Production Vinyl: The Resurging Relic

I'm going to be a bit nostalgic here; Hip Hop in the 90's saw a plethora of great music and that is why today people worldwide still talk about it. For those old enough to remember Rap music in the 80's, it also saw a great surge in popularity, resulting in arguably the best era ever.

Some may say that talking about 90's Hip Hop is boring and people like me need to move on. Maybe so, but if you know the 90's music and lived it at the time, you would be talking about it too.

And why not? It was a great era that is super important to Hip Hop's history.

The reason for my nostalgia is because on a recent digging expedition (for vinyl records, that is), something finally struck me about vinyl, Rap, and Hip Hop as a whole…

Vinyl: The Resurging Relic

I have posted many times about the resurgence of vinyl records and how it has been on a steady increase in the last few years, far outselling compact discs which are in a decline, but of course still not as profitable as online streaming. However, one thing that everyone must keep in mind is that even though vinyl sales are rising, the question that should be asked is what kind of vinyl?

On my recent dig, I was flipping through the Rap section and came across a lot of 12" records as well as popular reissued LPs. But it's the 12" ones that got me thinking.

Throughout the 90s when I was making my weekly trips to the record store in search for the hottest new singles, I would always find a gem. It could have been an underground track from the Juggaknots, or a popular one from the Fugees. It didn't matter because I would always come away with some new vinyl.



For the people today both young and old (especially young) that are buying all these records - they fail to realize that it's not the same as years past. Sure, for them it's the popular thing to do, but just because they have a special pressing of some record and a $600 turntable, doesn't mean shit.

When I was collecting records years ago it was because that's what I had to do since I was a DJ (plus I just preferred vinyl). Buying it today and making the vinyl sales increase each year doesn't mean that vinyl is necessarily here to stay. It might be, but in a different form.

Looking through all the 12" records the other day, it reminded me of when the vinyl single was the way to go. When DJ's would buy them up (especially 2 copies) so they could make mixtapes or mix them at a party.

Now those records are sitting in the dollar bin.

It's sad, but that's just the way it goes.

Vinyl Record Issues

It's great to see all the popularity of vinyl records but at the same time it's frustrating as well. There are a few reasons for this:

• The records being pressed are mostly mainstream artists.
• The Rap music section is still very tiny.
• The prices are very high.
• There are not enough record pressing plants.

When you walk into any vinyl store today they'll be carrying all the reissues of The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, etc. And the prices are very high because they have a special 3D cover, or just because.

It's also because they know that a lot of people will buy them at those prices.

So where does that leave me? I want to buy Gangstarr's "Daily Operation" but it's about $40. But wait - it has a 3D holographic cover! No thanks.

For me this is the biggest turn-off. Most of the time when I'm digging it's because I'm looking for cheap records that I can sample for my beats. But there are also times when I want to buy a reissue of a popular Rap album but it's damn near impossible because either they just don't have it (the Rap section is very tiny in record stores) or the price is too high.

I fully understand that there are not nearly enough record pressing plants in the world today, even though the demand is very high. This is because for the plants that are still around, it's still a big job to go from taking pellets and converting them to a shiny vinyl record with a glossy cover. Expensive parts, expensive materials, and expensive shipping all lead to an expensive record.

I get it.

But it would still be nice to at least see the popular Rap stuff being sold at a much cheaper rate. $53 for Outkast's "Aquemini"? Give me a break.

I guess I'll continue to dig through the cheap bin.

 

[Calamity]

Yeah, I came across Late Registration the other day (I know I know it's from the 2000's) on Vinyl and it was something like $32.99. Aquemeni $53?! Insane

 

[Charlie]

I'm going to be a bit nostalgic here; Hip Hop in the 90's saw a plethora of great music and that is why today people worldwide still talk about it. For those old enough to remember Rap music in the 80's, it also saw a great surge in popularity, resulting in arguably the best era ever.

Some may say that talking about 90's Hip Hop is boring and people like me need to move on. Maybe so, but if you know the 90's music and lived it at the time, you would be talking about it too.

And why not? It was a great era that is super important to Hip Hop's history.

