Is that the industry’s fault or is that our fault?

The radio stations and djs that are covered by payola to play the same 15 artists for hours while artists that @proper and @YoungNastyShawty be making threads about on here dont get not one lick of shine.

THATs today’s gatekeeping. It’s keeping niggas out the gate from being inside something they should be apart of because of the fact they dont got the right connections.

The one thing i will say bout the 90s (pre shiny suit era) that helped hip hop progress as a genre was the variety in what was being pushed. You had ppl like Sway and Bobbito that actually took risks (and in all fairness, you could afford to do that in a genre that was more or less still growing). My pops still a nigga from florida. And yet still told me you could listen to the radio for 20 mins and hear 2 live crew, poor righteous teachers, and x clan all in the same time span.

That’s the balance that we just dont got no more. Turn up s*** aint bad. I cant be “conscious/lyrical miracle” 24/7 cause it’ll be unenjoyable. But a balance is missing and streaming/playlists being funded by payola has defeated the purpose of what it was supposed to be for in the first place.

TL;DR: criticism aint bad @op but when it comes from people thats out of touch with what’s currently going on (like say, a site full of niggas on the “wrong side of 20” putting input on things made for teenage audiences), it highlights whats wrong with it.

@NawfsideRanger is actually right on this one lol

so what can we do to break beyond where we are right now?

great points

Comment and review sections if we being honest

i'm on board with removing likes and clout on comments for this reason

I mean other than somehow de-evolutionizing and somehow convincing the entire world to ditch all streaming platforms and get back to CDs (which is impossible, especially since they got cars and computers now that don't even have CD drives no more), there's really nothing you really can do but adapt or die.

A lot of niggas are adapting in different ways (shoutout to bandcamp, they kind of like the people's champ right now since Soundcloud's gone corporate.) but otherwise, pray major labels stop gripping the radio stations and playlists by the balls so that other type of artists can get in the door. But in all fairness, it's inevitable this was gonna always end up this way.

i believe digital art should be free

but i feel we gotta take it back and
start selling s*** out of the trunk again

in combination with companies that
are clearly for the artists like bandcamp

for the physical releases

and maybe it isn't CDs anymore

but we gotta find something to represent
the physical aspect of the album again imo

streaming gives the
wrong people too
much control

"i believe digital art should be free"

nigga you bugging lol.

we could start selling s*** out the trunk again but who the f*** has a tape player in they car? S***, who has a tape player in they house?

A good music critic can honestly enhance one’s understanding of the music by finding the words to express what you feel but couldn’t elucidate when you listen to the music

Of course most arent on that level these days, I don’t really read music criticism anymore and it is irrelevant to its initial purpose of telling you what’s worth spending money on in the streaming era — also the writers often have a valid political axe to grind — but idk I still have a soft spot for music criticism

You think people who spend hours, days, weeks, months, years of time pouring their soul into creativity shouldn't be paid for it?

I bet you also think people should make less than $20/hr and let corporations rake in billions off of the labour of underpaid, poverty-bordering minimum wage workers.

think he might've just misspoke, since he still says we should still sell s*** out the trunk lol. (which one would argue that's exactly what bandcamp is the digital version of in 2021, especially cause on some Fridays, they let anyone buy projects and they take NO percentages of your profits.)

who said anything about selling tapes

no

i just don't believe in paying for something that i cannot physically own

oh nevermind, now you really bugging lol.

how?

why would i pay for something i can pirate

damn okay you right, gonna go cancel my internet cause i can't own it

that's not the same thing

the internet is a utility

which i believe should be free btw

but it's not the same thing as paying for a digital game

or album

why would i do that

that doesn't make any sense

surely you don't think we're calling it even by streaming music?

lol

Oh nevermind @op going completely off the deep end.

Have you not heard of digital/visual art? lmfao.

should music video directors not get paid since you can't physically buy or own a music video anymore?

where can you buy a music video

I'm saying directors still get paid for their services.

You do know work still goes into the presentation of digital music that's being sold right?

obviously

but that doesn't give me as a consumer any incentive to by their work

i can just watch it on youtube for free

and that's my point

it shouldn't be that way

And like I literally told you, there's no where to play tapes or CDs anymore. What the f*** is the point of selling tapes out of the trunk of a 1994 Toyota Tercell in 2021 when all niggas have is aux cords and bluetooths nigga?