The Business Of Hip Hop Presented By @Ally
Summary
TLDRThe video script delves into the evolution of hip hop from a cultural movement to a lucrative business. It discusses the early days of DJing, breakdancing, and MCing, leading to the incorporation of fashion and the realization of hip hop's commercial potential. The narrative highlights the industry's shift from cultural preservation to business, with corporations often controlling the business side, leaving artists to negotiate for fair compensation. It also touches on the importance of hip hop artists understanding their economic influence and the need for collective action to protect and profit from their contributions to the genre.
Takeaways
- π΅ The script uses the analogy of the human body to describe the evolution of hip hop, starting with DJs (arms), break dancers (legs), MCs (voice), and eventually incorporating fashion as 'clothing'.
- π It highlights the transition of hip hop from a cultural expression to a business, noting the importance of recognizing its commercial potential early on.
- πΌ The speaker expresses a sentiment that the business side of hip hop has been 'hijacked', with corporations having more control than the artists and creators who originated the culture.
- π€ There's a call for the hip hop generation to rectify the lack of ownership and control in the business of hip hop, suggesting that artists could have collectively invested to create their own infrastructure.
- π The script discusses the impact of streaming on the devaluation of music and the resulting dissatisfaction among artists who do not feel they are being adequately compensated for their work.
- π It mentions early examples of hip hop's intersection with business, such as Run-DMC's 'My Adidas' song, which may have been one of the first instances of product placement in hip hop.
- π The speaker reflects on missed opportunities for hip hop artists to establish a more significant presence in the business world, potentially through partnerships or collective bargaining.
- π€ The importance of hip hop artists understanding their role in the economics of the industry is emphasized, suggesting that they should be more proactive in profit participation.
- π¬ The script touches on various successful business ventures by hip hop artists, such as Dr. Dre with Beats, 50 Cent with VitaminWater, and Jay-Z with various brands, showcasing the genre's influence on business.
- π It points out that some of the most significant moves in hip hop business have come from artists who have leveraged their cultural influence to create or invest in successful brands.
- π The script concludes by acknowledging the power and influence of hip hop in the global business landscape, while also urging artists to consider the broader implications of their business decisions on the culture.
Q & A
How is hip hop culture described in the script?
-The script describes hip hop culture as a body, with the DJ as the arms playing music, break dancers as the legs, MCs as the voice, and fashion as the clothing that came later.
What does the script suggest about the early perception of hip hop as a business?
-The script suggests that in the beginning, hip hop was not seen as a business but more as a culture. It was about preserving the culture, and the business aspect became more prominent in the mid-90s.
What is the script's view on the ownership of the hip hop business?
-The script implies that the ownership of the hip hop business does not belong to the artists or the culture itself but to corporations, which have hijacked the business and left the original creators behind.
How does the script discuss the potential for hip hop artists to have more control over their business?
-The script discusses a hypothetical scenario where top hip hop artists could have pooled resources to create their own distribution pipeline, ensuring proper payment and more control over their business.
What is the script's stance on the negotiation of deals in the hip hop industry?
-The script criticizes the negotiation process, stating that artists often get the short end of the stick due to the power imbalance with record labels, which can lead to unfavorable deals.
How does the script address the issue of streaming and its impact on music valuation?
-The script expresses dissatisfaction with the devaluation of music due to streaming, suggesting that it does not sit well with the hip hop community.
What is the earliest memory of hip hop and business mentioned in the script?
-The earliest memory mentioned is Run-DMC's song 'My Adidas,' which was an early example of hip hop intersecting with business, although it's unclear if they were financially compensated.
What partnerships are highlighted in the script as significant for hip hop and business?
-The script highlights partnerships such as Foxy Brown with Calvin Klein, Salt-N-Pepa with Dolce & Gabbana, and various artists with beverage brands like St. Ides and Sprite, as significant for hip hop's business impact.
What is the script's opinion on the Beats by Dre partnership?
-The script views the Beats by Dre partnership as a brilliant brand extension, but also expresses concern about the ultimate control and benefit of the deal, suggesting that Apple may have overshadowed the brand.
How does the script discuss the role of hip hop artists in business deals?
