Author: Jacob Carey

Why musicians peak after they fall

A 1997 article from The Washington Post titled “Death Roars Up the Charts” began with three simple words: Death sells records. More than 20 years later, death is, indeed, still selling records.

Coincidentally, the subject matter of that Washington Post article became a topic of discussion earlier this month. Having recently won a lawsuit against Entertainment One, the parent company of Death Row Records, the late Tupac Shakur’s estate has now gained all legal rights to the rapper’s previously unreleased music. As a result, the estate plans to release at least two posthumous albums by 2Pac. These will thus be the rapper’s seventh and eighth posthumous studio albums, officially making his album catalogue after death double that of when he was alive. It could be speculated that these releases will put “all eyez” back on the late rapper.

Music sales after death are nothing new to the industry, and labels are unlikely to back down from capitalizing on them any time soon. Notorious B.I.G.’s Life After Death album remained at the top of Billboard charts for three weeks following its release after the New York rapper’s death in 1997. Elvis Presley, the King of Rock n’ Roll, reportedly sold more than 200 million copies of his albums in the four months following his death. However, lack of technology made these statistics harder to calculate back then. Nowadays, we are afforded better insight into how an artist’s death directly impacts their sales and streaming in real-time. Late Florida rapper XXXTentacion was beginning to secure his spot in the rap world when he was gunned down last June. As the hip hop community around the world mourned the loss, X’s recent ? album jumped from 24th to third spot on the Billboard 200 albums while its lead single, “Sad!,” went from 52nd to first in the Billboard Hot 100 singles and broke Spotify’s single-day streaming record with 10.4 million listens. Similarly, the recent loss of Mac Miller resulted in his newest album, Swimming, shooting to #1 on Apple Music despite previously only peaking at #3. The Pittsburgh rapper went on to occupy all five spots of Apple Music’s top video charts.

With all these records being broken and heights being reached only after their demise, we must ask ourselves: why?

The first answer that comes to mind is nostalgia. When artists pass away, loyal fans commemorate them in the best way they can: by listening to their music. The sudden realization that this musician will never go on tour again and never record another song causes enthusiasts to revisit their works and reminisce on their legacy. While we cannot be there in person to thank them for what they have done, the least we can do is pay homage through their music.

Another reason these artists gain new listeners could be attributed to morbid curiosity. Upon hearing of their passing, those who have not yet listened to the artist may be more curious to check out their work. Death is intriguing, and the drama surrounding it can prompt people who are uninformed to dive into an artist’s work. XXXTentacion said as much in his posthumous song, “Falling Down,” with the late rapper Lil Peep, in which he expresses his regret in not having collaborated with the artist sooner, saying that “your remorse kinda makes you check ‘em out.”

Yet, there is never a lack of exposure when it comes to the passing of a celebrity. In the age of social media, articles reporting the death of a musician get posted within minutes of its occurrence and are shared and commented on by thousands. With the majority of articles embedded with streaming links to the artist’s albums and songs, it is no surprise that they receive thousands or millions of views in a single day. This high-volume traffic causes their streaming numbers to skyrocket and makes their music relevant again.

“You go viral when you die,” said Wayne Larsen, a Concordia University journalism professor. “That increases interest, and in turn, generates sales and streaming.” However, Larsen also believes the death of an artist wipes their slate clean, regardless of their past. “You become eulogized by fans after you die, simply because you become bigger than life. You can’t have a bad album. There are no missteps after death.”

Perhaps there is truth to the claim that no one wants to speak ill of the dead. Once deceased, we are quick to forgive artists for their mistakes, whether from their personal life or musical career. They become embodied in their work of art and all that is left to remember them by is their music and the way they have, and continue, to make us feel through it. Perhaps it is only once an artist dies that they truly become larger than life.

Graphic by @spooky_soda

The Bell Centre filled its seats on Oct. 5 as eager hip hop fans gathered for the last leg of J. Cole’s K.O.D. tour, joined by special guests EarthGang and Young Thug.

While EarthGang started off the night by performing a quick set of their biggest songs, it was clear as the building packed up that many fans were eagerly awaiting Young Thug, fresh off the release of his compilation album Slime Language, with his label YSL, and his own EP, On the Rvn. The crowd was evidently excited as well as surprised that Thug actually made it into Canada, considering recent run-ins with the law that left him with eight felony charges including intent to distribute illegal narcotics and possession of an illegal firearm.

Given his extensive catalogue, Young Thug had no problem picking out the crowd-pleasers that would maintain hype throughout his whole set. Opening with “Anybody” off his early 2018 Hear No Evil EP, Thug may have only chosen two songs throughout the whole set that appeared on the same album. Showing that he has released hits year after year with no shortage, the Atlanta rapper played newer tracks such as “Killed Before” and his guest verse on Drake’s “Ice Melts,” yet surprisingly stayed away from the newest tracks in his catalogue.

The rapper finished his set with some of his biggest hits, including “Pick up the Phone” featuring Quavo and Travis Scott, and his break-out hit “Bestfriend.” Finally, Thug’s long-time producer, London on da Track, was brought out to finish strong with “Lifestyle,” the song that put the Rich Gang signee on the map in 2014.

The lights dimmed as the spotlight shone a purple light on a large curtain covering the stage that listed the meanings of the acronym K.O.D. As the curtain fell and revealed the simple stage with hovering cloud-like “K.O.D.” balloons, Cole emerged from an underground staircase to the album’s “Intro,” leading then into “Window Pain (Outro),” while the crowd roared.

A few songs into the set, Cole sat down to explain the three meanings behind the album name K.O.D. “Kids on Drugs,” which represents the times we live in, when we often find ourselves escaping our problems with the scapegoat of our choice. “King Overdose” refers to Cole’s personification of himself from whenever he has used drugs to escape his past. The final meaning, “Kill Our Demons” is what he said he “hopes for everyone to one day achieve,” by facing their demons in a safe and healthy manner. The explanation led into “Photograph,” the third song from the album.

This was far from Cole’s last speech of the night. After playing various songs from his prior albums, 4 Your Eyez Only and 2014 Forest Hills Drive, the North Carolina rapper stopped to boast a humble brag. Explaining that the journey is the best part of any success story, Cole spoke about how Twitter users doubted him back in the day, saying that although he was good, “he can’t make a hit.” “But now,” Cole went on to say, smiling at a roaring crowd, “I think I got a few hits.” The stadium erupted in cheers and applause as the beat to “Workout” began, the 2011 single that first established Cole’s credibility in the rap world.

Following hit after hit, Cole’s most inspiring speech lasted almost five minutes and was his last of the night. He said the one thing that “determines if we are healthy or not comes down to our ability to process and deal with pain.” Cole said that everyone in the world has felt pain and questioned why no one has been shown how to properly process it. As we grow up and witness traumatic events, he explained, pain grows within us and we do not know how to rid ourselves of it.
Cole ended with words of inspiration, urging everyone to go out into the world and deal with their baggage as soon as possible, in order to live their most fulfilled life. He finished the speech by singing “Love Yourz,” his “own personal reminder and favourite song” that puts him back on track in the most dire of times.

The rapper faked an ending by bidding his fans farewell after performing “KOD.” As the crowd continued to cheer, even with the lights off, Cole came back out to perform his encore—“1985,” a diss song to new-wave rappers in which he delivered an a capella verse. He finally finished with “No Role Modelz.” As Cole thanked his fans for coming to listen and walked off stage, the crowd dispersed feeling a mix of both inspiration and excitement as they poured onto the streets of downtown Montreal on a beautiful Friday night.

Photos by Marie Demeire for Canadian Beats.