What does it take to get started in the music industry
as a Rapper?
Are
you a Boss or an Employee? (Part II of Getting into the Rap
Music)
Before entering into the world of music, decide if you are
going to be an independent artist or have someone to manage
your career, (there is nothing wrong with one or the other,
but it is a good thing to decide to minimize confusion for
yourself and others). It is possible to manage your
own career which makes you both the boss and employee.
You would have full control over all your steps and
financial successes.
Some
bosses wisely hire consultants to help them in areas
that are unfamiliar to them or to alleviate some of the
worries of being a boss. In this case, you should
consider someone you can trust to give you full guidance in
whatever area you hire them to be your consultant. A
consultant advises you on what is best for your career.
You can either agree or disagree to go with their decision
(you are the boss).
If
you decide to be an employee, then you are giving
someone full reign over your career. You are not in a
position to boss the boss. You either go along with
your boss’ decisions or get fired.
A
rapper who has decided to go under a record label has
essentially hired someone to be their boss and thereby
becomes their employee. The manager then decides what
is best for you to do as far as deciding what song to put
out, album to release, and appearances to make at what
performances. Therefore, you should trust the boss you have
decided to guide your career. Do research before you
sign up with someone and don’t be afraid to ask for
references.
By
Moses in the Moment
What does it take to get started in the music industry as a
Rapper? Part 1
Many are coming into
this genre of music called rap thinking it is easy to make
millions. They look at all the rappers with their chains
around their necks, big expensive cars and surrounded by women
thinking this is easy because they know how to spit
some rhythms. Television has helped to paint a false picture
of what it is really like in the life of a rapper. Most
rappers are starving artist's) until they are able to get their
music sold, if at all.
Getting started as
a rapper isn’t easy and like any profession, yes it is a
business, you must devote time, energy and sacrifice (s). It
takes money or at least a sponsor to promote your talents. You
must decide if your rap is going to have significance or just
a bunch of words to make the people dance. Rappers back in
the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s took pride in their art and rapped about
pride, encouragement and offered positive challenges and
solutions to infuse the art. Today we find so many artist
(s) if you can call them artist, who put out a bunch of
gibberish, good beat to dance to but no real meaning. If
all you want are folks to have something to dance to then
produce the beats only because this entire talking loud and
saying nothing is hurting the rap culture. Call your music
something else gabble and not rap. Start your own genre of
music. Be creative.
So what does it
take to get started in rap music? It takes a real talent.
You must be able to take your talent and package it to show
the world if it is what you want to do. In your
package have a bio, press kit, and discography, performances you
have done and schedule to do. Your album should have a
professional cover and not look home-made. Pictures of yourself
should be professionally done. Also, list your contact numbers,
email address and any other way your fans may follow you. Next
week we are going to talk about ways of getting your music
heard?
Is internet
radio taking over the waves; if so, why?
Many listeners are tired
of listening to the same old song and beats. Artists are
discouraged ; unable to get their music heard.
Internet radio has given the freedom to many to hear songs they
never would have heard on local radio stations and artists radio
play they seldom get without going through bullshit unless they
are “famous”. Independent artists who are talented music are put
on a shelf by radio producers who are emptying their pockets and
giving them false promise and hopes of radio airtime. With
internet radio you have accessibility from anywhere in the
world.
There are no
restrictions giving the artists and programmer the liberty to
play and say whatever they want. Internet radio offers
news, advertisement, all kinds of music, talk and formats that
is available on traditional radio stations. Internet radio
is the wave of the future and it is growing day by day. Be on
the look out for Reppin Magazine W.I.L.D Radio on the internet
at:
www.reppinmagazine.com/radio
Written by Moses- In the
Moment
Can't really get mad or be
offended, See it for yourself...
A Vitamin E Original
;>!
"Real Hip-Hop is never left...
Radio just Fell Asleep"... Vitamin E ;>!
Real Talk from a Legend... Old
Video, but still holds true...
Would you leave your 9
to5 job to devote your time solely to writing books?
I thought about how nice
it would be to leave my 9 to 5 to write books, but reality set
in for me and it didn’t take long for me to smile and I kept on
shuffling papers on at work. There were days when thoughts
were overflowing and I wanted to put it on paper before I lost
it forever and time, people and responsibility wouldn’t allow me
to do so. Frustration on the job cause me to continuously pray
for the time when I could retire from the monotony of a
job; I wanted to indulge in the swimming pool of ideas to
splash across pages with my black ink. Again, reality set in and
I would hammer away at the keys on my desk at job that was less
than fulfilling to my thought process.
I admire those who have
the courage to leave their security jobs for the writing career.
For those who are force to leave by the sudden loss of their
jobs how bless they are not having to make that decision, though
cruel and scary it may be, now they have the time to pursue what
they really want. I am not praying that I lose my job,
call me a chicken, but I don’t know what I will do about my
mortgage, light, gas, water and food. Is it possible I don’t
have enough confidence in my own work? Is it possible the baby
that I love is only a hobby to me and Nothing more?
Hmmmm!!!
LL
I
like that title, "Ready or not"; it has so much profundity and
attitude. The key to being ready is preparation. How
we prepare ourselves for the journey is an indication more times
than not of what we will and others will get out of it.
If we put in a little time for writing we get a little inkling
of what is to be, but if we put in a lot of time, effort and
passion we will reap basket full of joys, praise and so much
more. It is not a time for writers to get prepared- it is
a time to be prepared for all that is in stored for us.
It is a powerful thing to have the world in our hands; using
only a pen and paper to serve, protect and nurture.
Changes are inevitable so we need to be preparing for the worst
and best of times. The worst times can be your best
times because it is then that we put our all into our craft to
protect what is ours and to survive. A writer doesn’t
have to have pen and paper; we will use whatever we have in our
hands to write down what is in our hearts and minds. We
will carve out our message with a sharp object on the walls or
a mountain. We will use our fingers and etch out a message
in the sands to get the attention of our readers. We will
use the keys on our lap tops to send out codes into cyber space
if that is what it takes but we will continue to write using
whatever is in our hands because we got something to say and
someone want and need to read it.
Rejection is just a way
of stirring up our creative juices. Rejections shakes us, shapes
us and surprises us because we thought that our stuff was the
epitome of what other authors could only strive to achieve in
their writing careers. When our juices are stirred
we begin to dig deeper in our inner self to produce better
work, quality work and work that is beyond egotistical
prototype. We become more in tune with the universe when
we are shaken. Our mind stretches when our hard work is
discarded by others. When we can’t get anyone to take notice of
our work instead of fighting we start writing and pour out our
souls until the words we write becomes three dimensional
reaching to touch the literary world with a bang. Ready or
Not, we are more than ready we are prepared to write it all
down.
