Apr 1I think the word “plant” comes with a negative connotation that causes people to get defensive. Being a plant is not all bad, especially when the music is actually good. Music industry is a business at the end of the day and that’s just how business is done.
Apr 1·2 repliesCherrywine1Drake is definitely a plant. He was already semi famous and had lots of industry connections. Travis was a plant.
Again, I love drakes music. Also, being a plant is lot necessarily an awful thing. It just means a you had a little help from the label. I don’t think it has a place in hip hop, but we’re talking pop rap here. Anything goes in pop rap
You know who isn’t a plant? playboy Carti. He’s probably the biggest artist out with a 95%+ organic come up
If having connections in the industry is what makes a plant, pretty much every artist is a plant.
Carti met Bari in NY which lead to his first major record deal before his first offical project does that make him a plant cause he had that bari connection ? That type of thinking is pretty much what you're doing for these other artist
Being an industry plant means an artist who portrays themselves as completely independent no backing no nothing all while behind the scenes they're being funded by the industry
Apr 1Cherrywine1Well, yea. Like I said in an earlier post, most artists are plants. Genuine indie artists are pretty rare, though todays technology + internet access make it easier than ever to go indie (still not that easy though)
Most mainstream rap falls under the pop rap category, so a lot of those artists are gonna be plants. Simple as
No one uses plant like this
- Apr 1Oblivion X
If having connections in the industry is what makes a plant, pretty much every artist is a plant.
Carti met Bari in NY which lead to his first major record deal before his first offical project does that make him a plant cause he had that bari connection ? That type of thinking is pretty much what you're doing for these other artist
Being an industry plant means an artist who portrays themselves as completely independent no backing no nothing all while behind the scenes they're being funded by the industry
Literally, what’s the point of the term if it just means label backing, this is so disingenuous lol
- Apr 1·1 replyOblivion X
If having connections in the industry is what makes a plant, pretty much every artist is a plant.
Carti met Bari in NY which lead to his first major record deal before his first offical project does that make him a plant cause he had that bari connection ? That type of thinking is pretty much what you're doing for these other artist
Being an industry plant means an artist who portrays themselves as completely independent no backing no nothing all while behind the scenes they're being funded by the industry
Yea you’re absolutely right. However, the disconnect comes in when you’re talking about rappers.
Since rap is built on authenticity, most rappers come into the game on some “I grinded for this and did it all on my own” s*** meanwhile they have the label backing, rented cars, jewelry, brand deals given to them etc.
That’s where the plant allegations come in.
Like I’m sure Drake put in some work, but at the end of the day he already had fame, so getting picked up by the label and showered with co signs was an easy investment for them.
Straight pop artists usually just come in and drop their music, that’s why barely anyone accuses them of being plants. They’re usually not bragging about how they had to struggle and work to get where they are.
- Apr 1
Also there’s normal “label backing” and then there’s “EXTRA label backing (pushing)”
Brand new artist with a star studded feature list, tons of co-signs from huge artists, high profile producers and a big expensive marketing campaign? Yea buddy you’re a plant.
Apr 1·1 replyCherrywine1Generally speaking, plants are fast tracked to stardom with the help of label backing, co signs, artificial hype, marketing, brand deals etc
Everything is manufactured and very much controlled by the label to avoid risk and loss of investment.
Some recent plants:
-Ian (we want the yeat audience)
-Teezo Touchdown (I like this plant tbh)
-Jack Harlow (we want the Drake audience)
-4batz (rehash of failed plant RMR)
-lil nas xLots fail, some don’t.
Most successful plants:
-Billie Eilish
-Sabrina carpenter
-Olivia Rodrigo
-Post Malone
-Taylor swiftActually, most pop plants are successful because the average pop fan can’t sniff out when something is being inorganically pushed on them nor do they seem to care as long as it sounds good to them. Most of biggest acts in history were plants since that was how the music biz was ran up until “indie artists” became more prominent a few decades ago. Plants aren’t inherently bad, some are really talented.
A lot of pushback comes from hip hop plants because this is a genre of authenticity and rawness. The idea of rapper just being planted by a label unsettles rap fans because it’s just not the way things should be. F*** jack Harlow
Do former disney actors count as plants
- Apr 1Cherrywine1
Yea you’re absolutely right. However, the disconnect comes in when you’re talking about rappers.
