Blogs are beneficial for hip-hop

There is no doubt that the Internet has changed the music industry, in my opinion, for the better, and no genre displays this phenomenon better than hip-hop.

If you were to look through the files stashed on the computer of a random Georgia State student, chances are you would find at least a few files of pirated or leaked music. We live in a world where the majority of songs that have ever been recorded are a click away, whether one decides to pay, pilfer, stream or take advantage of a free download.

The Internet is filled with blogs that make it easier to discover new artists, hear new music from your favorite artists or get your bootleg on, if you so choose too. Although it might appear to be a negative, in many cases, having their music posted all over the blogosphere can be a positive for artists regardless of stature.

Despite the claims over the past few years of hip-hop being dead, quietly the Internet has created spaces for every rap audiophile to be satisfied.

Hip-hop now plays host to a number of alternative acts as well as artists built more for radio play. In both cases, websites can be credited for helping new fans discover and/or buy materiel from these artists.

Not only do blogs serve as free promotion for these artists, but they also give rappers a chance to try new things and get feedback directly from their fan base. Artist that have already become commercially successful, such as B.o.B. and Lil Wayne, have released mixtapes as a way to stay relevant between album releases.

Some artists, such as Drake and J. Cole, owe the majority of their success to these Internet communities. The hype surrounding the release of Drake's So Far Gone mixtape in 2009 had the Internet buzzing, eventually forcing popular media outlets to pay attention. Two years later, the Canadian emcee has a platinum plaque, a number of awards, non-stop radio play and he is set to drop one of the most anticipated projects of the year.

Roc Nation rapper, J. Cole, used a similar method of gaining attention. After gaining fans and positive critical reception by releasing free mixtapes, the North Carolina native released his debut album last week. Despite failing multiple times to produce a commercial hit single, Cole's Cole World: The Sideline Story is projected to sell well over 200,000 copies in it's first week on shelves, as of press time. Sites such as nahright.com, 2dopeboyz.com and rapruler.com have given fans a voice while giving artists a platform. Sure, some major artists lose customers to websites that post .zip files of their entire album weeks before it even hits stores, but other rappers emerge from relative obscurity much in part to these same websites.

Also, the ease in which artists can now release music has made hip-hop a far more diverse scene. Ultimately, there are more positives than negatives that come along with this new world of music the Internet has created.Despite all of the good blogs have done for hip-hop, some artists and labels still flip out over any slither of leaked music posted on these sites. Both hip-hop artists and labels should embrace these new outlets rather than fight them.