Bryson Tiller, Post Malone, Lil Yachty, Lil Uzi Vert, Russ, and Chance The Rapper. What do all of these musicians have in common? Before they started making it big, these artists were continuously posting up-to-date content on their SoundCloud/Datpiff profiles. These media outlets allow artists of all sorts to upload the work they have created to the internet for others to view. 
Russ was producing music for a decade before he even uploaded his work to SoundCloud. Once Russ’s music was available online, he quickly gained momentum and signed with Columbia Records in 2016.
Another musician we can’t forget is Lil Uzi Vert. Uzi has faced shun from the hip-hop community, dismissing him as a “SoundCloud Rapper” in an attempt to label him as “not real hip-hop.” Doing some digging Lil Uzi Vert actually would tag his music under the “Alternative Rock” section on SoundCloud, not considering himself as much of a “rapper”. Not phasing him, Lil Uzi continuously refers to himself as a “Rockstar” and creates music uploaded to SoundCloud giving him the buzz he was once hoping for.
On April 3, 2012, Chance The Rapper dropped 10 Day independently and made it available as a free digital download before he was even big. A year later, Chance released the Acid Rap mixtape, sparking his career.
These artists all started uploading free digital music to media outlets such as Datpiff and SoundCloud which gave them the opportunity to be heard. Without these media outlets, for example, we may have never heard Russ’s “Losin’ Control”, Lil Uzi Vert’s “XO Tour Llif3”, or Post Malone’s “Congratulations”.
Image Source: AP Images
