Successful artist or weekend hobbyist?

This blog is going to give the secret to making it in the music business, hell any business for that matter. 

The secret is this, surround yourself with people whose primary goal and focus is helping you get ahead.  Not pushing their own agendas, projects, or ideas.  Artists should hire a good manager who will do everything in their power to help the artist make money (if the artist makes money so does the manager!).  The manager of course will have a contract that has percentages of the profits on shows, merchandise, and appearances that go to them for their time and effort in promoting, finding shows, setting up merchandise deals, etc.  Most contracts have options to cancel if you are not satisfied with their services, if they don't be wary.  Your manager will have a majority of control of the business side of  your career, this is what you want.  If they are a good manager they will handle all business affairs, while including you in the decisions, with your best interest in mind.  They will help you hone your craft and produce the best possible product to market you effectively.  I can tell you from experience there in no artist in the world who can handle both the business and creative side of things.  It is way too much for one person or two people to do.  At the same time a manager should help you with the quality of sound and production they should not take over what you write, how you write it, or any part of that process. 

Over the past 6 months I have watched as people close to me surrounded themselves with "friends" that were helping them in the music business.  These so called friends may have had the best intentions when they started out but as I have watched I see these people doing everything except helping the artist get ahead.  In most cases the "friends" are riding the artists coat tails to fame and notoriety while doing nothing to help that artist get ahead. 

In a few cases their lifelong friends have managed to drain the artist of their money while doing nothing to help them get money back.  They do this by stretching the artist in too many directions, get them involved in things that are not relevant to their careers, or have them running and doing shows that are not benefiting the artist. 

Some of these so called friends are what I call part timers or hobbyist in the business.  They will put in minimal effort, finances, and time to the project they are working on with the artist.  By doing this they force the artist to pay for a majority of the albums, shows, or merchandise out of their pockets while barely doing enough to "make it work."  I have said many time that there a only a few traits an artist must have to be successful.  Those traits are:

-Commitment
-Willingness to invest in themselves
-Natural talent
-Willingness to learn and adapt

That is the most simplified list.

The last thing these "friends" do is drag you into their drama filled lives.  They will fail to pay rent and get you kicked out of houses or apartments.  They will make it a point to make drinking, drugs, and living the "rock star life" the number one priority.  They will allow their personal trials and tribulations to ge tin the way of doing what is best for the artist.

It was said to me not too long ago that the music business was just like any other business.  The example I was given was an author and editor.  Authors are wary of trusting editors to edit their work.  They are worried the editor is more concerned with making money off of the author.  When in reality a qualified and great editor will do everything in their power to make that author successful.  By doing this the editor will make more money over the long term.  This same principal applies to musicians, athletes, or anyone else who must market themselves to make it.

Please don't think I am naive to the fact there are shitty managers out there who do take advantage of artists.  I understand that any business can be abused.  I would ask all of you artists this simple question, what are the people around you doing to help you?  If you cannot think of a long list of things they are doing to pitch in and promote you as an artist, maybe it is time to change your circle.  I know a lot of you have life long friends that you wouldn't want to cut ties with.  But if those people are weighing you down and hurting your career why would you want them around?  Your manager should be your friend and closest confidant.  They should be the one you talk with about where you want your future to go knowing they will work their ass off to help you get there.

If you have 10 different projects going on with close friends how do you have time to complete your solo work?  How are you finding the money to support all of those projects?  How many of those projects are you in with part timers? 

If you are the only person putting 100% effort into your career and projects while others are just along for the ride it should not matter how long you have been down.  This is a business first and foremost.  If that isn't your focus then you need to reconsider what you are doing.

Do you want to be a successful artist or a weekend hobbyist?

Kingz of the street Aug 3, 2012

  I was in attendance at the Kingz of the street show at the 12052 Event Center in Amarillo, TX on Aug 3, 2012.  Why is this review so late you might ask, well I went to the Gathering of the Juggalos and didn't get time to post it prior to leaving!  Anyway the show turnout was much better than the last few shows I have attended, but that was due to it being a different promoter.  The promoter seemed to have done a great job getting people out to the show.

First up on the stage was a new young rapper named Pastor J.  He put on a good stage show even though he was really young.  The set was enjoyable but not memorable. 

