Verge
Team Owner
I was listening to a random playlist from my Alexa and she started playing "Work It" by Missy Elliot and was thinking about how, despite this song being nearly 20 years old, still sounds very current. And this was a playlist curated by someone that mixed this song in with new tunes. Missy's lyricism and flow are so perfect and still relevant in 2021. There's a lot of power in that.
I was also thinking about how the biggest hits from artists like Ja Rule, Chingy, Nelly, etc., are just not moving with the generations that grew up with this music. You can get their songs on playlists for moods like "Rap 2000s" or "2000s Hits", but that's it. You won't hear them mixed in with raps songs of today.
A very select few have been able to continue selling music to their aging fans (Jay-Z, Eminem, Madonna, etc.), but for the most part, people who listened to Ja Rule in 2001 will probably not listen to his new or old stuff in 2021.
Anyway... I say this to say that being the biggest act of the moment with the most popular song of the moment, or even a few popular songs of the moment, does not mean anything. It gives the label cash, but does nothing for the artist. And it will do nothing for the artist 20 years from now because it's not going to generate significant money for them. Labels want to create legendary musicians, but if they can't, they're also okay with packing their rosters with mediocre musicians that churn out music and merchandise like a farm, making the labels big bucks.
Gone are the days where an artist would walk into a studio with the intention on creating a classic; where the music would last 20+ years...
I was also thinking about how the biggest hits from artists like Ja Rule, Chingy, Nelly, etc., are just not moving with the generations that grew up with this music. You can get their songs on playlists for moods like "Rap 2000s" or "2000s Hits", but that's it. You won't hear them mixed in with raps songs of today.
A very select few have been able to continue selling music to their aging fans (Jay-Z, Eminem, Madonna, etc.), but for the most part, people who listened to Ja Rule in 2001 will probably not listen to his new or old stuff in 2021.
Anyway... I say this to say that being the biggest act of the moment with the most popular song of the moment, or even a few popular songs of the moment, does not mean anything. It gives the label cash, but does nothing for the artist. And it will do nothing for the artist 20 years from now because it's not going to generate significant money for them. Labels want to create legendary musicians, but if they can't, they're also okay with packing their rosters with mediocre musicians that churn out music and merchandise like a farm, making the labels big bucks.
Gone are the days where an artist would walk into a studio with the intention on creating a classic; where the music would last 20+ years...