Since rap is built on authenticity, most rappers come into the game on some “I grinded for this and did it all on my own” s*** meanwhile they have the label backing, rented cars, jewelry, brand deals given to them etc.
That’s where the plant allegations come in.
Like I’m sure Drake put in some work, but at the end of the day he already had fame, so getting picked up by the label and showered with co signs was an easy investment for them.
Straight pop artists usually just come in and drop their music, that’s why barely anyone accuses them of being plants. They’re usually not bragging about how they had to struggle and work to get where they are.
I mean the whole "i did it on my own" is just typical rap posturing and exaggeration. But unless they're hiding that they're signed then there really shouldn't be any allegations.
Drake already had fame because he worked as an actor and utilized his connections that doesn't mean he was planted into the rap game. Networking isn't a bad thing.
Ye's mom knew No ID mom and that's how No ID became ye's mentor. Jay-z utilized the Jaz-O and Biggie connection before his debut. Consequence utilzed the tip and ye connection before his debut.
Doesn't make any of them plants, they just knew how to network.
Baby Keem isn't an industry plant because he's related to kendrick. He's an industry plant because he purposefully try to hide the connection until his debut album
Apr 1Y’all aren’t taking the term plant literally enough. It’s not basic label backing, or even dishonesty about that. A plant is someone who was handpicked and put into the industry. Theyre planted into the music industry. So Rihanna would be an actual example of a plant, nobody y’all have named is one
Apr 1·2 repliesPlayboi Carti is a 2020s rap star
Apr 1Juice, Pop, and X was suppose to be the next generation.
- Apr 1·1 reply
Andre JaquetI don’t understand calling ian a plant, I saw him buzzing for a while in the underground the. The EP blew up and he dipped in popularity he was making music for a while before it. Maybe there’s something idk tho.
4batz yes
Teezo is more like just a guy who made the right behind the scenes plays before getting back to putting music out he was making s*** in 2014 but some ppl do count that as a plant
Lil nas x I think just got lucky lol with a meme I remember seeing old town road start as a meme song and people started f***ing with it
Jack was grinding for years before he blew up he had a couple small hits what’s poppin just went nuclear cuz people thought it was catchy.One thing I’d say is, do u not think most of hip hop history is filled with plants too? Like a lot of these rappers blew up on major labels. They got signed behind the scenes and put their first stuff out. Like drakes first mixtape had little brother and big name features on it and he came from degrading. Cole came out the gate with a rock nation signing. Big Sean first project was under the wing of Kanye. Travis was producing on a Kanye album and had big features on his first mixtape. Cudi too
Nah ian def a plant. The songs he dropped before he signed have barely any views and most of the views are people looking at them after he blew up.
Apr 1·2 replies
inspoeaterThe Artist Formerly Known as kanYe had a great lil conspiracy theory on this in the Ak interview speaking in the white man executive voice
Essentially “rappers last too long and are too powerful lets start making smaller stars”
and on this note I think of how the game did Chance lol even tho its kind of also his own fault
While that sounds plausible in theory
It doesn’t make sense historically, most of the top rappers from the 90s-2000s stayed within the “program” and never ventured out or rebelled against it
Drake is the first rapper that could make dent to the major label system because of his popularity but again why would labels waste money on rappers with short term success trajectories over one’s they can profit off for years
- Apr 1inspoeater
The Artist Formerly Known as kanYe had a great lil conspiracy theory on this in the Ak interview speaking in the white man executive voice
Essentially “rappers last too long and are too powerful lets start making smaller stars”
and on this note I think of how the game did Chance lol even tho its kind of also his own fault
This makes sense but also monoculture even just when it comes to rap is dying. So many artists to choose from now.
Apr 1BRAVEMan what are those shirts I’ve been trying to get one
Lmfao the large child sized black tee that dim be wearing ?
Apr 1Mafia BossDo former disney actors count as plants
This is a good convo, because yes they have all the backing etc that a plant usually have. But its also just a part of the Disney star playbook to drop a single or two (Zendaya comes to mind). Then there's Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter who defies all logic, but Sabrina been flopping for a min before she made it big so is that really considered a plant?
