The World Wide Web had a huge impact on our beloved genre and on music as a whole. Record label exec’s got so caught up in signing Myspace celeb acts like Soulja Boy and promoting digital sale (music downloads and ringtones) that somehow along the lines, genuine hip hop got lost in the commotion.
I guess we’re in that dance era, you know, like when soul music turned into disco. Now unlike a lot of critics, I don’t think hip hop is dying- just lying in a dark alley somewhere fighting for its life. Conversely, hip hop in ’08 will be all about bringing back lyrical content to rap and speaking for the voiceless (which was always the initial purpose for the existence of hip hop anyway). It’s the time for the lyricists to shine and the dancing jiggaboos must fall back.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be documenting and taking an in depth look on the industry trends that will shape the music and lifestyle that is hip hop in ’08.
So lets begin with Sales in '08. Digital sale is definitely what's in- the proof is there.
Record sales for 2007 in the US were down 9.5 percent from 2006 and in comparison to digital sale numbers of almost 850 million, only approximately 570 million units were sold. Music sales, especially record sales, have been on constant decline for the past ten years partly due to illegal downloading and file sharing. Causing labels to take action- notice all the ringtone ads and free music-download giveaways?
The marketing for digital sales has shown to be a lucrative move for boosting music sales--especially when it comes to the already comparatively low record sale of hip hop albums and it appears to be the key to fixing many hip hop labels' money issues this year and you know how those rappers love making that money!
Although sales may seem to be irrelevant to the average hip hop-lover (Lord knows we’ll still love our favorite artists despite their numbers), good sales keep the record labels that back our faves happy, and when they’re happy- we hear more from them.
Industry trends show that Hip hop in ’08 will be laced with digital sale promotion which for the most part works for everyone. Who doesn’t like being able to download their favorite albums and pick and choose songs for their ipod playlists or hearing their phone ring with their current favorite song?
The downside?, digital sale will also make it easier for hip hop to become even more commercialized because in order to reach more audiences and get better sales using digital marketing, real hip hop will get watered down even more.
Let’s hope our artists stick to their guns and put out more quality than quantity. I trust they will- hip hop’s a fighter.
In my next piece, I’ll be discussing the beefs that are present in hip hop. Beef helps keep hip hop entertaining and lucrative but displays the wrong ideals as to what hip hop is and taints the very genre itself. The whole thing raises this question: just how much of an impact is hip hop beef really leaving on the music scene?
COMMENTS
Jesus hates you...get outta here.
Think about how many kids will stop hanging in the hallways with a principle like that...grades will improve...anyways..I should just cut this short and ban you again for the millionth time.
LOL dude is like begging not to be banned
"ppl even prop me for my comments now" LMAO, thats hilarious.
fosho tha truth....jesus is our savior...but to be honest we should keep jesus as far away from defsounds as we can...yedig...lol
i believe dis to a certain extent, 4 th simple fact hiphop more than ever is a bizniz and thats how alotta of ppl are treatin it, and u have to put out wut sellz...and commercial sellz period!...not takin nething away from the lyricist [such as myself]...but w/ the generations that are preparin to run our country, tahts wut they like, they like the dancin and the crank dat shit, and alotta of the upcomin genz. dont appreciate or can even have the mental capacity to grasp concept muzik...flatout!
I personally think that the digital age will eventually take hip hop back to its roots. It will force MC's to make really good music in order to sell. I think kids sitting at home and putting their heart and soul into the music will post that shit on there little blog sites and blow up without the middle man there with his hand out. Even tho soulja boy blew because of a pop sounding club track (I cant stand) I love the way he made it happen. I think thats the wave of the future. Soon the money hungry record labels will not be able to get their claws on these kids before their best and most honest music is already recieved by the public. It will be an era where downloading is 90% of the revenue and the money will go through less hands before it reaches the artist that made it. Just imagine... you and your boys have the drive to make a good song and then you post it on your little myspace or your site or whatever and it spreads like wildfire. Now you known. now you can market yourself to the people directly. Soon everything is gonna be digital. No more cds. no more dvds. all of that tangible merchandise is gonna be replaced by the download. Just do the math. Ipods and mp3 players took over the walkman and discman in less than a decade. You dont ever touch that music in cd form, you download it. Movies too. The entertainment industry as a whole is being flooded with do-it-at-home artists and performers. look at youtube. hundreds of millions of people are viewing that shit. The internet is doing to tv what tv did to the radio. Its just evolution. I embrace the changes. I think it will bring hip hop back to the form of show & prove that it used to be.