The reason for my nostalgia is because on a recent digging expedition (for vinyl records, that is), something finally struck me about vinyl, Rap, and Hip Hop as a whole…

Vinyl: The Resurging Relic

I have posted many times about the resurgence of vinyl records and how it has been on a steady increase in the last few years, far outselling compact discs which are in a decline, but of course still not as profitable as online streaming. However, one thing that everyone must keep in mind is that even though vinyl sales are rising, the question that should be asked is what kind of vinyl?

On my recent dig, I was flipping through the Rap section and came across a lot of 12" records as well as popular reissued LPs. But it's the 12" ones that got me thinking.

Throughout the 90s when I was making my weekly trips to the record store in search for the hottest new singles, I would always find a gem. It could have been an underground track from the Juggaknots, or a popular one from the Fugees. It didn't matter because I would always come away with some new vinyl.



For the people today both young and old (especially young) that are buying all these records - they fail to realize that it's not the same as years past. Sure, for them it's the popular thing to do, but just because they have a special pressing of some record and a $600 turntable, doesn't mean shit.

When I was collecting records years ago it was because that's what I had to do since I was a DJ (plus I just preferred vinyl). Buying it today and making the vinyl sales increase each year doesn't mean that vinyl is necessarily here to stay. It might be, but in a different form.

Looking through all the 12" records the other day, it reminded me of when the vinyl single was the way to go. When DJ's would buy them up (especially 2 copies) so they could make mixtapes or mix them at a party.

Now those records are sitting in the dollar bin.

It's sad, but that's just the way it goes.

Vinyl Record Issues

It's great to see all the popularity of vinyl records but at the same time it's frustrating as well. There are a few reasons for this:

• The records being pressed are mostly mainstream artists.
• The Rap music section is still very tiny.
• The prices are very high.
• There are not enough record pressing plants.

When you walk into any vinyl store today they'll be carrying all the reissues of The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, etc. And the prices are very high because they have a special 3D cover, or just because.

It's also because they know that a lot of people will buy them at those prices.

So where does that leave me? I want to buy Gangstarr's "Daily Operation" but it's about $40. But wait - it has a 3D holographic cover! No thanks.

For me this is the biggest turn-off. Most of the time when I'm digging it's because I'm looking for cheap records that I can sample for my beats. But there are also times when I want to buy a reissue of a popular Rap album but it's damn near impossible because either they just don't have it (the Rap section is very tiny in record stores) or the price is too high.

I fully understand that there are not nearly enough record pressing plants in the world today, even though the demand is very high. This is because for the plants that are still around, it's still a big job to go from taking pellets and converting them to a shiny vinyl record with a glossy cover. Expensive parts, expensive materials, and expensive shipping all lead to an expensive record.

I get it.

But it would still be nice to at least see the popular Rap stuff being sold at a much cheaper rate. $53 for Outkast's "Aquemini"? Give me a break.

I guess I'll continue to dig through the cheap bin.

Hold your horses and check this out



Not a hip-hop artist amongst that list ? The same is true of the vinyl albums and singles charts with hip hop artists barely getting a mention.

Yes - Vinyl sales have risen but hip hop vinyl sales have remained static. The problem that vinyl sales have is the problem that all music sales have, in that most people don’t want to pay for their music and who can blame them ?

Access to music has never been more available on the internet, because of this dropping mixtapes on soundcloud is now the norm for most aspiring rappers and if a hip hop artist does blow up on the internet, there is a good chance that their music may well be leaked.

J-Cole, Drake and Rick Ross all had their albums leaked. However let’s not feel too bad for them, they’re doing fine. But the bottom line is that hip hop fans have to support their artists on vinyl or any other music format if they want more hot new tracks and videos from them and not just rely on digital downloads and music streaming sites.

Most hip hop songs that get mainstream play are mainly about the hook, not the lyrics, which makes most labels consistently searching for the next blow up song and thus discarding long term investment in hip hop artists.

This leaves a space for old school hip hop artists and the likes of Public Enemy or KRS One and others to show them how it was done. Don’t get me wrong, hip hop like anything else moves forward and there is no going back and rightfully so, but there will always be a place and should be a place for hip hop vinyl.

 

[DR.O]

I'm going to be a bit nostalgic here; Hip Hop in the 90's saw a plethora of great music and that is why today people worldwide still talk about it. For those old enough to remember Rap music in the 80's, it also saw a great surge in popularity, resulting in arguably the best era ever.

