Swipe: Pitchfork – Grind to Get It – Rap’s Recession
I didn’t agree with everything, but an overall great read and thoughtful insight.
Cliff’s Notes:
In the end, hip-hop is recalibrating, from a pop sensation back into an underground movement. People are making music for specialized, dedicated audiences, knowing that these audiences probably won’t make them rich. Sometimes they’re holding down day jobs or figuring out alternate ways of making money. Touring is important. And listeners have to go deeper than the most obvious stuff, digging through various localized underground scenes to find the worthwhile stuff. Sound familiar? From certain angles, rap’s current moment doesn’t look too different from, say, indie rock circa 1985. That’s a good place to be.
Grind to Get It
Rap’s Recession
by Tom Breihan, posted April 5, 2010