commercial or not?

[4fifteenRolla]

Aight folks, i hate to say it, but someone has to. The Bay is gonna get to the point to where mf's might be on that borderline Commercial status. Now commercial doesn mean it sounds like Nelly or some shit like that, but its that shit that's strayed from the hard to the shit thats pop. Who do ppl see (gotta be able to predict) who will be one of the first modern commercial Bay rappers..

lemme give u an example, some woulda said a cat like 4-Tay was commercial with his hits in the mid 90s. or that a song like Wide Open by Mall was a commercial hit

I think its inevitible if the Bay is to blow up the way we all want it to that some of our favorite (or former favorite) artists r gonna lean towards the opposite

anyone see it happenin or do i stand alone on this?
will there be a rift between the bay artists we hear on the radio versus those that dont n wont, but are still highly regarded amongst folks like us

 

[4fifteenRolla]

my thing is that Bay cats wont admit when their fav artist have gone commercial, not so much just made it big but that their shit just aint the same even tho its popular...

dunno i hear a lot of shit about clubbin/thizzin n sideshowin (on the radio).. is that all we're good 4?

 

[The Last Word]

my thing is that Bay cats wont admit when their fav artist have gone commercial, not so much just made it big but that their shit just aint the same even tho its popular...

dunno i hear a lot of shit about clubbin/thizzin n sideshowin (on the radio).. is that all we're good 4?

This is the problem, right here:

First we complain that the bay gets no recognition - no radio support. Now that the bay starts getting some radio support and minor recognition, you got people jumpin the gun saying shit is going to go pop. Then you have to consider ...

Radio plays popular music, if clubbin/thizzin n sideshowin is what's popular out here to the radio listeners then the radio is going to play it. It's all we're good for at the moment cause that's what's getting us on the radio. You're looking for too much too soon. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. What do you want them to play? Some sinister ass gun play, crack dealer shit? Records like that from out this way don't have mass appeal.

You'll probably be the first cat hatin when someone from the bay has a hit record. Talkin bout they sold out or whatever.

Never satisfied...

 

[CCCUser925]

so what if they go commercial...a little more bread in they pocket can't hurt them at all....shit..if i was in the music business and i went commercial..i'd be happy as fuck.....

every rap artist dream is to go commercial...but the majority of them wont admit to it..

 

[4fifteenRolla]

This is the problem, right here:

First we complain that the bay gets no recognition - no radio support. Now that the bay starts getting some radio support and minor recognition, you got people jumpin the gun saying shit is going to go pop. Then you have to consider ...

...

You'll probably be the first cat hatin when someone from the bay has a hit record. Talkin bout they sold out or whatever.

Never satisfied...

Aight lemme address that first bit u spit out..
The shit is inevitible to go pop if it gets too much airplay, we all know that. So by definition and by becoming shit gets pop once its too damn popular, look at 50cent.. prime example.

and to address ur second assumption.. yes, assumption.. homie i never hated when a bay cat had a hit record, a hit record to me aint a record that gets major sales, a hit record is a hit record, and as i can recall the bay has had plenty o hit records, so u have that severely twisted... but yes, I will be the first to give constructive criticism cuz i dont wanna see the Bay fall off like other markets have. So dont get ur panties in a bunch cuz im pointin out some shit that i dont want to see happen, but feel is inevitible and is somethin that the Bay hasnt really had to face, as of yet.

 

[4fifteenRolla]

so what if they go commercial...a little more bread in they pocket can't hurt them at all....shit..if i was in the music business and i went commercial..i'd be happy as fuck.....

every rap artist dream is to go commercial...but the majority of them wont admit to it..

Young folks, im not against any man makin his money. When I criticise somethin for bein commercial/pop im attacking the quality/content of the music, not necesarily the artist, unless it becomes habitual and they still want the same respect.


Goin commercial and makin it big are two different things.

 

[The Last Word]

I still think people are jumping the gun a little bit. You can't dictate what's going to make you as an artist "pop". Some artists just do what they do and it gets popular so it's deemed "pop". Some artists purposely create music that they feel is "pop".

Hip Hop is pop right now. Any hip hop artist with a hit record is pop - whether they like it or not.

"a hit record to me aint a record that gets major sales"

Then what do you call a record that gets major sales then? Bottom line is that sales determine whether you have a hit record or not. Not whether a lot of people liked your record and didn't buy it. Critical acclaim don't mean shit without sales figures to back it up.

4-Tay did have "pop" hits. It's not like it's a bad thing. He was on a major at the time and was getting major video play - reaching a large amount of people. I wouldn't say Mall's "Wide Open" song was a pop hit because it didn't reach as many people as 4-Tay did. Wide Open was a pop-type song but not a pop hit.

You make it seem like the potential commercialization of the bay area hip hop scene is some impending doom that's going to destroy the credibility/quality of the music or something. Fact of the matter is that music is a product. Just like potato chips or a soft drink and you have to give the people what they like. You don't give people what they like, your product doesn't sell and you're eventually out of business.

 

[Doc Truth]

Regarding the bay, hoes and kids listen to radio the most. They are constantly wanting to hear club music. Period. Nobody cares about some cat talking about shooting up a block or how hard North Richmond is. Who cares. Not the consumers of the bay. Right now if you dont talk about how Hifey or how much of a clubber you are you wont get radio play period.

 

[Pioneer]

every rap artist dream is to go commercial...but the majority of them wont admit to it..

^^^^realest words on this site ever......

 

[BIGGTRUB]

I been sayin this for years. Label execs and A&R's aint lookin' to the bay, cuzz they know what to expect from the pool of shyt comin' out the bay. I hate the thought of the commercial label, but it's gonna take someone bringin a different flava and doing something with it for them to start lookin to the bay again for talent. I may be wrong but from what i've seen thats what i get out of it. The bay known for bringin two kinds of music for the better of the last 15 years, Mob shit and game related music. An artist can enjoy some level of success with this route but will have to have the knowledge to market and promote and get his music distributed solely for that to happen. Cuzz he gon be doing it on his own. Ask any 2nd shelf bay rapper that has had some success and is still in the game, They love this vibe all over the country and they can make a living with it and enjoy life but it will on them to determine the level of success they are willing to live with. Digital Underground been doing shows all over lil town america and has had major success but are still workin and still living decent. Num been touring as the Luniz so damn long, I know we booked them twice and jus got Num, but he makin a living and lookin' good doing it. I aint seen him in rags no time. Independent is the route we will have to take to make it, for now at least.