-The script emphasizes the importance of hip hop artists considering the cultural impact of their business deals, suggesting that decisions should be made not just for personal gain but for the betterment of the culture.
What examples of successful hip hop business ventures are given in the script?
-Examples include 50 Cent's deal with VitaminWater, Diddy's involvement with Ciroc, Jay-Z's ventures including Tidal and D'ussΓ©, and Nas's investments in companies like the Ring camera.
How does the script reflect on the early days of hip hop artists collaborating with brands?
-The script reflects positively on early collaborations, such as the commercial with Allen Iverson and Reebok, which showed the power of hip hop merged with business and led to further collaborations between hip hop artists and brands.
What is the script's perspective on the current state of hip hop and business?
-The script acknowledges the progress and success of hip hop in business, with artists and entrepreneurs becoming billionaires, but also emphasizes the need for continued awareness and responsibility in business decisions.
Outlines
π€ The Evolution and Business of Hip Hop Culture
This paragraph discusses the evolution of hip hop as a cultural phenomenon, likening it to the development of a human body with DJs as the arms, break dancers as the legs, and MCs as the voice. It highlights the emergence of hip hop fashion and the realization of its business potential in the late 70s and early 80s. The speaker reflects on the transition of hip hop from a pure cultural expression to a business in the mid-90s, expressing regret that the community did not maintain control over the business aspects, leading to a sense of being 'hijacked' by corporations. The paragraph emphasizes the need for a more significant role in the economic benefits of hip hop and the importance of negotiating fair deals for artists.
π Hip Hop's Impact on Business and Advertising
The second paragraph delves into the influence of hip hop on business and advertising, starting with Run-DMC's 'My Adidas' as an early example of product endorsement. It discusses the importance of partnerships and brand extensions, such as Dr. Dre's Beats by Dre, which was a significant move in the industry. The paragraph also touches on the role of hip hop in product marketing and the challenges faced by artists in negotiating deals within a business landscape that often favors corporations. It calls for a more conscious approach to business decisions, considering the impact on the broader hip hop community rather than just individual gains.
πΌ The Entrepreneurial Spirit of Hip Hop Artists
This paragraph celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit of hip hop artists, showcasing examples of successful business ventures and partnerships that have transcended music to impact various industries. It mentions 50 Cent's deal with VitaminWater, Jay-Z's involvement with Tidal and D'ussΓ©, and Nas's investments, among others. The paragraph also reflects on the early days of hip hop endorsements, such as the collaboration between Allen Iverson and Reebok, which paved the way for further integration of hip hop culture with commercial brands. The speaker emphasizes the power of hip hop to influence consumer behavior and the importance of leveraging this influence for the benefit of the culture.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Hip Hop
π‘Culture
π‘Business
π‘Fashion
π‘MCs
π‘Breakdancing
π‘DJing
π‘Streaming
π‘Product Endorsement
π‘Brand Extension
π‘Entrepreneurship
Highlights
Hip hop culture is likened to a body, with the DJ as arms, break dancers as legs, MCs as the voice, and fashion as clothing.
In the 70s and 80s, hip hop was seen as a culture rather than a business.
The mid-90s marked the transition of hip hop into a business, but with control often in the hands of corporations.
The potential for hip hop artists to have owned their distribution pipeline if they had invested together is highlighted.
The music industry is described as 'shady' with artists often at a disadvantage when negotiating deals.
The importance of hip hop artists having a more dominant role in the economics of hip hop is emphasized.
Streaming has devalued music, which is a concern for those who value hip hop culture.
Hip hop was the first tech, a universal language that scaled worldwide.
The partnership between Run-DMC and Adidas demonstrated hip hop's potential for business.
Foxy Brown's partnership with Calvin Klein and Salt-N-Pepa with Dolce & Gabbana showed hip hop's influence on fashion.
Diddy's deal with Arista and the impact of St. Ides commercials are noted as significant business moves in hip hop.
The 90s were a trial run for the business of hip hop, with the 2000s seeing advertising companies profiting from artist endorsements.
Dr. Dre's Beats partnership is considered a brilliant brand extension born out of a producer's influence.
