Now-a-days in the game...?

Question

Seems to me; unless you got T-Pain or Akon on the hook; or Kanye or Lil Wayne on a verse; your s**t ain't gonna get ANY attention..WTF happened to the hip-hop game?

Answer 1

True.  Thats Why we have 2 get ALBUMS. alot of the times the artist have meaningful songs on the cd But the label makes them release that "Radio-Friendly" Song!  Because if not the album will Flop!

Answer 2

yeah i agree i've noticed that

Answer 3

It's a weird game right now.  

Guys like Akon and Wayne and whoever is in the immediate spotlight have HUGE marketing dollars behind them that help promote their albums.  In return for said service and huge fame when usually only garnish a much smaller piece of the record sales because they are expected to sell many more records than someone on their own or with an independent label.  As a result, these conglomerates have their pockets in every large radio affiliation, music publications, A&R executive, the list goes on and on.

Any it doesn't necessarily mean the actual rapper makes any more at the end of the day, although the trend lately has been working out in the "sell-outs" favor.  Here's an example...

Major label artist goes triple platinum @ .50 per record and makes $1.5 mil.

Small underground artist with indie label sells only 500k records but banks $3 on every record and he makes $1.5 mil.  (side-note, I've heard that KRS-One has deals for $4.50 an album).

In any event, huge PR has proven to help sell records and record companies are doing anything within their means to make sure their signed artists make money, but more so that they do as well.  Nowhere in there did I said anything about quality of product have I?  Nope, it's all market-driven PR and marketing.  That is why most artists signed to a major label must make "x" amount of guess appearances on radio shows, T.V., regional events, etc.  It's cheap advertising that both parties make out on.  Same with the dumb ringtone fiasco.

What we need is for real fans to step up and support the indie labels and the artists that they represent through ticket sales and album purchases although I know that can be hard when it's harder to find out when they are coming around or when that next album drops (because of lack of promo $).  

I'm just saying it seems like the underground guys are doing the real grind work and taking more risk and being more independent they should be rewarded as such.  Perhaps someday the mom-and-pop labels with be seen as the aristocratic stepchild to it's meaner and more abrasive older parents.  

Here's to rewarding quality hiphop over iced-grilled promotion!

Answer 4

'dade's finest' is right, the record labels make them have a couple of dodgy ' party' singles on their albums so they will become big and t-pain and akon seem to be popular atm, its kinda like how nate dogg used to be on the singles by dre or snoop :D

thats why loads of people hating eminem because his singles; just lose it and without me are nothing compared to the great stuff on the rest of his albums!

Answer 5

Radio Stations all agree on one thing. Play what the young party girls like. It's at a bad state right now and the only ones who have contorl over it is the radio station and Billboard