Some may say that talking about 90's Hip Hop is boring and people like me need to move on. Maybe so, but if you know the 90's music and lived it at the time, you would be talking about it too.

And why not? It was a great era that is super important to Hip Hop's history.

The reason for my nostalgia is because on a recent digging expedition (for vinyl records, that is), something finally struck me about vinyl, Rap, and Hip Hop as a wholeâ¦

Vinyl: The Resurging Relic

I have posted many times about the resurgence of vinyl records and how it has been on a steady increase in the last few years, far outselling compact discs which are in a decline, but of course still not as profitable as online streaming. However, one thing that everyone must keep in mind is that even though vinyl sales are rising, the question that should be asked is what kind of vinyl?

On my recent dig, I was flipping through the Rap section and came across a lot of 12" records as well as popular reissued LPs. But it's the 12" ones that got me thinking.

Throughout the 90s when I was making my weekly trips to the record store in search for the hottest new singles, I would always find a gem. It could have been an underground track from the Juggaknots, or a popular one from the Fugees. It didn't matter because I would always come away with some new vinyl.



For the people today both young and old (especially young) that are buying all these records - they fail to realize that it's not the same as years past. Sure, for them it's the popular thing to do, but just because they have a special pressing of some record and a $600 turntable, doesn't mean shit.

When I was collecting records years ago it was because that's what I had to do since I was a DJ (plus I just preferred vinyl). Buying it today and making the vinyl sales increase each year doesn't mean that vinyl is necessarily here to stay. It might be, but in a different form.

Looking through all the 12" records the other day, it reminded me of when the vinyl single was the way to go. When DJ's would buy them up (especially 2 copies) so they could make mixtapes or mix them at a party.

Now those records are sitting in the dollar bin.

It's sad, but that's just the way it goes.

Vinyl Record Issues

It's great to see all the popularity of vinyl records but at the same time it's frustrating as well. There are a few reasons for this:

• The records being pressed are mostly mainstream artists.
• The Rap music section is still very tiny.
• The prices are very high.
• There are not enough record pressing plants.

When you walk into any vinyl store today they'll be carrying all the reissues of The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, etc. And the prices are very high because they have a special 3D cover, or just because.

It's also because they know that a lot of people will buy them at those prices.

So where does that leave me? I want to buy Gangstarr's "Daily Operation" but it's about $40. But wait - it has a 3D holographic cover! No thanks.

For me this is the biggest turn-off. Most of the time when I'm digging it's because I'm looking for cheap records that I can sample for my beats. But there are also times when I want to buy a reissue of a popular Rap album but it's damn near impossible because either they just don't have it (the Rap section is very tiny in record stores) or the price is too high.

I fully understand that there are not nearly enough record pressing plants in the world today, even though the demand is very high. This is because for the plants that are still around, it's still a big job to go from taking pellets and converting them to a shiny vinyl record with a glossy cover. Expensive parts, expensive materials, and expensive shipping all lead to an expensive record.

I get it.

But it would still be nice to at least see the popular Rap stuff being sold at a much cheaper rate. $53 for Outkast's "Aquemini"? Give me a break.

I guess I'll continue to dig through the cheap bin.

 

[DR.O]

I live in Iowa, and surprisingly the WAL-MART has cheaper records than the record stores .... They don't have all the coolest selections, but they got some pretty good stuff and brand new artists are dropping vinyl versions... the average record at The WAL-MART by my house is right around 30$...... they got like Biggie re-releases Nas, Prince, Taylor Swift, Travis Scott, kodak black, Outcast Re-releases ( they had ATLiens) mostly newer artists but the selection made me be like.."OOhh I need that one" on like 3 or 4 good ones.... smaller record stores always seem like they fluctuate their prices too much cuz they know the collector values and shit, like they wanted 160$ for a alice in chains dirt Vinyl man ... flea markets are cool cuz they are like mostly 1.00 or 3.00 a record no matter who or what it is. But when it comes to cool artists.... I try and get them from the artist themselves....Millyz always usually has a vinyl option on his youtube even...i got blanco 3 (awesome record) and blanco 4 on vinyl for 20$ each from his site. .. I think its cool when artists do that shit man ..... and if u dont know (now ya know)