Clout chasing has been a common theme among new rappers in 2018/19. However, we’re learning that it doesn’t always equate to record sales. For Instance, Lil Pump’s most recent album “Harvard Dropout” debuted at no. 7 on the billboard charts, selling 48,000 units in the first week, with 25,000 coming from physical units.
First, his physical sales its more then half of his overall sales in the streaming era. Its clear to see that these numbers are inflated because of his collaboration with Young and Reckless which includes the digital album with a purchase of merchandise.
Lets just keep it a buck, it has never been about Lil Pump’s music! It’s his antics that pulled in a audience. He was the youngest among the new wave of Florida rappers. When Lil Pump was discovered by Tha Lights Global, he had already amassed 100,000 followers on Instagram which made him prime for marketing!
“He was the youngest in the wave actually really doing it,” says Battle, “and his look was different than everybody else.”- Dooney Battles, Co founder of Tha Lights Global. Billboard
Its unfortunate that out of 17.8 million followers, “Harvard Dropout” only sold 48,000 units. However, this does say something very important, MUSIC DOES MATTER! For all the up & coming artists there’s a lot to learn from artists like Lil Pump and Lil Yachty.
These artists have created a massive following and while it may not pay when it comes to music, I’m sure there’s other ways to thrive (endorsements, commercial marketing, advertising etc) . Either Lil pump will continue to put out music because he truly loves it or you will probably see him on reality TV.
When it comes to this music tho….artists like J. Cole and Logic are great examples of how to build a loyal fan base. Both of them have built their fan base from the ground up in a very intimate way. There’s a reason why J Cole and Logic can sell out arenas without any featured artists. Check out the video below of Logic touring just to play his album for his fans.
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