http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZxPetbN52E

If  you’re in the ATL, check for STANZA’s  feature on Comcast’s, The Stand On Demand. Stanza was featured here on IHH sometime ago.

Indie artists who want to find out more about The Stand On Demand can follow on Twitter. @standondemand

Former Death Row aritst, DR. Dre has filed a lawsuit for reportedly not receiving royalty payments from his 1992 album, The Chronic

Dre claims he hasn’t been paid a penny since he bounced out on Death Row in 1996. Since then, Death Row filed bankruptcy and was recently bought by a company called WIDEawake.

“When it came to paying artist royalties and honoring limits on Dr. Dre recordings that could be released, the “new” Death Row Records, to quote our client, ‘forgot about Dre,’” Young’s attorney Howard King said in a statement. “This lawsuit will make sure they remember.”

Dre is suing for unspecified damages of more than $75,000.

Hmmmm …Sounds like a teachable moment. Check my past article on how music royalties work. Look forward to a more in-depth post about how artist royalties are calculated.

My how time flies.  This blog is a year old today. Up and walking but not quite potty trained yet.  Blogging was totally new to me when I started this. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing or getting myself into. Wasn’t even sure if people would care.  While running a successful beat licensing site, I would receive numerous emails from independent hip hop artists asking me questions about how they should go about breaking into the industry.

After looking around the internet, I saw that there was very few sites with information that catered specifically to independent hip hop artists.  Not much that inspired them to do things for themselves. So, I took a few months to explore and learn what I could about blogging so that I could share useful information I acquired from spending most of my life in the industry.  Then I applied what I learned about promoting other sites to help spread awareness about this blog.

I love running this blog and I’m encouraged by the artists who tell me how much it’s helped them. The most gratifying part is the introduction to great music I receive from artists submissions. The hardest thing about running it, is finding the time to add content.  But I’m workin’ it out. I’ve only had one guest writer on this blog, in the year that I’ve been up, but I’m always open to others who share my passion for the culture.

There are so many things I have planned for next year and the years to come that will create more avenues for independent hip hop artists.  So stay tuned, continue to send music, and feel free to express yourself here. This blog was made for you!

Drake is often used as a prime example for how struggling independent hip hop artists can succeed in the music business. In order for that to be the case, Drake’s path to success would have to be reasonably attainable by other artists who begin their careers in hip hop.  But Drake’s path is not your typical success story.

1. Drake grew up wealthy. Having money doesn’t garuantee your success in the hip hop game but, it sure puts you a lot further ahead of the other runners on the starting block.

2. Drake was a TV star when he started dropping mixtapes. Drake not only appeared in a few films but he developed a healthy fanbase from his acting role on a popular teenage drama called Degrassi.  He was on this show for 8 years and became a heartthrob to young girls who were fans of the series. That’s a major advantage.

3. Having Weezy cosign your shit. Drake’s mixtapes were buzzin big time because his fans were eating it up and I won’t neglect to mention that on top of that,  the homie can spit. Well, such a high profile cat with a buzz is gonna  catch the attention of some influential people in the industry sooner or later. Enter, Lil Wayne. Wayne was on fire and on top of the rap game at the time he appeared on one of Drake’s mixtapes and decided to mentor him. That right there is enough to send your status into outer space. This eventually led to a  whole lotta  record sales and a bidding war among labels. Drake eventually decided to sign with Wayne.

Just a reality check.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wo0fGdI_4k0

When I started this blog, I made a vow to myself that I’d rarely use this space as a platform for my own projects. This can sometimes can pollute a good thing (see The Source Magazine). Anyway, Chicago, the city that I live in, has become the most dangerous city in the U. S. for school children. Children are being killed at an alarming rate just by being caught in crossfire. A lot of these child murders are unsolved and escalating with the help of “stand up people” who “ain’t no snitches” ( I’ll save that rant for another post).

But, Chicago is just a slice of a much larger pie. This kind of tragedy is happening in almost every inner city across this country. An even bigger tragedy is the lack of outrage and almost complete silence about it. So last year, a couple of people, Cassandra Bell and Patricia Russell, decided to give a voice to the problem. I was asked to provide a beat and invite a few of my friends to be a part of the cause.  Rather than wait to make a video, I decided to put a visual to music to help spread the music. The emcees featured on this project are: Chiyohood, Big Nastee, JUICE, D.A. Smart, Mikkey Halsted, Jarrett Payton, Lady Tay and Scandalous.

The project was produced by myself and another great producer named Stereo (the Go League).

Download Song Here:

There’s been a lot of talk about Jay-Z’s age lately. Ridicule about him being 40 or close to it. Wise cracks from other rappers in the game about Hov being a senior citizen, and that it’s time for him to step down and let some new blood in.

There are several reasons why this is some of the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard, and I’m not just saying it because I’m in my mid 30′s. The first obvious reason is… Why should he step down if he’s still the most relevant hip hop artist in the game? What these haters can’t get over is the fact that he’s better than they are. A whole lot better. Their attack on his age only makes them look worse. It means that you’re getting your ass served to you by a 40 year dude.