Next we had Concrete Connection, otherwise known as Mr. 806 and his crew.  They did their normal set and the crowd really seemed to dig it.  I was indifferent as it was not my genre of choice.  But that being said they always are enjoyable to watch.

The next group I cannot remember their name and honestly cannot remember their performance.  I guess that says all you need to know about it.

Then we got to Ill literate Productions and the Balaholic family.  They had issues with to many people talking on the mic at once.  They tended to walk over each others vocals which made for a disjointed and kinda annoying set.  When they were not talking over each other they did well.

After that we had a little down time before getting to our hosts for the night Worldz Kollide.  Rezerect and his crew absolutely killed it.  They got the crowd hella hype and definitely made the show pop from that point forward.

Second to last in the night was Black Project.  They performed old classics and a few new tracks.  One of the new tracks was called Dig Your Grave and it was dope as hell.  They had some audio problems but overall it was a good show.

The night ended with Sir Johnson and his crew on the stage.  To be honest I had to leave to get home so I missed a majority of their performance.  But knowing Sir Johnson the show ended on a high note.

  Thats it.  For the first show I have attended by this promoter I have to say I am looking forward to working with them again.  The show was dope and I had a really good time.

MMFWFL,

Juggalotus

Miss Kisa in Amarillo

 Last night I had an opportunity to drive to Amarillo and see Miss Kisa live in person at the event center.  Let me start off by saying the 12052 Event Center kinda caught me off guard.  For those who follow my blog you will note that the last show there was disappointing due to them not having a stage and poor lights and music production.  Well the first thing I heard last night was that they had put in a stage and hired a pro DJ for sound.  So I went in to check it out and I can say I was blown away.  The place looks incredible!  The stage is super fresh.  The sound system has been upgraded.  And overall it looks so much more like a place to host a good quality show in Amarillo.  So kudos to the team at the event center!

  Now let's get to the show itself.  First off a lot of the openers failed to show up on time if at all.  This put the Booker/promoter in a bad spot of course.  They did the best they could to fill the gaps but the show started almost 2 hours late.  The worse part as a fellow promoter and Booker was the fact that there was no audience in the show again.  We were all performers and/or families or friends of performers.  I felt really bad for them but what could I do.  And then I started to think about how I would have done things different and well lets just say the audience size is definitely proportional to the amount of effort and footwork the promoter is willing to put in.

Now for the performers themselves.  The night started off with 2 Skare.  This guy puts a lot of heart and effort into what he does but I can't help think listening to his set that he is trying to hard to fit into the Psychopathic Records mold of performance.  He directly rips off Twiztid's W.I.C.K.E.D. in a track, which I find unoriginal and predictable based on his appearance.

Next up was Wicked Butterfly Entertainments very own Draztik the Terrible.  Now in his first two performances he started off lackluster and built into a solid performance by the end.  This show was different.  He started off on fire!  He blew the first song out of the water and didn't stop.  I know a lot of people in the audience took notice due to the comments I was hearing.  He still had some issue running out of breathe but that was due to the set list and having certain tracks back to back that need to be seperated.  All in all his best show to date.

We then came to a group of people that go by the name of Concrete Connection.  It is made up of Doh4Sho, JP tha Rippa, Mr. 806, T Makk, and Sir Johnson.  They did 3 separate sets all with various combinations of people.  They were good on the mic and had decent beats.  One of the major flaws was during the first set one of the beats still had the vocal tag from the free site they downloaded from.  For those who don't know the vocal tag is whatever site you got the beats from way of tagging the beat so you cant use it without purchasing it.  It vocalizes the site name over top of the beat and kinda ruins it if you don't pay them to remove it.  Other than that it seemed a lot like anything you would hear on the Hip Hop station which isn't bad but also lacks originality.  They had the standard format of 4 tracks.  Look how great we are, look at our money and riches, we hold our city down, and look at all the bitches we pull with our fame.  Like I said not bad but lacking originality.

