Even as a big fan of music, it can almost be overwhelming to have such an enormous amount of music available. It’s unprecedented. With all the new streaming technologies available, and smartphones giving us more than we could possibly listen to, it’s a great time for listeners.
Popular streaming services
Sometimes, I reminsce over the time when California hip-hop was at the height of mainstream success (mid 90’s), and in a conversation with a successful independent recording artist, DTown, we talked about the state of hip-hop today and how things have changed.
We talked briefly about how the Internet has broken down regional barriers and opened up opportunities to have their music heard virtually anywhere. Also, the success of shows like “Empire” (a #1 network TV show with a huge age range of fans: 18-49) Still, even with a bigger audience available (compared to that time in the 90’s), artists still face pressure by major labels to compromise their values to accommodate the audience. We both agreed that this was one of the areas holding hip-hop back from reaching its new, larger potential.
In general, artists are not gaining as much in return as listeners in this new model-one that still caters towards major labels and popular artists.
There are still some that beat the system though. Take for example LA’s own Nipsey Hussle (who I’m a big fan of), but has chosen to go the independent route. I asked DTown why many artists choose to forego signing with major record labels.
Recent release by Nipsey Hussle
He explained how it was better for him, and many other musicians, to have their own distribution and websites (revenue from streaming services is minimal). They have adapted by going to a more entrepreneurial and more decentralized type of music business model; one that gives artists direct contact with their fans, and which also affords them more control.
As we talked, our discussion naturally turned towards the subject of Kendrick Lamar: an artist, who we both agree, is the one rap artist whose music is most in tune with the vibe of the culture right now.
My KDot playlist!
We talked about how Kendrick was leading the way in the trend towards greater attention to lyricism in rap. This has been encouraging to him, as well as other artists he knows, as they have chosen to stay true to themselves, rather than change to make themselves more appealing to an audience overwhelmed with choices. This isn’t going to change anytime soon, and attention spans will likely only get shorter as a result.
One thing, however, hasn’t changed with all this new technology, and that is LA’s impact on hip-hop. For example, DTown being in Ohio didn’t prevent Kendrick from influencing him out there. This makes me thankful to have big artists, like him, whose incredible artisty benefits us all and inspires their peers.
There are myriad independent artists out there, and if the new streaming models figure out a way to benefit them as much as consumers, that is when we all will truly benefit, and the sleeping giant within hip-hop will awaken.
The Black Aesthete 