Dec 10, 2017

He always sold enough to not need a mixtape. However, only making albums has put immense pressure on his albums to cater to every single wing of his fanbase (the profane wing, the lyrical wing, the inspirational wing, the pop wing, etc).

With mixtapes, he could've given his hardcore fans Slim Shady and fast bars. Then, the albums could've had more focus and radio-friendly songs for casual listeners and hiphop heads in general.

 

Dec 11, 2017

But he's never sold badly, so you can't really say 'his biggest mistake' like he's failed lol.

You might be presuming 'Revival' will have low sales, but this album will prove... I hope to him and his camp even too - he doesn't need s-----y pop singles to sell. That's not who's buying the d--- albums. He sells his big first week... every time - because people are interested in what he's going to say and how. He's just that kind of artist and from that era. Then, the album sales either drop-off if the content & style are niche (Relapse) or sustain if broader appeal (Recovery).

Revival will sell 650-750k in first week, again, and he'll probably have large long-term sales with this too as seems like he's trying to cater to the masses again.

All that aside - mixtapes for Em would be wack as f---. And the complete opposite of his marketing strategy. Em and Co market like Apple - you hear a tiny whisper something is starting... then almost total silence until it's about to happen... then BAM LOOK AT THIS.

That's the element of surprise and intrigue - which he's maintained for nearly 20 years. If he releases mixtapes... you know what the album will likely sound like before it comes and it actually kills interest a bit.

Yeah it might have worked for people like Wayne, but Lil Wayne had his run from hits and just a period of raps people liked, but he was not all about the element of surprise like Em. That's why Em continues to sell huge every time - because people don't know what to expect, and therefore are interested and want to check it out.