The idea of the SoundCloud rapper has gone through a lot of evolution throughout the years, and put a lot of people on the map. In the early 2010s, SoundCloud wasn’t just a normal streaming platform, it was a proving ground where anyone could upload their work for free. Artists like Pouya and $uicideboy$ built strong and independent followings by bypassing labels entirely.
The mixes weren't perfect, the songs were distorted, but it didn’t matter. SoundCloud rap meant direct access to your favorite up-and-coming artists, community-based growth, and a rejection of the traditional music industry. Around 2016 and 2017, the scene continued to rapidly accelerate. Rappers like Lil Pump, Smokepurpp, and XXXTENTACION put even more eyes on the scene.
By the later 2010s, the sign of freedom started to become a badge of saturation, becoming one of many. Tons of artists used the platform every day, many of which immitated the look and sound of the bigger artists. Festivals, labels, and the mainstream media had picked up on the scene, which started to dilute what originally gave it it’s edge.
In the past couple of years, the new wave uses a different infrastructure. New artists don’t rely solely on Soundcloud, they use things like TikTok, Discord, and mainstream streaming platforms to build curated aesthetics and more formal worlds around their music. These days, a lot of artists use SoundCloud as a way to release songs directly their biggest fans that they do not want to release on the primary platforms, or can’t release due to label issues or samples.
The SoundCloud era changed the industry forever. Not just because of individuals hits and success, but because it proved that the gatekeepers could be bypassed. It showed that the artist-fan connection is stronger than anything else, and if you have talent, music, and the internet, you can reach anybody and do anything.