The Blog Era Renaissance: J. Cole, Wiz Khalifa, Big Sean, and Chance The Rapper Bring Back the DIY Hip-Hop Spirit

Baggy clothes, sped-up soul samples, and super-skinny celebrities aren’t the only trends making a comeback. In recent months, a number of Hip Hop stars—J. Cole, Wiz Khalifa, Big Sean, and Chance The Rapper—have quietly been rekindling the essence of the iconic Blog Era, a period that forever shaped the genre and the way music is consumed.

The Rise of the Blog Era

Beginning in the mid-2000s, the Blog Era revolutionized Hip Hop. As Internet piracy took hold and the traditional music industry was in turmoil, pioneering websites like NahRight, 2DopeBoyz, and OnSMASH gave rise to a new wave of tastemakers. These blogs bypassed traditional gatekeepers such as radio stations, record labels, and magazines, empowering both emerging and established artists to share their music directly with fans.

With platforms constantly updated with free songs and mixtapes, blogs helped launch future superstars like Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and J. Cole, while also nurturing underground movements like Odd Future, TDE, and The Cool Kids. Iconic projects like Drake’s So Far Gone, Kendrick’s Section.80, and Wiz Khalifa’s Kush & Orange Juice were birthed during this time, and without them, modern Hip Hop would look drastically different.

However, by the mid-to-late 2010s, the rise of streaming platforms and social media slowly phased out the role of music blogs. As these platforms became the dominant force in the industry, sites like NahRight and 2DopeBoyz faded, signaling the end of the Blog Era.

The Return of the Blog Era Spirit

Fast forward to today, and the influence of the Blog Era is coming back in small yet significant ways. For those who experienced the era firsthand, it began to feel like a nostalgic resurgence in 2023, following Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s headline-grabbing beef. After this, J. Cole released “Port Antonio” on YouTube—keeping with the Blog Era’s DIY ethos of sharing music directly with fans. The song, which sampled Lonnie Liston Smith’s A Garden of Peace, was a reflective track about his rise to fame and the current state of the culture, echoing the mixtape-era J. Cole who would frequently repurpose classic beats from artists like Hov and Nas.

Further solidifying the return of the Blog Era aesthetic, J. Cole launched his own blog, The Algorithm. This new platform allowed him to share music, thoughts, and ideas outside the confines of social media. In February 2024, he premiered a track titled “cLOUDs” on The Algorithm, releasing it without any label backing or elaborate promotional rollout—just like the independent spirit of the old mixtape days.

Other Rappers Following Suit

J. Cole isn’t the only one reviving this spirit. Wiz Khalifa, who made his name in the Blog Era with Kush & Orange Juice, has continued his independent grind, dropping multiple mixtapes since leaving Atlantic Records. His recent freestyles, including those over classic beats like 2Pac’s “So Many Tears” and Solange’s “Cranes in the Sky,” show that he’s fully embraced the DIY ethos. He’s even teased a remix of Cole’s “cLOUDs” and is preparing to release Kush & Orange Juice 2 for 4/20 this year—a perfect example of the Blog Era’s influence.

Big Sean, another key figure from the 2010 XXL Freshman Class, has also embraced the throwback approach. In February 2024, he released the “Head to the Sky Freestyle” on Instagram, flipping Sounds of Blackness’s Optimistic to celebrate both Black History Month and the 10th anniversary of Dark Sky Paradise. This release harkens back to the days when artists could freely drop new music for their fans without the constraints of mainstream platforms.

Chance The Rapper, whose Acid Rap was a Blog Era standout, has continued sharing intimate content with his followers via Instagram. For over a year, he’s been posting “writing exercises,” teasing the release of his long-awaited project Star Line. This organic method of keeping fans engaged is a direct callback to how artists used to nurture their fanbases through blogs.

The Ongoing Influence of the Blog Era

The Blog Era’s impact extends beyond individual artist moves. Last year, Travis Scott’s Days Before Rodeo reissue became the highest-selling rap album of 2024, proving that the projects from that era still hold considerable weight in today’s musical landscape. The success of this reissue highlights how the Blog Era, with its emphasis on mixtapes and creative freedom, laid the foundation for the future of Hip Hop.

Newer artists, like Playboi Carti and Lil Uzi Vert, are also carrying the torch by dropping unfiltered music through social media channels, evoking the same raw, unpolished spirit that made the Blog Era so special.

The Future of Hip Hop Media

While the Blog Era may have officially ended with the rise of streaming services, the creativity and freedom it fostered remain very much alive. Even as music consumption has shifted to platforms like Spotify and TikTok, the principles of artistic freedom and creative autonomy are still prevalent in the work of artists like J. Cole, Wiz Khalifa, Big Sean, and Chance The Rapper.

The Blog Era’s DIY mentality still finds a way to break through, whether through Instagram posts, YouTube drops, or exclusive releases on personal platforms. What these artists prove is that Hip Hop, at its core, is about the music, the message, and the connection to fans—regardless of the platforms or infrastructures in place. The Blog Era may have come to an end, but its spirit continues to influence the landscape of modern Hip Hop, showing that the genre’s raw energy and creative freedom will always find a way to flourish.