10 Facts About Rap That People Don't Talk About Enough

Hip-hop is changing. We take a look at the new landscape.

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Complex Original

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Jay-Z made #FACTSONLY a new rap motto this year. But not all facts are created equal.

Some we know all too well, like that rap albums don’t sell as well they used to, and that mixtapes are where most of the good music is. But as the new reality of the genre and the industry continues to change shape, there are new laws of the land coming into focus. And some of them haven’t been discussed or understood enough to be common knowledge. Meanwhile, there’s some dusty old received wisdom still hanging around from the '90s that many heads need to finally disabuse themselves of.

Is there such a thing as a bad collaboration? Should rappers release every song they record? Does it matter that Drake “freestyles” with a Blackberry in front of him? Just how rare of an accomplishment is Kendrick’s platinum plaque? Should every MC turn their back on the major label machine and go independent? Is Atlanta still the center of the rap universe? Will Detox come out, or more importantly, does it matter if it ever does? We have answers to these questions, but more importantly, we have an idea why.

These are the 10 Facts About Rap That People Don’t Talk About Enough

Written by Al Shipley (@AlShipley)

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Rap mixtapes are ruining rap albums.

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Codeine is treated like weed, but in reality it's much much more dangerous.

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It's better that Detox never come out.

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Atlanta hasn't produced a true new crossover rap star in years.

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You don't need to release every single song you record. And you probably shouldn't.

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Freestyling is overrated.

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White rappers totally run iTunes.

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Only four new rappers have gone platinum since 2006: Drake, Nicki, Kendrick, and Macklemore.

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Artists should turn down collaborations more often.

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Not every artist can—or should—go independent.

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