I concur,the only one the industry is bad for is the fat man wearing the suit..It can only get better for us.
Wow, I ALSO concur gethip! That was a strong comment that really made me think. The walkman IS something I haven't seen since the early 00s, lol... I'd like to add ONE thing. People DO still buy cds... I think the compact disc is going to be around forever. It's not going anywhere. It outlasted the "minidisc"...'member them? They didn't pan out. It's like the VCR...it's kinda obsolete these days BUT YOU STILL NEED ONE! I bought over 20 cds in 2007 for my car. Afterwards, I immediately go home and copy them to my computer and put them back in my car. So, I'm sayin' people DO actually still purchase cds... They ain't goin' nowhere!
oh 4sho gd shit ther fam..
deeee-troit
DAMN! Good shit!
~Be Eazy!
need a vcr, hell no
i need a dvd player only
lol well the digital age certinally gon do one thing stop anyone from makin good mone off the hiphop , its back to basketball football or jail ...unless u can play a guitar
Ok I want to put my two cents in..
fact is that today the fine-line between being an artist and a business man is tragically blurred so at this point most newcomers are looking for something else rather than the primary goal of an MC.
Yes we love her[Hip Hop] but truthfully I think we are mostly confused as for where she is going. With more and more computers connecting to the internet and illegally downloading albums that shouldn't be confusion anymore it's simply killing her.
Businessmen have specific goals and tendencies they adjust to whatever is more efficient in getting the most revenue inside. and we all can agree that hip hop is now what's the word an industry? I'm not glorifying it or saying it is better as a business because it simply isn't, Real MC's are not being promoted right that way, for the most part that is.
You are absolutely right when you say digital sale will also make it easier for hip hop to become even more commercialized, Only dumed down lyrics[in hip hop] seems to meet commercial success and I'm scared it's the only route this culture-completely turned business- is taking.
It's just not true to to think that the top selling albums are the most artistically valuable and redeeming. Truth is all we hear from artists these days are numbers, ringtones numbers radio spins and others If artists themselves are discussing their music strictly in product/commodity terms how can anyone expect the music to be treated as something culturally important, long-lasting, and stimulating by fans, and even execs for that matter?
If trying to make music free of commercial constraints you can totally count me in [other content loving fan would most likely be on my side]. But I believe that when the music is done that you fully hustle it you deserve to enjoy commercial success. What I don't believe in is trying to be a businessman behind the mic I mean let's be truthful it might work for a very small and I mean small amount of rappers out of a bunch without distracting their music delivery; I'm sure if they are real businessmen, they are going to want to dum down their lyrics just to attract a wider audience and in turn increase income which as fan are not pleased by. It's short-sighted and lends to making something temporary vs. permanent and important.
Oh BTW not sure if I left you guys a comment but awesome job the site is looking better and better..
P.S. about the iTunes gift I didnt get it lol... I was gonna give it to the GF but whatever it's cool but now she's gonna know I did not make it up haha.
Good shit...
You pretty much covered everything...and made it understandable as well...good shit!
But truth be told... Music in this era doesn't neccessarily contain the same "quality" as music in the "golden era".
Back then it was all about creativity, wittiness, and NOT selling out. Now it's (for the most part) all about who can sell out and go Platinum the fastest. To be honest (may sound dumb)... I never even knew what platinum was until highschool...
I'm quite sure artist were going platinum... MC Hammer, Run DMC...and rock stars and shit... but I never knew about it. I though going gold mean you were a legend back then. Shit to be honest in this day and age... I still feel that way. If you can go "gold" and not have to DUMB down ya lyrics... or sell out in order to cross over into genre's that we reall have no place being in in the first place... then that's a job well done.
Of course labels arent trying to here that... but FUCK EM!
Shit just sign with Koch and go INDI! Most labels will be shut down pretty soon anyways.
Let me be the first to admit that this new shit (for the most part) sucks! So fuck selling out to sell more!
~Be Eazy!
STOP WRITIN' BOOKS NIGGA! GOOD SHIT THOUGH.
One more thing lol kinda off but it's to the writter The World-Wide Web I'm not speaking with numbers but is not the one you should be puting it up there lol because it's not the most used protocol used I mean it might be popular but I can argue even without numbers that Peer 2 Peer is the most popular way people use even if they don't talk about it I mean even old people tell me about limewire I'm like what? I think I'm right.. How many people like me know the algorithm used by Google machine, how many people can actually trick google to get the file location use just charaters, that's right buddy most people actually don't use that protocol...
