With the rise of music websites such as Datpiff and 2DopeBoyz, it is a lot easier for aspiring rappers to release their music to the public.
Well, then an important question arises: Why is it still so hard to break into the music business? And when I say break in, I mean to become a household name.
There are a plethora of reasons, but three main ones come to mind.
The first reason would be that the market is oversaturated. The Internet is a grand place full of free, legal music waiting to be downloaded.
Mixtape sites such as Datpiff and blog sites put up hundreds of free albums every day.
Rising artist “A” could have all the talent in the world. But with the amount of music that is constantly released, it’s fair to say that a lot of newcomers’ works just get lost in the shuffle.
What can artists do to make sure their music stands out?
Well, one technique that has been moderately successful for a lot of artists has been to go against the grain. Hip-hop culture has this unwritten rule that men have to be aggressive and “hard” at all times. The lyrics of most rap songs reflect this ideology.
Name a Lil Wayne song where he doesn’t talk about shooting someone or hitting someone upside the head. It’s nearly impossible.
Nonetheless, look at artists such as Kid Cudi and B.o.B. A few years ago, most of the general public didn’t know who those guys were.
Now they’re in the public eye because their music isn’t “hard” and street-like. How many other rappers do you know whoperform while holding a guitar?
Lack of originality is the second reason. Many up-and-coming artists merely copy what they see well-known artists doing.
Now, I’m not knocking these artists. When new artists sit down to watch MTV and they see Rick Ross spitting about cocaine while Diddy is dancing, it’s only natural that they might have the inclination to copy that same style.
However, what this does is create a set of musical clones. And sometimes, these “clones” are sub-par to boot because, remember, some of these new rappers are still developing their skills as well.
Therefore, the fans are left with an important question: Why buy music from a clone when the original is already readily available?
The last reason has to do with the fans themselves, or should I say some of them. A lot of fans complain about being fed up with where the rap industry is at the moment.
Those fans say they want something fresh, something new, and yet, they never actively go out and try to find something new.
Artists such as Big K.R.I.T., Nitty Scott, Mur and Rapsody have positive messages in their songs and go against the norm, which is what the fans claim they want.
But most fans are just too lazy to search for these artistas even though it only takes a few clicks on Google.
So instead, they revert to their Tha Carter III, talking about how bad it is on Twitter a few minutes later.
Christopher Drummonds is a junior studying journalism and a writer for The Post. Email him at cd221907@ohiou.edu.
