Sprint 16 :: What Hip Hop history can teach us about product management

Jan 19, 2023

I think that rappers and major labels of the 70's, 80's, 90's and 00's understood the MVP concept long before any tech company (also because the MVP concept only emerged around 2011, through the lean startup methodology introduced by Eric Ries in 2011).

We can say that hip hop started in the 70's through some DJ's such as Kool Herc, passing after rappers like Def Jam until today with Kendrick Lamar or J Cole.

It went from the street to clubs, from clubs to everywhere through the famous mixtapes. When they realized its success, the major labels transformed Hip Hop into a world-wide mainstream culture.

Throughout the history of hip hop, it is clear that the concept of testing something in phased stages, interacting and seeking feedback from the public/customers and understanding what was lacking in the market or what the market was asking for, made this musical genre one of the most listened types of music ever.

If we analyze it carefully, the comparisons we can make with startups or new products are frighteningly relevant.

When is the right time to take our product from the “street” to the “clubs”? When is the right moment for us to stop being a local company or a local product and start exporting allowing for internationalization? And what consequences will this bring?

To make it difficult, throughout this process, evolution will always exist and either we can adapt to it or we will be left behind.

Returning to the music use case... from the Compact Cassette Tape to the Walkman, to CDs and the Discman, through the iPod and finally Spotify. Whatever the industry, technological innovation is something we will always have to keep up with.

Market study, collecting what users have to offer us (opinion, suggestions) and adapting the minimum requirements accordingly. As much as the implementation changes and evolves, the approach and general concept remains the same.

True story: during the 80's, 90's and 00's, it was quite common, even before albums were released - let's think of albums as the final product - labels partnered with DJ's to put completely new and freshly produced sounds into clubs or events to analyze public reaction. If the public liked it, it meant the album was on the right track. If the public didn't like it, the style and path of that particular album changed completely, which is why most singles were hits at this point.