Fury Beats
Fury Beats
If CDs, Vinyl, and bell bottoms can make a comeback, why not good hip hop?
Today's generic music
- Thread starter Fade
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CD's and vinyl aint really making a comeback, vinyl outsells cds because nobody is buying cds any more.
Maybe in small circles of nostalgia nerds and dj's is vinyl going well, but generally mp3's, flac etc changed the game.
The only way to make a difference to todays music is to get in and do it yourself. We all like to have a moan about the good old days and how shit music is today, but what are any of us doing about it?
Fury Beats
Fury Beats
We need a "Quincy Jones of the rap industry" to help turn things around. And you are right, rather than complaining, it really is us who can make the difference.
My current mindset, as I start making drill and trap beats, is if I have to do it, Im going to do it better, try to evolve it into something more artistic IMO. If Im going to make drill which Im no big fan off, Im going to do it in a way that I can find acceptable within myself, lmfao.
The Quincy Jones of the rap industry might be you, me or any one of us. Im probably a bit too old myself, but never say never, dont put limits on your goals, if there is something you dont like, change it yourself, because nobody else is going to come and do it for you.
Aim high, you never know, with enough determination, you might just make it.
Fury Beats
Fury Beats
Exactly my point is, Quincy Jones was 49 when he produced Thriller and then we know he had a hand in many other productions after that. I am not 49 yet. Maybe you aren't either?
Fury Beats
Fury Beats
Quincy Jones also knew how to write music by hand inside and out. Likely a music genius. I don't compare from that perspective. I am good with ideas and creativity but lack in execution. Can always keep working on it though and get those reps in.
OGBama
Big Clit Energy
Dirty @2GooD Productions not-so-little unsecret is it's the old heads who shape(d) the psychology of marketing w/respect to music so you're not too old.
Quincy @Fury Beats is the product of the scene(s) and "players" (as in instruments) era of music e.g. it was communal.
Quincy @Fury Beats is the product of the scene(s) and "players" (as in instruments) era of music e.g. it was communal.
Fade
The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
Exactly, that's my point in this thread. We all have talent and some of us have years of knowledge when it comes to not just recording but the history of Rap music.
OGBama
Big Clit Energy
Problem @Fury Beats re: good Hip Hop is the average listener see it and all music as aural wallpaper e.g. remember when folks were asked why they like a certain genre or genres and the answer is always the "beat" and nothing more? That's Hip Hop's issue coupled w/fans tendency to like an act only while it's popular. Then add on how Rap is viewed as "hustle" and not art and you got a recipe for disposability.
We need to also have our fingers on the pulse of whats happening now, to be able to take it and reshape it, redirect it.
Im guilty of this myself and I think many of us are here, we are stuck in our ways. The world has moved on and many of us are stuck in the past. Many of us are making beats the world was listening to over 20 years ago. Many of us are emulating our idols who did their thing over 25 years ago. While we keep listening to and emulating the music of yesteryear, the kids are doing something completely different and couldnt give a fuck about the oldskool, they dont even know it exists nor care about it. I never cared about the music from the 70's or 80's, until I started sampling it. I never cared about pop music, I was far too cool for that, until I grew to appreciate all music as a musician.
My honest opinion and whats driving my mindset, is my interactions with the younger ones on the come up. And also seeing traffic slowly but sure fall here. I think the market gets smaller and smaller for us traditional hip hop heads because as time goes by, we are dying off.
Things are marketted in very specific ways because of human nature, sex sells, it always has and always will. As much as we like to act all high and mighty, we are just animals, with base instincts. You only need to see the way we treat each other for proof of that.
Fans only liking an act thats popular has nothing to do with hip hop and everything to do with human nature, people putting themselves into peer groups and following trends within that group gives that group a common shared interest, something they can all discuss, socialise around and identify with. To be accepted by our peers. A career in music is a hustle, you have to work really fucking hard for even a sniff at success. Music is 2 things, an art and a business. The art is the part we love, the business is the part we hate.
But you need the darkside of the business to pay for the stuff that allows you to create better and better art.
The problem is, many people think a music career is an easy way to make money, no, a job is the best way to make money. They spend half their life chasing 5 mins of fleeting fame, then piss away the money that comes during their five minutes only to be left empty, used and bitter.
The smart artist takes their five minutes of fame, and invests that into their own business that has nothing to do with music.
Fade
The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
I agree, however the difficult part is like you said, the younger ones don't give a shit about anything else, so how do we shape the music? They're obviously stuck in their ways just like we're stuck in ours. Which way does music go? More towards the Boom Bap style or the Trap style? We can try and shape it the way we want but the market is also set in its ways. It's not just the ones making the beats, it's the consumer that doesn't care about any other style.
beats alone arent going to sell, people want songs. The market for instrumental music is far smaller than the one looking for songs they can relate to, electronic dance music is more forgiving of instrumental music.
Then reach out to dj's and try to get stuff in rotation, if at all possible. Its how things used to be done, through the dj's. Pirate station dj's, college radio dj's, hospital radio dj's. Just send it out to djs for free, get them to play it and see the reactions, find out whats hot and whats not. Thats where the hustle part comes in, it takes time and effort finding and reaching out to these people, getting your artists live shows to generate some fans. So unless you are paying somebody to handle that for you, nobody else is going to do it for you, unless you have good friends who can take care of it for you going to have to spend time on the networking. This is where I fall down, Im always wanting to make something new, not spend hours networking and trying to get heard. Im sure its the same for many of us, which is why a team is better than doing it alone. While the creatives create, the business minds get the income flowing in, arranging the tours and maximising R.O.I. The exhibitionists promote and plug your product, they do the interviews, get in front of the camera, etc, etc.
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Fade
The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
Well of course it's about the song, I'm talking about the music first which obviously dictates where it's going to go. At this point I don't think it's possible to have some sort of massive Hip Hop movement like we did a few times years ago. We're stuck in a shitty loop of beats and lyrics and the only way out is to just do whatever we can and hopefully today's shitty music dies off.
I dont think hip hop will ever return to what it once was, its not possible, the world has changed too much. But it can become something that it currently isnt, but thats up to us all.
Fade
The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
I'm not saying we need to go back to what it was, of course that's not going to happen. But I have no idea what it can become because don't forget we're dealing with a bunch of brain dead music fans lol that care about image instead of music.
Thats something Rick Rubin understood very well, when he packaged Beastie Boys into a hip hop group.
Its always been about image.
OGBama
Big Clit Energy
We @Fade all know what Hip Hop has become: a celebration of ignorance. If you look through the societal lens, everything wrong w/Hip Hop is all that will never disappear in society. Since music is to be enjoyed (good in large doses but that depends on content, context, etc.) rather than intellectualized (which is good in small doses) can it be asked if brain dead music fans were ever discerning (which can be taught but becoming so opens up the "taste" debate which is subjective).
konceptG
ILLIEN
ill o.g.
As much as folks like to hate on "gatekeepers", they're what kept hip hop in check back inna day. Everybody couldn't just get on like they can now so there was more vetting of music happening and as a result, the shit was kept fresh and copycats were at a minimum. Now everybody spits with the same flow and cadence, the beats literally sound the same, and it all passes 'cause Lil Such-and-Such has a grip of followers on social media and the labels sees that as the way to make money.