Sunday General Discussion - July 26th, 2020 - HipHop

Picture this : it's 2014 and yung lean, partynextdoor, travis scott, XXXTENTACION, The Weeknd all have cult followings.. it was a great time, but now all these artists have gone mainstream and it's less exciting (no shade, I'm super happy for all these artists to have made it; that was the point of supporting them).

I feel like hiphop is at a stage now where it's become a little bit stale, are there any artists out there doing dope shit? Like original stuff and/or new takes on old styles? I wana feel that rush of "holy shit this is sick" again. HHH was a different landscape back then and I miss it.

This era of the pyramid scheme producer/rapper has washed out a lot of the really talented artists.. A lot of artists on the come up these days are doing it purely for financial gain and you can tell. Where's the artistry and innovation!?

HHH / fb used to be the go to place to find ILL shit but again, it's all a bit washed out rn. Where are people finding the good shit?

I refuse to believe that "the underground is dead" cuz it never dies, it just hides... where tf is it at?

This isn't a "woe is me" post, I want to get excited about hiphop like the way I did back then again.

(sorry if it comes off as pretentious lol)

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Dilated Peoples - Worst Comes To Worst

Posted: 26 Jul 2020 07:26 PM PDT

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[OC] Case Study: Lessons From Freddie Gibbs Rise - The Power Of A Slow Burn Career

Posted: 26 Jul 2020 10:22 AM PDT

Intro Freddie Gibbs has been rapping for the better part of two decades. So why is it that now, 13 years after being dropped from his first major label deal, he's just begun to reach his full potential? The answer is multifaceted but simple in its essence: perseverance, staying grounded, mastering social media, and building a cult following have all culminated in his new Partnership with Warner Records.

When music business folks say "build leverage" this is what they're talking about. Whether or not you have the stomach for a journey spanning two decades is up to you. So let's take a deep dive into the career of Freddie and find some lessons to help young artists learn what it takes to become an independent legend in their respective scene.

1. Release Music Constantly - Quantity Leads Into Quality

Often times people think quality and quantity are mutually exclusive. Some people believe in the Adele or Dr. Dre model releasing music after years of preparation. Others believe in the mixtape model popularized by rappers who originally distributed them out of their car trunks.

But why can't quantity lead into quality? As a matter of fact, studies like in David Epstein's book 'Range', have shown that in order to master your craft you not only have to work on it A LOT, you have to master the release process and be able to satiate your fans every step of the way. You have to understand how to promote yourself on a regular release schedule while being prepared for the next release in the pipeline. This is the balance every professional artist must strike. Plus you will continue to master your sound and push yourself to improve by constantly creating.

Epstein uses the example of Thomas Edison, he had over 1000 patents, the large majority of them were forgotten or useless, but they laid the groundwork for his breakthrough. This is similar to Gibbs who released SIX mixtapes and FOUR eps in just a four year span from 2008-2012. Toward the end of this process he would meet Madlib and start working on what would be his eventual breakthrough project, Piñata.

He focused on building his catalogue over anything else.

2. Make Do With What You Have

When Gibbs was unceremoniously dropped from Interscope Records he took what he had recorded there and put it into two mixtapes. He didn't sulk and sit around waiting on new labels to sign him. He got back out there and took his product straight to the fans with no middle man. In an interview with Pitchfork back in 2009 he said this about not relying on "the crutch of a label":

"I don't have a team of writers coming in here and writing the song for me. There's times when I don't have a singer available to sing hooks for me; that's why I sing a lot of my own hooks. I do what I've got to do to make mine, to fit my sound and myself."

Sure we all write songs sometimes and think "I just need so and so to be on this and it'll be perfect" but sometimes you have to deal with reality and learn to do things alone. Especially while you're still on the come up.

3. Become A Personality OUTSIDE of Music

Gibbs is beloved on Instagram and Twitter. He learned that traditional PR could be circumvented by being a larger than life personality on social media. Look at his recent beef with DJ Akademiks, stuff like this is why people love him, he's a shit talking, hilarious, troublemaker who isn't afraid to step on peoples toes.

He's made his pages a destination for people who don't even know his music because he's a good follow. This allows his brand to go far past music. Learn how to share funny content, speak on the pulse of culture and align yourself within it.

4. Stay True To Your Sound No Matter Who You Work With, But Remain Versatile

Gibbs has never been a rapper using the flow of the moment. Whether he's on a slow sample based Madlib track or a menacing trap beat from Frank Dukes he always maintains his trademark delivery. Still this doesn't mean that he's a one trick pony.

He can double-time, slow things down, sing, and make his voice into an instrument like a jazzman. This has made him era-proof. Even if the popular sound of our times fade away, he will continue to be able to make the same type of stuff that earned him his hoards of fans. Fans love Freddie for who he is, not because he made 1 hot song that was played out one summer and forgotten about.

5. Put Yourself In Environments Where You Can Grow

Gibbs moved to LA and slept on his friends couch after being dropped from Interscope. Instead of staying home in Gary and reverting to bad habits he decided to double down on his dream. You might not need to move to LA to have a career in music but you need some sort of physical scene to immerse yourself in and learn from.

