Talk about music with anyone that grew up in the late 80s, and invariably they will express to you one absolute truth: It was the golden age of hip-hop.
Run DMC. Eric B. & Rakim. EPMD. The Beastie Boys. Their clever lyrics, combined with creative, low cost, rhythm-intensive production, brought attention to an otherwise little-known artform.
In the last 20 years, things have changed. Hip-hop is now one of the most ubiquitous forms of music in modern culture. Commercially successful hip-hop artists have applied a proven formula – how a song sounds, what the rapper says, how the artists dress – to nearly guarantee success.
In most people’s minds, if hip-hop were a retailer, it’d be Wal-Mart, thinking it’s cool, but missing the mark.
The Cool Kids, in contrast, are a little bit cooler.
The Cool Kids use a different strategy.
They combined elements of hip-hop’s golden age with modern production techniques to make a sound that is recognizable yet refreshingly new.
They aren’t in gangs, so they don’t rap about it. The opening verse of “A Little Bit Cooler” (the song above) says it all:
So I’m sitting on the couch, holding the remote
Flipping channels, I’m a rebel
Eating a bowl of them Fruity Pebbles,
Fruity Pebbles, Fruity Pebbles
How gangsta is that? Not gangsta at all.
They eschew the ultra baggy clothes common in the hip-hop world for thinner pieces more akin to indie rockers.
They’ve forsaken massive old marketing techniques, and have instead relied on gradual word-of-mouth of hip-hop insiders to grow, saving themselves from the fate of the flash in the pan.
How can this help my brand?
You have a new widget. You could copy what’s popular right now, or just push forward with the newest, most innovative thing. Instead, see what’s influenced your industry throughout its history, then mix your innovation with that knowledge.
The best companies in the world rely on a balance of testing, tracking and innovation to become successful. The best artists in the world have a knowledge of history and a vision of the future, which is what lends their work the resonance that makes it last.
Are you a flash in the pan, or are you built to last?
