Underground to the mainstream

  There has been a transformation in the underground that many "fans" have shown immense hate for.  There seems to be this belief that once an artists gets underground fame they should never be allowed to do anything remotely similar or involved in the mainstream.  For instance, once Twiztid left Psychopathic and released New Nightmare they were skewered for working with "mainstream" artists such as Caskey.  The truth is I praise them for doing whatever they want and working with who ever they want.  Another example is Tech N9ne and Strange music.  In the Faygoluvers forum recently someone said "Strange music isn't an underground label anymore. All of the artists are mainstream except maybe."  Another person commented that Tech had "sold out" because he is finally getting recognition in the popular arena.  In the same breath those people praise ICP for their work on Fuse TV for finally "getting their dues."  This is the double standard I was speaking of.  Why is it that the number one group in the underground, the originators of the underground wicked shit are given a pass when others are not? 

  I personally feel that any artists that represent us, the Juggalos, should be praised for getting us recognized.  The fans should continue to support these artists even if we might not like the artists they collaborate with.  Each and every artist that comes from the depths and breaks through in pop culture brings us closer to being accepted and better understood.  Tech N9ne didn't sell out, he MADE IT!  Twiztid is not selling out, they are making music they want to make.  There is absolutely no reason for anyone to hate these guys for making these decisions.  I think a lot of the hate has to do with jealousy.  People don't like that these guys are making money doing the things they love.

I was working with a group for a while out of Amarillo.  From a business perspective I was trying to do what was best for the longevity of the group in the business world.  Shortly after we had a small dispute and parted ways they posted "We don't kiss ass to be accepted period. *********** will stay running local shows before we sell out just because its doing "good buisness" fuck you if you don't like it"  When they mention kissing ass it was in reference to my trying to keep a business relationship with a printer who supplied stickers, backdrops, and other printed items to us at a great discount because of my friendship with him.  Unfortunately this is the attitude that leads to people never getting ahead, never making it, and never, ever getting out of their cities.  Guys like this are proud to be local opener heroes for guys in the business that are making moves and getting ahead.  This group, while very talented lacked the most important traits: Commitment, ability to control their emotions, and common sense.  The biggest problem with guys like this is that they are the biggest haters towards people making moves.  I promise you that guys like this will not get anywhere in this business.  

  So I guess I can sum up this article by saying as Juggalos we should back these artists even if they are working with people we may not like.  We should support these artists until they begin to make music we don't like.  It shouldn't matter if someone is on MTV or BET regularly.  Hell ICP was on MTV back in the day!  We all need to remember, even if you are an underground artist, that if you were offered a good chunk of money to be on Strange, Subnoize, or any other bigger named label you would be an idiot not to take it and run with it!  If you are not in this business to make money, you shouldn't be in this business.  As it is a majority of these artists in the underground will never make it.  Not because they are being shunned, held back, or kissing enough ass but simply because they don't have the talent, connections, or drive to make it.  For most of these guys they do music as a hobby nothing more.  They work from a studio in their basements, garages, or closets to save money.  In order to be successful in this business you need to invest in it.  That means investing time, money, and energy into everything you do.  Find the best studio you can afford, get your tracks mastered by professionals, and don't try to sell cd-dvr's with sharpie as "the hottest thing on the market"  When I get those I rarely listen to them.  A first impression can only be made once.  

I got nothing but love for every single artists struggling to make it in the business.  I got nothing but love for my Juggalo Family.  Let's stop hating on los and lettes for making it.  Let's celebrate their success.  Hate and jealousy will eat you alive and make you do and say things that will hurt you in the long run.

MMFWFL,

Juggalotus

Paying dues

The more I work with artists on all levels in the music business the more I am seeing the downfall of the industry.  Far too many rappers bring the street mentality to business.  By this I mean they handle their music career like they would handle a drug deal on the street.  Established artists continually fail to remember that they once were opening shows in their local areas and struggling to make ends meet.  They use their position in the business to abuse, intimidate, and use local acts to pad their bank accounts.  Popular performers in local cities are charging nationwide touring prices for a show in their home cities.  And up and coming artists are no longer willing to put in work to get known and advance their careers beyond the local level.

Each of these things is killing the business locally and nationally.  I am going to break each one down so I can expand on the problems I see and ways we can overcome these issues and once again make live music exciting, profitable, and most of all trustworthy.

