percentage of underground rappers who are actually good?

[ladelsofgravy]

1% Great - Potential to be among the great or greatest rappers if they keep at it.

4% Mainstreamworthy - Are on par with the average signed rapper.

15% Good But... - These people got some talent overall but lack in one aspect. Perhaps a bland personality. Or they may have the rhymes but they need to work on their voice or delivery. Maybe they're too similar to an already signed rapper or they're the spiritual-lyrical-miracle type.

20% Aight
20% Crap
30% Horrible

[Trilla]

I doubt only 4% are "mainstreamworthy" considering the average signed rapper is fucking 2 Chainz.

[ladelsofgravy]

I doubt only 4% are "mainstreamworthy" considering the average signed rapper is fucking 2 Chainz.

the second part of your sentence is true, but the first part fails to consider how truly mediocre most underground rappers are.

[Trilla]

I doubt only 4% are "mainstreamworthy" considering the average signed rapper is fucking 2 Chainz.

the second part of your sentence is true, but the first part fails to consider how truly mediocre most underground rappers are.

That's pretty sad then. I don't even keep my eye on the underground...rap is in a state of 911.

[JamaicanPattlez]

I doubt only 4% are "mainstreamworthy" considering the average signed rapper is fucking 2 Chainz.

You'd be surprised. A LOT of these underground rappers aren't "Mainstream Worthy". I mean, a good percentage (15% is accurate tbh) of these underground rappers are talented, but they're missing something. Majority of the time, it's personality and charisma. Who they are as a person, and it carries through their music and into interviews and everything, it's their essence. They're different and their music is a reflection of that. Skills can be developed, it's the charisma and personality of your music that catches people. Not necessarily making bangers, cause there's a lot of rappers with that mentality of "Oh I'll make a banger and it'll blow up" and they never do. Meanwhile, Macklemore's "Thrift Shop" video blew up. Obviously, there's a lot more to it, but long story short, there really IS a small number of underground rappers that are truly mainstream worthy.

[Kill You]

There's a reason they don't blow up. Something is always missing in their music.

[Accor]

^what's missing in slugs music?

[JamaicanPattlez]

There's a reason they don't blow up. Something is always missing in their music.

Personally, I believe that if you sign to a label and complain that you have to conform and sell out, you're an idiot. Sure, you have to make singles that appeal to people, but that doesn't mean you have to sell out. Look at The Real Slim Shady and Kendrick's "Swimming Pools". None of them are sell-out songs. If you're creative and have access to all these producers, there's no reason for you to sell out. Chances are, you're probably able to make something hot while being true to you anyway.

[classthe_king]

We'll that just wrong

[Accor]

Hage wrong as fuc tbh

[classthe_king]

Some underground artists just aren't talented, appealing or diverse enough to be mainstream (all Jedi mind trick esq rappers)

Some rappers could've been mainstream but they really didn't want to (Eyedea)

[JamaicanPattlez]

Some underground artists just aren't talented, appealing or diverse enough to be mainstream (all Jedi mind trick esq rappers)

Some rappers could've been mainstream but they really didn't want to (Eyedea)

This, also.

[King Lance]

Some underground artists just aren't talented, appealing or diverse enough to be mainstream (all Jedi mind trick esq rappers)

Some rappers could've been mainstream but they really didn't want to (Eyedea)

[ronnie56]

it depends on what u define as underground u have those underground that don't care about mainstream appeal or record sales etc and just want to be a technically gifted lyricist. then there are the street undergeound they not really underground but they not mainstream either.

[Robbie G]

Those percentages mean nothing because you're just pulling them out of your ass. I think a lot of god rappers are left "underground" because they make music that speaks to a narrower percentage of the population. Eyedea rapping about mental illness doesn't make his songs any less "good", but less people will be interested because of the subject matter.