What do rappers lose when they give fans their grails?
thefader.comD Savage is in a car, its speakers rattling with the bass of his unreleased song “I Know.” In the young rapper’s expression, there’s an understanding of the powerful potential that’s shaking his ride.
This video, taken in 2016, captures the culture of snippet sharing at its best. Artists who share these small song excerpts on social media let fans in on a historically concealed aspect of artistry: the moments of pure excitement after creating something you love.
Such moments feel like a hearkening to the most optimistic moments of the Napster age when the tech’s immediacy fuelled listener passion.
Increasingly, though, snippet sharing has become a more Faustian deal. If a snippet becomes popular, the unreleased studio version is known as a “grail,” a highly sought-after prize that can be obtained through leaks, hacks, or badgering the musician via social media.
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