Rags to Rich

rich300x300Last year saw rapper Rich Homie Quan become the first independent artist to top Urban radio charts in a decade, with his single “Flex (Oooh Ooh Ooh)” (unsetting Rihanna in the process).  Last to achieve the same status was Unk with “Walk it Out” on Big Oomp/Koch in 2006. Still indie after all these years, Quan has amassed 45,764,2000 views on YouTube with “Flex.”

An Atlanta kid who admits to taking took a couple wrong turns in his personal life, Quan recorded his breakout smash “Stay Down” featuring the Stack Money Boys in 2008. 2010 saw Quan, born Dequantes Devontay Lamar, serve time in jail for burglary, emerging with a new focus and dedication what was once just a hobby. Quan told XXL “I knew this was all I had and I wanted to go hard at it, so that’s what I did.” Years following his jail stint, he shared with Columbus radio station Power 107.5 listeners “If I had the chance to do it all over, I wouldn’t. Because during my time being locked up, I learned so much in jail and I feel like that’s why I am where I am today. It made me smarter. It made me a better person.”

In time, what resulted is an underdog story for the ages. Surpassing Quan’s dreams of a career in baseball, his was an indie-blazed trail of major league proportions. Following a fateful meeting with the man who was to become his mentor, L.O.R (LOYALTY OVER ROYALTIES) CEO Tezzy, Rich Homie Quan was signed to the label, and ultimately teamed up with label mate Mafio, forming their group No Sleep Gang (a reference to their dedication and time spent writing and recording in studio).

Tragically, Quan’s mentor Tezzy passed away just 2 weeks prior the intended release of No Sleep Gang’s Money Season. Though reeling from the loss, Quan clearly found strength in its wake, re-dedicating himself and eventually signing to Atlanta-based indie T.I.G. (Think It’s a Game). T.I.G.’s release of Quan’s Still Goin In Mixtape paved the way for the 23 year old’s continued success. “We built the song in the streets first,” T.I.G. founder Fly told Billboard. “So by the time it got to radio, people were already familiar with it and requesting it.”.

With the release of Still Goin On’s second single “Type of Way” in 2013, The New York Times described Quan as “part of Atlanta’s rising generation of rappers – think Future, Young Thug, Young Scooter – who deliver lines with melody and heart, like singers on the verge of a breakdown.”  Meanwhile, Rolling Stone called Still Goin In the “tenth best mixtape of 2013.”  (Though the release came to iTunes by way of Def Jam, Quan remains an indie to this day). The same year saw Quan tour with Trinidad James, in addition to his collaboration on Gucci Mane’s album Trap House III.

Back in 2010, Billboard reminded us of the impact of Mixtapes in the digital age, noting “The mixtape – a compilation of music generally distributed outside of label purview – had evolved from a mere display of DJ skills to a promotional tool packed with exclusive freestyles to an actual album-before-the-album, one that could spawn chart-topping singles like “Best I Ever Had,” without labels at the helm.”  In 2011, Al Branch, GM of Hip-Hop since 1978 (home to Drake and Nicki Minaj”, told Billboard “Active consumers will support [you] and go out and buy your album, buy your concert tickets and your merch. The passive consumer will download it for free, talk about it and that’s it. The active consumer is very reactionary, and you can get that consumer to respond quite quickly.”

To this day, Quan keeps it indie, true to words shared in 2014: “I’ve never signed to Def Jam. I’ve been to their offices and whatnot, met everyone there. I’ve just never signed. Because I want my deal to be about longevity. I don’t want to be here this year and next year nowhere to be found.” Looking ahead at 2016, industry tech site Hypebot touched on the influence of the mixtape model, observing “Many artists would do well to follow the example set by the likes of Drake and Gucci Mane in 2015 of creating and dropping multiple mixtapes, albums and other releases on a more frequent basis – more content, and less promo cycle.“  While it’s clear controversy finds Rich Homie Quan, so to does a brand and method of achieving success that’s clearly here to stay.

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