What???
~Be Eazy!
See, I'm of the belief that record sales are NOT down due to illegal downloading. What happened 2 your boy coppin' a tape, back in the day, and you DUBBING it off of him? Was that illegal? NO. That's how I feel about Limewire; someone in America purchased and album, saved it to their computer, and made that folder available for anyone to DUB it or a track off of them? Why is that so bad? Why do I have to go out and purchase and whole crappy ass C.U.R.T.I.S. album, when the only track I even a little bit care for is "I Get Money"? How fair is that? File sharing is phenomenal and genius.
Alicia Keys dropped QUALITY MUSIC in December and her album will be TRIPLE PLATINUM in about 2 more weeks. File sharing didn't seem to hurt her sales. If artists feel like Limewire is hurting their sales, then they should go harder to put out more quality music, and not stick 3 hot singles on a 17 track cd filled with filler.
That's my 3 cents. Take it or leave it.
nah theres a difference. yo friend bought the album u copied it off of him. that one less record sale for every person doin that shit. but now wit limewire all it takes is one person to buy the album then the whole world got it. at its very worst thats an artist selling one record because the rest of the world got it off that one artist. the internet is a big place so that really hits the pocket books off the music industry when u passin that album around to niggas u dont even know. if u really only want one song and not the whole album i believe u can purchase a single song off of itunes but i could be wrong. as far as alicia keys she's gone sell alot because her music appeals to ppl everywhere and not just black ppl whos' gone bootleg her stuff. but still u cant deny she would get one more record sale if u decided to buy her album instead of bootlegging it. u cant possibly say limewire doesnt affect record sales because even passing your cd along to your friend affects record sales if its in the smallest way. now think about how many more people wont be buying the cd if u put it on limewire. like it or not illegal downloading is killing hip hop and mostly hip hop because we as black people bootleg more.(that includes me)
The Truth,
That may have been THE STRONGEST, analytical, quality comment you've ever made. PROPS.
All I'm saying is that, whether or not Limewire IS available, EVERYONE HAS THE OPTION to either download an album or not download an album. Look at the list of artists whose cd's I purchased in '07, for example: The Fugees, Slick Rick, Amy Winehouse (x3 - 2 cds/DVD), Alicia Keys, Cassidy, Corinne Bailey Rae, Chrisette Michelle, Keith Murray, Redman, T.I., Jay-Z, Common, Keyshia Cole, Talib Kweli, Jill Scott, Fabolous, Ghostface Killah, Scarface, Mary, Jaheim, the Wu-Tang Clan, Styles P, and Beanie Sigel.
I'm not no damn Fabolous fan! But, I made a CONSCIOUS EFFORT to purposely support hip-hop last year INSTEAD of downloading and only purchasing my fave artists' cds. I contributed to the crappy sales of artists who went 2x WOOD like Keith Murray (whose album was NASTY), Styles P, and Beanie. And, in some instances, downloading can be a good thing, for example, by downloading an artist to test them out, i.e. the Fergie tracks I downloaded. That caused me to go to Launch and YouTube to check out her videos with and without her team. In December, I FINALLY CRACKED and PURCHASED HER CD FROM BEST BUY.
When it comes down to it, it's all about the music and the PEOPLE'S conscious efforts to support who they want to support.
Lastly, there are some NASTY artists who have NEVER sold, wayyyyy before the digital age. Let's look at some 90s era superstars who NEVER really sold: AZ, Busta Rhymes, the Lost Boyz (Mr. Cheeks was aiight), the Roots, and the Boot Camp Clik, comprised of Originoo Gun Clappaz, Heltah Skeltah, and Smif-N-Wessun. None of those artists/groups really sold like that but were lyrically tight. So now, downloading is KILLING Hip-Hop?? I think NOT. But, YOU DID make some valid points; it's okay to agree to disagree.
u everyone has the option to download it. but if u download it illegally u still enjooyin that artist music withou payin for it so u might as well be stealin it from the store. either u support that rapper or u dont but the catch is if u dont support them u dont get to listen to there music. its your choice to download it or not but that artist put his hardwork and creativity into the album so why should you get it for free? basically downloading is allowing fans to be cheap and not pay for what they normally would. its killin hip hop in a sense its cheating artist out of all of there hard work. they put so much in but get very little out because no one is buying there albums. you bought alot of albums but thats my whole point. you bought them not downloaded them illegally. there are artist whoe barely sold b4 the downloading but now they sell even less. and artist like jay who made a major breakthrough and sold 5 mil for the first time now sells an average of 2 mil per album. artist are still makin money but now you have to appeal to white people just to go platinum. there was a time when artist could come with songs that appeal to black people because we actually bought it but now they have to appeal to white people as well which i believe is the main reason so many people have comercialized there style. im not saying all white ppl want to hear this music but the average white person who is not really a fan of old school hip hop is the main person artist appeal to when they talk about nothing but cars clothes and gucci bags. your right it is the fans choice to support their favorite artist by buying there cd but most people are going to be cheap because they dont care about that artist who isnt puttin money into their pocket. they just want something for free so thats where the downloading starts killing hip hop.
