Fans with sharp ears expose the dirty secret behind some of the biggest hits in rap music today.
Hip-hop stars Ye and Travis Scott are in hot water for allegedly using YouTube audio rips in their official releases. Fans claim they’ve found signs of poor audio quality in recent tracks, raising questions about how music is made in the competitive industry.
Evidence and Examples
Proof of this trend emerged when fans compared spectrograms of Travis Scott’s “WHOUDINI” from his DBR Vault 4 release to a YouTube rip of the same track. And, to see what high-quality audio looks like, they also included a comparison with Scott’s track “Fe!n” as a reference.
Here, they found uncanny similarities between the YouTube rip and the official release.
“You can see what FE!N’s audio looks like (a full cdq 320kbps release). Then, a fan YouTube upload of the radio rip and the official release, which is near identical considering the mastering changes.” one observer pointed out.
“This is clear evidence that this is not the OG file, but even if this wasn’t the case there’s no reason they couldn’t export a higher-quality file anyway.”
Interestingly, Scott first played “Houdini” on his .wav radio show years ago. So, some speculate that the official release might be derived from this radio rip.
Adding to the controversy, some fans claim to have local files of the songs that sound significantly better than the official releases.
However, this isn’t the first time a hip-hop star has been accused of such practices.
Ye and Ty Dolla $ign’s track “530” found itself under similar scrutiny, with spectrogram analysis suggesting the use of a 128kbps YouTube rip.
Reasons Behind the Trend
The trend appears to be driven by tough competition for chart spots and the need to meet tight deadlines.
Take, for example, Travis Scott’s recent chart battle with pop singer Sabrina Carpenter for the coveted top spot on the Billboard 200.
Here, Scott pulled out all the stops, dropping multiple digital versions of his album “Days Before Rodeo.” We’re talking bonus tracks, live versions, and even a “chopped and screwed” mix in the final countdown to the end of the sales tracking week.
This rush to boost numbers may have led to shortcuts and compromises in audio quality.
An industry insider claimed, “I work in the industry and can tell you that hip hop artists do not give a flying f*** how their music is engineered, mixed or mastered most of the time.”
Yet, not everyone’s buying that blanket statement.
Another industry pro says it’s not that simple and varies from artist to artist. They point out that audio trends and production norms have changed, and what some see as poor quality could be an artistic choice for others.
Why Should It Matter?
Unfortunately, using YouTube rips can seriously hurt the audio quality.
These compressed files usually max out at 192 kbps, which is much lower than the 320 kbps or higher standard for professionally mastered tracks. The result? A noticeable drop in audio quality, especially if you’re rocking a high-end sound system.
Basically, compression artifacts can make music sound flat or distorted, especially in genres with complex sound layers or wide volume ranges.
Also, using lower-quality audio can make the music seem less valuable.
For many listeners, especially those who invest in high-quality audio equipment, this practice ruins their experience and makes the artist seem less professional.
And, as expected, fan reactions have been all over the map. Some call it “an absolute disgrace,” while others say they can’t hear any difference, anyway.
Still, this controversy has sparked a wider conversation about the value we place on audio quality in this age of streaming and rapid-fire releases. People are discussing the need for better quality checks and keeping high audio standards in the industry, especially since top artists have lots of resources.
As the debate goes on, the industry faces a big question: Will chasing chart success and quick releases change how music is made forever? Or will artists and labels commit to keeping high audio standards in the streaming era?