The rapper 4batz has mysteriously popped up on the scene with a three-part slam and a Drake feature. 4batz seemingly blew up overnight after his sing act ii: date @ 8 went viral over the internet. Date @ 8 went viral for the juxtaposition between the actual song, an exciting take on modern smooth RnB, and the music video, which was highly aggressive “thug culture” in line with other more “trap” rappers.
4batz released his first song act i: stickers “99” in June 2023. Stickers “99” is also a smooth rnb take. The only issue here is that 4batz has no prior songs before last year. He also has no prior presence on the internet at all. It seems as though he has been propelled into superstardom overnight. This has led many to speculate if the artist is “an industry plant.” But what’s an industry plant? In the music industry, an industry plant is an artist who appears to have risen to fame organically but is actually backed by a record label or other industry professionals. The term often describes artists who seemingly come out of nowhere with a polished image and high-quality music but have no prior history or following. The idea behind an industry plant is to create a sense of hype and buzz around an artist to make them seem more popular than they are. This can be done through various tactics, such as buying streams or followers, paying for press coverage, or using connections to get their music on the radio.
Now, is 4batz an industry plant?ā¦most likely, yes. One does not drop three songs and sign to Drake’s record label OVO Sound. While it’s not entirely impossible for an artist to have a big break and become an overnight success, this level of explosion really can’t be achieved without significant help.
The real question here isā¦does it matter? In my honest opinion, no. Not at all. Good music is good music, regardless of whether it’s being pushed by a major record label or just a small indie artist. The issue with industry plants is when the industry tries to shove generic and formulaic pop songs down the public’s throat. However, 4batz is not that at all. He has created a unique and fresh take on an extremely popular genreānot an easy feat.