Rappers have evolved in the way they become famous as technology advances and the digital world becomes more a part of everyday life. Back in the day, young artists didn’t have too many options because technology limited them at the time. CD’s were the main form of sharing music and you could only purchase them in a store or flea market. This forced rappers to either sign to a major record label or be independent. Major record labels like Sony Music Entertainment had the resources to help turn young rappers into stars. They would help finance the artist, mass produce CD’s, and launch a marketing campaign. Independent rappers never fared as well because of the difficulty to share their music. They could only sell their music in flea markets and on the streets.
As the digital world continues to integrate itself with everyday life, rappers have been given a new tool. They can now instantly share their music to the world with a simple click of the button and self promote themselves via Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Major record labels are no longer needed as the digital world advances. Ipods and mp3 devices have replaced CD’s and websites such as datpiff allow rappers to upload and share their music to the world. This has given rappers more freedom in what they can do and are no longer restricted to the terms and demands of record labels. This has resulted in many more successfully independent artists.
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