Hip-Hop Systems Theory: The Cathedral vs. the Bazaar
Overview
A system is a set of interconnected parts that work together to achieve a specific goal or function. Systems have certain characteristics such as having a purpose or function and being impacted by environment. Systems are labeled as isolated, closed, or open (see image below). For decades, the music industry in the United States has operated much like a cathedral, which sometimes takes several generations to build. For example, construction began on Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Spain in 1882 and it is still unfinished today. Businesses with a “cathedral mindset” focus on having a lasting impact, rather than focusing solely on short-term gains or immediate rewards. Having this mindset often requires the ability to resist the rewards in order to achieve a more valuable future outcome.
In contrast, the outside bazaar is filled with different vendors, products, and ideas, much like a dynamic marketplace with multiple participants. Unlike rigid corporate structures, bazaars are fluid, changing based on demand, trends, and customer interactions. The cathedral style is more hierarchical, controlled, and standardized, while the bazaar style is more decentralized, autonomous, and collaborative. One example of a bazaar inside of the cathedral is Brooklyn Museum’s First Saturdays program that offers/offered public programming tied to its permanent collection and rotating exhibits. The one time I attended I witnessed neighborhood vendors selling their merchandise and live music along with guided tours.
The Bazaar
‘Rock and roll’ is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from Black American music such as jazz, rhythm and blues, boogie-woogie, electric blues, gospel, and jump blues, and country. In “Rockin’ Out: Popular Music in the USA,” co-author Reebee Garafalo explores Little Richard’s pioneering role in rock and roll, his flamboyant style, and his influence on subsequent generations of musicians. Little Richard’s energetic refrain, “A-wop-bop-a-loo-mop-a-lop-bam-boom!,” is a verbal rendition of a drum pattern.
Before the emancipation of enslaved Black people in the U.S., drumming was prohibited or limited for certain events. In Louisiana’s French and Spanish colonial era of the 18th century, enslaved Black people were often allowed Sundays off from their work. They would gather in Congo Square (New Orleans) where they could set up a market with vendors, sing, dance, and play music. New Orleans is known as the birthplace of rock and roll, via rhythm and blues/jazz. The Great Migration that moved millions of Black Americans from the South to the North also spread the creativity. The ‘Bamboula’ dance in Congo Square became the Lindy Hop (and other ballroom dances), which inspired breakdancing/hip-hop decades later.
In the 20th century, rock and roll (also blues and jazz) that emerged from Black American communities, was often viewed with suspicion and disapproval by some segments of society. The music’s rebellious nature, its association with marginalized communities, and its perceived lack of respectability fueled the “devil’s music” label. Early rock and roll was also referred to as “race” and “jungle” music. This era serves as a reminder of the historical tensions between music, culture, and societal values. In many ways, we never left that era.
In order to make the music more palatable for mainstream listeners, record companies hired white singers like Pat Boone to perform covers of the early rock and roll songs. In many cases, these cover songs did not benefit the original creators in any way. This practice demonstrates a closed system that earns money by creating and selling recorded music and subsidizing musical performances. According to Jim Willard, Little Richard admitted that though Boone “took [his] music”, Boone made it more popular due to his high status in the music industry. In the 1980s we saw something similar happen with hip hop, especially when certain rap songs went ‘pop’ and films like “Breakin’” entered the mainstream.
The Cathedral
As previously, mentioned the traditional music industry in the U.S. is a cathedral (closed system). This system was built through the collective effort of artisans, architects, and communities — mirroring how businesses thrive on the work of others (i.e., from the ‘bazaar’). Another term for this system is the ‘recording industry’ or ‘music industry’. Similar to what happened to Little Richard, many artists from historically marginalized communities were exploited by the music industry. In August Wilson’s play “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” the main character, Ma Rainey, a real-life blues singer, and her band faced exploitation by studio executives in 1920s Chicago. Wilson’s play highlights the past struggles of Black artists in a racist and exploitative entertainment industry.
Historically, record labels have engaged in predatory practices, often stripping artists of ownership over their music and reaping the financial rewards. Black musicians like Robert Johnson, whose influence on blues and rock is indisputable, died penniless and his estate did not receive royalties until over 60 years later. Over time, Black artists and music producers started their own record labels (ex. Def Jam, Rockafella, Rap-A-Lot, TDE). However, most of these labels were/are still at the mercy of major music distributors such as Universal Music Group (UMG) that owns a vast catalog of music through its various labels and divisions.
Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) is an independent record label that is not owned by a specific major music company. However, but TDE does work with UMG for distribution. Rapper Kendrick Lamar and filmmaker Dave Free signed to TDE in the early 2000s. Lamar and Free formally launched pgLang in 2020, which is described as a “multilingual, artist-friendly, at service company.” As mentioned in a previous Medium article, Lamar has frequently positioned himself as a conduit between business people with a ‘cathedral mindset’ and the dynamic, creative and collaborative ‘bazaar mindset’ that is (or was) found in hip-hop.
Changing the Code to the Matrix
The proliferation of the Internet changed the music industry and now artificial intelligence (AI) is primed to challenge the status quo again. At the turn of the 20th century, the survival of the U.S. music industry (the ‘cathedral’) was being threatened by ‘peer-to-peer’ file sharing applications that were primarily associated with digital audio file distribution. The was the precursor for ‘streaming media’ that refers to content delivered through a network for playback using machines (computers, etc.). After decades of calling the shots in the music industry, corporate leaders are facing the reality of artists having more control and being able to cut out some of the middle people as far as distributing their music.
In a recent episode of The Bigger Picture: A Hip Hop Debate Show, artist and entrepreneur will.i.am talked about the impact of the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show on his group’s success and marketability (he is the frontman of the Black Eyed Peas). He also talked about the impact of the rap battle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar who, at the start, was popular in ‘the culture’ but not viewed as mainstream. In many ways Drake represented the establishment and Lamar (with pgLang) was representing the bazaar. The halftime performance changed this, according to will.i.am:
The world is massive… everything is not what you think it is on a global scale… The (rap) battle was ‘The Terminator’ and, in this case, Kendrick was ‘The Terminator’. Drake knows the code to the matrix and you don’t get to the matrix without ‘The Terminator’. You don’t get global penetration without understanding how the world works… and Kendrick changed the code to the matrix.
will.i.am noted that artists need to break the rules (‘bend the spoon’) to reach the top, especially when that is the goal. Like with Neo from “The Matrix” films, Kendrick Lamar does not see himself as the savior or a “chosen one.” Neo wasn’t chosen. He was the result of a systemic anomaly. Kendrick wasn’t chosen, either. He made certain choices and he rose to the occasion. As a result, his music (and brand) is currently the most popular and now Kendrick has a global reach on the level of artists such as Drake, The Weeknd and others.
This is hip hop systems theory. The industry is still closed but there are openings that permit artists like Kendrick to challenge the status quo.