West Coast Connection Forum

DUBCC - Tha Connection => Outbound Connection => Topic started by: snopafly on February 15, 2008, 01:36:48 PM

Title: the reason why hiphop sales are low
Post by: snopafly on February 15, 2008, 01:36:48 PM
http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=14479

busta rhymes, Stat Quo, Bishop Lamont talk about haw the hiphop game is about now.. Busta is spitting the real shit, everybody agree with him i think. 

any thoughts ?
Title: Re: the reason why hiphop sales are low
Post by: The Purple Champ on February 15, 2008, 03:04:43 PM
seeeeeeeeeen
Title: Re: the reason why hiphop sales are low
Post by: AnybodyKilla on February 15, 2008, 03:08:01 PM
seeeeeeeeeen
Title: Re: the reason why hiphop sales are low
Post by: The-Leak (aka) kingwell (bka) JULES on February 15, 2008, 05:33:57 PM
Old, and they're wrong.


The reason ALL Sales are low, is cuz of the internet.
Title: Re: the reason why hiphop sales are low
Post by: AZ§o§a on February 15, 2008, 05:37:24 PM
idiots like weezy and ti are not helping... i guess not so much with sales but w. the overall image
Title: Re: the reason why hiphop sales are low
Post by: Narrator on February 15, 2008, 05:49:34 PM
Old, and they're wrong.


The reason ALL Sales are low, is cuz of the internet.

Yeah, but the decrease in hip-hop sales has been disproportionately large compared to the rest of the music industry.  Hip-hop sales declined by something like 20% from 2006 to 2007, even with Kanye, 50, and Jay-Z putting out new albums (think about it...three years ago that kind of lineup would mean record-breaking sales, almost).  Music sales as a whole have generally declined by a smaller percentage, something like 5-6% every year since 2000 (when downloading became popular).

It's not really a secret anymore that the white kids are finally getting tired of hip-hop and moving on to emo-punk and anything passed off as "indie".  Sales are low because hip-hop is on the way out in popular culture.  I don't expect it to disappear completely, but it's basically in the same position that heavy metal had reached by the early-90s and disco had reached by the early-80s.  Actually, I'm surprised its dominance even lasted as long as it did.
Title: Re: the reason why hiphop sales are low
Post by: Mackin on February 15, 2008, 06:16:35 PM
Old, and they're wrong.


The reason ALL Sales are low, is cuz of the internet.

Yeah, but the decrease in hip-hop sales has been disproportionately large compared to the rest of the music industry.  Hip-hop sales declined by something like 20% from 2006 to 2007, even with Kanye, 50, and Jay-Z putting out new albums (think about it...three years ago that kind of lineup would mean record-breaking sales, almost).  Music sales as a whole have generally declined by a smaller percentage, something like 5-6% every year since 2000 (when downloading became popular).

It's not really a secret anymore that the white kids are finally getting tired of hip-hop and moving on to emo-punk and anything passed off as "indie".  Sales are low because hip-hop is on the way out in popular culture.  I don't expect it to disappear completely, but it's basically in the same position that heavy metal had reached by the early-90s and disco had reached by the early-80s.  Actually, I'm surprised its dominance even lasted as long as it did.
I gotta agree with You Foday!!!
Nicely Put!!!
Title: Re: the reason why hiphop sales are low
Post by: Turf Hitta on February 15, 2008, 08:32:18 PM
Old, and they're wrong.


The reason ALL Sales are low, is cuz of the internet.

Yeah, but the decrease in hip-hop sales has been disproportionately large compared to the rest of the music industry.  Hip-hop sales declined by something like 20% from 2006 to 2007, even with Kanye, 50, and Jay-Z putting out new albums (think about it...three years ago that kind of lineup would mean record-breaking sales, almost).  Music sales as a whole have generally declined by a smaller percentage, something like 5-6% every year since 2000 (when downloading became popular).

It's not really a secret anymore that the white kids are finally getting tired of hip-hop and moving on to emo-punk and anything passed off as "indie".  Sales are low because hip-hop is on the way out in popular culture.  I don't expect it to disappear completely, but it's basically in the same position that heavy metal had reached by the early-90s and disco had reached by the early-80s.  Actually, I'm surprised its dominance even lasted as long as it did.

The biggest part of the problem, at least to me, is that nowadays (and for the last 5-10 years now) the quality of rap has declined and people do not treat rap as legitimate art any more, and with good reason. All this oversimplified "anything to get sales" formula is getting old, even for the most casual of rap fans. Rap music is treated as disposable. Give the shit a few listens, then its forgotten 3 months later. Listening to rap has turned into more of a fashion statement that changes with the seasons than an actual art form.
Title: Re: the reason why hiphop sales are low
Post by: Narrator on February 17, 2008, 08:07:25 AM
The biggest part of the problem, at least to me, is that nowadays (and for the last 5-10 years now) the quality of rap has declined and people do not treat rap as legitimate art any more, and with good reason. All this oversimplified "anything to get sales" formula is getting old, even for the most casual of rap fans. Rap music is treated as disposable. Give the shit a few listens, then its forgotten 3 months later. Listening to rap has turned into more of a fashion statement that changes with the seasons than an actual art form.

