You mean success? What you describe, for several decades, was the only show in town (there are a few outliers, i.e. Dischord, Rhymesayers, w/e). Desiring commercial success (and the greater artistic freedom it brings) doesn’t say much about the content of the art though. Take the Clash. By ‘selling out’, they were able to pressure their corporate record company to release a 2 LP and 3 LP album (both heavily discounted at release, at the insistence of the Clash, both containing material the record company didn’t want to release), despite heavy opposition from the label.
What good are Public Enemy, Ice Cube, and KRS One’s astute lyrics going to do if 1000 people hear them? After these artists ‘sold out’, millions heard them and they were able to continue making records instead of having to punch a clock and make music as a hobby. Most artists make art with the hope it will reach as many people as possible, and hope also that they can make a living doing it. Until recently, what you describe was what most people considered the way things got done. I don’t think your characterization of hip hop is true or meaningful. As a former artist, the slur ‘sell out’ has never sat well with me. Judge an artist based on their work, not the method they must accept to get it to you.
