Hip hop artist Rhymefest wrote a thought provoking article at DJ Booth.net posing the question about who is more responsible for breaking records currently; bloggers or DJ’s? This has become increasingly frustrating for artists who find out that a lot of club DJ’s only want to play what’s hot on the streets and a terrestrial radio push demands that you have “mucho deniro”. So you’re stuck in a fucked up “chicken or the egg” scenario. They won’t play you if you’re not hot, but you can’t get hot if they don’t play you. Read the rest of this entry »
While attending the SUMC Conference a couple months ago, I went to a number of panels and came across a topic that many people don’t know about. This topic is something that everyone should know so that they don’t waste time, effort, or money.
What exactly is a DJ friendly record/single?
Someone in the conference said a record that shouts out the DJ like Lil Wayne’s “Go DJ”. While thats all well and good that is not a DJ friendly record.
A DJ friendly record has a little bit of space at the beginning with just the beat so that the DJ has time to mix in or comment,is labeled correctly, includes one set of contact information, track listings, and correct song placements.
Long before the rest of the world came to know Twista, Common, Lupe and Kanye, hip hop was alive and thriving in Chicago. Who is Quicksilver Cooley? Well for starters, he was part of two ground breaking, historical events in Chicago hip hop history. Read the rest of this entry »
1. Why do you think females aren’t making a greater impact in hip hop?
AM: Because #1 the ones that are out here are cookie cutting like the male artists and #2 Labels are fearful of marketing a female in an industry that replaced them with female R&B artists who are damn near rappers now.
2. If you were a super hero, what power would you chose? And what would be your name?
AM: My super hero name would be “A Dude Called Stimulus” (like A Tribe Called Quest) with the power to raise commerce and lower the prices of our daily resources. Read the rest of this entry »
DJ Averi Minor is one of Chi- Town’s finest on the 1′s and 2′s. I caught up with him at the Adidas spot in downtown Chicago, and chopped it up about independent hip hop and the moves he’s making for his production company. VP of Core DJs Derek “the Big DM” Jurand and DJ Malik Shabazz dropped by on a Twitter’s notice and talked about the Core DJs Retreat in Atlanta. King Boola, CEO of Infinite Hustle joins the pack to top off a dope interview with a group of some of the most influential people in the game.
DJ Ktone is one of the hardest working DJ’s in Denver, Colorado. Ktone is a big supporter of the indie hip hop movement and is doing great things with his company, Still Livin Entertainment. After witnessing his grind first hand while networking on the internet, I wanted to find out more about the hip hop scene in Denver and get his views on the state of hip hop. DJ Ktone delivers his message to up and coming artists with no sugar coating. You definitely need to peep this one.
Straight from the D.M.V. (D.C., Maryland, Virginia) area, Lushy Lush is doing it big and doing great things to help indie artists. She hosts a few successful radio shows, does public relations, handles marketing and on top of all that, she’s trying to save the world. After interview her, I’m pretty convinced that she can do it. Check out what she has to say and get at her if you’re an artist in need of some extra exposure. She’s someone you definitely need to know!
Coming straight from New York, DJ Omega Red is a mixtape DJ as well as a radio DJ. With dozens of mixtapes under his belt, Omega Red is flooding the streets with his brand of hot music and solidifying his name in the game. If you’re an indie artists with heat, holla at him and get that east coast connection.
DJ Stupac hails from Denver, Colorado and is the first DJ to be profiled on Indiehiphop.net. Every DJ profiled on the this blog plays indie hip hop artists and openly accepts submissions for their mixtapes and projects. Get at them!! Exposure is what its all about and I don’t waste time with people that are not serious about their game.
Currently Dj StuPac is working on a new mixtape with Denver, Colorado artist Hypnautic called “The Movement” that also features many other Denver heavy hitters, such as Julox and Fat Lee. Dj StuPac is also working on a mixtape hosted by Denver native DJ KTONE THE TURF DJ called “WHITE MEN CAN’T DJ” and “A GANGSTA RESUME HOSTED BY CTE’s ROCCETT as well as “SLEPT ON SLAP VOLUME: OUTKAST hosted by DJ BIG SPADE aka DR. XCLUSIVE. Just recently dropped are “SOUTHLAND TALES VOLUME 4 and BEDROOM BOOM BLENDS. Dj StuPac is a 2009 SEA nominee for mixtape rookie of the year, a Crunk Energy Drink Dj (www.crunkenergydrink.com) and runs his own production company Down Rite Durtay Productionz.
Digiwaxx Media offers a great service that provides marketing and promotions solutions for their clients. Whether you are trying to introduce a new artist, break a hot single, or create a buzz for a product. IndieHipHop.net interviewed one of the reps to learn more about Digiwaxx Media and get some advice for up and coming artists.
Who are you and what’s your music background?
I’m Demetrius a rep for Digiwaxx Media. My music background is in radio promotions & sales, music retail, artist management, event planning, corporate branding, and music marketing.
What is digiwaxx and how can it help independent artists? Digiwaxx Media is a marketing and promotions agency with an emphasis on urban music and lifestyle. Digiwaxx helps independent artist because we allow artist to access services without the need of a major label. Marketing, promotions, publicity, etc. are all services that Digiwaxx offers.
How and why was Digiwaxx created? Corey “CL” Llewellyn created Digiwaxx in 1998 as a means to bridge the gap between DJs and the artists. When he first started Digiwaxx it was a simple email service that he used to send new music to his network of DJs on behalf of artists. From there the Digiwaxx platform was developed that included the blast service that allowed Djs to receive the music without clogging up their emails.
About how many Djs are in your network? Currently there are over 25,000 member DJs in the Digiwaxx network. Read the rest of this entry »
