do you think the industry put a wedge in hip-hop's fanbase

[blackdragon6]

you know by creating all of the division thats among hip-hop fans? for example,you can't talk about hip-hop of any kind or connect with the other hip-hop fans because he/she is out of the loop about mainstream/and or commercial rap or the other persons out of the loop about non commercial/mainstream hip-hop. and it usually end up in a unintentional heated argument. hell i have fallen into this problem cause i don't like whats popular at the moment. and consequently i feel like i'm out of place


what do you guys think?

[Jonathan Bogart]

Don't know why you'd need the industry. There's been infighting and fractures in the hip-hop community since day one. Seems to me the industry would prefer a united fanbase which would buy everything they're told to.

[Comic_Mobsta]

This is deep. I think the industry has something to do with this. But It's so divided because we all grew up in different parts of the world, where music is heavily influenced by different sub cultures. (this is also what causes bi coastal hip-hop feuds imo)

[Comic_Mobsta]

Don't know why you'd need the industry. There's been infighting and fractures in the hip-hop community since day one. Seems to me the industry would prefer a united fanbase which would buy everything they're told to.I *THINK* he's referring to how the industry has marketed certain types of hip-hop over other types, Thus causing the schism among fans.

[Tish-the-Scorpion]

i also belive its because said fans aren't well rounded.their just jaded hip-hop fans or casual hip-hop fans so talking to them about hip-hop would be difficult sense they seem to limit themselves.i even find myself doing it sometimes.though i would like to think i'm well rounded.i just hate blatant commercial rap.


and alot of hip-hop fans are just alienated from the mainstream collective,no matter what the sub-genre. so to a certain exstent it IS the industries fault.

Same thing with comics.

Literature.



If you take any creative field--art/entertainment--and add time to the equation, you'll have subdivisions and microgenres.

Because after the founders of an artform put down the basic essentials, there'll be a next generation who'll say "what if I do it like this?" And usually it all coexists, but adding more time, people will start to gravitate toward one of a few "standards," and voila! Instant subgenres. and you have a polarized fan base as a result,its inevitable really.

There were fewer divisions among Hip-Hop fans in the eighties and early nineties 'cause Hip-Hop an' Rap were much less diverse in musical style and subject matter.

It also occurs to me that it hasn't had an important, popular icon that the whole of the audience knows. Every rapper worth half-a-damn knows who Rakim is, but there's a substantial part of the hip-hop audience that wouldn't know his name.. Many, many more percentage wise than rock fans that have never heard of the Beatles and the Stones.
Hip-Hop is so of the now and so marketed to a youthful audience that there isn't a uniting sense of shared history.

This is deep. I think the industry has something to do with this. But It's so divided because we all grew up in different parts of the world, where music is heavily influenced by different sub cultures. (this is also what causes bi coastal hip-hop feuds imo)Put a punk fan next to a metal fan (both are "rock") and see what happens. People who are really into a style of music are usually also really into the fashion and attitudes that surround that music. Different attitudes will lead to friction. There's no reason rap fans would be any different.

[Comic_Mobsta]

The wedge was always there. The underlying East Coast bias that irked a lot of Midwest, Southern and West Coast cats was prevalent in the late 80s. However it wasn't as bad as it appears now. Two reasons of the top of the head I can think of are:

1) Playlists on the radio topping at 100-150 songs (total) on many stations per day. Keeping in mind that there are very few if any all rap stations (outside of satellite) so hip-hop shares time with top 40, R&B, Alt and Rock. You get ambushed with the same song every 2 to 3 hours. Sometimes every hour. Just yesterday, I turned on the radio, for the first time in a month and heard "Superman". I park the car to work out, get back in my car about an hour and a half later and that's the same song on the radio. Over saturation OF THE SAME THING has expanded the divide within rap fans.

2.) The Internet. Messageboards where people can place their opinions have popped up everywhere. It's exceedingly simple to get a place on the net to share your viewpoint with the world. Critics are everywhere and they can gain access to any home with a 14.4K modem and computer. It's not necessarily a problem, but it does help polarize some fans. People feel the need to protect what's theirs. And some feel the need to attack what they dislike. As everyone is different, that means more things will be attacked and defended as time goes on. Rap is no different.

Getting back on topic, the reality of the situation is that there always has been a divide, and when you're dealing with something as artistic and interpretative as music, you'll always have differences of opinion. The divide is more empassioned at this point, but that's mainly because of a lack of diversity.

For the MOST part i think theres alot of respect among the different rap artists themselves.its just the fans whom don't get along,and are divided.hip-hops fan base as a whole just arent solid like the other genres.hip-hop fans are splintered,and somtimeded (their not loyal)

Either way It's all hip hop to me.

The only beef I have with mainstream hip hop is the same beef I have with mainstream music in general. Lack of variety. The sameness of the content is what turns me off, not the content itself

[Josh S]

For the MOST part i think theres alot of respect among the different rap artists themselves.its just the fans whom don't get along,and are divided.

Agreed. To me the biggest problem with hip-hop is the fans. The industry is probably the third biggest problem (artists being second).


hip-hops fan base as a whole just arent solid like the other genres.hip-hop fans are splintered,and somtimeded (their not loyal)



I'm pretty sure most/all genres of music have the divided fan bases. I know for a fact that country and punk are the same way; at least in regards to being splintered.

[Adam C]

Put a punk fan next to a metal fan (both are "rock") and see what happens. People who are really into a style of music are usually also really into the fashion and attitudes that surround that music. Different attitudes will lead to friction. There's no reason rap fans would be any different.

Or a punk next to a Ted. Or a Mod next to a rocker. There's plenty of friction in musical subgenres that have nothing to do with the industry and everything to do with the kind of tribalism you usually find among musically oriented sub-cultures. Especially those dominated by young males who have everything to prove.

(That said, I'm not sure how much tension you would find among punks and metal heads these days, especially considering the blurred lines between hardcore and Thrash metal.)