Bootlegging existed WAY before the digital age. The Chinese have been bootleggin' cds FOREVER.... Literally the first TAPE I EVER BOUGHT, Bone Thugz-N-Harmony's 1994 Creepin' On Ah Come Up, was a $5 bootleg tape I bought in the hood from a guy's stand right next to the supermarket. Without, Limewire, there's always the cd stand at the bus station in the hood. You know it and I know it!
Damn right I DOWNLOADED Graduation, lol and STILL haven't listened to it [YES, I MAY BE THE ONLY PERSON IN AMERICA who HASN'T heard GRADUATION!!], 'cause I damn sure wasn't buying it. Haven't heard, nor did I purchase Curtis. (Just using these 2 albums as an example) Just because I didn't purchase those albums DOESN'T mean that I'm not gonna hear those albums or "deserve" to listen to them. Again, just to reiterate, there are many instances where people who've "dubbed" something have went out and purchased the real thing for themselves... TRUE OR UNTRUE??
___________________________________________________________________________________
HERE'S THE POINT: If Limewire IS, in fact killing something, then let's just say it's killing the MUSIC INDUSTRY PERIOD, NOT hip-hop.... There are wayyyy more factors than file sharing programs (i.e. Limewire, BearShare, Audio Galaxy, Napster, etc.) that attribute to Hip-Hop's dying. When Nas said that Hip-Hop was dead @ the end of '06, creating mass hysteria, he NEVER mentioned file sharing. TRUE OR NOT TRUE?
yeah bootleggin has been around for years but limewire has made it that much more popular, that much more accessible and now its completely free. there were some black ppl who bootleged it from a bootlegger and some who actually bought it. now the average person who might have bought it is bootleggin because its just so easy now. when i use 2 ask my parents for a cd they just told me to download it off of limewire. besides the fact that limewire accomadates cheap niggas it accomadates lazy niggas. limewire isnt the only one its just the most popular so it gets attacked more often but illegal downloading period is killing record sales if not hip hop. when i was still in school thats all i heard was people downloadin shit off the internet. people that might have bough a cd at one point. bootleggin has always been around but file sharing over the internet only makes it that much easier causing more people to download. i'll agree its not neccessarily killing hip hop but it is killing the record sales because artist dont sell like they use 2 which is hard to explain when hip hop is so much more popular these days.
Matic,
You definitely ain't lying about how long bootleggin is been apart of the music biz. Shit, I remember an episode of "What's Happening" when ReRun got busted bootleggin the Doobie Brother's concert. (lol - yeah I'm old forreal. lol) That was the first time I heard of that shit...late 70's early 80's.
Now, they took the simple idea of dubbing your boys tape to another level.
Ha, ha, ha... I REMEMBER that episode... He had the old school tape recorder, lol!
" Su'mn Su'mn Su'mn ( STACK THAT CHEESE!)" haha whack rappers these days...true story man. Personally i think THE Culture of HIp HOP Never died...the music part just got injured so its in rehab waiting to make a strong comeback if these ni99az start rapping about real shit it can make a comeback like Jordand in 97..but if these buggle gum niggaz stay here the comeback gone be more like Priest Holmes did this year.....HAte it or love it
NEWS - The future for LimeWire is dawning in a bad way anyways. the RIAA is already shoving a lead pipe up their ass
what killing Hip-Hop is niggas making albums with 13 or 14 tracks and limrwire
sorry this was suppose to go here. i was wondering why it didnt post
yeah i hate that shit. jay and beans do that shit. jay was only gone put like 9 tracks on american gangsta at first but he bumbed it up to like 12 or 14. i know its quality over quantity but i want at least 20 tracks.
