Vol. 20: Inside The Music Machine - Part 3
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As an avid hip hop fan since the mid-‘80s, I’ve always had a soft spot for a good rap battle—especially when the heavyweights are involved.
I loved the clever punchlines, the disrespectful bars and all the drama that came with them.
I still remember hearing Funkmaster Flex give Ether, Nas’ legendary response to Jay-Z’s Takeover, its unforgettable prime-time premiere on Hot 97 after DJ Kay Slay had first broken it on the streets. I spent time in hip hop chat rooms arguing about LL Cool J versus Canibus, and later followed Eminem’s feuds with Ja Rule, Benzino, Everlast and… somehow… Mariah Carey. (Yep, that actually happened.)
So when Drake and Kendrick Lamar finally went head-to-head in 2024, I was all in.
What followed was arguably the biggest rap battle in hip hop history. Fuelled by social media, reaction videos and podcasts, it became almost impossible for hip hop fans to avoid—even if they weren’t particularly fans of either artist.
Oddly enough…
That battle eventually became the inspiration for this three-part series.
Unlike the rap battles I grew up with, fans weren’t just arguing about lyrics anymore.
They were arguing about Spotify streams.
Billboard rankings.
Radio airplay.
Grammy Awards.
Album sales.
Every statistic became another way of keeping score.
Even after the battle had seemingly ended, it almost felt risky for either artist to release new music. Anything less than a massive hit would immediately be framed online as evidence that one side had “won.”
When Drake released “Nokia,” fans on both sides watched the Billboard Hot 100 like hawks.
Many expected it to knock Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “Luther” from the top spot.
After all, “Nokia” seemed to be everywhere. It was dominating Spotify and Apple Music, and the online conversation surrounding the song was impossible to miss.
But it didn’t happen.
“Nokia” peaked at #2.
And I wanted to know why.
That simple question eventually became this three-part series.
Over the past two weeks, we’ve learned that the Billboard Hot 100 measures far more than streaming, and that commercial radio involves many more decision-makers than simply one Program Director choosing songs they like.
That leaves one final question.
Who is working the record?
Most albums contain a dozen or more songs, but only a select few ever receive the kind of promotional campaign capable of producing a hit.
As fans, we often assume the label simply chooses its favourite song.
In reality, it’s making one of the biggest business decisions of the entire project.
Every dollar spent promoting one song is a dollar that can’t be spent promoting another.
Choosing a single isn’t just a creative decision. It’s a business decision, because once a label commits to a song, it’s committing time, people and money that could have gone somewhere else.
Imagine you’re the label.
You’ve narrowed an album down to three possible singles.
One has already gained traction on TikTok.
Another features one of the biggest artists in the world.
A third might actually be the strongest song on the album—but it doesn’t fit what’s currently working on commercial radio.
Which one do you choose?
Suddenly, the question isn’t simply:
“Which song is best?”
It’s:
“Which song gives us the greatest chance of success?”
Once a label commits to that song, the real work begins.
Radio stations are serviced.
Editorial playlist teams are contacted.
Music videos are scheduled.
Television appearances are booked.
Publicists begin pitching interviews.
Marketing teams build social media campaigns.
Streaming platforms are encouraged to feature the record.
Landing on one major editorial playlist today can be as valuable as getting added to dozens of radio stations twenty years ago.
Everything is coordinated around one objective:
Give that song every reasonable opportunity to succeed.
That doesn’t guarantee a hit.
But it dramatically improves its chances.
There was one question I couldn’t shake while researching all of this.
If record labels already employ radio promotion departments…
Why do they also hire independent promoters?
The answer wasn’t nearly as sinister as I once imagined.
Independent promoters weren’t replacing label employees.
They were supplementing them.
Many had spent years building relationships with Program Directors and Music Directors at radio stations across North America. They understood individual stations, knew the people making programming decisions and could often help a label navigate an increasingly competitive landscape.
Supporters argued they were simply experienced advocates for their artists.
Critics weren’t always convinced.
That criticism has a long history.
In fact, one of the biggest names in radio helped popularize the term “rock and roll” before seeing his career collapse because of a payola scandal.
His name was Alan Freed.
More than forty years later, the issue resurfaced again.
In 2005, Sony BMG agreed to pay a $10 million settlement after investigations into promotional practices. Other major labels—including Universal, Warner and EMI—also reached settlements.
Most music fans have heard the word payola.
Few realize just how much it shaped the industry.
Does that mean every hit record was bought?
No.
Does it explain why people continue asking where promotion ends and influence begins?
Absolutely.
The machine has changed.
Of course, commercial radio isn’t the only gatekeeper anymore.
Today’s promotional campaigns look very different than they did twenty-five years ago.
Success might depend on landing a prominent Spotify playlist.
Or going viral on TikTok.
Or securing the right podcast interview.
Or creating thousands of Instagram Reels using the same thirty-second clip.
The machine has changed.
But it hasn’t disappeared.
The objective remains exactly the same:
Capture attention.
“Not Like Us” wasn’t built like a traditional battle record.
Looking back at the Drake and Kendrick battle, something else now stands out.
“Not Like Us” wasn’t built like a traditional battle record.
Most classic diss tracks place almost all of their emphasis on the verses. They’re written to win the argument—not necessarily to dominate commercial radio.
“Not Like Us” took a different approach.
With its infectious chorus, crowd participation chants and danceable production, it was structured much more like a commercial single than a traditional battle track.
By comparison, Drake’s “Family Matters” stayed much closer to the DNA of a classic diss record. At more than seven minutes long, it prioritized the verses over commercial accessibility.
That doesn’t tell us which record was “better.”
But it does help explain why fans often seemed to be arguing about completely different things.
One discussion was about lyricism.
Another was about commercial success.
Those aren’t always the same conversation.
It was “Not Like Us.”
Looking back, it also became pretty clear which record the industry embraced.
It wasn’t “Euphoria.”
It wasn’t “Meet the Grahams.”
It wasn’t even “Like That,” the record that ignited the battle.
It was “Not Like Us.”
That was the song receiving the biggest radio push, the awards attention and the broadest cultural spotlight.
Did the industry decide that “Not Like Us” would become a phenomenon?
No.
Millions of listeners still had to embrace it.
But once the song demonstrated its potential, it was given every opportunity to reach the widest audience possible.
And that’s a very different thing.
Instead, I found an entire ecosystem.
When I first wondered why “Nokia” couldn’t reach number one, I expected a simple answer.
Instead, I found an entire ecosystem.
What surprised me wasn’t learning that record labels promote their artists.
Everyone already knows that.
It was discovering just how many decisions shape the journey of a hit record long before most listeners ever hear it.
Billboard.
Commercial radio.
Promotion.
Marketing.
Streaming.
Timing.
Every layer influences what reaches us.
The industry doesn’t decide what becomes a hit.
But it absolutely decides which songs are given the best chance to become one.
🎵 Continue Listening
If you’ve enjoyed this three-part series, I’ve continued adding songs referenced throughout Inside the Music Machine to the same Spotify playlist featured in Parts 1 and 2.
From Takeover, Ether, Not Like Us, Family Matters, Nokia, Luther and more, it’s a soundtrack to many of the artists, songs and stories explored throughout this series.