IS IT STILL COOL TO BE A RAPPER?

This week, XXL magazine released it's 10 Freshmen for '10 issue. The cover features a new blend of fresh, diverse rappers, trying to make a name for themselves in this cold climate, known as the rap game. The one question that sticks out in my mind is: Is it still cool to be a rapper? It's no secret that the playing field of the music industry has changed dramatically. I remember there was a time when platinum was what ceritfied you as a legit superstar, and going gold was considered a failure. Now these days, going gold is like selling a billion records! If your name isn't Jay-Z, Eminem, Lil'Wayne or Kanye, you're most likely not doing numbers when it comes to album sells. The once mighty 5o Cent was killing the competition at will. Today's Fiddy, can't even break gold status. The internet has been the culprit as far as killing the rap game, but on the other hand the music that's being released through these record label are disposable. The last rap albums I actually bought was Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3 and Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Pt. II. The former going past sells of a million, while the latter stalled out at 150,000. Looking ahead into this year, the only rapper I see making any dent on the charts is Drizzy Drake. Hopefully his hype can move him into LeBron James-type-of-status, but great albums don't always generate to having great sells. Young cats like, Wiz Khalifa, Big Sean, Curren$y, Chip Tha Ripper( Who should have been on the XXL cover) are guys who are using the internet to work for them, opposed to the older rap vets saying the internet has worked against them. Why do you think 50 Cent says he looks up to Soulja Boy Tell Em? It's because he mastered a way to use the 'net to his advantage. He used it so well, that he got a record deal out of it! How crazy is that? These days, rappers just want their music to be heard, even if they don't see a cent or any type of profit. The real goal is to just get the music out there, and if the public likes you, they'll be wanting more of you. For this year's freshmen, I'm wondering what moves they will make, and ideas they'll discover as they try to make history for themselves, because the honest truth is, the record industry might never be the same as it once was. The only thing one can do is adapt and move on. It's called survival.