- Apr 1I AM PAIN
Playboi Carti is a 2020s rap star
Is he really? He was birthed from the Awful Records crew
- Apr 1·1 replyyungcartier
While that sounds plausible in theory
It doesn’t make sense historically, most of the top rappers from the 90s-2000s stayed within the “program” and never ventured out or rebelled against it
Drake is the first rapper that could make dent to the major label system because of his popularity but again why would labels waste money on rappers with short term success trajectories over one’s they can profit off for years
Kanye
Jay
Wayne
Arguably PacI’ve read as a kid WWE also does this and Anthony Mackie just said Hollywood does this
The logic being its easier to always make and change out stars than it is to always have to pay superstars the big money theyre asking
Apr 1Cherrywine1Generally speaking, plants are fast tracked to stardom with the help of label backing, co signs, artificial hype, marketing, brand deals etc
Everything is manufactured and very much controlled by the label to avoid risk and loss of investment.
Some recent plants:
-Ian (we want the yeat audience)
-Teezo Touchdown (I like this plant tbh)
-Jack Harlow (we want the Drake audience)
-4batz (rehash of failed plant RMR)
-lil nas xLots fail, some don’t.
Most successful plants:
-Billie Eilish
-Sabrina carpenter
-Olivia Rodrigo
-Post Malone
-Taylor swiftActually, most pop plants are successful because the average pop fan can’t sniff out when something is being inorganically pushed on them nor do they seem to care as long as it sounds good to them. Most of biggest acts in history were plants since that was how the music biz was ran up until “indie artists” became more prominent a few decades ago. Plants aren’t inherently bad, some are really talented.
A lot of pushback comes from hip hop plants because this is a genre of authenticity and rawness. The idea of rapper just being planted by a label unsettles rap fans because it’s just not the way things should be. F*** jack Harlow
teezo and jack aren’t plants
Apr 1doechii if she keeps momentum, but a lot of the crossover from 18-now has lost a lot of steam
- Apr 1·1 replyI AM PAIN
Playboi Carti is a 2020s rap star
idk bro kind of a stretch...
he's in the first 10 years of his career sure, but he's associated with a whole wave from 2010's and had multiple hits then
- Apr 1inspoeater
Kanye
Jay
Wayne
Arguably PacI’ve read as a kid WWE also does this and Anthony Mackie just said Hollywood does this
The logic being its easier to always make and change out stars than it is to always have to pay superstars the big money theyre asking
Everyone (besides Kanye) you listed stayed within the program
Jay worked himself up the ladder in the major label system to become a billionaire which costed Roc-A-Fella itself
Wayne had to get screwed over by Birdman for him to walk away from Cash Money and that was after he fell off from the heights he came from
Pac wasn’t a huge superstar until after his death, his rebelliousness was more political if anything
Kanye rebelled but he lost a lot of power industry wise because of it
In comparison to WWE, they did have a bunch mid level stars after they made Cena their top guys but it was also the years where they had the least mainstream interest up until the 2020s while in the years where they had multiple top stars, they were the most popular and profitable (ex: Attitude era, RA era, Hogan era)
- Apr 1·editedCherrywine1
Eh you make a solid case for the other ones, but I think Ian had a short lil “underground” blow up solely to not appear as a plant. Isn’t his dad some label exec or something?
Yea Drake is for sure the most successful industry plant in hip hop. Anyone who starts out in acting already has established fame so they’re 100% getting planted. I say this as someone who loves Drake music.
Pretty sure Cole was a plant. Can’t speak on big Sean cuz I didn’t follow his come up, but probably. Travis 1000% is a plant. I still remember when he came out and how fast he blew up. Can’t speak on cudi. First time I heard him was day n night, and I was in middle school so idk what his come up was like lol.
It’s also worth noting that a lot of these artists have had some pushback from the rap community in their careers.
But I totally agree with you, a lot of hip hop artists are plants because hip hop has been steady climbing to the top as the most popular genre and that just comes with the territory.
I think as it loses its dominance, we’ll see less planted artists because labels won’t be as interested in this market.
Ok yea fair I agree, real s***. Tbh hip hop falling to me is just it going back to its size in like 2011 or 2013 cuz of how much bigger it is now.
- Apr 1Mafia Boss
Nah ian def a plant. The songs he dropped before he signed have barely any views and most of the views are people looking at them after he blew up.
Ok yea bet makes sense, other guy said his dad in the industry too so makes sense