I don't understand why not tho..
Alot of emcee's dont care to appeal to the mainstream cuz thats not them.. they'd rather be true to themselves.. Others just dont want to go major, here's why..
This way you can continue having complete creative control of ur albums. Once you go major, you really lose a lot of creative control.
Also in most cases you cant own ur own masters, and getting clearance for samples can cost u an arm and a leg.
Some would even argue that based on album sales alone, you have the potential to make a lot more money indy than on a major record label. Its like sell half a mill and make pennies per album.. or sell 20-30k and make $5-7 per sale (I know thats not true in all cases, but it is in some)
Annnd as hard as it is to believe some emcees just do not care about the fame, and the greed for more money is not really an issue either..
... lets put it this way, PERSONALLY if I was an emcee, I would never want commercial success. I would like to be able to say whatever the fuck I want. Plus I'd like to be able to still walk through malls and go out and eat with my children without the paparazzi and all that nonsense.
I'm not a hip hop junkie by any means, but this is just not true. And you know that. So why say it?
how do u figure? Read the reply above the quote. It gives you tons of legitimate reasons as to why this is very true. There are tons of reasons to remain independent.. and more and more artists are beginning to realize it.
.. and fine maybe not 'hundreds' as originally stated, but u know what I mean. Face it, there are emcees out there like that.
peace