Too Many Songs, Not Enough Hits: Music Is Struggling to Create New Stars

[dora_da_destroyer]

Agreed I think Tink is an even better example than Dreezy. There really needs to be a scholarly dissertation on Tink and her song Treat Me Like Somebody. It shows the clear problem with social media’s effect on artistry. Tink herself as a personality and also looks (no bbl) doesn’t hit the female algorithm for vitality but it’s clear some of those same audiences liked a song of hers enough to run it up to 300 million views. But even after the song went viral, Tink the artist still didn’t receive the consummate recognition and success not even as much as your typical one hit wonder would see.

I don’t fully remember what happened but didn’t she have some drama over a rick Ross song? And Tink’s issue was simply not connecting. She came along at a time when things were still quiet for female rappers, so it wasn’t noise drowning her out, it was all the hype timbaland had around her yet they never produced a hit single.

Edit: and she gotta be lying on Wikipedia, no way she’s just 27. If that’s the case, she should’ve still been trying to make it happen, 27 isn’t too old…maybe trying to drop at 17 was a detriment

 

[DaHNIC82]

Another problem and this is What I hate about hip hop today is that the fans think they are A&Rs and much rather debate about sales than art. Shyt like this is why DJ Akademiks is a problem.. He never goes into what makes the music dope, the verses, nor does he understand how to read music.. Instead he always posts insert artist_____ Sold ____First week.
Example.. Only thing I heard about Lil Baby's album is he sold 212k first week. What were memorable songs? deepest verses? Who had a dope guest apperance? Who provided bangers on the boards? These dudes know nothing about the music.

 

[franknitty711]

Technology has disrupted the ability for labels to directly control an outcome which makes sense to them. It’s nothing new, Sean Parker has kept labels on their heels since.

All these purported experts…whatever man these discussions are not inspiring.

Just make good music and put it out there. Let’s it be what it’s gonna be.

 

[L&HH]

Music is better now imo. Especially rap music. It is so open now. As far as mainstream....eh I guess. But overall music has evolved into a better space.

There is absolutely no way you can say rap music is better now. And I listen to modern rap but there’s no way your telling me any of these rappers from Lil Durk, Lil Baby, Lil Uzi whoever are better than PAC, Big, X, Nas, Jayz up into Lil Wayne. And I like those previous I mentioned but there’s no objective way you can say the talent and/or quality of music these recent artist it out is anyway comparable to their predecessors.

I don’t fully remember what happened but didn’t she have some drama over a rick Ross song? And Tink’s issue was simply not connecting. She came along at a time when things were still quiet for female rappers, so it wasn’t noise drowning her out, it was all the hype timbaland had around her yet they never produced a hit single.

Edit: and she gotta be lying on Wikipedia, no way she’s just 27. If that’s the case, she should’ve still been trying to make it happen, 27 isn’t too old…maybe trying to drop at 17 was a detriment

some ppl like to attribute her lack of success to Timbaland being overzealous in comparing her to Aaliyah. The controversy you’re talking about is Ross had a song with Jay produced by Timbaland called moving bass. Tink being Timbaland’s artist he let her hear the song and cut a verse, chorus to it without Jay or Ross knowing of course. Apparently Jay did hear that version and approved of it. Ross of course for obvious reasons wasn’t too fond of it because it took away his song with Jayz and added a new random female rapper. And the Tink version was cut for Tink to outshine everyone on the song. Timbaland went to the breakfast club and gave Envy that version who eventually played it. Ross of course got upset. The song is/ was fire though and wish Ross would have let it rock. No one even cares or remembers the regular version of moving bass anymore. And this version may have been a hit record.

 

[Finesse]

There is absolutely no way you can say rap music is better now. And I listen to modern rap but there’s no way your telling me any of these rappers from Lil Durk, Lil Baby, Lil Uzi whoever are better than PAC, Big, X, Nas, Jayz up into Lil Wayne.

Ive personally enjoyed hip hop more as a whole from the blog era to now.

Its more open. More experimental. More artists. More flows. More beats. More demographics. More topics being explored. Everything is MORE.

