Back to Elitism

Being anti quality-control only works with noble intentions. All or nothing inclusivity is not resulting in "all". Empowering simplicity: good. Empowering poverty: good. Empowering mediocrity: not working.

Aggression

Hip hop culture has traditionally been a voice for people in poverty. Poverty usually increases crime. Although RapIndie's vision is an innovative rewrite of what it means to be a rapper, tolerance for the norms of hip hop culture is something we expect from our audience. It's ok to prefer the best of hip hop (we do), but we would like to ask for a little understanding for the worst of it.

Maybe Less IS More...

Quality is usually important. It's impactful, infectious, and evokes attachment. However, intentional lack of quality may be doing more good than simply making the world less critical.

1. In a world of digital art, real artists are often more inspired to try new seemingly easy things.

2. Are curator standards different than the casual audiences? Maybe people are satisfied.

3. Artists that blend in are more accepted and unified.

Unity

A while back, some people got together and over-powered exclusion. 

One of the biggest issues was that mob-mentality appropriation was inescapable in every community. Is the refusal to shout out "RapIndie" culture shock? Passive aggression?

The hip hop football team needs every position. Someone needed to showcase the potential of the culture, someone needed to use that potential to create a community, and someone needs to share/translate that community to every audience.

Bad Equality

Equality isn't always good. Lowering everyone to the bottom is worse than allowing different heights. There are also functional differences that are not about preferential treatment or prejudice.

Is it working?

Usually we trade ideas about achieving equality. However, it's just as important to ask the question, "are our ideas working"? Are people less boujee in 2025? Is the eco system in balance? Is equality truly the goal of the ideas? What's going on?

What Would Make You Special?

A lot of rappers market to their own cultures. In 2025, it barely makes sense to try to do otherwise. However, when you do make cross-over content "what makes you special" is the theme for most of it. While that question is misguided, a fun question is "what would make you special?" Before you say "nothing", give the opportunity some thought.

Enable or Filter

RapIndie has to work with what's out there. Truthfully, a lot of rappers are living very difficult lives. When we showcase the rap game in its entirety, we get accused of endorsing all of their behavior. When we solely showcase the positive rappers, we get accused of hiding their behavior. While both are valid points, which would you prefer?

Is intelligence-level tribalism our fault or is it the result of a distinction made by other cultures?

Is intelligence-level tribalism our fault or is it the result of a distinction made by other cultures?
Maybe there's a middle ground between demanding people in poverty to be magically educated and branding "authentic" black culture as "ignorant".
Maybe we're already being taught to relate to each other using metaphors. Maybe poverty based music is connecting with a majority that only has the illusion of intelligence.

Up

Have you ever noticed that when tearing people down, everyone is an expert. However, when it's time to build themselves up, they struggle on a comical level. 

Winners don't feel like winners anymore. And that's a problem because they end up over-powered trolls and life-wreckers with endless resources. Building yourself up is a skill that you have to practice. You can't put everything at the bottom.