The discussion questions the impact of Apple's acquisition of Beats on the hip hop community.
50 Cent's VitaminWater deal and the entrepreneurial spirit it inspired among hip hop artists are highlighted.
Puff Daddy, Jay-Z, and others are recognized for changing the course of hip hop by prioritizing business.
Nas' investments, such as in the Ring camera, demonstrate the diversification of hip hop artists into various business ventures.
The collaboration between hip hop artists and shoe brands, initiated by early commercials, is noted as a significant trend.
Pharrell's partnership with Louis Vuitton shows the ongoing influence and business potential of hip hop.
The normalization of hearing about hip hop artists and entrepreneurs becoming billionaires reflects the genre's financial impact.
Transcripts
(upbeat hip hop music)
- When it comes to hip hop and it comes to the culture,
a lotta times I like to explain it in the form of a body.
In the beginning we had the arms.
The DJ is just out there playin' the music.
Then we had the legs,
where the break dancers showed up and started dancin'.
Then we had the voice where the MCs were like, "All right,
let me get on here," ya know?
But then the kinda body started comin' together
and we're out here naked.
We need clothing, right?
So then the fashion started to make its way
and I feel like as soon as hip hop kind of formed
as a person,
that's when we started realizing we have a responsibility
to be a business and, over time,
whether it was in the late 70s with Sugar Hill or some
of the other independent things that popped up,
in the early 80s
when we started seeing examples of how it could be done.
- People didn't look at hiphop as a business.
It was more of a culture.
It was about preserving the culture but it became a business
in the mid 90s.
(upbeat hip hop music)
- When I hear the business of hip hop,
what comes to mind for me is that it's not our business.
We don't own it.
We own the culture of hip hop, but not the business.
- Hip hop got hijacked by the business of hip hop
in very many ways and it left a lot behind in its midst.
We don't have the controlling interests in it.
Corporations do and I think that our generation,
this was a generation to rectify that and get it right
and we didn't.
You know, there was a time where you could have taken
the top five hip hop artists of the 90s and 2000s
that could have put up 10 million a piece
and we woulda had our own distribution pipeline
and then we coulda also made sure people got paid properly.
- And they say, "You get what you negotiated,
not what you deserve."
The business is shady and because a lot of times
that these labels have the upper hand when you're trying
to get into the game and you have nothing,
just the clothes on your back but you tryin'
to get everything and sometimes you take a deal
with the hopes of maybe it turned out better after you
take this deal.
But I've seen a lotta artists lose their socks
and the coats off they by these deals.
- A lot of hip hop artists were really happy performing
their craft because we were really focused
on the creativity, on the swagger, on the movement of it,
until it started
to really become a lucrative revenue-generating genre
that I started to awaken my clients to looking at the fact
that we needed to have a more dominant,
prominent role in the economics of hip hop, right?
Into how they would profit-participate from their craft
and from their artistry.
- But we're here now, right,
where people are still not getting what they should
and streaming as a construct has actually devalued music
so much and that sits not well with me.
Hip Hop was the first tech. It was a universal language.
It went worldwide. It had urgency.
It scaled in ways we didn't even think it could.
Even once we saw what it was capable of doing,
we didn't band enough together to make sure we were able
to protect it.
- "My Adidas" has to be the earliest memory that I have
of hip hop and business.
- Run-DMC and they made a song, "My Adidas,"
which made me want to wear Adidas.
I don't know if they were financially taken care of.
- I don't know if that was birthed from a partnership
but I think there was a long gap between people really
realizing that hip hop was good for business,
that hip hop really would move the needle
and create a significant return on investment.
I don't know that one partnership did
that but what I do know is that that partnership showed
that hip hop is good for business.
With Foxy Brown, we did a partnership with Calvin Klein.
She was on a billboard and that was a major partnership.
For me, working with Salt-N-Pepa,
the first time a couture fashion house really designed
and allowed a rapper and I'll say allow because a lot
of it was us going to these brands
and these brands not necessarily welcoming us with open arms
but Dolce & Gabbana allowed Salt-N-Pepa
to be the first hip hop rap artist who they would sponsor
and provide clothing for Salt-N-Pepa's tour
and that really was telling because it allowed them
to really be partners with Dolce & Gabbana, if you will,
and have them support instead of us just going
in and shopping off the rack.
