The Biggest Hip Hop Album First Week Sales of 2007
2007 was a great year for hip hop. We had Jay-Z shake off his retirement with American Gangster , a great but slept-on album, UGK scoring their first number one album.
The Biggest Hip Hop Album First Week Sales of 2006
2006 was the year hip hop started entering into its maturation stage. With OGs like Nas and Jay-Z decades into their career, the culture finally had OGs who were still reigning on top of the charts.
The Biggest Hip Hop Album First Week Sales of 2005
2005 was peak 50 Cent and G-Unit. Not only did 50 have the biggest selling album of the year when he dropped his sophomore, he also had the platinum-selling soundtrack for Get Rich or Die Tryin’ and featured…
The Biggest Hip Hop Album First Week Sales of 2004
The mid-2000s was an era dominated by gangsta rap. Releases from Eminem, 50 Cent and their crews and affiliates flooded the market and took over the Billboard charts.
The Biggest Hip Hop Album First Week Sales of 2003
2003 saw the debut of the one of the biggest rappers of all time , and the retirement of the best rapper alive. New York was officially having a changing of the guard moment.
The Biggest Hip Hop Album First Week Sales of 2002
From Xzibit to Nas, Missy Elliott to Ja Rule, Jay-Z to Eminem, we take a look at the biggest hip hop first week sales of 2002.
The Biggest Hip Hop Album First Week Sales of 2001
While Nas and Jay-Z were warring for the New York throne, DMX continued his hot streak, during a period where he dropped five straight number one albums .
The Biggest Hip Hop Album First Week Sales of 2000
2000 was a year where we saw a lot of dope rappers drop big-selling albums. From Nelly to Ja Rule, Wu-Tang Clan to Snoop Dogg, Mystikal to OutKast, it was a big year for hip hop.
The Biggest Hip Hop Album First Week Sales of 1999
1999 proved to be another transformative year for hip hop, as the genre continued to evolve and adapt in the wake of the untimely deaths of 2Pac and Biggie. With a power vacuum left by these two legendary…
The Biggest Hip Hop Album First Week Sales of 1998
1998 stands out as a pivotal year in hip hop history, a year that witnessed the rise of new legends, the establishment of regional powerhouses, and a shift in the genre’s landscape. This memorable year saw a blend…
The 23 Greatest Hip Hop B-Sides Of All Time
Hip hop has a rich history of incredible b-sides that have stood the test of time and become classics in their own right. These hidden gems are often overlooked by the mainstream and reserved for the true fans…
The 50 Greatest Hip Hop Singles Of All Time
Writing about the 50 greatest rappers of all time , or the best rapper guest verses in history , try writing a list about the greatest hip hop singles of all time.
The Top 10 Greatest Wu-Tang Clan Albums of All Time
It’s impossible to talk about the greatest hip hop groups of all time without mentioning the Wu-Tang Clan. Known for their raw lyricism, gritty production style, and larger-than-life personalities, the 9 masked Shaolin MCs have left an indelible…
Top Five: The Best Rappers Alive of 2017
For our Best Rappers Alive series, we take a look at the top five best rappers, year by year – ranking them on projects dropped, guest verses and overall impact.
Top Five: The Best Rappers Alive of 2015
For our Best Rappers Alive series, we take a look at the top five best rappers, year by year – ranking them on projects dropped, guest verses and overall impact.
Top Five: The Best Rappers Alive of 2014
For our Best Rappers Alive series, we take a look at the top five best rappers, year by year – ranking them on projects dropped, guest verses and overall impact.
Top Five: The Best Rappers Alive of 2013
For our Best Rappers Alive series, we take a look at the top five best rappers, year by year – ranking them on projects dropped, guest verses and overall impact.
Top Five: The Best Rappers Alive of 2012
For our Best Rappers Alive series, we take a look at the top five best rappers, year by year – ranking them on projects dropped, guest verses and overall impact.
Top Five: The Best Rappers Alive of 2011
For our Best Rappers Alive series, we take a look at the top five best rappers, year by year – ranking them on projects dropped, guest verses and overall impact.
Top Five: The Best Rappers Alive of 2010
For our Best Rappers Alive series, we take a look at the top five best rappers, year by year – ranking them on projects dropped, guest verses and overall impact.
Top Five: The Best Rappers Alive of 2009
For our Best Rappers Alive series, we take a look at the top five best rappers, year by year – ranking them on projects dropped, guest verses and overall impact.
Top Five: The Best Rappers Alive of 2008
For our Best Rappers Alive series, we take a look at the top five best rappers, year by year – ranking them on projects dropped, guest verses and overall impact.
Top Five: The Best Rappers Alive of 2007
For our Best Rappers Alive series, we take a look at the top five best rappers, year by year – ranking them on projects dropped, guest verses and overall impact.
The Top 25 Independent Rappers of All Time
There hasn’t been a better time in hip hop than now for the independent artist to thrive, connect with fans, play live shows, make money and be successful.
