FEATURED What Makes An Artist Successful/Unsuccessful?

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Success - the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.

If you accomplished what you set out to do as a rapper, you're successful. If you didn't, you're a failure.

And honestly, that could be something as simple as having an album released. To say that even happened is something thousands of cats on the block can't say. Everybody knows someone that was trying to get put on, very few of them dudes actually got put on, fewer still had their albums drop.
 
Success - the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.

If you accomplished what you set out to do as a rapper, you're successful. If you didn't, you're a failure.

This. I don't see why it's so hard to understand.

It's weird that people are in here trying to define what success or failure is for other people's careers.

And honestly, that could be something as simple as having an album released. To say that even happened is something thousands of cats on the block can't say. Everybody knows someone that was trying to get put on, very few of them dudes actually got put on, fewer still had their albums drop.

Facts. I got a few books I'm trying to refine. I might publish them independently after they've been edited formally. If 5 people read them and like them, that would be a success to me whereas that would be a super duper failure to people actually trying to make careers out of being authors. lol
 
This. I don't see why it's so hard to understand.

It's weird that people are in here trying to define what success or failure is for other people's careers.



Facts. I got a few books I'm trying to refine. I might publish them independently after they've been edited formally. If 5 people read them and like them, that would be a success to me whereas that would be a super duper failure to people actually trying to make careers out of being authors. lol

Right. Back in '01 I dropped a small collection of some House/Tech House-ish electronic tracks I had done while working at a MI shop using the equipment at the store on the old MP3.com . Something like 10-20 people actually bought the CD and many more streamed the music from my site on there. I was happy with it.

In 2010/2011, a beat that I made wound up being the lead single for a cat out of Tucson, AZ's latest album (at the time). Again, I was happy with this 'cause it means I left a mark on hip hop and gave me an industry credit to my name.

I'm in the middle of revamping my recording setup for another go at music, this time putting a bit more effort into it to see what happens. If something comes from it then great, I'm happy.
 
I think most rappers want more success and achieve higher goals. Most of their big personal success is having new local fans, people knowing them in their local town, and then grow in local cities. From off the streets onto mainstream radio. It’s always a great feeling when your buzz breaks that first gate or ceiling.

The rapper gets signed to a label, great success. Everything good and bye that comes with it, is the success. Then they put out their first album (not a mixtape) an actual commercial music for more people to hear. Then the rappers start to learns more about ABC of the business. I would say that’s another goal achieve.

Their main goal of becoming a known rapper has happened. But now it’s to keep that success and have it grow.
 
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This shyt is really about how you judge success. Some base it off record sales, popularity and impact. Others base it off of earnings. We've seem those with platinum sales, popularity and impact cry broke and some independent dude moving 200k regionally at $10 feel like they're a huge success

This would be the territory of cats like Esham and Tech N9ne. Both were millionaires before ever having a song on national radio just selling locally or regionally.
 
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Kinda tangent

But id say Beans was successful and even overachieved

From his physical appearance (pause), lack of sing alongs, and overall musical style he was a marketing miracle

Maybe he coulda took it further, but he wasnt really supposed to go as far as he did
 
And to answer the question directly... success is a personal definition

We've consumed so much entertainment we lost base with reality. That whole "starving artist" motif is as real today as when it first came out as a literary concept.

You not entitled to get paid off of shit regardless of how talented you or whoever may think you are. You're fortunate to simply be heard

Hell yea Joe Budden successful