Like I said. Mainstream wise its whatever. But mainstream music always tended to be lowest common denominator bullshyt. All in all music is more fun and exicting to me now than the shyt that was out back then.

 

[Fortunate Lee]

Not just music, but all forms of entertainment and even sports


Where is the Denzel of this generation?

Where is the Bron of this generation?

You know you got a problem when the people talking about music have more power and influence than the artists

 

[Capital Steez]

I posted this interview in a very similar thread a week or two ago but I think some of what Bowie brings up is relevant here too:


One of the things he predicts is that the internet would lessen the importance of the messenger. The music and the audience will be more important. You kinda see that now where the middle man (the artist) kinda getting the short end of the stick. So you get the audience consuming to an insane degree and you have the labels and DSPs eating off all the content.

Bowie broke it down perfectly, music has become more about the audience seeing themselves within the artists than about unique creative direction the artist offers.

 

[Renegade47]

Music is better now imo. Especially rap music. It is so open now. As far as mainstream....eh I guess. But overall music has evolved into a better space.

no it hasnt. it literally hasnt and this is a crock of shyt.

music today doesnt even have any feeling. majority of this shyt lacks soul. you listen to summer walker music then listen to rnb in the past dont even go to the 70s 80s or 90s just go to amerie’s first album from 02 so much color in the production. the trap influenced music of today is dull and is masked by “bangin” drum programming when the instrumentation itself in the music is lacking because the people making the music shouldnt be making music.

 

[Renegade47]

Not just music, but all forms of entertainment and even sports


Where is the Denzel of this generation?

Where is the Bron of this generation?

You know you got a problem when the people talking about music have more power and influence than the artists

the next bron is luka

 

[Dave24]

Not just music, but all forms of entertainment and even sports


Where is the Denzel of this generation?

Where is the Bron of this generation?

You know you got a problem when the people talking about music have more power and influence than the artists

@The Amerikkkan Idol

 

[Thanos]

Music has became what surrounds the music, the drama, the sales, etc than the actual artfform. Sports too.

 

[HabitualChiller]

Think about Motown making hits.

They had a room full of fukcing geniuses working though the night to get things PERFECT.

Even Puff, JD, and Dre gave that kind of effort with their tools they worked with.

These new niqqas brag about making a beat in 15 minutes. They strive to sound the exact same as 100 other records. The words are nonsense.

OF COURSE THERES NO HITS. It's like waiting on children with crayons to make great works of visual art.

Our music needs to contain more

music.

A large part of it is that artists know that their time is limited, and that their fanbase is fickle.

If you drop a hit and take too long to follow-up on it's success, its essentially a wrap. And too long can literally be a month because there are plenty of artists that are either in your lane, or ready to drop a song that "takes inspiration" from yours.

So, in order to not be another statistic, kats will drop songs that sound similar to their hit, or something generic. Kats don't really get enough time to be unique.

 

[HabitualChiller]

Jamming this joint right now btw

 

[NO-BadAzz]

Agreed I think Tink is an even better example than Dreezy. There really needs to be a scholarly dissertation on Tink and her song Treat Me Like Somebody. It shows the clear problem with social media’s effect on artistry. Tink herself as a personality and also looks (no bbl) doesn’t hit the female algorithm for vitality but it’s clear some of those same audiences liked a song of hers enough to run it up to 300 million views. But even after the song went viral, Tink the artist still didn’t receive the consummate recognition and success not even as much as your typical one hit wonder would see.

That whole mixtape of hers went hard. She came out the same time as Jenkio Akio, she was in that same boat with great music and finally got a hit, per say, or was on something that was in rotation.

I do think that Tink mixtape of hers should have made more noise.

 

[FeverPitch2]

Ive personally enjoyed hip hop more as a whole from the blog era to now.

Its more open. More experimental. More artists. More flows. More beats. More demographics. More topics being explored. Everything is MORE.

Like I said. Mainstream wise its whatever. But mainstream music always tended to be lowest common denominator bullshyt. All in all music is more fun and exicting to me now than the shyt that was out back then.

Lies.
Just say you like this stuff because it's your era.
The quality isn't comparable by any of the metrics you named.
Mainstream music used to be high quality. Let's not tell that lie, either.