ASAP Rocky - Industry plant?

[labelplant]

I think some people are confused by the vague definition of the term industry plant.
This is usually used to refer to someone who was made to seem as if they came through a natural grassroots movement, when in reality they were backed by a label the whole time.
The reason a label wouldn't want to reveal their involvement is because that would turn off fans to the artist. For example, Wiz Khalifa is often mentioned as a possible industry plant. The reason is because he was promoted as an artist that "went back to his roots after a failed relationship with a major" and through hard work and doing shows around the country he than gained many fans. By 2010 he released Kush & OJ independently to great critical praise and internet hype. Only after Kush & OJ did he "resign" with a major. This is the story we are told but many people believe that it's not true and he was signed to Atlantic the whole time.

So basically the people saying, "industry plant just sounds like good management to me" aren't necessarily correct.
No one hides the fact that they are being managed, promoted and so on. It's when you act as if you are doing it yourself, through independent means but in reality you are backed by a much "higher power". That's what people have a problem with.
That's part of the reason Odd Future is considered an industry plant by so many, because a large part of their gimmick originally was that they were very DIY.

 

[Larry]

you have to connect with an audience as well. just simply dropping a mixtape ain't gonna put you on.

Big KRIT got on with KRIT Wuz Here, is he an industry plant too? He was dropping music nobody was listening to before suddenly becoming the most beloved rapper on the internet. Next thing I know he's on Def Jam's roster page

you see how easy it is to come up with these allegations?


If we talkin about industry plants, we need to be talking about people like this





who hadn't even dropped an actual mixtape until they were already 3-4 singles in, and on a major label. Now thats suspect. How the fukk you even get signed?

 

[Rominati]

ASAP Rocky aint a industry plant. He blew up off that Purple swag and Peso's song, which was produced by his boys.


I cant remember where it was but I was reading a interview of the whole thing. ASAP rocky owes alot of his success to his boy ASAP YAMs (the puerto rican kid), he interned for Dipset, Jim Jones, Max B, and RCA I think , he is apparently a super smart puffy type of music entrepneur, he is the one who marketed Rocky, even picks his beats too..


He was pumping Rocky up on Tumblr for a minute even before the blow up songs came out, on some real underground artist type ish. They pooled together money to shoot videos for the two songs. They released em on the internet. Then they caught mad hype. Signed their deals and thats that.



HE WAS NOT SIGNED WHEN HE RELEASED PURPLE SWAG AND PESO


HE WAS SIGNED WHEN HE RELEASED HIS LIVELOVEASAP




Edit: Joey Badass on the other hand is a complete industry plant. shyt his mangers dont even hide it Johnny Shipes (big krit, nipsey hussle, smoke dza) . Shipes saw a video of him freestyling on worldstar back in the day and saw alot of marketing potential in him. He hit him up on twitter and the rest is history.

 

[jilla82]

man stop, he made a song and it caught fire



I posted the song Purple Swag on SOHH when the youtube video had about 700-800 views, which grew into 8k, to 100k, and so on. you can read the thread right here. I basically had to spam the shyt with triple posts to even get people to click the thread.

This song Purple Swag goes hard as fu*k - ProjectCOVO.com Global Forum

that's the song that put him on peoples radars and he capitalized on it by dropping a great mixtape. Now he's where he is now. Simple as that. I was pretty much the first SOHH dude to post his music, so does that mean I'm some secret industry jew who has ties with him or something?



and I don't even like ASAP like that, I just thought the song was tight

People are just saying that they are marketed the same way these boy bands and other acts are. we are all being sold an image...I bet w/o their videos they wouldnt be nearly as large as they are now. They are supposed to be some grimy NY cats...but they are really just some hipster types.

 

[YBE]

That's all wiz needed to gain a fanbase and label support a dope mixtape and single.

Just remembering from the top of my head...Wiz dropped a mixtape in 2005, an album in 2006, two or three mixtapes in 2007, four mixtapes in 2008, a mixtape & another album in 2009. You see the progression watching his early videos, from "Youngin on his Grind" to "Say Yeah" to "This Plane" to "Mezmorized". By 2010, when K&OJ dropped, Wiz had already laid the groundwork to reach critical mass.



He basically flooded the market with material for 5-6 years to get people familiar with him, then dropped a heat rock after establishing his brand. That's alot different than being nobody in February, doing a couple of music videos, somehow being able to feature major artists on your songs & having the internet buzzing by August. Something's off there. Im looking at you Kirko

 

[STAN JONES]

Rocky been out tho

he just blew up last year when he switched his sawg up but he been putting shyt out for a few years



that video is a couple years old

 

[Bezerk]

yall act like these artists are going to do 1 million a week.

They have some name, get money for shows, but they are not that popular
they still have to put in way more work

 

[labelplant]

Just remembering from the top of my head...Wiz dropped a mixtape in 2005, an album in 2006, two or three mixtapes in 2007, four mixtapes in 2008, a mixtape & another album in 2009. You see the progression watching his early videos, from "Youngin on his Grind" to "Say Yeah" to "This Plane" to "Mezmorized". By 2010, when K&OJ dropped, Wiz had already laid the groundwork to reach critical mass.



He basically flooded the market with material for 5-6 years to get people familiar with him, then dropped a heat rock after establishing his brand. That's alot different than being nobody in February, doing a couple of music videos, somehow being able to feature major artists on your songs & having the internet buzzing by August. Something's off there. Im looking at you Kirko

While I agree that Kirko's hype is somewhat artificial, he doesn't qualify as a plant because he has been signed to Warner Bros and was never hiding that fact.

 

[YBE]

This clown been signed to Warner Bros since 2010

He barely had two mixtapes then

Labels think they slick...

