the reason why to me, building out your image and making music to appeal to a wider fan base isn't an integrity issue, because music isn't the most important thing in the world. integrity comes into play when there's a possibility of malevolence, a dr. doing something unethical, for instance. or a politician taking a bribe.
a rapper making music so that more people will like his output and image isn't an integrity issue because music isn't important. the CEO of kraft foods isn't eating mac and cheese every night lol, that boy eating foie gras with grass fed organic vegetables. does that inherently make him unethical because he produces a product he himself doesn't consume? entertainment is a lowest denominator in art. the art is entertaining people, and occasionally it has glimmers of beauty. rap is an entertainment artform, so why talk out on someone that does it well?
all this hip hop is dead shit comes from taking rap too seriously.
a rapper making music so that more people will like his output and image isn't an integrity issue because music isn't important. the CEO of kraft foods isn't eating mac and cheese every night lol, that boy eating foie gras with grass fed organic vegetables. does that inherently make him unethical because he produces a product he himself doesn't consume? entertainment is a lowest denominator in art. the art is entertaining people, and occasionally it has glimmers of beauty. rap is an entertainment artform, so why talk out on someone that does it well?
all this hip hop is dead shit comes from taking rap too seriously.