This past weekend I went to one of the best concert experiences I have been a part of in the past few years. Have you ever been to a show and can't stop thinking/talking about it for the next few days? Because that is exactly what has happened to me. The concert was put on by Arizona based hip-hop trio, Injury Reserve, consisting of rappers Steppa J. Groggs, and Ritchie With a T, along with producer Parker Corey. Experimenting with a multitude of different musical styles the group has found their own sound, demonstrating their ability to effortlessly switch it up throughout their three projects, garnering critical acclaim in the process. I mean just listen to the juxtaposition between these back to back tracks on their latest EP, Drive it Like Its Stolen(Just a warning, these songs contain explicit lyrics).
Currently on their first headlining tour, which they refer to as a "traveling party, and art installation", the group brings their patented experimentation, and energy to cities across the country. and soon to be over seas. As more and more shows are selling out(the Cambridge MA show even had to be moved to larger venue)the group is garnering a huge amount of buzz for their innovative, and passionate shows. What is crazy about all this, is the fact that the group does not have that large of a social media following, not even topping 15k followers on neither Twitter, nor Instagram, and on these platforms they are not necessarily the most active. So, that raises the question:How does an experimental, underground hip-hop trio fill concert venues throughout the United States, and garner this much hype in the process?
To partly answer that question, they let their devoted following do the talking for them. A great amount of their success can probably be attributed to various cosigns from Youtuber, Anthony Fantano, also known as "The Needledrop", or "The internet's busiest music nerd". With 1.3 million subscribers, Fantano is one of the most well known music critics, and is famous for his often funny, and harsh reviews of various musical projects. Some people see his videos as the gospel, while others simply view it as pretentious nonsense. Regardless of your opinion on his reviews, it is impossible to ignore the man's impact on modern day music journalism, and his ability to bring new artists to the spotlight, with Injury Reserve being no exception. The group has received an 8/10, 8/10, and a 7/10 on their three projects, and from Fantano, that is phenomenal.
Injury Reserve also seems to receive consistent praise from various users on Reddit, particularly on the hiphopheads subreddit. Whenever someone posts about the group, it receives a huge number of "upvotes" whether it be a new single, project, or even tour. These numbers rival those of much more mainstream artists, who have major label backing, move millions of records, and easily fill the seats of full size stadiums.
When the group does the talking themselves, they pick their spots well. Instead of flooding their followers with useless posts, they supply them with actual good content(relatively speaking for the most part). When fans ask questions, they tend to answer, they keep them up to date with information regarding shows/projects, and they even give shout outs to their devoted following. For example, after the Saturday show, producer Parker Corey tweeted how he broke his hand while punching a monitor, and fans demanded video evidence...they delivered.
What is the discussion like regarding your favorite musical artists online? Do they rely on promoting themselves, or do they let their fans do the promoting for them?
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