By 2010, so many of the bloggers who’d set out to subvert the gatekeepers had become them. Resentment grew: from a new generation of artists, from heavily-financed competition and especially from the labels. More money - spent on building websites, growing networks, signing acts and retaining lawyers - meant closer scrutiny on what started out as passion projects. And it all would come to a head as families gathered around the dinner table.

No two artists better symbolize success and downfall than Kid Cudi and Charles Hamilton. Massive talents, major deals, mental issues. But their paths after getting on could not be more different. As the culture became less about artist discovery and celebration, blogs, in order to get engagement, became dependent on chasing page views at any expense.

If the 2009 XXL Freshman cover was a celebration of the blogs, the 2010 edition was a significant crack in the blogs' foundation. Space had never been a problem on the internet. But now, artists were no longer focused on being one in a million on NahRight.com; they wanted to be one of ten on the cover of a magazine.

For years, absent options, artists and bloggers focused on independence. But fuck it! Money! In 2009, it was time to cash in. When Complex started their vertical ad network, NahRight was the first website they even approached. XXL, long in the business of promoting larger-than-life stars from the majors, went left and selected ten blog-friendly rappers to put on their cover. Thanks to this, names like B.o.B., Asher Roth and Kid Cudi got a ton of attention and major label offers.