A feature is one of the music industry's most commonly used marketing tactic. Features are when an artist (leading artist) utilizes another artist's vocals (featuring artist) for a chorus (hook), ad-libs, or verse. Features aim to enhance the song's meaning, provide credibility to the artists, and attract new listeners. Features used in the following scenarios: When one artist is bigger than the other, the artists have a similar style or aesthetic, or the artists are from different genres.
Credibility and Popularity
When a new artist is looking to gain popularity, they often utilize a feature to give them access to new fans. The new fans come when the leading artist features a more prominent artist. This feature grants more exposure and is a way to establish credibility for the minor artist.
This feature type can also be used in reverse by a prominent artist. When a well-known artist is fading from the current trend, they often use a smaller but rising artist to bring themselves back into the public mind by legitimizing the smaller artist.
Esthetics
Artists that have similar esthetics are also likely to feature one another. Artist esthetics help enhance music, creating another level of storytelling. Esthetics come in many forms, like fashion, cover art, cadence, and flows. These features come about to continue or further, the narrative the artist is trying to tell. A classic example of this is Lil Uzi Vert and Playboi Carti.
Vibe Capture
Lastly, the final reason for a feature is when the two artists involved are considered to be from different genres. The first reason for this type of feature is one of the artists involved has the vocals needed to capture the song's vibe. The second reason is to get fans from both artists to cross over and explore new music.
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