thank you very much for bringing this up. When non-journalists are treated as journalists, we have no chance. A perfect example is how influencers get press passes without knowing how to do press. I was a hip-hop journalist for mostly indie artists and it's sad to say this, but I stopped doing it, because non-journalists took control, bastardized hip-hop coverage and got rewarded for that. Not with that. Hopefully, the new generation of hip-hop fans will resurrect true hip-hop journalism.

The problem is, if you’ve got $200 and a new song, you can pay a journalist or blog to cover you whether the music is actually good or not. That’s where the disconnect starts.

Then you’ve got playlists that are basically gatekept for signed artists and industry relationships, regardless of whether the song deserves the placement.

So at some point, what are we actually measuring—great music, or who has the money, access, and relationships to manufacture the appearance of momentum?

But you know… HIP-HOP.