- I think, for me,
one of the most impressive moves was the move that Diddy did
in that Arista deal, at least from my time period.
You know, that really impressed me.
- What stood out big to me was the St. Ides when Tupac
and Biggie and Snoop and all
of 'em was doing them St. Ides commercials.
That was very big for hip hop.
All the Sprite commercials that you see,
hip hop has invaded all advertisement.
We're the number one money making genre in this business.
I mean, it was nothing that we don't do.
- I think the 90s was like this trial run for the business
of hip hop, and then you hit 2000 and it's like,
"Aha, hold on.
Who has the money? The advertising companies."
And they started to bridge the artists with these products
and you got into the product marketing.
- All hip hop deals helped to open up the door
for more hip hop deals,
but they also opened up the door
for more people gettin' (censored), right?
It goes both ways.
There've been some great moves within the culture.
- The most era-defining and also the most distinct
and made the most impact in hip hop.
So I think about Dr. Dre and Beats.
That was really the most brilliant brand extension
and partnership because it was born out
of someone who we had known as a producer,
someone who was the architect of sound,
partnering with a brand to deliver headphones to us, right?
- I don't agree
because I think all we did is give a lotta power to Apple.
Apple just whitewashed the entire brand. Now where is it?
But when Beats by Dre was at his height,
they had just launched their music app.
Dre had the ability to have an entire building in Watts
or wherever through LA filled with 90% people
of color movin' this thing forward and I think
that's what we have to really look at sometime.
Am I makin' this decision for me or am I doing it
for the culture?
So it's important that we look at these deals
and we understand, like, "Why are we doing these deals?"
I don't think we're allowed
to just make individual business moves and it's a hard thing
to say because every move, every business move I make,
is gonna affect y'all.
So I gotta really think,
"Is this just a payoff or is this really a move for us?"
And we gotta make more moves for us.
- So you have the 50 Cent and the VitaminWater deal.
- His inner entrepreneur certainly was birthed
by the brilliance that he and the late Chris Lighty,
their ability to do that deal really showed us the strength
of hip hop and it showed us how deep
and how far hip hop could go because now hip hop is
an ambassador for water, something we do every day,
and so when you really look
at how those deals really ignited
and birthed the next generation to really think
about their art more differently,
to be more aware of how the business of hip hop needed
to live outside of the music.
- When you say the business of hiphop, it's like Puff Daddy,
Jay-Z, because they really changed the course of hiphop
by putting business in front of just an art form.
It's like, "No, no, this is our culture, this is our art.
We've gotta control the business behind it."
- You got Diddy with what he did with Ciroc.
You got Jay-Z from everything he's done from Tidal to D'ussΓ©
to Ace of Spades to everything that he's created.
You even have Nas to what Nas has done as far as investin'
in all the things that he's invested in,
the Ring camera and all those other things.
He had the mind to do
that and those are all big, major moves.
- For me, it's my commercial with Allen Iverson.
When they call me the do a ad spot for him
with his Reebok commercial and me doin' some raps,
it got received very well.
It got made into mix tapes. They was playin' it in the club.
So that showed me that the power
of hip hop merged with business.
This shoe brand turned into a whole thing and then,
not to pat myself on the back,
you see the G-Units came after that, Air Star Carters,
a whole buncha hip hop artists
and shoe brands start doin' deals.
- That was big back then
because rappers didn't have their own sneakers.
Basketball players had their own sneakers, but not rappers.
But at that point we started to see the collaboration
and the power that we had within the hip hop community.
- I just felt good to be early in the game
and have the commercial with AI that solidified the part
in history for rappers and hip hop and brands collaboratin'
and doin' big things.
- There's been so many artists that done so many big things
in this industry.
Look at Pharrell.
Pharrell is now doing the LV thing. That's major.
- But now we're
at a point where so many mega deals have happened
that I think we've moved into a position where we're used
to hearing about this rapper becoming a billionaire
or this hiphop entrepreneur becoming a billionaire
and it's a beautiful space to be in.
(upbeat hip hop music)
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