That's a bad look my dude, so let me ask you this.
[color= rgb(153, 153, 255)]I thnk Wale and Drake's albums are going to be the barometers that we gauge the direction WE are going in[/color]
true....i just think that that might also work against fans and ultimately album sales. Like how many times have we heard artist release a !+@load of mixtapes, then when you by the album it's mad generic and then you're like "I dunno why I bought this for...weed plate!!"
So how, at a peak as far as "popularity" goes can the genre ONLY produce maybe 3 or 4 multi-platinum releases a year (IF that)??
Those artists know how to create an environment for themselves where they're the epicenter of it all. honestly, it's economics...cuz whenDef Jam had !+@ on lock circa the HKL tour, it was basically Jay-z, Ja and X. and then like Red, Meth, and whoever else. It got so nuts, Hov boycotted theGrammys that year because there wasnt enough hip hop acts being represented.
I mean you can pick ANY east coast dude and theres someone from the south that has accomplished half of what he has, but is twice as successful because they were business minded first
true story. That's what made the Diplomats what they were in their peak because they took it to the grassroots efforts. Them southern cats gettheir hustle on HEAVY. One thing about Mickey Factz is..that dude is accessible and cool in person. He's all over Soho, LES and Williamsburg. I chopped itup with him twice and he was cool both times. You gotta make yourself a people person and show enough charisma for me to buy your album b.
Artists have to take back control, make themselves accessible to the fans, interact, the whole 9. Their needs to be MAJOR tours again, I remeber back when there would be 5 or 6 shows to go to a year . . . Like MUST see type +%%%, not no "I'm goin cause my girl wanna go" type concert. Hip hop needs to return to that. Labels need to get a NEW team of execs in there, and the A&R NEEDS to become important again, the right guys need to get with the right artists and be able to create a product unique but at the same time marketable . . .
I dunno what part of the game half these A&Rs are on. I always say that A&R is the backbone of a label because they always need artists tostay afloat and relelvant, esp when we can always click online and do everything ourselves. The most credible A&R i can think of urban wise is Lenny S andthat was because of the strength of the Roc. Sickamore "discovered" Saigon but duke isnt a impact player
Also, the points my dude made about print being near extinct is true. Look @ last year's top 10 new cats on XXL. besides Lupe, Crooked and Dro even(
) who else is an mini-impact player ()? That's what a lotta new artists aint getting sales...because the hype iswack. I remember the backlash when Drake didnt make the XXL cover. Ace Hood only sold 50K...are they serious putting him on the cover?
One thing about Mickey Factz is..that dude is accessible and cool in person. He's all over Soho, LES and Williamsburg. I chopped it up with him twice and he was cool both times. You gotta make yourself a people person and show enough charisma for me to buy your album b
yea i chopped it up with lupe once..#%%$%@ was walkin by like..woah is lupe jus postedit makes a diff if ppl can see u in adiff light
true....i just think that that might also work against fans and ultimately album sales. Like how many times have we heard artist release a !+@ load of mixtapes, then when you by the album it's mad generic and then you're like "I dunno why I bought this for...weed plate!!"
So how, at a peak as far as "popularity" goes can the genre ONLY produce maybe 3 or 4 multi-platinum releases a year (IF that)??
Those artists know how to create an environment for themselves where they're the epicenter of it all. honestly, it's economics...cuz when Def Jam had !+@ on lock circa the HKL tour, it was basically Jay-z, Ja and X. and then like Red, Meth, and whoever else. It got so nuts, Hov boycotted the Grammys that year because there wasnt enough hip hop acts being represented.
I mean you can pick ANY east coast dude and theres someone from the south that has accomplished half of what he has, but is twice as successful because they were business minded first
true story. That's what made the Diplomats what they were in their peak because they took it to the grassroots efforts. Them southern cats get their hustle on HEAVY. One thing about Mickey Factz is..that dude is accessible and cool in person. He's all over Soho, LES and Williamsburg. I chopped it up with him twice and he was cool both times. You gotta make yourself a people person and show enough charisma for me to buy your album b.
Artists have to take back control, make themselves accessible to the fans, interact, the whole 9. Their needs to be MAJOR tours again, I remeber back when there would be 5 or 6 shows to go to a year . . . Like MUST see type +%%%, not no "I'm goin cause my girl wanna go" type concert. Hip hop needs to return to that. Labels need to get a NEW team of execs in there, and the A&R NEEDS to become important again, the right guys need to get with the right artists and be able to create a product unique but at the same time marketable . . .
