Mainstream Rap catering for Pop audience!?
 

I was chatting about this on another forum somewhere. Basically i was discussing that i feel that to make it mainstream in rap you need to release something which caters for the Pop audience.

The state of rap today.

There is too much pop music. Take 50 cent for example. I like the guys music. I am not crazy about it but id listen to it. However the problem i have is that he released a song which catered for the pop audience, that been 21 questions.

If you look at his album one of the best songs on it is Patiently waiting with Eminem. Thats a brilliant track, yet it wont be released because it isin't something that the pop audience would buy which sucks. I seem to be having this problem more with Eminem recently. He released Business which is a horrible track for Em's standards. He has 'When the music stops' on that album yet that wasn't released and i think thats a great track too. Yet again that goes back to the point of catering for a more broad audience. They release the tracks which are catchy and will sell to the kids who listen to pop.

If you listen to some of Eminems recent mixtape stuff then you have to agree that him and crew have made some fantastic tracks. I love all the mixtape stuff. So the point im making is that for rappers to compete with each other and sell in this day and age they think theres a desire to make catchy pop style songs which will sell to a wider audience.

If you go back to the likes of 2 pac etc then you will see that he made music for the love of it, hence why he has so much unreleased shit. That's why he's the greatest. He made his music because he liked making it. He wasnt catering for no certain audience, it was his way to voice his opinions/concerns/loves and hates in society. That's why he is the greatest and always will be the greatest.

Reading your favourite rappers i was suprised not to see Scarface on any of them lists. I think he's talented Scarface. He has alot going for him and his voice is rough and sounds great.

I think the last album i listened to which i loved every single song, and i mean every single song on it is probably Dre 2001, Chronic album. That was amazing.

Theres probably more but thats all i can think of off the top of my head.

With rap getting more and more like pop music its going to take something drastic to change this. R n B/Hip Hop is the centre of attention and the most interested source of music at the moment. With the likes of Beyonce chart topping and linking up with rappers, its going to get more this way.

Its quite simple in this day and age. To make it main stream on the top, you need to be accepted by the 'pop' audience so to speak.


~ Gibbo

yeah Ja does it majorly, thay don't care bout tha music that much it's all in how much thay will sell and how much thay will make, i agree bout ur 2pac statements, shit is real i love to sit back and chill to his lps. as far as new rappers, it's all pop in my eyes, only real rap is underground, mixtapes, and mid-90's.

good call. . are you just realizing this now?

lol^
slow to realise....
but word to what ur saying...i agree

hmmm......this is......revolutionary......you should write a book......and tell everyone......since they dont already know.....

how can you guys dis JaRule and say that he went pop when every single mainstream rapper does the same thing? everyone of them..even your beloved Eminem. the whole idea of music is to sell records and to make money. these people make these "bounce" and "I love you" tracks to sell records. anybody who says otherwise is either lieing or misinformed. heres an example, what is the title of 50 Cents latest album? "Get Rich or Die Trying." that says it all right there. and for those few rappers who dont sell out to make it big ,(J-Live, Demigodz, Aesop Rock) sits a destiny to die with the income of an average man. this is why i hate mainstream everything. the people who are real to themselves and to the fans make thousands upon thousands and in some cases millions less than the people who sell out. what happened to making music because you love it? what happened to dropping a dope punchline just to make people smile? its almost non-existant today to see rappers who arnt in it for the money. to me, that is a sad sad thing. thats one of the reasons i like the internet scene, with the exception of maybe two or three nobody is signed, nobodys making money, you just do it because you love rap. its pure here. this is one of the last remaining places it has left..

I guess Speed Racer is not a good nickname for you......

*way over my head*

It's almost non-existant today to find anybody, in any profession not in it "for the money. ." "Mainstream" rap is a microchosm for the lack of incentives there are in working "for the love" of your profession. So, when you took the $7.50 summer job at the convenience store, you must have sold out Wendy's, right? I can't stand that term: "sold out."

any single has to have a pop appeal or it wont get played. the labels and radio stations demand this. there is little an artist can do. most times it is in their contract and they didnt even know. thats why i don't listen to the radio ever.

yup. mainstream rap went pop.

Less of the sarcasm people, its called making discussion and discussing exactly how your take is on the subject.

:)
~ Gibbo

Finally...someone finally sayz Ja doesn't really suck...he juz went pop. And wait...didn't Em say...

Now because of this blonde mop that's on top
and this fucked up head that I've got, I've gone pop?

Wuzn't he sayin dat he would go pop? Rapperz are doin da same thing you guyz would do...SELL RECORDZ. You can say you wouldn't do it erryday...but you would. You would because you want to stay signed and make buckz. So erryone needz to stop bitchin about changez. It had to happen. Blackz aren't the only onez that like rap you kno...

so true... so true...

music isn't even music anymore... it's buisness, it's politics, it has become everything that you would not assosciate with it...
I mean seriously, way way way back in tha day when we made music soley for tha purposes to dance, celebrate, or just to make some music did you ever hear of a congo player taking out the guy who hit the block of wood because he said he could make better music than the other??? no.... they would unite, maybe do a little face off but in the end they would prolly create something totally different as friends through the music...
and now even other genera's of music are not as good, music and the art of making music, weather it's writing lyrics, creating sounds, or composing songs has become so faded from it's original version... and the sad part is that we are so into this materialistic lifestyle that we don't even see it happening... we're too caught up in who's got beef with who and whut new video's on rap city... and whut so and so wore to the music awards... shit they shouldn't even give out muisc awards anymore... foreal, your getting this award for selling so many copies around the world who cares if it was good, who cares whut message it had in it, it made people spend thier money to make us richer and we award you for that... the music industry is bullshit...

turn off your radio's!!!!

when asked if he would trade 100 juggalos for 1000 mainstream fans he said "i wouldn't trade 10 juggalos for 100,00 mainstream fans" if you love the music then you should be content to make a smaller amount of money and stay true to yourself as an artist, however the music is no longer the focal point not just in rap the same can be said of all genres of modern day music. Metal sounds to punk punk sounds to pop, pop sounds to.............gay but if you want to make money then you have to cater to the fans who don't just want to hear grimy hip hop. Also when you try and broaden your fan base you have to hit them with something that those people listen to and/or can connect with. Personally i don't care either way if i don't like a song i ***gasp*** don't listen to it same for an artist. its not selling out on their part its a buisness decision and like it or not music is a buisness these days don't hate someone for trying to make a buck
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