Rappers Who Have Paved Their Own Way

5 Rappers Who Have Paved Their Own Way

Rap music has been an evolving and forever changing genre of music. Throughout its time there have been hundreds upon thousands of artists stepping to the scene, but only a handful rising to stardom. In this series, we cover 5 rappers who have been considered to have paved their own way. That is that they have marketed themselves without a major label and where successful in doing so.

Soulja Boy

Soulja Boy launched his career on the social networking platform of the early days, Myspace. This is where he started growing his following and released his music. His first single Crank That came in at number one on the Billboard 100. Forbes also had him on their Cash Kings list their year he dropped his first song and had him earning 7 million.

Tech n9ne

Tech n9ne founded his own music label, Strange Music, with his business partner in 1999. He had previously been signed to two labels with other groups but they had never really made it big time. It was not until after these two trials and a few major appearances that he decided to push his music himself. 

MF Doom

MF Doom paved his own way and created what many call the blueprint for independent albums. Operation Doomsday contained cartoon scratch samples, self production, and a distinct stream of consciousness. Unique to MF Doom, his persona was anonymous and this factor intrigued many especially after hearing his godly wordplay. 

Lil B

Lil B, or as many know The BasedGod, has been self sufficient in the rap game, perhaps strongly due to social media. Although his music genres are vast and he may not always be taken seriously, one cannot say that he has not been successful and independent along the way.

Mick Jenkins 

Mick Jenkins is a personal favorite and in my opinion super underrated. He personally released his first album Mickstape. He has a very unique sound with his monotone vocals and jazzy beats. His collaborations with groups and producers also helped shine a light on his work. His use of creating a group or fan base and buzzwords to associate with it really helped grow his base.