There's always been a dichotomy between so-called "underground" vs so-called "mainstream".
Back when Sugarhill Records were in their heyday with groups like The Sugarhill Gang and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and Kurtis Blow was on Mercury Records, they would perform on Soul Train while groups like Cold Crush and Fantastic would be playing at clubs in The Bronx.
But I remember in the late 90s/early 2000s the underground/backpacker movement had gained momentum where there was an actual cult following for groups like Black Star, The Roots, Common and anybody on Rawkus Records. They made a few compilation albums like Soundbombing and Lyricist Lounge. They were the answer to No Limit, Bad Boy and Def Jam. Mos Def and Talib Kweli were supposed to be the balance to what Master P, DMX and Jay Z were doing.
Does that dichotomy still exist or did the mainstream win the battle? Does anybody want to be a Youtube rapper? Or is everybody still chasing mainstream success?
Back when Sugarhill Records were in their heyday with groups like The Sugarhill Gang and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and Kurtis Blow was on Mercury Records, they would perform on Soul Train while groups like Cold Crush and Fantastic would be playing at clubs in The Bronx.
But I remember in the late 90s/early 2000s the underground/backpacker movement had gained momentum where there was an actual cult following for groups like Black Star, The Roots, Common and anybody on Rawkus Records. They made a few compilation albums like Soundbombing and Lyricist Lounge. They were the answer to No Limit, Bad Boy and Def Jam. Mos Def and Talib Kweli were supposed to be the balance to what Master P, DMX and Jay Z were doing.
Does that dichotomy still exist or did the mainstream win the battle? Does anybody want to be a Youtube rapper? Or is everybody still chasing mainstream success?
