We know this post will ruffle some feathers, but we believe this topic isn't addressed as often as it should be or enough to create credible change in the Rhode Island music scene. Since we entered the publication space for urban artists in Rhode Island in 2016, we noticed very early that there weren't many "competition" or "like-minded" spaces to support aspiring music talents. What's more surprising is that in 2024, not much has changed. There isn't one established or major publication, venue, radio station, or news station that has dedicated a sliver of its brand to the urban community of artists and musicians, indirectly highlighting their lack of support or intentional suppression of their success in the state. We believe this is one of the contributing factors to the overall idea that "no one supports Rhode Island Hip Hop or urban music".
To give credit to those who made an effort, there were sprinkles of podcasts and smaller spaces that were created to "fill the void" urban artists felt when working to establish their music careers, but many of them could not establish their brands to operate as go-to platforms providing notable results. There was also a divide between many of these platforms and channels, as building a collective for a greater cause was often not the mission. We often reached out to these platforms with the intent of building a network of spaces urban artists may use to gain exposure, establish a fan base, and earn money but were unsuccessful.
The lack of representation for urban artists in Rhode Island is the unambiguous root of the thought that they do not exist. To prove our point, how many of you have heard of these artists (aside from seeing them on our platform at any point)?
Claudius Cooper
Tavia
Boi2times
Chach
Lily Rayne
Tye Cooper
King OSF
Love Dele
Riko Rose
Noop Gaudy
Lil Santana
Brogod Mass
Tabon
$Swifty
Kunle
Fully Loaded Stan
Came In Clutch
Rome Dolla
Krew$
Gorjus Killa
Chef Mealz
Guelly Gunz
HDS Bam
Ham Bome
Geo2Times
Luey Dubaiii
Lavish Lams
Lil Lonzo
THE LIST GOES ON!
Those are just a few of the many names of Rhode Island urban artists with aspirations of becoming successful artists, but how much can they do beyond their power to succeed in music without a system in place to help them do so? What opportunities does Rhode Island present to them that say "we see you" and "we support you"? If anything, we see businesses who do host major urban artists exploiting the local talent to hit their bottom line, or should we say "bottom dollar". Here is an example of what we mean.
There Is No Money In Rhode Island For Urban Artists Regarding Performances
This is largely due to the system businesses have in place to capitalize off Rhode Island artists' "need to be heard". They host a major artist at their venue and offer artists the "opportunity" to be heard on stage in front of the audience that came to see the major artists.
To be honest, we don't understand how this system still works as it greatly undercuts the value of any artist who aims to be paid for performances. This opportunity is a quid-pro-quo situation, where the artist is obligated to sell tickets for the event they want to perform at. All ticket sales go to the venue (unless the artist upsells the tickets to make somewhat of a profit) leaving the artist with nothing for the hard work of being a club promoter.
This is the reality for most artists (except a small few) who dream of performing their music in front of major audiences. This is not the case for other musicians in the state, much of Rhode Island's restaurants, bars, and lounges, welcome jazz, blues, folk, and rock music with open arms and checkbooks.
There are plenty more examples we could give, but the idea isn't to shame Rhode Island more than to have a discussion, we are also aware that this culture of exploiting artists exists throughout the country.
What Is The Solution?
Simply put, it is up to the Rhode Island urban community to be the change they want to see. Supporters of urban music in Rhode Island have an amazing opportunity to establish businesses (radio stations, performance venues, publications, news stations, etc.) designed to not only host but help progress urban music in Rhode Island.
Addressing the elephant in the room, we understand that much of today's urban music doesn't always represent people who love the sound and culture the best way, but the more individuals who become part of the movement will have more power to be part of the change.
As always, we'd love to know what you think on the matter.
Comments