is the internet killing Hip Hop?

We have seen a recent flood of hip hop heavyweights dropping new music/music videos on this service. Artists like 50 cent and the Dipset crew have had recent diss songs released to this community with a great deal of acceptance. The trend has been to make less glamorous music videos, but to produce more of them. Many artists have realized that spending millions to make a music video just isn’t worth it when the same audience can be reached by spending half the cost and paying almost nothing to promote the material. The ability to more or less get free promotion through the large audience that frequents the service, has brought many headlines and press to the growing number of musicians promoting on the service and in return allowing for the lesser known artists to jump on board.

The 50 cent Diss track to dipest’s own Cam’ron had such a large viewing audience, that within a day of its release to youtube, it had already received 220,000 views. Interent services such as youtube are aiding in the revival of the thought to be dead music culture, but with statistics such as 50 cents diss track viewings, it is hard to believe that hip hop is dead, it seems to be quite the opposite.

The death of hip hop has come in another form so to speak though with a recent slump in album sales. Free internet promotion is great, but it is not so good for the artist who produced it. I think the main message is to enjoy the free promotional material, but still endorse and support your favorite artists with an album every once and awhile. Overall the internet has been a hidden blessing for the lesser known artists, although it may be harder for them to create album sales, the free promotion an accessibility of info and music is virtually endless. The key is to utilize this market and make the most of it. How can hip hop be dead?