First the big name acts.  These people have paid their dues.  They deserve to get paid above the cost of their tours to do a show.  They have earned the right to ask people to pay a reasonable ticket price to see their shows.  They have marketed themselves, have national exposure and following, and have earned their spot on the ladder.  The problem comes in when these acts use that position to not only exploit promoters and local acts but abuse their position and prevent others from making moves up the ladder after them, thus killing competition.  I have personally seen "street tactics" used to exploit promoters for money that they were not entitled because shows had been cancelled.  These shows usually do not have a non-refundable deposit (Which would protect that shows cost for the artist) and normally do not have a signed contract to back up their claims.  So the artists end up making verbal threats and resorting to these "street tactics" to exploit money they are not entitled.  The other way they kill up and coming artists is by charging thousands of dollars to do a verse for the newer artists.  Most of the time the big name artist does little to no actual thinking about the verse they record.  They give a canned verse to a beat or a verse they had recorded for something else.  There are some out there that do not do these things and those people have earned my respect.

Next we have the big local name act.  These guys may be known in the city, state, or region they are in and are entitled to get paid a small amount to do shows in these areas.  They have earned the right to charge a few hundred dollars and travel expenses to do shows but not more than that.  These guys usually are easier to deal with but some can still have the ego issues and have been known to back out of shows at the last minute and not give the booker/promoter anything back for the time, energy, and money invested in promoting these guys for those shows.  A lot of these guys promote their own shows and then fall into the habit of charging openers high amounts to fill slots on their shows knowing their notoriety locally will "encourage" the smaller local acts to pay just to have the right to say they were selected by the artist to open their shows.  Once again not all of the bigger local names are like this and you can find trustworthy people to work with.

Lastly is the local guys who have paid to open shows for these big local or national names and now feel entitled to be paid for their performance, not have to sell tickets, or be treated like a big fish when they are not.  These people usually resort to "street tactics" because that is all they know.  Some sell drugs, are in gangs, and are too young to have any business experience or knowledge.  Those reasons are why "beef" gets brought into shows causing violence and making venues not host any hip hop or rap shows.  Cities that have been huge support cities for major artists have been crippled by these things.  These artists have yet to earn their stripes.  They haven’t paid their dues.  They have no right to charge a promoter to open the show with no guaranteed ticket sales or assistance in promotion.  In my blog "what-exactly-is-pay-to-play" I outline how a show should be booked and promoted.  This format makes everyone some profit for every show.  This is the format these types of people should be following when they do local shows.

I have quite a few low and mid-level artists in the business that I speak with frequently and they agree that this format is the best one for everyone.  Many of the mid-level guys still only charge a small appearance fee and travel costs to go anywhere and do a show.  They do this not because they can’t get paid more money but they understand they haven’t earned that right yet.  They are still grinding and hustling to get known nationwide.  They know how to properly work up in this business.  These types of artists give me hope that live music isn't and will not be dead in the near future.

There was a time in this business it was like a family.  We all looked out for one another and supported each other because we had to in order to survive.  We all went to shows, stayed for everyone’s sets, bought merchandise from others, and stood by one another to make every show a kick ass time.  I truly believe this mentality isn’t dead.  I believe that honest hard working artists still exist and know that by grinding, paying their dues, and supporting others will pay off in the end.  Yes there will always be snakes who take advantage of this.  That is why we must stand up and stop these abuses from happening.  Stop paying high value for minimal effort.  Stop letting these abusers get away with it.  This is a BUSINESS and should be handled as such.  Live music should be an event.  It should make people not want to leave because for several hours they were able to leave their problems and worries at the door and cut loose.  In the end everyone should leave with something, whether that is money, memories, or new friends.

MMFWFL,

Juggalotus

Twiztid leaves Psychopathic Records

So we found out today that Twiztid has officially left Psychopathic Records.  The reason why is unknown at this time.  When I heard the news I was not totally surprised yet completely shocked.  I don't know how it is for you guys but for me I had always assumed that ICP would retire and turn the reigns of the company over to Jaime and Paul.  Now I really don't know what to think.

A few years ago I saw a shift at Psychopathic Records.  Alex retired and Billy was tasked to take over.  Since this time I have noticed several things change with the label and the way "business" is being done.  While Alex was in charge the focus was on Family.  Meaning that the ticket prices for shows, merch, the Gathering, etc were all kept at a relatively reasonable cost so more Juggalos could afford to take part in these live events.  Examples of taking care of the Family are:

-$100 to go to the Gathering.  Reasonable cost includes campsite and free swag.