I don't know man but I hope that Saigon / Papoose / Bishop Lamont / Dr. Dre / Obie Trice / ... brings their album out, cause THEY ARE FIYAH!!!
the record sales dilemma is a compound problem, its just too many issues that u can point out whether it be downloading,bad music,label execs. etc.
na, i dont think its bad muzik or labels....bout 10 years ago you heard a song on the radio and if you liked it, you bought the album. now you can skim and scan and take which ever song you like it for free without having to get up or pay money. Plus 2days society is a quick one...everyone wants everything in an instant, lets face it, who wants to get up and pay money when you can get it for free. I just think that its the ability we have to get what we want quicker and cheaper is to blame and not necessarily the content
no bad music has nothing to do with it since it seems to be selling more than good music these days. when it comes to record sales u can compare the ratio of good music to bad and shit aint right. compare the ratio of past record sales to present and shit aint right. as far as record sales bootlegging is the only reasonable answer because jay doesnt even sell like he use to. compare the artist that use to sell to what they sell now and nobody makes shit without comercializin there style to appeal to everyone.
fuk dis record sales drama all we need to care about is buyin good kick ass music from these rappers and 4get those corny fukers!!!! so go n buy cuban linx 2, wen it comes out, ni**er album, carter 3 (4da non haters), Detox, king mathers, B4 i self dustrcut (4da non haters again), crystal method, pro tools, bobby digital, shaolin vs. wu-tang, new kanye album end of the year mayb, hopefully a papoose n saigon album 2 this year or if it gt pushed bk nxt yr
record sales only really concern rappers n record lables, cuz of money
LOL Mr. Obvious Strikes again...
THE TRUTH SHUT THE FUCK UP!
word. nigga shut up.
We need 2 go back around 1992-2003 wen hip hop 2 me in my lifetime was in its prime. Wen da Lyrical rappers first got there chance to shine in my day. In Hip Hop we dont need fuckin dancin shit like Soulija Boy and other bringin down hip hop. But the way he got his shit out was real. So in 08 go out and Buy at least 2 or 3 good albums try not 2 download 2 much cuze dats also bring hip hop down. So da nigga dat made dis is speakin da truth REAL TALK
as i said before. Im a nigga that ate ramen noodles too many nights in a row to give a fuck about a rappers pockets thinning out. Should they get paid? Ya, of course. Is it necessary for them to make million dollars a year and be idolized? no. If you got crazy talent then its gonna be your cd i buy off the rack (ex: big doe rehab) while im downloading the next niggas (ex: ti vs tip) cd and picking and choosing what i like from it. Fame and fortune is being bestowed upon the wrong niggas now a days. Goddamn right i pirate that shit. You dont like it nigga? Step your game up and create a banger. Then Im gonna want to pop the seal on that bitch and experience the album for what it is... a classic joint. Or at least a 4 1/2 star joint. But these half assed niggas get no sympathy from me. Granted there are a few niggas that dont eat like they should after making a great album but if they gettin even 50 grand in advance then it aint my fault that they didnt think of investing in property instead of jewelry. Grow up nigga. rapper or no rapper, life aint sweet unless you make it happen.
@ tha truth
listen u dick, keep wid ya bootleggin, i aint talkin bout proper music, u get me, rappers r 2 concerned wid marketing and hw they can appeal 2 different audiences so now they will do anyfin lyk stupid dumbass dancin, bt true hip-hop will be in quality of albums, thers only few makin classics and the one that are get put down cuz they didnt sell enough,cuz of dickheads like you
best way to listen 2 music is buyin there albums---u can keep bootleggin cuz u probably broke anyway
Look,
Buying an album means you just supporting the MUSIC INDUSTRY and staying true to legally listening to music. This basically equals Staying True To Music & Your Artist & Legal Activities lol.
Not Buying It and Buyin the shit Bootleg or coppin it on Limewirre just means you either lazy, dont have money to cop it, or you just dont give a shit.
BUT
you still support the artist and like their music. SO this sums up to Supporting Your Artist and their music But not their pockets.
I agree.
my bad for the double post, but at the end of the day, if u go out your way to listen to that artist's album NO MATTER how u get it, thats all the matters. Cause the reason for real hip-hop is impacting the listeners. Period.
To say wack music has nothing to do with it is like saying bad product will always draw the consumer in. It's a mixture of bad product, and internet downloading, and possibly niche markets sprouting up. And the wack music wasn't outselling the good music in 2007:
Talib outsold Swizzbeatz
Kanye outsold 50
Common debuted number 1
Plus I think if you're nice, the internet actually works in your favor. Cause it spreads much quicker. But you still have to get the word out there in the 'real world,' obviously.
