Industry Plant

About

Industry Plant is a slang term used to describe an artist who has received backing from a major label, with their popularity and fame being the result of astroturfed marketing campaigns orchestrated by wealthy or well-connected backers. The phrase "industry plant" is generally used to describe musical artists, with Clairo, Billie Eilish and Lil Mabu being some notable examples of artists thought to be industry plants from over the years.

Origin

The term "industry plant" arose from online discussions about rap artists in the early 2010s. Some early mentions of the phrase can be found on rap forums like KanyeToThe^[1] and Reddit's /r/HipHopHeads.^[2] Discussions about certain rap artists being industry plants came to the mainstream in June 2015, after XXL magazine announced their 2015 rap "Freshman Class" list.

The cover photo for that edition of the magazine showed rapper Raury wearing a shirt with the words "Industry Plant" written on it, prompting Complex Magazine to publish an editorial about using the term.^[3]

On June 26th, NicholasCageStressesMeOut posted a definition for the phrase industry plant to Urban Dictionary^[4] (seen below).

Spread

On April 1st, 2018, X^[5] user @Chainbody made a post that read, "walmart yodel kid is an industry plant," gathering over 1,000 likes in five years (seen below, left). On June 2nd, 2018, X^[6] user @JoeFreshgoods posted a joke about Tekashi69 being an "industry plant put on earth to try to get young black males to go to jail by fucking him up," gathering over 2,000 likes in five years (seen below, right).

On June 6th, 2018, the Instagram^[7] page thomyorkesbunker posted a meme about Mac DeMarco being a Goodwill Industry plant, gathering 300 likes in five years (seen below, left). On April 2nd, 2021, Instagram^[8] page biggesthomieseason posted a meme about Clairo being an Industry Plant, gathering nearly 1,000 likes in two years (seen below, right).

On July 23rd, 2021, Lil Nas X posted a YouTube^[9] video for the song "INDUSTRY PLANT," gathering over 439 million views in two years (seen below).

Related Entries

Tramp Stamps

Tramp Stamps is a Nashville-based rock band blending Riot Grrl aesthetics with pop-punk songs about topics such as disappointing sex and irreverent misandry. In the spring of 2021, the group was criticized on social media for allegedly being an industry plant, working with notoriously problematic producer Dr. Luke, faking the Riot Grrl persona, and having lyrics implying initiating non-consensual sex.

Bobbi Althoff

Bobbi Althoff is a content creator, TikToker and podcaster who hosts The Really Good Podcast on YouTube. Althoff began posting to TikTok in 2021 and gained a significant following over the next few years for her sarcastic comedy videos and skits relating to the topics of pregnancy and motherhood. In June 2023, she started The Really Good Podcast, interviewing notable celebrities in a sarcastic, awkward manner. In just over a month, Alhoff interviewed celebrities including Rick Glassman, Armani White and Drake, inspiring theories and memes that she's an industry plant podcaster. Althoff is also notably signed to the WME entertainment agency. In August 2023, Althoff removed the Drake interview from YouTube and the two unfollowed each other on social media, inspiring reactions and memes.

Lil Mabu

Lil Mabu, real name Matthew Peter DeLuca, is a drill rapper from New York City who steadily gained internet attention for his attempts to break into the NYC drill rap scene, with many internet commentators accusing DeLuca of being an industry plant who wields his wealthy background to astroturf his way into popularity. DeLuca has a large TikTok and Instagram following, with his main critics residing on Twitter and Reddit. DeLuca came under renewed scrutiny after his song "Mathematical Disrespect," which debuted in the Billboard Hot 100 at No.90.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References