I guess you could get a business loan but idk if anyone starting out rapping could just get 500k like that

OP is a major label shill lol

LMAO

not anymore

Rather have a career like Curren$y's where you are well respected and make a lot of money instead of being like a Fetty Wap who has 3 hot singles for one summer and then gets banished to the shadow realm and remembered as a failure

yeah i'm aware. there can also be secret licensing which happens all the time (i don't think that happens w/ mario), a recent example that I can think of is summrs who has been signed for a year but only just now is releasing under his label license.

tik tok has given so many artists relevancy and hits too, it's easier to become relevant now which is why I think OP is wrong tbh. the hardest part would be staying for the long run which needs a good team that actually cares about you and the music you're making. Chance had this but threw it all away for The Big Day...still, his career shows that it's possible to be relevant without a deal and to ignore the feats him and Pat reached would be ignorant.

which song was that?

Mario signed.

signing to a label only guarantees you relevancy for a tad bit, it doesn't by any means guarantee longevity or that you'll maintain a dedicated fanbase

Guess What ft Rick Ross

Tentacion was the only one from the last decade who pulled it off frfr

Everybody else is cap. (Russ, Chance, Mackelmore etc.)

Chance still had major industry people plugging him post 10 day even without signing to label

Plant

I said that too until I went to his Spotify and realized I've heard all of his top songs on the radio

was signed

a month before he died doesn’t count, check the wiki for his 17 album he released it on his own imprint

twas more than 3 wasn't it

also X blew up before signing w/ Empire. was really fascinating to see somebody get that big without affiliation with a label. plus he was in jail twice during his blow up, unbelievable. hope another artist does what he did this decade

he used to get his friends to advertise to people in his local mcdonalds and used to pay for other people to repost him on soundcloud, then he ended up recouping the money by also selling shoutouts, made like 6 figures doing this. innovative as f*** and very admirable

*existed

labels got hella perks when it comes to releasing stuff on DSPs etc

Is this the same as Weeknd? Or was he actually signed by republic?

Op has a point, the biggest truly independent artist I can think of essentially had one of the most unique teams around him

With that being said, you can definitely be relevant. Not relevant enough that everyone will know your name but you can be a C-List artist

Who cares if some stats-obsessed nerds on niche forums and radio show hosts consider you "relevant" when you have real fans and make an actual living out of your true passion tbh

I’m down to sign as long as I have full control over what I put out and when I put it out. They can keep the advances and all that extra s***