Is Chance The Rapper the greatest industry plant of all time?

[High quality poster]

It's not shocking that he gets represented by CAA, they saw something in him, but he got rep after acid rain...

CAA didn't put any money behind Chance tho, they simply present him with opportunity, and guide his career.

How can you be an industry plant and not signed to any of the major labels. Not saying that chance ain't had big help along the way, but he is not an industry creation.

 

[Harry B]

Labels aren't doing those type of things for artists, that's management and your own grind.

 

[Harry B]

Really? That's no where near enough to get represented by the biggest and most elite agency in Hollywood.


The bolded is the only criteria Chance would have been able to meet prior to signing.
How to get noticed by CAA talent agency? Does that differ from other agencies - Quora



in the very first post I said he's represented by CAA, that's why. He's also talented so that certainly helps too.

Cara Lewis was his agent, a hiphop head known in the culture from being name dropped in Paid In Full.

 

[Supa]

The argument isn't about him being traditionally signed. Of course he's not.

But, he's also not some example of "not needing the corporations" as if he's pushing these joints out of his crib and his homies are setting up deals with Kit-Kat and setting him up with Barack Obama.

That's not what a plant is.

 

[Harry B]

Idk about Interscope.

But not every "independent" artist can have their dad make one phone call & have their son signed to a management company that it is probably worth more than most majors & able to cut a 5 figure check to get their career started.

Is Chance signed to a Major Record Label? No.

Is he signed to a Major Corporation? Yes.

He is signed but can't he leave whenever?

And it wasn't his dad, and to reiterate, this is a woman who is a booking agent that signed Kanye before CD, Pac, Digital Underground, Goodie mob and and hiphop artists. Nearly mainly hiphop. Roots since the beginning, Eminem since the beginning and the list goes on.

It's not as if some old white men where sitting in the board room and signing some random rapper. It was a real hiphop head, who has worked with an endless list of hiphop artists from small to big, 80s to 2016, pop to "real rap". She signed him, and she was at the agency, no one can probably tell her who she can or can't sign.

 

[L&HH]

That's not what a plant is.

The precise definition of an industry plant has always changes based on whatever argument the person using the term wants to get across. The original definition was basically a synonym for astroturfing. An artist who seems to have came up grassroots but was really backed by a much bigger entity. Typically that much bigger entity is a major label. The artists starts off "independent" and release a major piece of work that somewhat pushes them to the forefront of the national populace (So far gone, Section 80, Kush and orange juice, live love ASAP). But really that artist was signed to the major the whole time they were claiming they were independent.

 

[SirBiatch]

Those who lived it remember it. Cole, Kendrick, KRIT, etc all had nice buzz and build loyal fanbases before their first albums dropped. Roc Nation thought Cole would kinda flop but anyone who was around at the time knew his first album would do well regardless of the single...and it did. Likewise Interscope wasn't super confident about GKMC despite Swimming Pools being big...yet it did even better than Cole's first album. The industry hasn't been the same since.

Not to toot my own horn but I worked in the record label industry (I hate calling it the music industry). I saw this shyt first hand.

Ironically the albums from that time that "flopped" were KRIT and Rocky. In KRIT's case it was label bullshyt/not believing in the artist+no good singles, and in Rocky's case it was him not being in the oven long enough to develop a big enough fanbase to sustain him out the gate like Cole and Kendrick.

so no receipts. Just more stories. aight.

 

[Supa]

The precise definition of an industry plant has always changes based on whatever argument the person using the term wants to get across. The original definition was basically a synonym for astroturfing. An artist who seems to have came up grassroots but was really backed by a much bigger entity. Typically that much bigger entity is a major label. The artists starts off "independent" and release a major piece of work that somewhat pushes them to the forefront of the national populace (So far gone, Section 80, Kush and orange juice, live love ASAP). But really that artist was signed to the major the whole time they were claiming they were independent.

If you don't have a label behind you you're not a plant. Chance has never had a label but people want to be hard headed.

 

[MegaTronBomb!]

Chance is Indy, what's so hard to understand. He is NOT signed to a MAJOR label, so he is Indy.

CAA ain't putting no money behind his music, they simply setup deals for him.

There is no major label putting promo dollars behind Chance. So he is Indy.

Being Indy is obviously what Apple is promoting, fukk a label essentially. Chance is Indy and doing fine. Frank went Indy and did amazing things. Cut the middle man.

Think about what you're saying..... the worlds best marketing agency is being employed to set up deals for him, but he's independent

 

[TheRtist]

he was already connected to vic mensa/kids these days (which were kinda big), he put out #10Day which was big, he was on Donald Glover's mixtape and was on tour with him before CAA represented him. that's a relatively unknown unaccomplished person to you?

people who dont know what they are talking about just talk a lot

 

[John Reena]

Thread like these remind me that most posters havnt even graduated college, let alone are mature to understand the subterfuge that exist in business.

Like people think the concept of an industry plant is THAT absurd.

Meanwhile, Iggy Azalea has a career because of "New Payola," and her fans would call you crazy for saying they only like Fancy because it was played 50leven times throughout the country because label paid for it.

My bad, wrong thread!

 

[TheRtist]

The precise definition of an industry plant has always changes based on whatever argument the person using the term wants to get across. The original definition was basically a synonym for astroturfing. An artist who seems to have came up grassroots but was really backed by a much bigger entity. Typically that much bigger entity is a major label. The artists starts off "independent" and release a major piece of work that somewhat pushes them to the forefront of the national populace (So far gone, Section 80, Kush and orange juice, live love ASAP). But really that artist was signed to the major the whole time they were claiming they were independent.

Proof Kendrick is a plant

Kendrick Lamar Reacts To Dr. Dre's Cosign, Considering Aftermath

look for a comment by GGeneral "I will say journalism sucks, cause I read an article that had the man listed as an aftermath signee already...smh,"

 

[John Reena]

My first time hearing Kendrick Lamar was on Games 2nd album I think.

 

[Rembrandt]

people who dont know what they are talking about just talk a lot

be pedantic about an independent artist all you want, but it's commonly used in reference to artists that are unsigned and own their masters. not artists that are unsigned AND have no management AND no connections. i'm meeting ya'll halfway and understanding why chance is a very special case but he's also a very special artist in terms of what he's doing. it's something to be praised and followed. frank ocean is doing the same shyt. wayne needs to do the same.

i make music and chance's career is literally most rappers' dreams considering the state of contracts now. but sure, idk what i'm talking about.


tbh, if it turns out chance is one of those "mindie" rappers then it'll hurt his career a decent amount.

 

[Capital Steez]

Chicago breeds artists. I think you guys are confusing a plant for a kid that was born into very well established middle to upper class Chicago black family. Hence the early childhood photos with Spike Lee and his fathers connections to Obama.



Chance had been bubbling on the Chicago seen since he was in high school. I know a lot of kids that went to High School with him at Whitney Young that can attest to his whole movement being really organic, its not based on a label campaign. Seeing a young black man get the looks he has while putting out such positive content almost seems like fantasy or a label strategy but its not. Chance really started to blow when Keef did so labels at the time were scooping up rappers like Durk, Reese etc.