I’ll give you an example. Michael Jordan suited back up to play for the Washington Wizards at age 38. In spite of the fact that he didn’t have a great supporting cast, and fellow NBA players and the media called him too old to play, he still managed to put 40 points on the board on a given night until he retired at 40. My point is that if your game is tighter, then this age issue is irrelevant.

It’s funny to see these chumps hanging on Jigga’s every word, because the very mention of their name in a song or freestyle makes them relevant again. Whaa…Whaa…..Did that fool just say my name? Was that a diss?? LOL!! Now that’s some power for yo’ ass right there.

Here’s another reason why this argument is so stupid and career suicidal. Let’s say you go to work for a corporation. Young, fresh face motherfucker straight out of college, and you successfully convince your boss that people over 40 should be fired from the company. Some day after you have a wife, kids and a fat mortgage, you’re gonna need that job security when you get past 39. You should pray that there’s possibly a sustainable music career for you at any age, if you still have the talent.

This is another major flaw in the culture that defined my youth, and the only genre of music that this backwards thinking seems to exist. The Rolling Stones are in their 60′s and still selling out football stadiums. This is even unheard of in R&B. The truth is, Jay-Z has been consistently putting out good hip hop for years and for that he deserves some respect. If he’d died early, everyone would be dick-riding. This diet of fast food hip hop and lack of originality is hurting the art. See I’m convinced that we had not seen the biggest wave of auto-tune rap before Jay’s D.O.A. There was a lot more of that shit coming down the pike. I know because was getting it sent to me from artists who want to be posted on this blog (no disrespect). I hope Jay stopped the hemorrhaging at least a little.

We don’t need more young emcees. We need more good ones. My love for the art keeps me producing artists and running this blog. And I’m further inspired by every artist that makes it on these pages.

Support independent hip hop!

For me it was another year and another subpar BET Awards show. I usually make it a point to miss them and the MTV awards because they’ve consistently been so disappointing, but due to the tragic loss of Michael Jackson, I decided I’d watch this year. There were close to no memorable moments but even worse, hip hop added more damage to it’s image last night. I decided I’d grade the hip hop performances with commentary.

Soulja Boy “Turn My Swag On”: It’s very difficult to be hard on him due to his youth and he can’t be blamed for his success, but BET has got to take the blame for continuing to expose the masses to music with no substance and poor performances. This performance was no different. Back and forth across the stage. “I’m gettin moneeeeey!” Grade: D

Jay Z “D.O.A” By far one of best performances of the evening. Hov does it again. The Live was a nice touch although they seem to be playing over the music track. Love or hate the song, it’s undeniably a hip hop record. More refreshing for me is that is a song with a fucking concept and a meaning. You don’t get that too often these days, but Jay delivered it nicely. Grade: -A

Drake, Lil Wayne and the Cash Money crew “Best I Ever Had” and “Every Girl: An injured Drake sat on a stool for the entire performance. If that wasn’t strange enough, these role models had pre-teen girls dancing on stage with them while they performed their unedited, profanity laced material. Very poor performance and even worse taste. Grade: -D

With so much going on the world, I’m still holding out for mainstream hip hop to educate as well as entertain. I’m optimistic!

Very seldom is Michael Jackson’s connection to hip hop mentioned. Here’s a map and list of some of the most memorable hip hip songs that sampled some of his music.

* Got to Be There (1971) sampled by Havoc on Be There (2007)
* Maria (You Were the Only One) (1971) sampled by Fat Joe on Bendicion Mami (2006)
* Ain’t No Sunshine (1972) sampled by Ghostface Killah feat. Sun God on Street Opera (2006)
* I Wanna Be Where You Are (1972) sampled by Grand Puba on I Like It (I Wanna Be Where You Are) (1995)
* I Wanna Be Where You Are (1972) sampled by MURS on Can It Be (2008)
* Shoo Be Doo Be Doo Da Day (1972) sampled by Scanty Sandwich on Because of You (2000)
* We’ve Got a Good Thing Going (1972) sampled by Cassidy on Around tha World (2004)
* With a Child’s Heart (1973) sampled by Big Punisher on You Ain’t a Killer (1997)
* With a Child’s Heart (1973) sampled by Little Brother on Watch Me (2005)
* With a Child’s Heart (1973) sampled by Cyssero feat. The Game on Fire in Ya Eyes (2007)
* We’re Almost There (1975) sampled by Jadakiss feat. Styles P on One More Step (2009)
* Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough (1979) sampled by Mase feat. Jay-Z, 112 and Lil’ Cease on Cheat on You (1997)
* Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough (1979) sampled by Baby Bumps on I Got This Feeling (1999)
* I Can’t Help It (1979) sampled by De La Soul on Breakadawn (1993)
* I Can’t Help It (1979) sampled by Fabolous feat. Mike Shorey on Baby (2004)
* I Can’t Help It (1979) sampled by Ryan Leslie feat. Cassie and Fabolous on Addiction (2009)
* Off the Wall (1979) sampled by Soul Avengerz on Enjoy Yourself (2004)
* Human Nature (1982) sampled by SWV on Right Here (Human Nature Remix) (1992)
* Human Nature (1982) sampled by Nas on It Ain’t Hard to Tell (1994)
* P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) (1982) sampled by Kanye West feat. T-Pain on Good Life (2007)
* The Lady in My Life (1982) sampled by LL Cool J feat. Boyz II Men on Hey Lover (1995)
* The Lady in My Life (1982) sampled by Trae feat. Big Hawk on Swang (2006)
* Thriller (1982) sampled by N.W.A on 100 Miles and Runnin’ (1990)
* Thriller (1982) sampled by Public Enemy on 911 is a Joke (1990)
* Thriller (1982) sampled by The Prodigy on The Way It is (2004)
* Thriller (1982) sampled by Herve on Cheap Thrills (2007)
* Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ (1982) sampled by Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz feat. Chauncey Black on Startin’ Somethin (1998)
* Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ (1982) sampled by Rihanna on Don’t Stop the Music (2007)
* Somebody’s Watching Me (1984) sampled by Fonky Family on Art De Rue (2001)
* Liberian Girl (1987) sampled by MC Lyte feat. Xscape on Keep On, Keepin’ On (1996)
* Liberian Girl (1987) sampled by 2Pac on Letter 2 My Unborn (2001)
* Heaven Can Wait (2001) sampled by Ludacris feat. T-Pain on One More Drink (2008)