-All albums had 1 version.  Any added tracks would be a free giveaway with your order or made into another complete album and sold for cheap.

-Outside venues artists would occasionally hang our with the fans.  No $100 VIP which didn't include a ticket for the show necessary.

-Merch at Hatchetgear was expensive but not as expensive as now.

Since Billy has taken over we have seen a shift away from Family and the focus move toward profit.  Examples of this include:

-The Gathering now costs $150+ depending on if you want a good campsite or not.  Swag bag is tiny and includes ads for albums coming out and a charm, that's it!

-When ICP releases an album they make at least 3 versions with the only difference being 1 or 2 tracks added to the end.  They know the fans will buy all 3 and are just taking advantage of that fact.

-No more hanging out for free.  Now you pay $100 for an hour of time and that price does not include a ticket for the show.  You might get to hang out for an hour but be lucky to even meet any artist based on how many people show up.

-Hatchetgear is now a luxury item.  No longer can a scrub save up for a few months and get a dope jersey, now it's like saving a months rent to get anything.  And on top of that the quality has greatly declined.

You might be asking why I am bringing this up, well I firmly believe these changes have led to Twiztid leaving Psychopathic Records.  They have always been more concerned with the fans than any artist on the label.  They have always taken time out to sign autographs, tell jokes, and general be a face for the company.  It was said to me not long ago "To even talk to Violent J is like talking to a mob boss.  No one gets close to him unless he calls em."  That really made me start to listen to what was being said by former artists, friends of artists, and other who have dealt with Psychopathic Records.  The theme of the opinions were all similar:

Joe Bruce micro-manages everything and nothing get done, recorded, etc without his approval.

Joe Bruce is an asshole and tough to deal with.

Now I have no direct knowledge of this but if a majority of people who deal with the label have the same opinion something must be true in it.  I have always liked ICP and their music but felt they were making Twiztid play second fiddle.  Take Abominationz vs Mighty Death Pop.  TMDP had a single, music video, and tons and tons of promo material months before the release.  Abominationz had a few small promos, word of mouth and Twiztid self promoting.  I firmly believe that Abominationz was the superior album by far and deserved more promotion and a much bigger tour set up.  The same thing happened with W.I.C.K.E.D. Twiztid years ago became the better of the two groups and showed that the student has surpassed the master.  Why then would ICP not take a back seat and let Twiztid shine?  I can only guess Ego.  They have to be the biggest and most promoted group, in their eyes.  Twiztid has earned this opportunity to shine.

So when the news came out today I sat for an hour thinking about how I feel.  Here is what I decided:

-Twiztid deserves a chance to shine and be more heavily promoted.

-If ICP and Psychopathic do nothing to change the course, they will be closing their doors within 5 years.  They just lost one of the biggest money making groups.  The other side is that Twiztid makes up a huge part of Dark Lotus and Psychopathic Rydas and those two groups can no longer exist either.

-Blaze will surely follow Twiztid's lead.  They are long time homies and I fully expect Blaze will leave the hatchet as well.

-I will support both Twiztid and Psychopathic records.  They both hold a special place in my life and I will not choose sides.

-The shape of the underground has shifted and I am excited to see what is to come.

Family I don't know what side you fall on, but I would hope you show support for both groups.  They have both done a lot to earn and keep our respects.  Lets not let this event shatter our Family.  We all need to stand tall in the face of whatever is coming and bond together.  I will wear the hatchet til the day I die with pride.

MMFWFL,

Juggalotus

Bridging the divide

  At the beginning of the month I signed Black Project Productions and Sikone to Wicked Butterfly Entertainment as you may know, if not check out my other posts for that news!  Anyway a few days after signing them I got a text from Dmize in Albuquerque, NM about a show he was putting on call Night of the Wicked.  He asked if Draztik the Terrible would perform at the show.  As I was answering I got another text from 806 Outlaw asking if I could get them on the show as well.  So once I asked Dmize he said it was all good and all of the artists I had could come do the show!  How does any of this apply to the title of my blog?  Well it is simple, 806 told me he had been trying to get a show in Albuquerque for about 2 years with no success.  As I asked some questions it became clear there had been issues in the past and very few Texas underground rappers had been welcomed into that city.  The war of words had prevented great music from being shared across borders.  It became a feud the likes of the Hatfield's and McCoy's.  Because of petty egos rappers had been shut out of certain markets.  So the title Bridging the divide means just that.  This show on Friday night will be all of our opportunity to leave petty differences aside and enjoy a night of music together.

