Rapper Paloalto expresses dissatisfaction with the promotion of NewJeans on an SNS account, suggesting a need to promote undiscovered hip-hop artists in the industry.
On April 4th, rapper Paloalto expressed his dissatisfaction with a social media account that promotes hip-hop artists and also promotes NewJeans’ latest song.
Paloalto took to his Instagram story to voice his concern over the promotion of NewJeans on a hip-hop promotion account, stating that he is a fan of NewJeans but does not understand why they are being promoted on a hip-hop platform.
He further added that NewJeans have enough influence to do well without the additional promotion.
Paloalto also expressed his concern for lesser-known hip-hop artists who don’t have the chance to promote themselves on such platforms.
He added, “When I was an unknown artist, I had no chance to promote myself, but through this SNS account, I was able to get known and grow. I hope they introduce not only funny topics or memes of famous artists, but also introduce talented hip-hop artists who have no opportunities to promote themselves. Of course, I understand the difference in likes and comments, but still.”
Paloalto’s remarks were applauded by his colleague, rapper TOMSSON, who shared Paloalto’s post on his own Instagram story.
TOMSSON, who also identifies as a lesser-known artist, expressed his agreement with Paloalto and criticized the current system in which new songs from unknown artists are only promoted on hip-hop community platforms if they pay a fee.
He further stated that popular artists benefit from the system more than unknown artists, as their songs generate more views regardless of the platform on which they are promoted.
TOMSSON wrote, “Nowadays, when a new song is released, artists who have no money and popularity have to spend one million won to get their songs introduced on a ‘hip-hop community.’ It used to be a community that I loved, but it seems to have lost its original function.”
He continued, “Artists who have no money and popularity have to empty their pockets to use the system, while famous artists only benefit from their own views. The problem is that there is already a set platform for introducing songs, and whether you like it or not, you have to use it. I appreciate artists like Paloalto mentioning this issue.”
The debate sparked by Paloalto and TOMSSON’s comments highlights a long-standing issue within the K-hip-hop community, where many unknown artists struggle to gain the exposure they need to make a name for themselves. The issue is complicated by the fact that popular artists often receive more attention regardless of the quality of their music, simply because of their pre-existing fame.
On the same day that Paloalto made his comments, NewJeans released their latest song, “Zero”, a Coca-Cola commercial song. The song has reached impressive rankings on several music charts in Korea.
Source: Wikitree.