 

[jwinfield]

I think that going by some definitions a lo of rappers will be "industry plants"...young dude has some talent/swag/whatever, gets noticed by "the industry", which sets out a plan to bring them up. Sounds like what a manager would do?

Exactly.

I don't understand the an artist's manager and PR person set up a plan to get them more publicity, better shows and market them to the public.

If I'm an artist I hire a PR person to get me interviews, get me big shows, get my name out there.

I hire a manager because I feel their connections can take me further, that they can get me shows, connect me with other artists, connect me with labels, lead me to a deal.

 

[labelplant]

Exactly.

I don't understand the an artist's manager and PR person set up a plan to get them more publicity, better shows and market them to the public.

If I'm an artist I hire a PR person to get me interviews, get me big shows, get my name out there.

I hire a manager because I feel their connections can take me further, that they can get me shows, connect me with other artists, connect me with labels, lead me to a deal.

I think some people are confused by the vague definition of the term industry plant.
This is usually used to refer to someone who was made to seem as if they came through a natural grassroots movement, when in reality they were backed by a label the whole time.
The reason a label wouldn't want to reveal their involvement is because that would turn off fans to the artist. For example, Wiz Khalifa is often mentioned as a possible industry plant. The reason is because he was promoted as an artist that "went back to his roots after a failed relationship with a major" and through hard work and doing shows around the country he than gained many fans. By 2010 he released Kush & OJ independently to great critical praise and internet hype. Only after Kush & OJ did he "resign" with a major. This is the story we are told but many people believe that it's not true and he was signed to Atlantic the whole time.

So basically the people saying, "industry plant just sounds like good management to me" aren't necessarily correct.
No one hides the fact that they are being managed, promoted and so on. It's when you act as if you are doing it yourself, through independent means but in reality you are backed by a much "higher power". That's what people have a problem with.
That's part of the reason Odd Future is considered an industry plant by so many, because a large part of their gimmick originally was that they were very DIY.

 

[Iceberg Slim]

I think some people are confused by the vague definition of the term industry plant.
This is usually used to refer to someone who was made to seem as if they came through a natural grassroots movement, when in reality they were backed by a label the whole time.
The reason a label wouldn't want to reveal their involvement is because that would turn off fans to the artist. For example, Wiz Khalifa is often mentioned as a possible industry plant. The reason is because he was promoted as an artist that "went back to his roots after a failed relationship with a major" and through hard work and doing shows around the country he than gained many fans. By 2010 he released Kush & OJ independently to great critical praise and internet hype. Only after Kush & OJ did he "resign" with a major. This is the story we are told but many people believe that it's not true and he was signed to Atlantic the whole time.

So basically the people saying, "industry plant just sounds like good management to me" aren't necessarily correct.
No one hides the fact that they are being managed, promoted and so on. It's when you act as if you are doing it yourself, through independent means but in reality you are backed by a much "higher power". That's what people have a problem with.
That's part of the reason Odd Future is considered an industry plant by so many, because a large part of their gimmick originally was that they were very DIY.

Exactly. And finally with this outstanding post we have some clarity. Put it this way 2 Chainz is exactly what you're breaking down here. We're told that it was strictly through his hard work and ingenuity that he started this organic buzz that has led to his recent success. And low and behold that hard work has led to a deal with...

Def Jam.

Oh you mean the same label that Luda is signed to? Who of course is/was his boss and mentor as a former member of DTP? Nah it's just a coincidence.

 

[Carr]

you have to connect with an audience as well. just simply dropping a mixtape ain't gonna put you on.

Big KRIT got on with KRIT Wuz Here, is he an industry plant too? He was dropping music nobody was listening to before suddenly becoming the most beloved rapper on the internet. Next thing I know he's on Def Jam's roster page

you see how easy it is to come up with these allegations?


If we talkin about industry plants, we need to be talking about people like this


Mann - Get It Girl ft. T-Pain - YouTube


who hadn't even dropped an actual mixtape until they were already 3-4 singles in, and on a major label. Now thats suspect. How the fukk you even get signed?

I was in the studio with a good friend of his and got put on to Hometown Hero long before it caught on. KRIT been working hard and is proof hardwork pays off.

BTW where did u come across the Purple Swag video?

 

[jwinfield]

The growth looks questionable. You basically saying all you need is one dope video & a mixtape.......and you on. How many cats BEEN doing that & still can't catch a break? Its greater forces behind that shyt.

It's music.

Throughout the history of music there's only been a small percentage to actually get on.

 

[BStapies]

I think some people are confused by the vague definition of the term industry plant.
This is usually used to refer to someone who was made to seem as if they came through a natural grassroots movement, when in reality they were backed by a label the whole time.
The reason a label wouldn't want to reveal their involvement is because that would turn off fans to the artist. For example, Wiz Khalifa is often mentioned as a possible industry plant. The reason is because he was promoted as an artist that "went back to his roots after a failed relationship with a major" and through hard work and doing shows around the country he than gained many fans. By 2010 he released Kush & OJ independently to great critical praise and internet hype. Only after Kush & OJ did he "resign" with a major. This is the story we are told but many people believe that it's not true and he was signed to Atlantic the whole time.

So basically the people saying, "industry plant just sounds like good management to me" aren't necessarily correct.
No one hides the fact that they are being managed, promoted and so on. It's when you act as if you are doing it yourself, through independent means but in reality you are backed by a much "higher power". That's what people have a problem with.
That's part of the reason Odd Future is considered an industry plant by so many, because a large part of their gimmick originally was that they were very DIY.

If this is true how is ASAP rocky an industry plant? Wasn't he indie until he signed with Sony (around liveloveasap dropped)