Send Help by BIGBABYGUCCI is one of the hottest releases from an independent artist this summer. Oddly enough, the Charlotte, North Carolina born recording artist’s career was on a much different trajectory this time last year and staying independent was the furthest thing from his target, like most artist. However, his individuality in his sound can only be mimicked by his career path. Major sparks of progress and a star-like momentum occurred for him after snagging and dropping his deal with Ultra that was finalized last year, after weeks of fan speculation online. This begs the questions, what does BIGBABYGUCCI have that a label doesn’t?
Humanity. Send Help is a doorway into the 23-year-old’s mind and heart. He falls into the sub genre of Hip Hop that is emotional and melodic rather than aggressive and boisterous. Online, his passion lives beyond his music and amongst his supporters. His Twitter timeline is filled with Retweets from listeners posting or talking about his music, playing it for their friends and so on. He engages with and appreciates everyone who takes the time to listen to his music. Because of this, his supporters genuinely want to see him succeed, everyday they see how much time he puts in. Through snippets and live-streams on Instagram, they’re always invited along for the journey.
Personality. “BIGBABYGUCCI” is a big personality. From his sometimes taunting lyrics, bold beat selection and a candid online presence, he’s a lot to contain. He doesn’t leave much unsaid. On Twitter, he’ll let you know exactly how he’s feeling and what’s on his mind. A label would surely ask him to delete these sometimes foul, but often humorous and relatable tweets. Corporations don’t understand, these interactions are how his audience gain a bond and familiarity with him. Billboards and posters can’t do the same. He doesn’t follow any basic routine for releasing his music. Snippets can be released at any time, on any platforms. Listeners must stay engaged and up to date on all of his social media. And with this transparent mentality, his supporters push his music simply from engaging with their new favorite artist.
Heart. This kind of piggybacks off of humanity, but when you’re going against the big boss, you’re forced to throw in a double whammy. BIGBABYGUCCI has created his career by himself. He’s built his foundation, dealt with personal matters and sacrificed for his craft, but he’s seen and reached a point that many independent artists dream of —signing with a label. Along the way, his path took an often unredeemable turn after he left Ultra. But that didn’t stop him. He kept his devoted group of supporters engaged and entertained with independent releases and promised to come back with more. Send Help was what they’ve all been waiting for. His first EP as a, let’s say “born again” independent artist, is the biggest step to determine the rest of his career. And he did it on his own.
BIGBABYGUCCI went against the odds and believed in himself over what he may have been expecting from joining a label. He took what he learned from the beginning of his journey and applied it to take the leap necessary to flourish independently. His hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed. Send Help, his fourth major project, has hit milestones for the artist in the short weeks since it’s release, even breaking 250 thousand streams in the first week. A label couldn’t have produced such an organic buzz and desire to see this young talent succeed.
