Quote:
Originally Posted by Student
No, The Main Difference Between Mainstream And Underground Is The Exposure / Financial Success. The Content Has Absolutely Nothing To Do With It BECAUSE...There Are Tons Of Old School Mainstream Artists Who Rapped About "Mainstream" Subjects (Money, Hoes & Clothes, Gangsta Shit) Yet They're Somehow An Exception When Kids Say (Current) Mainstream Talks About The Same Shit And Underground Talks About Real Shit. On The Contrary There Are Millions Of Underground Cats Who Rap About Mainstream Subjects Yet They'll Never Be Famous.
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I realized that the mainstream/underground and real hip-hop/non-real hip-hop dichotomies are concepts that overlap and mesh in a lot of people's minds. That is the reason why I asked what mainstream/underground means to each individual, not what mainstream means according to the dictionary because I understand that people use the term differently.
As far as people considering some old-school mainstream songs as a real hip-hop and new songs talking about the same subjects as fake, I can't speak for everyone but I have a feeling it has more to do with freshness and originality than the actual content.
When NWA first came out with gangsta rap, it was fresh and original and can be considered real hip-hop if we assume they were being authentic. When other people came after them spitting gangsta rap, if they didn't give it their own original spin and were only perceived as copying NWA or other gangsta rappers, then it was considered fake hip-hop. That is why I personally define underground hip-hop as "original content", not gimmicky or following some formula or pattern that is meant to bring commercial success. Two people can rap and spit the same content, and you can often tell when one is speaking from the heart or telling his story from a fresh and original angle and the other is simply following a formula to appeal to a niche in the genre.