Locked Up

Modern hip-hop can often be characterized by one dilemma: to go for big sales or to make an artistic masterpiece. Unfortunately, in hip-hop the two rarely overlap. However, to display this as a purely a modern problem is incorrect. Even in the mid-90's, when Biggie was making 'Hypnotize', there was a focus on making tracks that could be played in the club and on the radio which usually translate into much bigger sales. While Biggie was talented enough to rap about pretty much anything he wanted and was as much in his element with songs like 'Hypnotize' as with 'Gimme The Loot', other artists struggle with this dichotomy. 

This struggle has been accentuated, particularly in the past decade as illegal downloading has risen to prominence. With album sales drastically falling, record labels demand that an artist have at least one radio ready single that will ensure record sales. Translated, this means that the album must have a couple songs that white kids will like and will make them buy the album, as this has become the market which now purchases the most hip-hop albums. It can be argued that this shift in the market is what has called the so-called 'death' of hip-hop, and it is where this modern dilemma is rooted. 

A fine example of an artist stuck in record label purgatory is Rhymefest. The self-defined working man rapper, his debut Blue Collar displayed the dilemma well as it featured great songs like 'Devils Pie' but also abysmal songs such as 'Brand New', which shows Rhymefest struggling to come up with his own commercially viable hit. 

Of course, Rhymefest is at his best when not worrying about his radio spins or about how many people are buying his records. Unfortunately, this is the last thing his record label wants to hear and it has forced his second album to the shelves for years now despite a promising debut. 

This type of treatment is typical in hip-hop. Years ago, there were protests when Fiona Apple's album was shelved by her label from outraged fans, but Rhymefest is far from the first talented hip-hop artist to have his album shelved and he will be far from the last. 

However, as his long delayed second album, El Che, gets ready for its May release (maybe you can guess the release date from the mixtape title), Rhymefest has released a mixtape titled Dangerous: 5-18 that serves as a prelude to remind everyone that he is indeed finally releasing his second album and, yes, he is still really good at rapping. As is often the case with the mixtape, on Dangerous 5:18 Rhymefest finds himself unbound from the constraints of the label pressures that have weighed him down for years, which allows him to present his personal and passionate style of rapping front and center. 

But the underlying and seemingly timeless question of why rappers like Rhymefest can never find financial success despite their unquestioned lyrical prowess and substantive material remains. In a sense, hip-hop has become trapped by its own ambitions to expand from a niche market to a global phenomenon. With so much invested, there can't be a even a small chance for failure. There is no doubt hip-hop has become more formulaic since its expansion, but there are of course many exceptions and Rhymefest will assuredly be one of them.