ONE FINAL comment on this topic: Here's the KEY to the return of hip-hop sales!! Listening?
MORE HOTNESS like that of the two white boys in that new McDonald's commercial! THEY WERE RIPPIN' IT!!
"I'm into nuggets y'all!" ... "McNuggets, McNuggets what!!?" lol, hahahahahahaaaaa!
that shit was crack. thats what u call lyricism and beatmaking lol
BRING HIP HOP BACK!! LYRICISM 4EVA!!!! FUCK SOLDJA BOY!!!!
@ Dr. Octagon
obviously wt u said was true, but nowadays good rappers aint gettin recognition, n the ones that have no talent and are gettin popular, are ruinin the hip hop image, so u can say its impacting listners that really important, but shit rappers r impactin listners, so you can definately say hip-hop is dead
its not dead it ca never die its just takin some hits bruh... i mean u really tellin nobody out is still a lyricst and breathing life N2 hip hop if thats what ur sayn u nst dont listen to hip hop any more bcu its hella niggaz breathing life n2 hip hop so "it cant be dead while in still n it, im live"-T.I.
na na.......i understand what some of you are sayin about the wack rappers......our society now embraces wack rappers more than before but the good shit is still here. Only difference is the good shit isnt gettin bout, instead its getting downloaded while the wack shit is gettin bout. And even the wack shit gets downloaded...ex. Soldja Boy got downloaded 3 million times rite? Anyway, the good shit is still here and the wack shit is also put out alot so i dont think the actuall content is the problem, its our ability to get it. (Limewire)
tha truth said "no i've been good. ppl even prop me on my comments now. i wont act up i promise" HAHAHAHAHA he jus turned into a certified BITCHH... that made my day tho that was funny as hellll
tha truth said "no i've been good. ppl even prop me on my comments now. i wont act up i promise" HAHAHAHAHA he jus turned into a certified BITCHH... that made my day tho that was funny as hellll
Interesting Insight From Sasha Frere-Jones
Nielsen SoundScan recently released its sales and performance data for 2007. Album sales declined fifteen per cent, compared with 2006. The record business has seen slumps before: revenues fell substantially in the early eighties. What’s most striking is the fact that the shrinking industry is now almost completely Balkanized. The top ten artists played on radio were seven country acts, two hard-rock bands, and a pop star named Justin Timberlake. The top ten streamed videos were largely for songs by young women who sing R. & B. Eight of the top ten ringtones were hip-hop. Two of the year’s best-selling records offer vivid illustration of how the market has fragmented further while remaining alive. The Eagles’ “Long Road Out of Eden,” released on their own independent label and available only at Wal-Mart, sold 2.6 million copies. The biggest-selling album of the year was Josh Groban’s “Noël,” which sold 3.7 million copies despite being released in October. SoundScan does not track the popularity of stocking stuffers, but Groban’s album was likely the champ.
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/notebook/2008/01/21/080121gonb_GOAT_notebook_frerejones
kgumz.blogspot.com
all i got to say is that Im 15 and im tred o all this dance shit and crank that dis and crank that that..i would rather hear fire lyrics than dance songs yeah they hot n the club(e have teen clubs in the A) but they aint none u can really ride to like wayne and outkast and lupe u kno niggaz who got something 2 say....!
what really makes me mad about this is soulja boy no lyric ass is nominated to a grammy 4 best rap song.I mean wat the fucc is this world comin 2...? Hip Hop aint dead and it'll never die but its sure takin some blows to the head.
I don't care about this shit.
TO ME THE ONLY PPL THAT HAVE A CHANCE OF SELLING OVER 5MILLION RECORDS RIGHT NOW ARE EMINEM OR DR.DRE IF THAT DETOX ALBUM EVER DROP.
I say this, Good music always finds a way to sell. a big reason sales have gone so low is because the quality of the music has gotten bad. Alicia Keys is still selling, Mary J. Blige is still selling, etc..etc... yes downloading does effect sales but you combine that with wack rap albums and bammmmm. I to am an artist and i personally think the internet is great, if not for the net you would not be reading this comment. further i couldn't promote my "Road to The Riches" reality show which is about an artist who gives himself one year to get a deal (Shameless Plug..lol). the show started out on hiphopgame.com but quickly spread. you can see it on my site myspace.com/fokis or youtube.com/fokistv i also have a project on my myspace page available for free download called "Fully Focused" Hosted by Focus the producer of Aftermath Ent. it features Kool G Rap, Tru-Life and more be sure to check it out. Peace