Real Rap, based in the cultural roots of hip hop, complete with 8 bars, sick beats and actual lyricism (instead of simple "rhymes"), is at an all-time low - at least in terms of the mainstream, popular sounds played on the radio considered "rap" today. Maybe rap belongs underground, but it can teach so much more about life, wants, needs and reality than many other genres, and naturally, the average rapper or hip hop head can't properly enjoy the simplified, slow and easy "hip pop" that the mainstream has attempted to evolve this age-old culture into. There are rules to rap and the reality is that the majority of rap played on the radio no longer follows those rules. Usually, once a certain form is mastered, the creator can break those rules to further their content - but most "rappers" that have hit the mainstream fanbase have yet to master or even understand the actual elements of hip hop. The average lover of bouncy, lyrical '90s rap is likely clutching at their hair and ripping it out, and despite the accessibility of the internet, barely even knows where to find respectable new rap anymore.
Unfortunately, the main problem for new talent, regardless of genre or industry, is finding the niche audience that would respect, enjoy and follow their music, which seems to be the exact same problem (but reversed) that the average listener has. There is always a market for music, but sometimes finding the common ground, the platform to share music with fans, is much more complicated than just putting it on the vast internet database. There are certain admirable people that are willing to help artist and audience by teaching branding, promotion and marketing: Enter Chris Rockett of the Music Marketing Classroom.
By learning how to properly develop a brand, create a marketing plan and promote your music, even the smallest musical niche can find an effective method to reach their audience. Thanks to marketing gurus like Chris, and his competition to encourage new talents to try to win a free year membership to his marketing lessons, maybe even the underground can come back out and up on top. Check it out! By learning some proper techniques for reaching those that have love for this music, we can revive rap, and give back hip hop heads the beats, the lyrics, the real rap they fell for within the original hip hop culture. Illicit can offer seekers of new and real rap what they're looking for; with a little help from friends, fans, and the Music Marketing Classroom, maybe we'll develop our own way of teaching what real hip hop is too.
