.e. Stussy, 10 Deep) and having a steady core following that isn't going anywhere. Chances are that when a rapper's popularity fades, so does their corresponding clothing line. 
The only place you can find Rocawear, State Property or Vokal is the damn thrift store or Burlington Coat factory, but the latter would be too complimentary. 
But you are right that labels push an image. It is most prevalent with these fake hustler-turned rappers on TV. The machine wants to push the idea that young black men in the hood can get rich from selling dope and quit at some point and rap about it later to masses of millions of people. Yet, 90% of the mainstream rappers who claim this have been exposed as being studio gangstas (i.e. Rick Ross).
The machine works to grow the prison industrial complex with mainstream hustler-turned rappers with their imaginary riches, rented jewelry, cars and hoes.
Of course not.
There's exception like Tech9's Strange Music label.
But, I know Duck Down personally, and the most albums they've sold since Ruck came back as P, was Monkey Barz, Buck & 9th albums, and P's follow-ups to his first. All thosse albums sold over 25k, and that's about it
Artists like Skyzoo and Roc Marciano are lucky to sell over 10k
There's exception like Tech9's Strange Music label.
But, I know Duck Down personally, and the most albums they've sold since Ruck came back as P, was Monkey Barz, Buck & 9th albums, and P's follow-ups to his first. All thosse albums sold over 25k, and that's about it
Artists like Skyzoo and Roc Marciano are lucky to sell over 10k
smARTmouf
Ascended Member
I think it can be possible..
You'd have to have a deep presence on message boards and social media outlets, have talent, great production, do shows already, and infectious hooks ....oh, and just say no when you're offered that contract....
it would take some luck and dedication ..
You'd have to have a deep presence on message boards and social media outlets, have talent, great production, do shows already, and infectious hooks ....oh, and just say no when you're offered that contract....
it would take some luck and dedication ..
Tuc2DaBoot
Pro
He started off on a major. I'm talking artists who never signed to a major prior to selling that many albums.
Ruthless records I'm pretty sure was one of the most successful indies of all time. They sold platinum records
I'm sure it could be done if the right rapper came along. But its something about being signed to a major label that these cats love. They look at a rapper like Tech N9ne and see's that he only sells maybe a 100k albums and think he aint caking. When in all reality he probably has more money than the average platinum rapper. I would rather have a solid fanbase and pump out albums on the yearly and recuperate all the money instead of only getting a percentage of each album sold.