  I do not care what kind of "beef" someone might have with another performer.  We should all be professionals and adhere to a thing called professional courtesy.  That means we can all be on the same show and not have to hang out or anything.  We can all perform, get some love, and then go our separate ways.  I am asking every artist on the ticket to please treat this night as a celebration of all of our accomplishments, because if we plan to make moves and put the SW on the map we all need to support one another professionally!  I can tell you as the manager of all the artists on Wicked Butterfly we are coming there to blow the roof off the place.  We will make a mark with our performances and nothing else.  We will not be there to start any problems and hope you all will do the same.  We don't have to like each other to co-exist. 

  As I have told my guys Success is the best revenge.  That simply means talk is cheap and if you succeed your enemies can't say anything.  I know we can make this show live as hell.  I know each and every artist on there puts on a show.  I know we can make it a fun night with zero issues.  This is our chance to make people see we are not all wanna be thugs and criminals.

Let's all do the right thing this weekend.

MMFWFL,

Juggalotus

Street Cred and violence

  In rap music there has always been beef.  Weather it was due to a rapper in your city or a rapper from the other side of the country putting out a diss track on you, there has always been beef.  For my generation the most famous beef out there was 2 Pac and Notorious B.I.G. Why is that the one that is most famous?  Because it ended in 2 violent deaths.  The rap world lost 2 great lyricists and rappers because what started as diss tracks escelated into street violence.  Back in the beginning of rap music diss tracks existed too.  The difference being when a rapper put out a diss track it was countered by the other rapper in a diss track.  It was a battle of lyrics not violence.  MC's battled on wax.  That is how arguements and disagreements in rap should be handled.  The idea that jumping someone or even getting more violent to prove you are the better rapper or you hold your city down better is senseless.  Violence stems nothing but more violence.  Going to prison because you commited violent crime trying to "rep" your city does not make you a better lyricist or rapper than anyone else, it makes you a criminal.

  Why am I bringing this up you might be asking?  Well the simple answer is this, here in Amarillo, TX we have 2 groups that have been long time friends and partners for shows and music.  There is a huge 2nd Annual Gathering taking place in the city in Sept.  Last year the same people were involved and it went off great.  Everyone benefited from the show.  This year however things are different.  I have been watching over the past few weeks as these 2 groups devolved from a dispute to a verbal fight to threats of violence.  One side says they got kicked off the show for various reasons the other says they refused to give the group what they wanted and they walked away from the show.  The next thing that happened was the event page was deleted by the side that was no longer involved which caused the verbal battle to happen via Facebook.  Of course a lot of other people on that page started a discussion on the new event page.  Then the side that deleted the first page got on and started throwing verbal blows due to anger.  This led to some people from Albuquerque, NM to start throwing jabs back.  It also led to other folks in Amarillo getting mad and threatening violence.  I don't know how it all ended because I do not live in that city.  But I do know what I was reading and I can tell you  that both sides are wrong.

  The one thing this Juggalo movement was started for was to unite the underground not divide it.  Both of these parties claim to be Juggalo family.  Both of them claim to hold it down for the underground.  Both of them claim to have Much Family Love.  But both of them are missing the point of all of it.  If they truely believe what they say they should be lifting each other up.  Supporting each other.  Even if they disagree on things they shouldn't wish harm against anyone on the other side.  We are all trying to make it in this business.  If someone hurts your feelings make a diss track!  Let them respond.  This gets you both exposure and allows a healthier outlet for your feelings.  Threatening or commiting violence will do nothing to further your career. 

  I try to promote everyone in the underground I feel is good enough to make it.  If I don't think someone has the skills or abilities I wont diss them I just wont promote them.  This family we are in is splintered here in West Texas and we need to do something about it before it is to late.  I have seen talented rappers lost because of egos and hurt feelings.  It is time to leave the hood mentality behind and grow into artists and business people.  Until we do that a lot of talent is going to go to waste.  We want the gang label to get removed we need to stop acting like thugs!