map courtesy of www.ethanhein.com

I’m leaving the world of music production and blogging to explore the fine art of Pimpin’…just kiddin’

These young ladies helped me promote my website QuickBeats.net. and they did a great job. I threw this pic up because a reader said that I hardly have any women on the site and this was my quickest, temporary remedy for it.

Anyway, I’m going to slowly change the focus of this blog to cater more to fans of hip hop rather than to artists. What do I mean by that? Right now, most of my readers are people in the industry because of the music business related posts that are usually on the site. While I think that this is a good service and valuable, I want to become a better resource for exposing independent hip hop artists rather than solely being a blog centered around music business.

I decided to move in this direction after receiving so many submissions from artists looking to be the feature for my Indie Wenzdayz post. This was great to do and a lot of you came by and actually listened to these artists’ music which I thought was great, but at the rate of 1 artist per week, some of the artists standing in line to be posted may wait for months before their turn comes around. So after tomorrow, I’m going to retire Indie Wenzdayz until I find a better way to rework the idea. I’m open to suggestions.

So what you’ll start to see is more posts, at random, of independent hip hop artists, and DJs. I’m going to make it a little more interesting than just posting a pic and a song. Hell, you can go to Myspace if you just wanted to browse through a bunch of artists and listen to their music. I still plan to keep this blog as a source for music business info as well. I just want to make sure that it’s a place where you can always discover new hip hop talent. It will probably continue to evolve as I get more feedback from readers and find better ways to make this possible. But make sure you keep your eyes on this blog because there is a lot more ahead.

thanks,
Funkwizzle

Real talk! Malice from the Clipse just became my muthafuckin’ hero. With all these fake ass gangsters in the rap game today, cats ashamed to say they held an honest job, even it was as a corrections officer, and beefs that have become an outright embarrassment to the culture, this dude’s words felt like a swig of water in a hot ass dessert.

Why can’t some in hip hop separate fact from fiction? Entertainment from reality? That puzzles me. It wasn’t always that way. A climate has been created in hip hop that says if you’re not living what your spit in your rhymes then you’re a fraud. It’s been costing some the loss of record sales and some the loss of their lives. IT’S ENTERTAINMENT!! I love me some gangster hip hop. Just as much as I love the film Scarface or the Godfather. Has the fact that it’s known that Robert Deniro or Al Pachino are not real gangsters had any effect on their success? No!

See, after they leave the movie set, they take off those tight silk suits, give the pistols to the prop man, and enjoy a life free from unnecessary bullshit. And when they go out to the nightclub, they don’t need to strap up. You, (misguided rapper) use their films and fictional characters as a road map to your life. We all know someone who quotes “Scarface” like Bible script. What I’m getting at is, you don’t have to have a make-believe life for people to accept your music. Just keep it real with your fans. Hell, everyone knows that pro wrestling is fake and it’s a billion dollar industry. Emcees are poets, storytellers, and it’s not a requirement that they live what they write about.

The world is pointing the finger at Soulja Boy for the demise of rap but I think they’re fingering the wrong suspect. Soulja Boy never self-declared his music to be hip hop nor has he ever tried to be anything other than who he is, and that’s okay with me. He won’t hurt hip hop. He’ll do as little damage as Sir-Mix-A-Lot did. There will always be a lane in the road for that kind of music. I’m more concerned with these false realities that are being fed to the youth. We all are either part of the problem or part of the solution. As long as these artists continue to sell records and we buy into the manufactured drama they put out, mainstream hip hop will continue to be a sideshow. This is why Malice gets mad props for really “keepin it real”.