With Aftermath, you have to look at it like this:

• The Game has had a 10+ year career of relevance, despite rarely being "relevant" the way he was in 2005.

• Eminem is the best-selling rapper of all-time and is proof that Dre will work with talent outside his comfort zone if he thinks interesting music can come of it.

• 50 Cent is still a name that comes out people's mouths despite being irrelevant musically for over five years now.

• Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine are incredibly experienced music professionals who are likely enlightening to speak with regularly and work with in the studio, even if nothing comes of it.

With GOOD, you have to look at it like this:

• Kanye West has never been the most commercially successful rapper but he has been the most talked about artist practically since his debut.

• Kanye gave a guy like Pusha T not only a platform to continue his career as a solo artist, but also made him the president of the company.

• The GOOD in-house production team is among the best in the business, and frequently works with the Mike Will / Southside houses as well, making for the label most likely to produce a hit record in 2016.

• GOOD Music is the closest thing to Jet Life with a major label backing; artists appear to have free will so long as they intermittently contribute to the next Kanye record.

Both of those things sound appealing as a professional, so long as the money works out that you're getting paid rather than paying to do the work; I think this might be another reason people are eager to sign with these two labels, but I'd be curious to research it.

I also think there are stories like Bishop Lamont's, where he spent a lot of time with a spotlight on him despite rarely releasing full projects, had a ton of exposure to the industry and what it's like working with great talent, and then left amicably with (hopefully) several cashed paychecks and a wealth of knowledge he can pivot to a more sustainable career with like A&Ring, label management, etc. (I know he's currently still making music but I think barring a great stroke of luck the dude is aware he's more valuable as a guide to younger artists than a rapper at this point).

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"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
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