Understanding Music Licensing for Independent Artists
For many independent rappers, the actual administrative side of the music business can be a lot harder to appreciate and understand than the music side of things.
How Independent Artists can Set Up their Own Independent Record Label
For many independent hip hop artists today, the concept of getting involved with a major record label is steadily losing its appeal.
Understanding 360 Record Deals For Independent Artists
Whether you’re an independent artist grinding it out on your own or a rapper signed to a major label, it’s absolutely important that you understand what a 360 record deal entails.
What Independent Artists Need to Understand About Music Publishing
For any independent hip-hop artist trying to strike out there on their own, the differences between success and failure can be rather slim.
Should Hip Hop Artists Stay Independent Or Sign To A Major Record Label?
It’s the question all hip-hop artists ask themselves when they’re breaking into the rap game – should I stay independent or sign to a major label?
How Independent Artists can Earn Revenue from YouTube
You might have noticed over the last few years that there has been a continually growing number of independent artists making good money by using YouTube as their primary source of income.
How Independent Artists Can Distribute their Music with TuneCore
In an era where music income from CD sales (29%) and digital download sales (34%) are declining and streaming sales (34%) are increasing, it is crucial that an independent artist covers all their bases.
How CD Baby Can Help Independent Artists Distribute Music Online
As any independent hip-hop artist (or major one for that matter) would know, setting up strong distribution channels for your music is absolutely fundamental to success in the indie rap game. In between creating the music and promoting the music…
How Independent Artists Can Sell their Music on ReverbNation
One of the most important aspects of being an independent hip-hop artist is being able to leverage all the tools and resources you have to their maximum potential in promoting yourself.
How Much Money can Independent Artists Make from Pandora?
Pandora has been around for ages, and for any independent hip-hop artist it’s probably been on your to-do list now for quite some time.
How Independent Artists Can Sell their Music on iTunes
You may a few years ago that Dr. Dre recently became the richest hip hop artist in the world after Apple acquired Beats Electronics for US$3.2 billion. With this sale, Dre effectively cemented his legacy as the most successful hip-hop…
Getting Your Music on Spotify Playlists for Independent Artists
Whether you’re an independent or major label artist, one thing is clear: getting your music on Spotify is an absolute priority.
Why Independent Artists Need to Have their Own Website
So you have Facebook fan page. That’s great, fantastic. You’ve got your own YouTube channel where you upload all your music videos. Congratulations. You also post on Twitter, stunt on Instagram, stream on SoundCloud and do all this other great stuff…
How YouTube Can Help Independent Artists Build a Fanbase
For many years, YouTube has been a hugely important part of the music industry as it finally provided independent artists across the world with a chance to advertise themselves shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the biggest artists in their…
How to Build Your Independent Artist Profile on Spotify
For any artist today, one of the most important features that you can have is a quality Spotify profile. Spotify for Artists makes it very easy for you to set this all up, but you then need to…
How Independent Artists Can Use LinkedIn to Build Their Brand
As an independent rapper or producer trying to promote your music and brand online, you probably have a pretty good idea on which social networks you need to be on – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.
How to Build Up a Local Fanbase in Different Cities for Touring
As we’ve talked about time and time again, touring is the single most important revenue channel for all independent hip-hop artists grinding today. Take a look at the top indie rappers in the game today – from veterans…
How Independent Artists Can Sell Merchandise at Live Shows
As we’ve said many times before, if you’re an independent hip-hop artist grinding it out by yourself, chances are you won’t be making much money from pure music sales – downloads, streaming or otherwise.
How to Plan a Tour for Independent Hip Hop Artists
For independent hip-hop artists, one of the most important things you need to do is learn how to plan a tour. Launching a successful tour depends on thorough preparation and maximising every opportunity you have to leave a…
How to Book Regular Live Shows for Independent Artists
True artists stand the test of time and are consistent in everything they do – dropping quality content, touring, engaging with fans – it’s what separates the successful independent artists from the rest of the pack.
Understanding Music Copyright for Independent Hip Hop Artists
For most independent artists busy with creating music and getting it out there in front of people, copyright is an underrated aspect of the rap game that tends to get severely neglected.
A Guide to Publishing Split Sheets for Independent Artists
As an independent artist, you’ve already got plenty of things to worry about: building your fanbase, expanding your brand, promoting your music (after you create it of course) and then hitting the road to go tour.
Collecting All Your Music Royalties for Independent Hip Hop Artists
As independent hip hop artists grinding hard on your music, having a steady source of income can make the difference between success and failure.
Understanding Music Royalties for Independent Hip Hop Artists
For any musician, being able to make a living from their talent is one of the most important and desirable goals they can achieve. For an independent hip hop artist, though, the challenges to make that happen can…
Top 10 Keys to Success for Independent Hip Hop Artists
The independent route is a tough, long grind, no doubt about it. Ask any independent artist going through their journey right now.
How Independent Artists Can Shoot their Own Music Video
As independent hip-hop artists grinding with no label money backing you and limited resources; you need to be super efficient when it comes to promoting your music and brand independently.