Paul Wall’s video for “I Need Mo”, featuring Kobe and Travis Barker, was shot completely on an iPhone. This video premiered on MTV. Not even 10 years ago, you needed 100 stacks from your label to get an MTV worthy video filmed. Then you owed half of that shit back to your record label. There are very little excuses for artists these days in regards to what is and isn’t possible. With a little creativity you can do some incredible things with very little money.
I love when something like this happens. I was pleased to hear that two artists that I profiled on this blog, hooked up and collaborated to create some good hip hop music. Chicago’s Pennjamin Bannekar of Project Fr3sh and Producer D.C. from California, hit me up to tell me that they had some hot music in the works. Naturally I was excited. They didn’t disappoint. Check out their joint, “The Come Up”
Alkaloid Art comes from the from the creative mind of Molly Lilly Corell. Molly grew up in Brooklyn, Soho, Greenwich Village, and then DC. She started out making flyers for raves, and landed her first gig as a graphic designer when she was 19. She gets her music inspiration from hip hop, Jimi Hendrix, “of course” Frank Zappa. Read the rest of this entry »
We’ve all experienced it right? Those annoying moments when it seems like your brain is on deep freeze. Can’t find a concept…can’t start a beat..can’t find that next hot line. Sometime ago I decided that I’d find a some ways to work though the drought. Here are five.
1. Write hooks and come back to them later. Don’t try to complete an entire song. Sometimes the hooks are the only thing you can get off at the moment. Why stay stuck on one tune when you can shoot of a dozen hot choruses that you can fill in later?
2. Listen to other shit. Sometimes just hearing a line from another artist can create an entirely different thread of thought. Use it for inspiration. Read the rest of this entry »
Ever wonder why Common is no longer Common Sense? Or why Soulja Boy is now Soulja Boy Tell 'Em? Well, the answer to both of those questions is, the failure to acquire a trademark.
Common Sense, after building a sizable fanbase and an impressive body of work, soon learned that a reggae band owned the name before he did. Soulja Boy was sued by a hip hop artist who also owned the name first and had to either change his name or modify it in a way that was legally acceptable.
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5 Very Bad Twitter Marketing Habits
There are a lot of independent hip hop artists on Twitter that are wasting their time by using it ineffectively to promote and market themselves. Twitter is a great tool if used correctly, but it can be totally useless if not. Here are 5 Twitter marketing habits you should avoid.
1. Sending me an @ reply with only a link to your music. If I don't know you and you didn't take the time to introduce yourself, I'm not going to waste my time clicking on your link. It's spam and it's annoying.
2. Letting 3rd party sites use your account so ...
How to Properly Send Your Music Over the Internet
I felt the need to write this post because so many artists fail to send me music correctly. This can be an annoyance to DJ's, bloggers, podcasters, or anyone else on the receiving end of your delivery. You need to make the process of downloading and listening to your music require the least amount of effort. If this becomes difficult for the receiver, you may very well miss an opportunity to have it heard. Here a are a few dos and don'ts to take note of when sending your music out.
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The Hip Hop Artist’s Survival Kit
Don't miss another opportunity to share your music or network with a good contact because you didn't have your music or info on you. Way too often, I've checked my wallet to exchange info with a contact only to say, "Sorry, I don't have any more business cards." You can avoid mishaps like these by always having a few things with you. Here is a short list of them.
1. Business Cards: In this day of great technological advancements, this old school way of passing along your info is still the quickest and most effective. It's a pain in the ass ...
5 Ways To Get Through Writer’s Block
We've all experienced it right? Those annoying moments when it seems like your brain is on deep freeze. Can't find a concept...can't start a beat..can't find that next hot line. Sometime ago I decided that I'd find a some ways to work though the drought. Here are five.
1. Write hooks and come back to them later. Don't try to complete an entire song. Sometimes the hooks are the only thing you can get off at the moment. Why stay stuck on one tune when you can shoot of a dozen hot choruses that you can fill in later?
2. Listen to ...
7 Ways to Fuck Up Your Start-Up Hip Hop Label
Running a successful independent record label takes lots of hard work. A good business plan, good talent and proper management are essential to making this possible. Here are 7 things to you should avoid when running your independent hip hop label.
1. Choosing a name for your record label before you check to see if it's already been trademarked: Can't tell you how many times I've seen this happen. Someone chooses a label name, puts out CDs under it, and then carpets the office with the logo and name dead in the center, only to find out that someone else ...
