Ever thought about how music connects to the marketing world? If you’re into rap music and are fascinated by lyrics, Marketing Keynote Speaker Dr. Marcus Collins’ Check the Rhyme series on his MarcToTheC blog is a must read. 

In Marcus’ Check the Rhyme series, he extracts marketing insights from rap lyrics and explores the influence of hip-hop on the marketing world. Each post in the series spotlights a different rapper, from Kendrick Lamar, to Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Drake among others.

One post in Marcus’ Check the Rhyme series analyzes Drake’s song “Forever” and connects a particular lyric to the concept of niche marketing.

“Started off local, but thanks to all the haters

I know G-IV pilots on a first name basis”

In these lyrics, Drake says his haters attributed to his fame. Starting off local, Drake appealed at first to a smaller population with their own style, attitude, culture, background and music taste. Yet, what’s considered “cool” in one small group or town might be considered weird or lame to another.

Drake had his own niche starting out, but Marcus explains that “by its very nature, niche will always have haters. People who push against those who challenge the status quo. And this is exactly what Drake is getting at here.” explains Marcus. 

Marcus points out that all big things start off small, including businesses, artists, celebrities, and brands. You can’t appeal to everyone all at once, it usually starts off with a small group of people who like a certain artist or brand and then continue to rep it and share with their friends who also begin to adopt. Overtime, that brand or artist will have a collection of fans from different groups that could potentially snowball into mass recognition. 

“Instead of trying to appeal to a mass market, perhaps we should focus on the niche. The small, specialized group of people will act as a propeller to drive adoption within the broader market” says Marcus.

Want to read more content like this? Explore Marcus’ blog, MarcToTheC. 

Interested in booking Dr. Marcus Collins for your next conference or event? Please email info@bigspeak.com to inquire.