phil said:
gangsta shit is a very small reality to the world. it may be your whole world but 99.899 % of everyone else who listens to music just wants to have a good time and really couldnt give a fuck less about gangsta this gangbang that. if west coast shit could sell it would. point blank.
Good point. But there's more to it than that. A certain percentage of buyers go with whatever the media (i.e. MTV, BET, magazines like PEOPLE) promotes as the "hottest" thing for today instead of thinking for themselves. And such fans who are interested in keeping up with the Joneses make up a large percentage of those who buy CDs, too.
Part of why Death Row, Ruthless, and the early Bay artists (E-40, Too Short, Spice 1, Celly Cel, Luniz, etc.) were able to sell millions back in the day was because West coast music was new to many suburban folks who let the media dictate to them what to buy (and again, who have the most money to spend). Since West coast street rap was new (for the early 'nineties), it was promoted by the media as the "hot new thing" for that time, so for awhile there, not only were OG fans buying it, suburban kids were, too, thus causing sales in the millions from '92 to '97 or thereabouts.
But once Puff Daddy and some of the southern labels started catching on (Cash Money, the Southern model No Limit from late '97/early '98), the media moved on to THEM and promoted THEM as the "hot new thing," and sure enough, the suburban folks who had supported West Coast shit from '92/'97 bit the bait and started buying Southern Rap instead. The faithful (like me) continued buying West Coast artists, but since the suburban fans weren't there anymore to beef up the amounts, sales dwindled.
And now, the media promotes Eminem, Ja Rule, 50 Cent, DMX, etc., as the "hot new thing" for today, so those same fans have abandoned Southern rap (although, again, those who supported the South before it was cool still do) and switched to these East Coast artists! See a pattern here?
So, part of why it's hard for the West Coast is because even though I know, and others on this board know, that the West Coast is still dope, the mass media sees WC street rap as a thing of yesterday, and won't hype it up--they've moved on to hyping 50 Cent, Ja Rule, DMX, etc. And once someone else "hot" comes along, the mass media will abandon THOSE artists and promote that next "hot" thing, whoever he/she is. Maybe if we're lucky, a West Coast artist will be that hot new thing, but don't expect miracles. The media will take boy bands and dance shit anytime you give them an excuse. PEACE!
