In today’s music industry many artists in the rap/hip hop genre are using mixtapes as a way of being heard by fans and record companies. These products contain a compilation of the artists work. Some producers even use this as a way for their musical production to be heard. One of the first of today’s popular artists to use this format is 50 Cent. He used them as a way for his fans to be heard and eventually signed a $1 million deal with Shady Records, which is Eminem’s label. When he released his first retail album, it sold over 8 million copies. One of the reasons it sold so many copies is because he created a buzz about his music by distributing about 5 freestyle works with his group G-Unit. His music was on many other releases put together by popular DJ’s such as DJ Whoo Kid, DJ Kayslay, DJ Clue and others. He would also guest host these projects because at the time people wanted to hear anything and everything dealing with 50 Cent.
Another one of today’s popular artists that got his start from these underground releases is Machine Gun Kelly. Before signing with Bad Boy records, he also distributed these musical efforts. Some of today’s popular artist also use this outlet to keep relevant with their fans and continue the buzz. These artists include Gucci Mane, Young Jeezy, Meek Mills, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne and the list goes on. It’s almost mandatory by record labels for artists to constantly release music to keep their fans interested.
Many of today’s popular artists release these projects to keep relevant with their fans. These releases help to keep their buzz going so fans don’t forget about them and also to let them know they still have what it takes to be a music artist. Some of these include Gucci Mane, Young Jeezy, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Lloyd Banks and many many others. Too many to list. If you have ever heard of a track from your favorite artist but are not able to find it on their retail album, you can most likely find it on one of these music compilations or one of their official project releases.
Some artists also release music through these products to see what kind of buzz their music is receiving. Sometimes this will also determine their next single that will be released to retail outlets or to be played on the radio. This can help the record company save a big amount of cash determining which song is the best to be released and not release a song that will just become a flop.