I dunno what part of the game half these A&Rs are on. I always say that A&R is the backbone of a label because they always need artists to stay afloat and relelvant, esp when we can always click online and do everything ourselves. The most credible A&R i can think of urban wise is Lenny S and that was because of the strength of the Roc. Sickamore "discovered" Saigon but duke isnt a impact player
Also, the points my dude made about print being near extinct is true. Look @ last year's top 10 new cats on XXL. besides Lupe, Crooked and Dro even () who else is an mini-impact player ()? That's what a lotta new artists aint getting sales...because the hype is wack. I remember the backlash when Drake didnt make the XXL cover. Ace Hood only sold 50K...are they serious putting him on the cover?
I still think you need to build that hard core fan base that will ride with you and accept you no matter what, look at old groups like the rolling stones or bruce springsteen they can come out with an album of whatever next month and their fans will buy. They can announce a tour tomorrow and it will be sold out at some spots by the end of the week because the fans relate think they know them, grew up with them, helped them out through drama in life. If you can build that loyalty you will get staying power even if you come out with a garbage album because you are trying to experiment your loyal fans will give you a pass.
I 2 I my dude.
Yea What i'm getting at is that artist nowadays should be trying to make the music they wanna make instead of following the current trends because there seems to be little success either way. Example Jadakiss - i could almost guarantee that his album is gonna sound very similar to his first two efforts, Some commercial songs, some street stuff and end result is another decent album which either way isn't gonna do big numbers.
At this point in his career why would Def Jam sit here and try to hold jada back creatively and make him throw out a single like "By MY Side" instead of letting him make the best music he possibly can. Him releasing weak tracks like that are hurting them more than helping, Because it waters down the album. Jada is gonna do somewhere around 400-500 k no matter how big his single is. So stop trying to turn him into 50 and let him do wat he's best at. At this point Jada Droppin a "Great" album will help him a lot more than him dropping a decent album with a whole bunch of cookie cutter radio attempts because either way he's not gonna sell a lot of records
exactly. then wanna push the date because the singles aint generating no buzz when they shoulda let him just do him and take that risk. He gnna end up @ like 300K either way.....bank on that.
QFT
Now as an A&R for Def Jam why wouldn't u tell jada to make the best album possible. Tell him to get in dat studio F the "Blueprint" and jusmake music to the best of his ability It could very well Become a classic Album. The fact that Jada dropped a great album would generate more buzz then him having a #1 Single ever would.
I don't Know what people in music don't get about good music generates a good buzz(Check Lupe Fiasco)
Why bother with rap though? I mean, I know you (and basically all rappers for that matter) love rap but when you see the business side of things why bother getting involved? Especially as a new artist.
Because unlike a lot of dudes, I'm one of the few who want in for the right reasons.
Besides the obvious financial rewards and what have you, I truly want to be the best at my craft. And I want recognition for my skill.
In the NBA, You have dudes who are just content to sit on the bench and be journeymen, While making 500k a year to wear warmups all season. They're makingmore than some doctors and lawyers just to sit down. Then you have the guys that want to win, And want to be the best. The guys that go to the gym and shoothundreds of jumpers without being asked to, The guys who work out all summer until October hits.
Yea, The business aspect is discouraging, But like Dom said, Why should that defer my dreams/goals? I'm maintaining optimism and faith that things willbecome more beneficial for artists like myself, While still having a backup plan and not putting all of my eggs in one basket. But I truly love Hip-Hop. A lotof N's don't want it as bad me, They just think they do.
good and bad.
some great artists are business illiterate.
we want artists, not businessmen.
with that attitude Fat Joe and Puff are some of the best rappers
Yea, I don't mean rappers should be the sole businessmen in charge of their careers, But I think the old archetype of the Big RecordLabel/Machine needs to die, And a new system that's more artist friendly (creatively and financially) needs to emerge. Time for a regime change.
If i'm not mistaken Jay made volume 2 on a 300k budget, hell Thriller had a little more than a half million budget,
^ Cuz A&R`s aren't the same anymore . A&R`s used to be real industry heads that were actually involved in the culture and music . Nowadays you have some random college grad that doesn't know anything about the music and it`s history, controlling your career . This game has pushed away alot of the trendsetters and basically made it into a crap shoot (hot or not after ONE song) . Grass root movements are gone , college radio is no longer a barometer . The DJ is controlled by big business aswell-you HAVE to saturate the airwaves with the same songs over and over because your programming director and radio station is being fed cash by these labels .
Record diggin is dead
TRUE STORY.
You've also got a gang of dudes in here talking business and music. When the female is the core consumer on a large scale. That is a startling reality as an artist when you need to monetize your music. Hip Hop has clearly moved in that direction.
true...
IllPhil..I know you have experience @ several majors....how does it differ from the indie route? esp on the Marketing and A&R sides?
you're right...this is better discussed in a conference call