From there Gibbs toured anywhere he could off the strength of his mixtapes to start connecting with fans in person and build his showmanship skills. This would set the groundwork for the prolific festival run he's been on over the last decade.

6. Align Yourself With Artists in a Similar Lane

Gibbs has a trademark gangster rap sound. When he signed to Young Jeezy it was a smart alignment. Sure, they never clicked and ended up falling out, but aligning his up and coming brand with a well established outlet for trap rap was a notice to fans of the genre. Gibbs is one of the best in that lane and the signing put him on the map for many fans with an appetite for his sound who may not have been familiar.

7. Don't Try To Overstep Your Niche

Gibbs was once quoted as saying "if i'm overrated then I can fall down. But when i'm underrated then I always have room to grow." This outlook is crucial because far too often artists feel they aren't getting the acclaim they feel they deserve and let it discourage them or outright quit. Gibbs views it as a strength, like he can always go up from where he is.

That upward momentum led to him peaking at #15 on the Billboard Charts this year, the highest he's ever reached, 14 years after signing his first deal. That's almost unheard of when the average artist career usually lasts a few years. Use what you have and be proud of your lane. As it slowly expands that lane could one day become a highway.

8. Don't Sign A Deal Unless It's The RIGHT One

Freddie Gibbs was one of the first rappers to weaponize Independence. In 2015 he said "We don't get 360s. Freddie Gibbs doesn't do record deals with a label. We're gonna do a partnership if we do some shit." In 2020 he did just that.

Sometimes independence starts from necessity due to lack of co-signs or infrastructure. But once you get it to work, it has a higher upside than almost any major label deal. It's what gives you the leverage to have major labels beg you to partner with them just to get a piece of what you built.

"Before they were the ones taking a risk taking a chance on us, now we're the ones taking a risk working with new people."

Conclusion

Who would have thought that 10 years later after the 2010 XXL Freshman Cover that Gangster Gibbs would be arguably the most relevant rapper on the cover behind only J. Cole?

Artists, managers, anyone really can learn from this journey. Focus on building a dialogue with fans through constant output, constant touring and constantly connecting online. Make your social media a destination for more than just good music, make it a hub for good content. Don't focus on what you don't have and focus on what you do. And never feel like you aren't worth something just because you haven't gotten a co-sign.

Stay true to your vision and you could be the next 38 year old peaking at a time in your life when most people have leveled off or hit a midlife crisis. Whether it's in music or whatever else. If you want more artist case studies like this check us out on IG

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[FRESH] Lil Peep & Cold Hart - Me and You

Posted: 26 Jul 2020 08:54 PM PDT

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Unreleased MF DOOM - Prod. By The Alchemist

Posted: 26 Jul 2020 03:30 PM PDT

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Curren$y and Wiz Khalifa - Car Service

Posted: 26 Jul 2020 07:25 PM PDT

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[FRESH VIDEO] JPEGMAFIA - living single

Posted: 26 Jul 2020 09:09 PM PDT

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Immortal Technique - Dance With The Devil

Posted: 26 Jul 2020 07:24 PM PDT

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Lil Yachty, Young Thug - On Me (Official Video)

Posted: 26 Jul 2020 09:57 AM PDT

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Run The Jewels - Oh My Darling (Don t Cry)

Posted: 26 Jul 2020 06:55 PM PDT

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[LEAK] Kanye West - Original copy of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Posted: 26 Jul 2020 11:58 PM PDT

its out there

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Kendrick Lamar freestyles off the top on Hot 1079 Atlanta

Posted: 26 Jul 2020 10:05 AM PDT

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Logic - Open Mic\\Aquarius lll

Posted: 26 Jul 2020 05:40 PM PDT

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Tyler The Creator - The Brown Stains of Darkeese Latifah Pt. 6-12 (Feat. ScHoolboy Q)

Posted: 26 Jul 2020 04:58 PM PDT

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Nujabes ft. Shing02 - Luv(sic) Pt. 1

Posted: 26 Jul 2020 01:09 PM PDT

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[DISCUSSION] 1 Year Later - Rich Brian - The Sailor

Posted: 26 Jul 2020 04:42 PM PDT

It's been one year since Rich Brian released his debut album "The Sailor."

Tracklist

The Sailor
Rapapapa (ft. RZA)
Yellow (ft. Bekon)
Kids
Drive Safe
Confetti
Vacant
No Worries
100 Degrees
Slow Down Turbo
Curious
Where Does The Time Go? (ft. Joji)

Discussion Questions:

What did you make of Brian's artistic development between this and his first project "Amen"?
Did you prefer the songs where Brian rapped or sang more?
Who had the best feature?
What did you make of the themes of the album, i.e. him being a "sailor" in this stage of his life, and how do you think it worked?
What do you hope to see next out of Brian?

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Sunday General Discussion - July 26th, 2020 - HipHop

Sunday General Discussion - July 26th, 2020 - HipHop

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