MMFWCL,

Juggalotus

Success Vs EGO

   So I have been thinking about the local rap scene here in New Mexico and West Texas.  Here is what I think:

   I have met a lot of local rappers recently, some good at what they do, and some horrible.  The one thing I have noticed though is that every rapper or group is walking around thinking they are the absolute best thing going, when really they are a small fish in a huge pond.  Maybe it is the lack of spine these rappers’ so-called “friends” or girlfriends have.  No matter what, those close to him never want to tell the guy he really isn’t that good or “it’s good but I think if you did this, it might sound better.”  Then there is the fact that every local rap group around here has their own “record label,” even though a majority of them mix tracks in their basements or garages.  Now I am not saying that aspiring to own your own tracks and put out your own stuff is a bad thing, but if your back room is where you have recorded for the past eight years and all you do is release free mix-tapes, then you should probably reconsider what you are doing.  You’re not getting anywhere!  And a majority of the major names in the underground will not work with you if you do not have professional studio time and tracks put in; they want to work with professionals, that’s just the way it is.

Another problem I see is that most artists want to manage themselves.  That’s not always bad because it can save you money in the beginning, but if you ever want to get further in your career, you have to focus on making tracks, not on when and where your next show is going to be or how you are going to set up a good collab.  I don’t understand how any good artist can lay down tracks plus find and book shows, set up good contacts/rapport with other artists, keep track of finances, promote their music, etc., all at the same time!  There is absolutely no reason, if you are serious about making it in this business, that you should not have a manager who knows about the business side of your music career.  He or she should have your back with everything except your actual job: writing and performing the music!  It’s sad to see so many aspiring artists out there, trying to do it all and succeeding at nothing.

Of course, there are a ton of crappy promoters and bookers out here as well.  In a previous post, I have talked about the Pay-to-Play mentality that seems to be so prevalent in my part of the country, the southwest.  Let me say once again that NO ARTIST SHOULD HAVE TO PAY TO OPEN A LOCAL SHOW! Sure, an exception would be a major act (I’m talking someone like Snoop, Jay-Z, etc).  However, for an underground act, someone that isn’t big and famous nationwide, you should not be willing to pay for a slot on the show.  You are helping the booker/promoter fill their show!  If they want you to sell five or ten tickets to the show, okay cool.  But remember that most good promoters will give you a cut of your personal ticket sales; that way you are getting paid to perform instead of paying the promoter’s bills.  Also, be careful of all the promoters/bookers down here that book a lot of shows and then end up canceling almost all of them.  You need to surround yourself with people you can trust, meaning people who want to help you succeed.  If you perform with the same six acts every other week and there are no new faces in the crowd, you need to rethink working with those promoters/bookers, because you are not succeeding.  Those people should be booking you with other acts that attract new people to the show.  Because some things I do know as a booker/promoter: if the audience never grows, you are soon out of business; if you screw over bigger labels in your genre, you will not get bigger acts coming in; and if you do not get and maintain contacts, you shouldn’t be in the business, because it’s who you know, not just how hard you work. 

You guys might be asking why I am going off a bit; well, the past week has opened my eyes from a manager, booker, promoter, and business standpoint.  There are so many people in this business who have no idea what they are doing.  Now I am no expert, but I do have a good head for business and how things should be done.  I have maintained positive contacts and expanded my business 10 times over, just this year.  And I just started doing this full time in January.

As a manager, I take pride in making sure my artists make great tracks.  Sometimes I have to tell them the track sucks and they need to rework it.  They understand that I am not doing it to kill their studio budget; I am doing it because if they make great music and become a huge star, I am going to get paid.  As much as they want to make it in the business, I want them to succeed.  If I put time and effort into a project and it fails, I am not going to get any money and ultimately I want to make this business my career!  I also believe in honesty.  Most people don’t believe you can be honest and succeed in this business.  I disagree.  The only thing that can make you successful is being honest.  If you are not, then most people will work with you only once or twice before they get tired of getting screwed over.  Also, if you never hear any negative, you will have an inflated idea of your own worth and abilities.  Someone should be in your crew that keeps you grounded.

    For all of you artists, please please please understand that, unless you are selling out arenas, you still have to be on the grind!  Just because you are headlining in one city does not mean you are known at all in cities within driving distance of you!!  If you have only performed one or two shows, you are not ready for stage theatrics and world tours.  Respect and notoriety in this business are earned; nothing is ever given to you.  Yes, I realize you pack 80-100 people at your shows in your city; most of them are your homies and friends, and once you get 100 miles from home, you are still unknown.  Like I said earlier, if you have the same faces in the crowd, you are doing it wrong.  Don’t let local success give you a nationwide ego.

 

  Now don't get me wrong I have met some great people down here who are doing all the right things.  Those are the people I would love to work with in the future, you know who you are ;)  If anything in this post offended you then you would be the ones I don't want to work with.  It's all underground family love! 

That’s it!  I am done.

MMFWCL,

Juggalotus