Something to Ponder - Underground vs. Mainstream by Davey D

I think this article is an example of the shrinking divide between underground hiphop and mainstream hiphop. I would argue it is more acceptable nowadays to be a fan of indie artists and poppy artists at the same time without having to justify your tastes, although I know plenty of heads that never really understood the attempt to classify the two as different genres in the first place. Actually, I would probably argue it is more avantcore, especially if you're in the music biz, to be able to relate to and pimp music from both fields. If you're not familiar with the scene, there was a time when you could easily be made fun of for trying to buy the new Shadow or Sage Francis records instead of the new Nas (I remember those confused looks or loud "what?" I would get at Fatbeats). And I can just as easily imagine (and remember reading tons of posts) where the "other side" would look down at heads who never gave Company Flow or Anticon a chance. It seems part of the reason indie artists have gained acceptance in the industry is their success at becoming self-sufficient, I would have liked Davey-D to address that issue a bit more. Also, the differences between the production values is another issue which I think is important when discussing underground vs. mainstream. Anyway, it seems indie artists are gradually losing their reputations as non-touring bedroom producers and the more high profile artists under contract aren't just sell outs any more. You ready for that Ghostface and Doom album? Link to Davey D's post

Excerpt A couple of years ago I heard a song from Mystik Journeymen of Living Legends where Sunspot Jones was rapping about the underground and he referenced a conversation he had with MC Hammer. He noted that Hammer had said the ‘underground’ was the name people that hadn’t made it big used to describe their music. Needless to say Sunspot used the song, which unfortunately escapes me for the moment, to express his disagreement.However, I thought it’s worth looking at this concept of ‘underground’ and trying to figure out is there is a definitive definition and who within Hip Hop can claim it....