"Hip-Hop is white now" - Scarface

[dt43]

Why do y'all blame the suits instead of the rappers, especially when the most popular "drug" rappers aren't even signed, rarely release albums and live off of mixtapes (Gucci) or weren't signed when they reached their current status of fame (Flocka, Gucci, Scooter, Keef, Future)?​

Huh? I don't have a problem with the rappers. They're just individuals trying to make a living. Anyone has a right to make whatever music they want.


The problem is that the media only chooses to push a certain type of music, and as a result the public isn't adequately exposed to what is out there besides those 'trap' rappers. There are just as many people making the music J Cole, Kendrick, etc does, as those who make the music Gucci, Future, etc does. But one of those groups is clearly more represented in MSM.

So wait . . . it's okay for the rappers to get money any means necessary and do what's profitable but it's wrong for the record labels to do the same? Just like the labels could potentially have knowledge of what the music could do to the youth, do you think the rappers are unaware of that? Especially coming from the place they come from?​

Somewhat Irrelevant Sidenote: Cole and Kendrick's success comes from their song making abilities, I can tell you right now IMO the reason why most cats with good lyrics are forever gonna be failures, is because they stay choosing dusty *** corny beats . . . K Dot and Cole know how to rap quality stuff, but still have you nod your head to it, or have it sound dope in your car . . . thus why their music is popular with the masses because even with a song like Swimming Pools or even most of the S80 cuts that have a deeper meaning, K Dot knows how to pick a beat and write a chorus and for the average listener it's catchy and sounds good and will do good on the charts, but for the person who looks for lyrics, you appreciate it. That's what separates them from the average lyrical cat, just my opinion​

Rappers are individuals. Record labels are corporations. Corporations =/= people.

To go back to my food analogy again, that's like saying that since some parents choose to disregard their children's health and feed them low quality food, it's okay for major food distributors to be selling cheap low-quality food. Individuals are free to do whatever they want to do. But once you are a publicly-owned corporation, there is an ethical protocol that comes with that.

We can't demand perfection out of every single person. But when it comes to corporations that have concentrated influence over many people at once, we have to demand transparency and ethical practices. That's kind of been a big issue since 2008, if you haven't noticed.

Rappers like 2 Chainz and Future can always market their music locally in Atlanta, on Youtube, etc the same way non 'mainstream' rappers do. They don't HAVE to be pushed in the media as much as they are, over other rappers who make different types of music.

 

[PRIME]

I blame kanye

 

[delete]

 

[prez t]

dude, why do you keep reiterating the same damn thing over and over again. Everything you're pointing out is a given. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to get what scarface is saying, nor was it subliminially placed out under metophors and similies or some satire. I am lost.

... so why are you arguing with me ? does anybody else get what this dude is talking about , or why hes so tight over my comments?

 

[prez t]

Why do y'all blame the suits instead of the rappers, especially when the most popular "drug" rappers aren't even signed, rarely release albums and live off of mixtapes (Gucci) or weren't signed when they reached their current status of fame (Flocka, Gucci, Scooter, Keef, Future)?​

not blaming rappers , they can choose to spit whatever they want to spit about

my point is that the media and music companies are purposely pushing the ignorant rappers vs. more lyrical, conscious rappers

why is it that when Drake was coming up he was doing features with Little Brother , Elzhi , Lupe , Dwele etc and they were his boys; now its all Future and Two Chainz ?

 

[kix4kix]

While I do agree the images currently associated are not entirely positive, the source of those images is not the industry's resposibility. The industry's responsibility is to make money, point blank. So why produce something that doesn't sell? ...... After all rap music is being bought primarily by affluent people, now given that demographic - the current image associated with rap sells records, which is WHY they have jobs in the first place. Now the real question here, is if the industry flooded the market with positive/lyrical-heavy content, would they still sell? I think you are kidding yourself if you think so.


So does the industry choose the content, or does the consumer? Unless there is a monopoly in the recording industry I am aware of, I think the consumer is to blame.

 

[prez t]

While I do agree the images currently associated are not entirely positive, the source of those images is not the industry's resposibility. The industry's responsibility is to make money, point blank. So why produce something that doesn't sell? ...... After all rap music is being bought primarily by affluent people, now given that demographic - the current image associated with rap sells records, which is WHY they have jobs in the first place. Now the real question here, is if the industry flooded the market with positive/lyrical-heavy content, would they still sell? I think you are kidding yourself if you think so.


So does the industry choose the content, or does the consumer? Unless there is a monopoly in the recording industry I am aware of, I think the consumer is to blame.

and thats where we disagree . id argue they do have the power to influence what the customer "wants"

 

[dt43]

While I do agree the images currently associated are not entirely positive, the source of those images is not the industry's resposibility. The industry's responsibility is to make money, point blank. So why produce something that doesn't sell? ...... After all rap music is being bought primarily by affluent people, now given that demographic - the current image associated with rap sells records, which is WHY they have jobs in the first place. Now the real question here, is if the industry flooded the market with positive/lyrical-heavy content, would they still sell? I think you are kidding yourself if you think so.


So does the industry choose the content, or does the consumer? Unless there is a monopoly in the recording industry I am aware of, I think the consumer is to blame.

and thats where we disagree . id argue they do have the power to influence what the customer "wants"

Nah. Apparently people are raised in a vacuum with no influence from society whatsoever.

 

[meek meals]

While I do agree the images currently associated are not entirely positive, the source of those images is not the industry's resposibility. The industry's responsibility is to make money, point blank. So why produce something that doesn't sell? ...... After all rap music is being bought primarily by affluent people, now given that demographic - the current image associated with rap sells records, which is WHY they have jobs in the first place. Now the real question here, is if the industry flooded the market with positive/lyrical-heavy content, would they still sell? I think you are kidding yourself if you think so.


So does the industry choose the content, or does the consumer? Unless there is a monopoly in the recording industry I am aware of, I think the consumer is to blame.

and thats where we disagree . id argue they do have the power to influence what the customer "wants"

Nah. Apparently people are raised in a vacuum with no influence from society whatsoever.

Y'all would be correct if this were 10 years ago, but the internet and mixtape game is where stars are made now, before corporate hands are even in the pot

Keef, Future, Gucci, Drake, James, 2 Chainz, whoever you can think of that's popped up and been relevant in the past 5 years has had an organic grassroots following first locally, then regionally, and then on the internet. They upload their projects to LiveMixtapes or DatPiff and from there, the fans decide who makes it. Artists are usually already 1-3 projects deep by the time they are signed nowadays.

So yes, pretty much everything you see is a result of the consumer's desires. Because guys like Gucci and Keef have huge followings without even being on TV or really even radio. Not to mention, music videos and music content in general don't come on TV that often anyways nowadays. It's BET (106 and Park), MTV2 (This Week In Jams), MTV Jams. And 2 out of those 3 are premium channels that you have to pay extra for anyways, so most likely it's not gonna be shown in the areas that y'all are "concerned" about.

 

[doyung9]

Corny rappers are ruining rap music.

And those guys come in all shapes, sizes, and colors.

 

[yeeupp]

I really like Iggy's response in that interview.