If you believe that's the main problem, then you obviously weren't of age in the 90s.  There were stupid one-hit-wonder artists in the 90s as well (remember Tag Team?)  And a lot of the popular hip-hop was not treated as "legitimate art", either by hip-hop heads or by almost anyone else.  It's hard for some cats to remember, but there was a time when G-Funk used to be hated as much as, say, crunk, when Dre and Snoop were not shown the same respect as Nas or the Wu.  What do you think Common's "I Used To Love H.E.R." was about?  That shit came out in '94, when most people today would agree a lot of the best hip-hop ever made was coming out, and yet there was Com complaining about the state of the game!

So, like I said, it has less to do with quality (though I would certainly agree quality has declined in many respects) and a lot more to do with the fact that hip-hop is simply going out of style.  Think about how long it's been since hip-hop first dominated the mainstream...10 years, give or take (1997 was the first year that rap outsold rock in the states, cause of Bad Boy and No Limit putting out so many Platinum-plus records).  That's a long time to be on top.  What goes up must come down.  That shit applies as much to popular music as to physics.
Title: Re: the reason why hiphop sales are low
Post by: virtuoso on February 17, 2008, 09:20:08 AM

I agree with you internet sales are a part of the problem but I guess the major factor is that they have tried to make hip hop appeal to more groups of people and have thus tried to dilute it. The problem has been though that because this diluted rap has becoming so prominent it prevents the more faithful to it's roots rap i.e. the lyricism and the music from gaining any real attention. The other problem with this dilution of the music though, is that once a formula or a perceived winning formula has been established, then everyone else tries to follow suit and it therefore becomes only a short term success. I think hip hop is losing relevance so quickly now that utltimately real hip hop, or rawer hip hop will naturally swing full circle and become the dominant force in hip hop again.
Title: Re: the reason why hiphop sales are low
Post by: Bch on February 17, 2008, 09:39:02 AM
busta rhymes is correct they deappreciated the value of what they do , and a computer did cause it (THE INTERNET)

aint no more money in hip hop like how it used to be like ice cube recently said in the dubcnn interview .. what happens when a few years down the line this talented artist is no longer doing music because there aint no more money in hip hop


just look at the big time artist they arent doing the #'s they used to do even though they've been consistent with there music or grown/developed their music...

Title: Re: the reason why hiphop sales are low
Post by: Turf Hitta on February 18, 2008, 01:27:00 PM
The biggest part of the problem, at least to me, is that nowadays (and for the last 5-10 years now) the quality of rap has declined and people do not treat rap as legitimate art any more, and with good reason. All this oversimplified "anything to get sales" formula is getting old, even for the most casual of rap fans. Rap music is treated as disposable. Give the shit a few listens, then its forgotten 3 months later. Listening to rap has turned into more of a fashion statement that changes with the seasons than an actual art form.

If you believe that's the main problem, then you obviously weren't of age in the 90s.  There were stupid one-hit-wonder artists in the 90s as well (remember Tag Team?)  And a lot of the popular hip-hop was not treated as "legitimate art", either by hip-hop heads or by almost anyone else.  It's hard for some cats to remember, but there was a time when G-Funk used to be hated as much as, say, crunk, when Dre and Snoop were not shown the same respect as Nas or the Wu.  What do you think Common's "I Used To Love H.E.R." was about?  That shit came out in '94, when most people today would agree a lot of the best hip-hop ever made was coming out, and yet there was Com complaining about the state of the game!

So, like I said, it has less to do with quality (though I would certainly agree quality has declined in many respects) and a lot more to do with the fact that hip-hop is simply going out of style.  Think about how long it's been since hip-hop first dominated the mainstream...10 years, give or take (1997 was the first year that rap outsold rock in the states, cause of Bad Boy and No Limit putting out so many Platinum-plus records).  That's a long time to be on top.  What goes up must come down.  That shit applies as much to popular music as to physics.


First of all how dare you?! I been into rap since the 80s! LOL But yes, it is also going out of style. Just like funk and disco. They got popular and then the "wrong people" got a little too involved  and then they fell apart.
Title: Re: the reason why hiphop sales are low
Post by: Don Jacob on February 18, 2008, 02:27:26 PM
Old, and they're wrong.


The reason ALL Sales are low, is cuz of the internet.
Title: Re: the reason why hiphop sales are low
Post by: LyRiCaL_G on February 18, 2008, 03:17:17 PM
Seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen KLeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN
Title: Re: the reason why hiphop sales are low
Post by: Joe Bonanno on February 18, 2008, 03:56:16 PM
A) The internet.
B) Declining quality of your favorite rappers.
C) Declining quality of new artists.
D) Hip Hop as it is known is getting stale. Nearing the end.
Title: Re: the reason why hiphop sales are low
Post by: Lucifuge on February 19, 2008, 12:14:05 AM
yeah.but busta be on remix that crapy song "lafy tafy"and hes wonna work with supermen oooooooo aka soulja boi:S. busta busta :-\ :-\ :'(
Title: Re: the reason why hiphop sales are low
Post by: R1ZE on February 19, 2008, 12:55:38 AM
the game is cyclical. since all these one hit wonders are selling less and less (except for ringtones  :-\), maybe they'll stop signing them.

Wishful thinking, though.