Independent Artists and the Rise of Webcomics

This article has been updated from its original version. In 1998, two underground Brooklyn emcees postponed their individual projects to collaborate on a full-length album, and the result was Mos Def and Talib Kweli Presents: Blackstar. Around the same time, another artist transferred from Pennsylvania State University to a cell in prison where he wrote verses behind bars in what would become Revolutionary, Volume 1. I can remember the first verse I heard from Jean Grae, the first track I heard from Brother Ali, and the exact song that made me give Atmosphere a chance after five recommendations from Pandora prematurely thumbed down. They all began with skeptical resistance, followed by a raised eyebrow after the third or fourth bar, followed by “What’d you say their name is again?” I can also remember the first webcomic I browsed online. It came in an email with a single link, with a subject heading that read “Read.” It sat in my inbox for 3 sunsets, which is an eternity for someone who keeps their inbox cleaner than hospital rooms. Leaving an email for 3 days says I care nothing of the message it brings, and that it only remains un-deleted in sheer respect to the sender. A good friend had sent it, so before the sun set on the fourth day I begrudgingly clicked the link, raised an eyebrow at the third or fourth panel, and replied “Where’d you say you found this again?” We previously covered the comedy of hip hop and classic gaming, and now the genre teaches a new lesson in cre…