Digital audio tools let untrained artists bypass traditional music gatekeepers.

Evidence

Yet this emphasis on manufactured perfection stood in stark contrast to another internet-native phenomenon: SoundCloud rappers. While Instagram demanded polish, SoundCloud rewarded rawness. Digital tools made high-fidelity recording accessible to anyone, allowing young musical artists to bypass traditional gatekeepers. These platforms launched a new wave of hip-hop stars—Lil Yachty, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Pump, Lil Peep, Playboi Carti, XXXTentacion, Juice WRLD, and 6ix9ine. — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 554

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Music undergrounds need public broadcast exposure to force ideas upward — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk: The Collected and Unpublished…, 1270