As an artist, one of the most important moments of your entire career is that initial breakthrough or mainstream appeal that introduces your music to a much larger audience. It’s something that thousands of artists spend years chasing, with only a select few ever succeeding. However, in the underground, going mainstream is often seen as a negative in the eyes of fans, as their favorite artist, who was once relatively unknown, suddenly begins attracting millions of new listeners. But what is the reasoning behind this exactly?
A very important reason why the underground scene has become so popular and even overpowering mainstream artists is that feeling of exclusivity, and the feeling of being involved with a new sound or movement early on. It’s a more personal touch; fans are able to see artists grow, develop, and evolve, and they also feel like they’ve discovered something that the average person doesn’t have access to.
So when an artist goes mainstream, that exclusivity doesn’t really feel as personal anymore since it’s become exposed to a wider audience.
In a time where so many things on the internet are manufactured, manipulated, and soulless, it’s definitely understandable for fans to be upset if their favorite artist goes mainstream. However, there’s also a dilemma because the artists themselves want to grow out of the underground scene, and core fans should also support that if they truly care about the artist and want to see them mature.
The real problem comes from fans completely abandoning artists and degrading artists who want to achieve mainstream success, and it’s also the main reason why there aren’t many mainstream artists of this generation anymore.
Pz’ is the most recent example of this, with his upcoming collaboration with Don Toliver leading to discomfort among fans. However, nothing about him really feels “underground” , as he’s been gaining mainstream attention for quite some time and has even been seen with artists like Playboi Carti, Young Thug, and A$AP Rocky, so his growing mainstream appeal shouldn’t come as a huge surprise.
A more intense example is with Yeat. His mainstream success caused so many of his core fans to abandon his music because he wants to achieve wider recognition, which is a problem because Yeat is just fulfilling his role as an artist and becoming as big as he can.
The problem really boils down to how this divide between mainstream and underground will affect music in the long run. Realistically, for any genre or sound to hold weight, it needs mainstream stars and big voices to carry it out to as many people as possible. If new music just keeps getting smaller and more niche, then it won’t ever become as significant, and that’s something fans need to realize. Instead of making it only about exclusivity, let’s make it more about the artist first and support their decision to gain wider appeal.
By Ed Roobi