LongLiveSaudade

5mo

Underground has always meant the same thing though and always will. Music without a mainstream push, you can be popular and have mainstream success but your music isn’t actually pushed by a machine. Like how Lucki was “king of the underground” for some years. S*** if X was alive he would most likely be underground with a high level of mainstream success. His music probably wouldn’t have had a strong push but he would have hits here and there. The mainstream artist that’s pushed and wildly known would’ve still respected it

RICHAXXVOYCE

5mo

Again that's a flawed way of looking at Underground Hip Hop and Underground music in general. According to you, everyone starts out Underground, regardless of their sound/aesthetic, because they don't have the attention of mainstream labels. That's not how it works.

Every new artist is independent until they make the decision to continue to make music that is popular (or mainstream) or continue to make music that is not popular. Let's not act like these Yeat/Lucki artists y'all referring to aren't Thugger/Carti/Keef clones, aka mainstream clones who eventually became globally accepted

LongLiveSaudade

5mo

Yes every artist starts underground

hadji

5mo

ahh idk see this is why underground means different things to different people. someone making cookie cutter pop music but is undiscovered is underground?

Melz

5mo

The Underground =\= Underground

THE Underground = the wave of Yeat, Ken, Lone, Summrs, etc.

Underground = MIKE and them

hadji

5mo

ahh idk see this is why underground means different things to different people. someone making cookie cutter pop music but is undiscovered is underground?

Bobby_96

5mo

In the Internet age, it's harder to clarify than ever before.

I'd say Roc Marciano, Armand Hammer, Peggy, etc. fit the definition but others might disagree.

Many would disagree with rage and drill rappers with Internet buzzes and minimal sales being "underground" too.

Hell, I've even seen people say that MF Doom, a rapper who was on no major label(post KMD) and has zero Billboard hits isn't underground.

I guess "underground" will always mean different things to different people.

dblvsn

5mo

The issue is yall see it as either underground or mainstream

In reality its 3 groups

Mainstream (signed to major label and or getting over 3 million streams a month)

"Underground"/alternative: signed to major label or imprint under 3 mil streams

Actual underground

Bobby_96

5mo

Where would you fit Tech N9ne?

dblvsn

5mo

Underground just means u don't have major label support

It's a label artists sometimes use for marketing

amory

5mo

i know we 50 years deep into hip hop being a commercial medium but i feel like the biggest thing we've been slowly losing is the genuine opportunity for creative people from complete poverty making names for themselves off their talent alone

theres still rappers and musicians like that but id say more than half of those who break have to have some sort of upper hand, through family / friend connects or something.

its always been about being in the right scene at the right time but with the internet, a scene can go so far beyond the physical limitations of time and space. influences can be pulled from decades prior and artists can connect with others around the world. its a beautiful thing. but what we are losing is a sense of community.

thug's case is going to set a precedent and make it harder for folk to come together and create a socio-economic network of artists that support each other (not excusing a lot of the bullshit that was going on in YSL)

saying all this to say, if ones geographical location matters less each year, with increasing value put into their internet persona's ability to reach the masses, i am worried about the ability to cultivate a true underground.

there is no undergroundnwithout community. i love what slums is doing man. that earl bk steel show was legendary

hadji

5mo

thats independent though, so whats the difference between independent and underground

amory

5mo

i know we 50 years deep into hip hop being a commercial medium but i feel like the biggest thing we've been slowly losing is the genuine opportunity for creative people from complete poverty making names for themselves off their talent alone

theres still rappers and musicians like that but id say more than half of those who break have to have some sort of upper hand, through family / friend connects or something.

its always been about being in the right scene at the right time but with the internet, a scene can go so far beyond the physical limitations of time and space. influences can be pulled from decades prior and artists can connect with others around the world. its a beautiful thing. but what we are losing is a sense of community.

thug's case is going to set a precedent and make it harder for folk to come together and create a socio-economic network of artists that support each other (not excusing a lot of the bullshit that was going on in YSL)

saying all this to say, if ones geographical location matters less each year, with increasing value put into their internet persona's ability to reach the masses, i am worried about the ability to cultivate a true underground.

there is no undergroundnwithout community. i love what slums is doing man. that earl bk steel show was legendary

dblvsn

5mo

For the most part there isn't one (aside from independent artists who distribute thru major labels like chance or mac miller)

hadji

5mo

i feel like mostttt underground artists are independent, maybe all, but not all independent artists are underground

hadji

5mo

spoiler alert: nobody agrees on what the word means haha but at least we tried! thank u all for commenting in the OG thread, and lmk what yall think

etuev

5mo

But what does this mean for the monoculture?