Somehow this is about brand marketing

I grew up in Utah.

If you know Utah, you know that's about as far from the origins of hip hop as you can get. And yet somewhere in my teens rap found me and many others in our suburban town. Wu Tang Clan, Bone Thugs, Hov, and of course Tupac and

Biggie. Somehow even lesser known stuff made its way to suburban Utah. Too $hort. Rappin' 4-Tay, Big L. It wasn't just the mainstream that got me. It was the specific, somewhat obscure stuff that only a few select friends knew about.

I'm now a middle aged, suburban dad in the Phoenix area. Yet my Spotify list is still a running tribute to A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, Gangstarr, and Clipse. I often wonder why Pusha T, who has spent his entire career rapping about selling drugs on street corners resonates with me? I’ve maybe seen cocaine once in my life. 

***Side note: go listen to “Nosetalgia” and then read about the insane stanzas! What!!??

I was happy that Kung-fu-Kenny (Kendrick for the uninitiated) went commercial with his GNX album – even if good kid, m.A.Ad city is better.

***Side note: my eleven year old daughter can go bar for bar with nearly the entire GNX album. My dad-heart explodes. 

In my humble opinion, however, one artist stands above the rest. MF DOOM – ”either unmarked or engraved, hey, who’s to say?”

If you know, you know. DOOM was one of the most niche artists in any genre. A metal mask, crazy rhyming schemes, and obscure cartoon references. He seemingly had zero interest in chasing a hit. He made exactly the music he wanted for exactly the people who would get it. He passed away in 2020 and his legend keeps growing.

***Side note: shout out to female rappers who I think are dominating the men right now. Doechi, Megan, GloRilla. But don’t sleep on lesser-knowns like Tierra Whack!

None of these artists make music for a kid from Utah. They make it for their neighborhood, their people, their experience.

I like other music (not country), but the raw, authentic, human nature of these artists continually draws me in.

Here’s the brand/marketing part:

This is what real authenticity does. And that's what niche done right looks like.

Speak to everybody, speak to nobody.