Quality over quantity.
It’s a simple concept that teaches us that it’s more important to have or create things of value because they are worth more than lots of underwhelming versions. Whether it is business or aspects of our personal life this is a perception that can be applied to many things. One aspect that is a persistent balancing act of quality versus quantity is music.
In hip-hop we can be greedy and impatient fans. We want good music and we want it now. In a time of immediate indulgence the attention of the listener has to be always kept and rappers are in this constant rat race of keeping our focus on them. So when Travis Scott creeped on his Soundcloud page and released 3 new songs he gave the hungry hippos that arw known as music fans just enough to wet their appetite. While I’m not keen on Travis I listened to the songs in hopes I could be made a fan but as predicted I was not blown away. From what I’ve read online I wasn’t the only one. Byson Tiller did the same thing the week before and as someone who still plays TRAPSOUL I hopped on the new songs but was left with the same dismay I had after listening to Travis.
It had me thinking: what’s the sense of dropping more than one song when none of them is a standout?
As the music industry changes, so has the purpose of a single. Singles have always been this driving force to increase album excitement. It’s a formula that’s been tried and tested and it works. Bryson Tiller shared those songs weeks ahead of his sophomore album coming out. Before you release an album having a number of solo or assisted efforts will get fans ready and also help artists gain a wider appeal. Yet now singles are no longer songs that revolve around albums but are standalone joints that artists use to get us talking and listening (or writing).
It’s still used as a promotion tool but rather than promoting a body of work they are promoting themselves. Established artists have to stay relevant in midst of competition with new artists and indecisive and craving fans. What’s one way they do so? By releasing song after song, or like Travis 3 at once. Some will say they’re doing this for the love of music and to give their fans what they want. Being consistent with your hardcore fans is important and but there is a downside to this.
While this can work- remember Nipsey Hussle’s “Motivation Mondays” or Tory Lanez “Fargo Fridayz,” it honestly starts to get boring. What mostly likely happens is repetitive and insignificant songs we won’t listen to again or forget about after a month. This is where the notion of quality over quantity comes in. If the logic is to get us wanting more, artists should realize oversaturation can be risky. Three songs isn’t really excessive, but it can seem like it when not one song is worth a replay. As they say less is more. Putting out 5 great songs in a year is worth more than 20 that aren’t bad but aren’t memorable either.
The same can be said about a poor and disjointed album or mixtape. There are rappers that just churn out tapes as if it takes nothing to make- and often times it sounds like that. The fans may love it but the majority of us are thinking it is too much and stopped listening after the second or third release. A 3 minute song obviously isn’t as much of a commitment as a 40 minute mixtape. If the track isn’t up to par we can disregard it without feeling like much time was wasted. So what am I blabbing about?
After listening to Travis’ songs I started to think if the power of a single is beginning to diminish. What was once a device that could ascend artists careers are becoming throwaway tracks and devaluing an artists’ work.
That’s not to say that Travis isn’t thinking and conceptualizing in an effort to be progressive. He’s still new to this and I’d like to think is still perfecting himself and releasing music at the same time. The good thing about songs that miss the mark is it allows artists to look back and see what didn’t work and why people didn’t respond favorably. But anticipation can start to dim. Sometimes these singles hurt more than they help. Also artists like Travis who has a cult following should remember diehard fans exist in small clusters compared to large audiences. You want your single to reach the former.
PS- Quality and quality can exist. Heard what Frank Ocean has been putting out lately? Frank lives in a own lane. That’s the catch- when you are known for creating distinctly excellent music it will never be too much.
-C