What's the difference between Mainstream and Underground??

[Student]

There Is Plenty Of Real Shit Mainstream Artists Have Dropped (2Pac, Eminem, Nas, Rakim, Andre 3000, Black Thought, etc.)
And Then There Is Stupid Shit On The Underground Side Too But Just Because It's Not Popular Doesn't Make It "Good".

[Letum]

Money and Marketing. gotta be the biggest diff

[Liquid Wolf]

@Student you don't know wtf your talking about that post raped my iq

dumbass motha fucka

[Student]

Originally Posted by Kobe Bryant

@Student you don't know wtf your talking about that post raped my iq

dumbass motha fucka

I Don't Get It

[ILLoKWENT]

Pretty simple difference. Is exposure.. mainstream is usually meant or enjoyed by the masses..underground is more obscure type hiphop. Thats usually found and enjoyed by word of mouth.on a much smaller scale.. mf doom eyedea.etc. if you asked a casual person who they were. Theyd be like WHO?.

[NOBLE]

Originally Posted by Student

No, The Main Difference Between Mainstream And Underground Is The Exposure / Financial Success. The Content Has Absolutely Nothing To Do With It BECAUSE...There Are Tons Of Old School Mainstream Artists Who Rapped About "Mainstream" Subjects (Money, Hoes & Clothes, Gangsta Shit) Yet They're Somehow An Exception When Kids Say (Current) Mainstream Talks About The Same Shit And Underground Talks About Real Shit. On The Contrary There Are Millions Of Underground Cats Who Rap About Mainstream Subjects Yet They'll Never Be Famous.

I realized that the mainstream/underground and real hip-hop/non-real hip-hop dichotomies are concepts that overlap and mesh in a lot of people's minds. That is the reason why I asked what mainstream/underground means to each individual, not what mainstream means according to the dictionary because I understand that people use the term differently.
As far as people considering some old-school mainstream songs as a real hip-hop and new songs talking about the same subjects as fake, I can't speak for everyone but I have a feeling it has more to do with freshness and originality than the actual content.
When NWA first came out with gangsta rap, it was fresh and original and can be considered real hip-hop if we assume they were being authentic. When other people came after them spitting gangsta rap, if they didn't give it their own original spin and were only perceived as copying NWA or other gangsta rappers, then it was considered fake hip-hop. That is why I personally define underground hip-hop as "original content", not gimmicky or following some formula or pattern that is meant to bring commercial success. Two people can rap and spit the same content, and you can often tell when one is speaking from the heart or telling his story from a fresh and original angle and the other is simply following a formula to appeal to a niche in the genre.

[Rain-Matrix]

theres a reason they call it UNDERGROUND ... its because we gotta dig to find it yo ... Lupe dont talk about hoes n all that but would u call him underground? Naw hes up there


Success makes u what you are

[NOBLE]

People like Mos Def, Vinnie Paz, and Immortal Technique are fairly well-known too..as in you wouldn't have to search too hard to find their music, but some people still consider them "Underground."