Why is it in rap....

[herpes]

if you die and you gain new fans after your death why do people make a big deal about it ?  I see it all the time people go he didn't have this many fans when he was alive.  Why is it a big deal when you became a fan of him ?  I don't hear anyone bitching about someone becoming a John Lennon fan after he died.  So why with rap fans this is a big deal ?

[R1ZE]

its not just in rap

[Joe Bonanno]

because it makes them hipper within their circle to be down with whoever first.

[jeromechickenbone]

because it makes them hipper within their circle to be down with whoever first.

Agreed.

Also they hate on it because it makes their favorite rapper more relevant.  They can say shit like "if (insert said rapper) was killed, he'd be goat".  It makes them feel like they picked a winner.

[Hatesrats™]

if you die and you gain new fans after your death why do people make a big deal about it ?  I see it all the time people go he didn't have this many fans when he was alive.  Why is it a big deal when you became a fan of him ?  I don't hear anyone bitching about someone becoming a John Lennon fan after he died.  So why with rap fans this is a big deal ?

I see What Your saying bro..
But John Lennon is a bad example for this Argument. (IMO)
Remember Lennon was The founding member & Leader of a Lil' group called The Beatles.
Which gave Him legend status way before his 1969/1970 Depature of The Group.
His Solo work alone would have granted Him Legend status aswell.
His Death Murder in 1980 Did Not elevate his status As A Legend it just solidified it.

I see what Your saying Tho, I Think The main reason why peep's Put the "Icon/Legend" tag On someone That dies..
is because they bring into account the "What Could have been" Factor..

For Instance.. B.I.G. Only had 2 albums, I Myself Still Consider him a legend and One of The best Hip-Hop artists ever.
The reason being is, I Still Play His music Like It came Out yesterday (Never get's old) and I prob will until the day I Die.
+ You can Still Imagine B.I.G. Ripping the majority of These beats & Rocking Stuff people are Doing today.
In My heart Of heart's I Still Consider B.I.G. better than 99% Of anything new that has came out since his death.

I heard Somewhere I Belive It was in A Nirvana documentry, Someone said that Nirvana/Kurt Cobain Will be Remembered as the greatest band
In The last 25 years for the simple fact That they never Got the chance to suck.. They went Out On Top.

When It Comes to 2Pac, B.I.G. At The time Of Their Murders They were on Top.
So They will always be 24 & 25/26 years Old & In their prime forever.

[Kill]

some valid points here. The death of a rapper sure contributes to his becoming a "legend" (in rap fans' terms at least), but so does it with other musicians. John Lennon, as pointed out above, is not that great an example because he was a Beatle and that takes him waaayy beyond the status you can see any rapper reaching; he was considered one of the most important pop musicians of the 20th century about 12 years before his death already.

Maybe a better example to compare would be someone like Jim Morrison, who was (like Biggie or Pac) famous when he was still alive, yet blown out of proportion and mystified after he fucked himself up. No disrespect, I love The Doors, but this would be an example of someone's premature death blowing shit out of proportion and contributing greatly to his status as a legend, idol, icon and whatnot. That goes beyond music of course, James Dean would never have achieved the same size in people's memories if he'd grown old and made shit movies. I think that's why some people make a big deal about other people becoming fans of dead artists: Because they see the hype that often follows such events and they assume that whoever becomes someone's fan after their death, they probably just jumped on the bandwagon. I don't think this phenomenon is exclusive to hiphop.

It's exclusive to famous artists though. If you walk around with a cheap ass self-made "RIP Mac Dre" shirt, the same people who hated on you a minute ago for getting into Pac after his death are likely to think you're cool as fuck.

[Lord Funk]

if you die and you gain new fans after your death why do people make a big deal about it ?  I see it all the time people go he didn't have this many fans when he was alive.  Why is it a big deal when you became a fan of him ?

Because most hip-hop fans are so riddled with insecurity that the only way they maintain a self-image is to consider themselves cooler than each other. And part of that is talking down on people who 'slept' on dead rappers during the years when they got less promotion.

[late night]

this is a good point, but it happens all over music, Selena the Spanish pop musician, jim morrison, 2pac, biggie, big L, big pun, nirvana.

if you listen to a lot of types of music you'll notice differences, like in rock when someone writes a good song its ok for another band to remake the song, but in rap when a rapper remakes a another rappers song or raps with the same swagger its considered bitting and unoriginal.

you don't see that many rock groups beefing with each other.

ive noticed that rock fans are more accepting when their band tries something new, maybe not at first but after a while they adjust to what the artist puts out there, as in rap a rapper changing his style to dramatically can ruin his career.

not saying rock is better than rap, i have more rap on my computer than rock, just noting the differences.

[Cheese]

it made them look more gangsta (=cool). 

[jaytee]

if you die and you gain new fans after your death why do people make a big deal about it ?  I see it all the time people go he didn't have this many fans when he was alive.  Why is it a big deal when you became a fan of him ?  I don't hear anyone bitching about someone becoming a John Lennon fan after he died.  So why with rap fans this is a big deal ?

It is is kind of like when an underground artist blows up and gets big.  Everybody who heard this artist's earlier music feel the need to say "I've been listening to this dude since he dropped, or for years, etc."  You want a cookie for that?  Who cares?  If you are appreciating a talented musician/artist and become a true fan of their work, then it shouldn't matter when you became a fan.  People that complain need to get out of that elitist mentality.

As far as an artist gaining new fans after death, it just adds to their legacy.  They're art is still able to reach people even after death.  They're no longer here to create new "original" work, but their words remain.  People still flock to see the "Mona Lisa."  Nobody living today was around when Da Vinci painted it, but does that mean that people can't go and admire it? 

It's ignorance created by people who want to feel good about themselves.  They must not have much else going for them if it means that much to them.   

[GunMaster G-9]

the dead seem wiser

[Tay]

Some good points made, I have heard a lot of people talk about listening to an artist before they passed, and all that, and like most people said, it's to be cool. I think a lot of it has to do with the possibility to have access to so much music, that everyone tries to find something new to be up on. In reality, a true fan tries to get the word out to their friends, etc., so their group can get more success. If you get a bunch of people into your favorite artist, people will still remember that you were the one who got them into it.

[AZ§o§a]

its publicity