Press Release - UNDERGROUND ARTISTS: HIP HOP IS NOT DEAD, IT’S GONE UNDERGROUND

UNDERGROUND ARTISTS: HIP HOP IS NOT DEAD, IT’S GONE UNDERGROUND
Website Patrons Weight In: Die-Hard Fans Don’t Find Radio and TV Adequate, Taking Unconventional Route to Discovering Their New Favorite MC.

Only a rare few artists ever get the major label deal they dream about, and during the time leading up there’s a path of paying one’s dues that includes the taxing and yearly grind that could take them around the world or anchor them in their back yard. Now in the shadow of the current economic situation and in light of the constant bombardment of “Hip Hop is Dead” campaigns, these artists speak out, many of which have garnered the same amount of attention or more than their contracted brethren. The findings are gleaned from more than six months of ongoing discussion and debate at the hip hop social site digitalgrime.com. What fan and artists alike are saying is simple. They’re fed up. Hip Hop is alive and well, you just have to look underground.
“To me, [rap] is rapidly decreasing in lyrics and [signed artists] are concerned mostly on which songs sound good in our car or in a club,” says one member about the current state of on air music. Many tend to agree which is why sites like digitalgrime.com are showing now record numbers of downloads for its collaborative mix tape series Profilin’. The quarterly release gathers artists from the sites collective to produce a varying pallet of tracks to seduce new listeners and ultimately new members.
“We seeing shift in how people discover music,” says site founder Tyger Burch, “it seems to be going back to a time when people actually had to get up and look for the music they like. Most people are upset with the industry for not catering to their distinctive taste. Their used to turning on the radio and hearing a mix of songs. Now you might hear the same track played three, four times in an hour or playing on two stations at the same time. Yet it’s too expensive right now to just experiment and grab a random CD in the store because the cover looks good like we used to back in the 80’s and 90’s.”
Some artists have found great success doing the same. Artists like Drake have pulled in impressive numbers for his mix tape/EP “So Far Gone” and place him in a position to be signed with Lil Wayne’s Young Money imprint. As an added bonus because of his underground grind he comes to the stage with an already established fan base, something fellow Canadian and aspiring artist Geneva GM wishes to emulate. “Drake started to break the mold and really catch everyone's' attention, I want to be the next in line. It's time for artists from T.O [Canada] to really get on their grind and show the rest of the rap industry what we have to offer.”

As the next decade begins many hope it will also bring an increased interest in discovering new music. Diskret, a female emcee from Mountain Home, MD advices in a post, “keep grinding, it's a recession in hip hop, but the community is still here, give it some time and hang in there, it'll come back.”

Digital Grime (www.digitalgrime.com) was founded in order to provide underground and aspiring artists, promoters and fans a way to connect and grow. The site offers range of resources as well as broadcasting two popular radio shows: No Mercy Radio and the only college syndicated show: Platinum Family Radio.

If you'd like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Flow Factory Magazine, please visit us at http://www.digitalgrime.com/profile/FlowFactoryMagazine or contact the Public Relations office at digitalgrime@gmail.com