How important is image for a hip hop artist?

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FreedomLost

FreedomLost

Sicc OG
#1
Nov 10, 2006
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#1
Hip hop, rap, whatever umbrella and whatever label, how important is image.

If you bought or were given a CD that was full of fantastic music, would your opinion change of the music if when you saw a picture of the music maker it was not the typical looking person for the style of music, or it was a picture of what you may perceive as nerdy, dorky, lame etc... Would the image possibly change your opinion of the music being good? As a whole, would the artist have a hard time being accepted by a fanbase?

Milli Vanilli had a very popular album years ago, but the powers that be felt that two people portraying a certain image were better for the music than the actual people who sang the songs.

Is this a good or bad aspect, or just a fact of life?
 
Eunuch

Eunuch

Thotlamic Prophet
#4
Feb 19, 2006
1,775
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Thotronto
#4
if you're talking about folks who want worldwide, commercial appeal, then image is everything. half the people that BUY music and anything from the artists are lil teenaged girls who like the whole look and experience of whatever artist.
 
The Visualizer

The Visualizer

Sicc OG
#5
Jan 1, 2006
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#5
Eminem... when I first heard My Name Is... I thought he was a black guy. Samething happened with Beastie Boys back in the days. It didn't make me look at them different but the image I had in my mind was that they were black.
 
2-0-Sixx

2-0-Sixx

Sicc OG
#7
May 13, 2002
49,944
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Seattle
www.socialistworld.net
#7
Unfortunately these days in order to be "successful" image is almost always more important than the music.

Need to bring the radio back and kill MTV.

I'm mean think about it for a moment. Would 50 cent be as famous as he is if he looked like this:



And that's a fucked up thing because music is something to be heard, not seen.

Now of couse image doesn't have to do strictly with looks. Take biggie for example - he was fucked up looking but his image had to do with his street cred and all that bullshit which again, has absolutely nothing to do with music.

99% of all shit that is popular right now has everything to do with image. Most of the rappers have little or no talent and have other people write their music and they have no musical background - cannot play any instruments, create beats, nothing. All they provide is the image while other people create the music. It's milli vanilli type shit.

No other form of music is image as important as it is in hip hop, besides maybe teenage pop music. It's ridiculous. In addition, not only do you have to uphold a certain image, you must be a young male as well. It's really strange to me that once rappers get passed a certain age, like 35, it's nearly impossible for them to be relevant on the mic anymore (there are very few exceptions of this occurring). It's like the hip-hop community completely turns their backs on the legends. No other form of popular music that comes to mind is that true.
 
infinity

infinity

( o )( o )
#9
May 4, 2005
16,189
64,829
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UOENO, CA
#9
image doesnt really matter to me. a recent example - Ronald Jenkees. he couldnt be any nerdier, but has made some of the most amazing music ive ever heard


Eunuch said:
if you're talking about folks who want worldwide, commercial appeal, then image is everything. half the people that BUY music and anything from the artists are lil teenaged girls who like the whole look and experience of whatever artist.
Click to expand...
and co-sign this
 
H

hblock1

Sicc OG
#11
Mar 2, 2006
522
0
0
#11
TRAJIK1 said:
good music is good music
Click to expand...
rising_tied said:
I believe good music is good music
Click to expand...
ColdBlooded said:
Image is nothing. Taste is everything
Click to expand...
and every utha person who says similar..


try tellin dat to tha generaL public..!!

If u think about it.. rap is tha only genre of music where ur personaL life matters..!! Image is tha utmost important thing in rap..!! If a silver spoon fed, Beverly Hill resident was to rap and speak on some gangsta ghetto shit.. it wouldnt work kuhz his image is tainted by his life..!! sucks but hey.. tha media made commerciaL music what it is today.. NUTHIN BUT BULLSHIT..!!
 
8FIVE8

8FIVE8

Sicc OG
#12
Apr 20, 2005
2,940
290
0
#12
image is all that matters, especially nowadays. With the wack ass shit commin out now, i dont think people are buying cd's for the quality of the music.
 
THE ACIDRAPTOR

THE ACIDRAPTOR

Sicc OG
#13
Dec 25, 2003
6,517
502
0
#13
To me... Fuck your image b!tch!!! It's your mind that matters...

The music industry & pop culture is like grown-up high school popularity bullshit just like high school... People care about your image...
If your sexy and gorgeous and rich but you have a ignorant close-mind you can be popular and if you're not sexy and not rich but youre intelligent and open-minded you couldnt be popular at all...

This is clearly why society is heavily exploited all cuz of the pop-culture and the pop-infatuated society are haevily oblivious about anything else in this world like the biggest example; EDUCATION!!! ...and I'm all about that!!...
Education and intellectual experiences is what matters the most to me and I dont reely make friends with people that are ignorant and close-minded no matter if the girls are hella sexy or not, I dont give a rats ass... If you have a materialistic weakass mind then I refuse to be your friend, you got that???
 
M

MaddDogg

Sicc OG
#17
Apr 25, 2002
4,446
494
83
#17
Image is HUGE in Hip Hop since it has expanded from a musical artform to a cultural element. If you think about it, when rappers like 50 Cent do an interview they are quoted almost as much as George Bush is.

Image is also the reason Hip Hop is failing: even if an artist makes good music he kills himself when he gives an interview. That in turn, drives down his record sales. Let's look at some examples:

The Game - after his first album, all the stupid beef he got into with G Unit. Add the butterfly tattooed on his face, then the LA tattooed on his face, then all the famous women he talked shit about in that one song for no aparent reason. Next album after sold less than the first one.

50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Trying was a huge hit, then he became so sold on beefing with Ja Rule and other artists that seemed to be about all he was talking about. It comes out that he is allegedley a snitch and that stuck with many people. He has been dissing his own crew recently, AND that comment he made about outselling Kayne was just stupid as fuck. He was a lot better off musically and with sales before Hip Hop CNN came out and showed his true character.

Yukmouth - Was at his most successful early in his career when he was focused on music and throwing occasional Master P disses out there. Then around 2002 or 2003 Yukmouth just wanted to diss everyone from P to Scarface to Numbskull to everyone else. He started dropping mixtapes full of disses and didn't focus on his music. Every project he has dropped since ThugLord has been a decrease in sales, I'm pretty sure, save maybe UGA. And then he gets his chain jacked and is all on the internet talking all kinds of shit, which aint really helping him either.

Camron and Dipset - beef with Jay Z, Stop Snitchin campaign comments, stuff like that, it just kills it.

On the other hand, TechN9ne sells ALL of his records based on his music and how he carries himself. Same with Keak, Zion I, Jay Z, and almost all of the up and coming and successful rappers.
 
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