Hip-Hop Roundtable Part 1: The Internet
Jabari over at HipHopGame as convened a roundtable to discuss the future of hip-hop. Part one, which features Young Chris, 9th Wonder, Young Guru and Neef discusses the influence, both positive and negative, of the internet on hip-hop music. Since my invite for said roundtable has been obviously caught up with the USPS (registered mail next time, guys), I thought I would insert myself into the conversation.
Off the top, 9th Wonder says that the Internet has allowed more fans around the globe to access his music virtually instantaneously, but heads have lost the “community” aspect of sharing memories by listening to an album or tape with your boys. I agree with that, but the Internet has replaced “traditional” communities with “online” communities. Someone like myself, who has far fewer peers who listen to hip-hop than most heads, can take full advantage of being able to enjoy and discuss music with peers in the online community. In some ways, this is the full realization of the power of the Internet.
Young Guru felt that the old CD paradigm is dead and that artists need to use online marketing if they hope to be anywhere near successful. I agree that there needs to be an online component, but to fully exploit all channels, there still needs to be a CD/label plan. While there are music stores, there will be listeners who will pick up their music that way. Last year, 428 million albums were sold in stores. A dying form of music, but not quite dead yet.
Young Chris had the most personal experience, being an artist who is promoting his music online. In his view, the Internet has helped him as an artist without a budget: he can create and promote his music without relying on the labels to put money behind him.
This single aspect is what will save hip-hop. As a listener, A&Rs and labels have virtually no control over who or what I listen to. There is no corporate filter new hip-hop needs to go through. There is now so much music available, its almost limitless. Heads may cry about oversaturation, but this is where the communities become invaluable. With social media mediums, the best content gets pick up and distributed through blogs, website, forum – essentially word of mouth. That’s how it happened in the 1980s when the majors wouldn’t touch rap; its just gone online.
Young Guru went on to add that like music, there are so many blogs out there that really any idiot can start one up and comment on whatever. And they do. But Guru also feels that the cream will rise to the top – that the better than average blogs (of course he meant YFWB) will prevail, while other less insightful sites will fade away.
The Internet is a powerful tool that offers unlimited artistic freedom. Virtually anyone can create an album, market it and sell it in a matter of weeks. In this kind of medium without restriction, there will always be content of varying degrees of content. But that’s the power of the Internet – we vote with our mouse clicks. Garbage may clutter the screen, but it will eventually wither. In this online game, while there are no rules, there is also no net.
At its core, the net is Darwinian. The best will adapt and thrive; those who cannot will ultimately die creatively.
Tags: HipHopGame, Jabari, Roundtable
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