The next performer I have debated since his set as to what I wanted to say.  I have said in a past blog that as friends of certain artists you should say something if they are not making good music.  I have also made it a point not to call out people in my blog.  In this case I feel like the best thing would be honesty, because that is what good promoters, friends, Bookers, etc. should do.  So the next performer was a guy from the former group M.P.D. named Baca.  I saw him perform with his former group M.P.D. at the Boondox show in Lubbock and to be honest thought they sucked.  The next day I thought it may have been due to them being extremely intoxicated.  So I went on the Reverb page to listen to their music.  They have it set up so in order to hear any tracks beyond the first one you have to Facebook like the first track.  I did not do this because it is a cheap way to make it seem like people really like you.  The track I listened to once again failed to impress.  Now last night I give him credit because he got up there solo and made an attempt to do well.  His lyrics were lackluster, his stage presence was horrible, and he just cannot and should not be on stage.  I am not trying to be cruel but he needs to stop trying the music thing.  Baca I am telling you, as a concerned fan or all things music,  This is not for you.  Well enough of that.  If i hurt some feelings I apologize but someone had to say it.

After that, one of Wicked Butterfly Entertainments newest artists, Black Project Productions took the stage.  806 Outlaw and Narkotix performed and absolutely killed it.  They were one of my favorite artists of the night.  They did a solid set and even brought Kano Kiljoy up on stage for a flashback track.  Oh that reminds me Fuck Kano!  They definitely made the last performer forgotten.

As if they people in attendance were not blown back enough the next performers were S.M.K. also known as Sik Made Killaz.  Once again they absolutely killed it.  I have seen them 4 times now and each time have been hype as hell at the end of their set.  Good work on the set guys I was very impressed again!

Then due to the time the headliner Miss Kisa took to the stage.  Now I have to preface my review with this.  It takes a lot for a female rapper to win me over.  Miss Kisa is no exception.  Her set was short and nothing really stood out except the fact her hype man seemed to be doing most of the work on stage.  Her rhymes were somewhat predictable and not very well thought out.  Her delivery was lacking maybe due to fatigue.  I was hoping for a performance to remember but was disappointed to say the least.  I know she had a lot of fans at the show last night so I apologize if I didn't see the magic and allure of Miss Kisa.

Last set of the night belonged to Born Wicked.  I was only able to catch the first part of the show due to having to drive back home.  But they were doing well as they usually do. 

So there you have it.  The good, the bad, and the really horrible.  I know feelings might be hurt and for that I don't apologize because sometimes the truth is more important than anything.  I love each and every member of the Juggalo Family.  Look for another blog this next week welcoming the 2 newest members of the Wicked Butterfly family!

MMFWCL,

Juggalotus

The Amarillo Variety show

  Last night was the Amarillo variety show in Amarillo, TX.  Draztik the Terrible had to perform so he and I left Clovis, NM and headed out there, it is about an hour and a half or so.  We got in around 5:30 Texas time and headed to our homie 806 Outlaw's house to kick it before the show.  We hung out there until about 7 and headed to the venue for the show.  When we got there we met up with the promoter and got our wristbands.  Then it was a waiting game.  We met a ton of cool homies there.  Dmize came in from New Mexico which was a good time.  It was all good until the chaos started!

  First thing is that the promoter kept switching the lineup around.  Draztik was supposed to go on first.  Then he was moved to forth.  Then he got bumped to fifth.  Then finally he went on 8th.  Everyone else was a part of the artist shuffle as I call it.  No one knew when they were supposed to perform.  Through most of the sets the artists either couldn't hear themselves cause the mic volume was to low or it was to high so when they went in front of a speaker there was massive feedback.  I hope this was a one time fluke and not an accurate interpretation of how the promoter works as we have a few more shows to do for them.

  Draztik did much better this show.  He had more confidence on the mic.  He also performed our newest track Love me/Hate me and it was live that's for sure.  806 Outlaw ripped the mic but his hypeman got a little too drunk and kept forgetting his verses and such.  Dmize killed it and wore himself out in the process.  There was a death metal band which was a definite change of pace.  Some local more mainstream hip hop which sounded as you would expect.  And of course the headliners Born Wicked did their thing and ended the show on a high note.

  Tomorrow we are headed back out to Amarillo to a MC showcase, hosted by Sir Johnson Himself we got invited to.  Draztik will perform again and will tear the roof off it again no doubt.  Sir Johnson is a cool dude and I look forward to working with him in the future.

Not much else to report.  There was a lot of performers but not a lot of fans but what do you expect on a Tuesday night!  If there are any underground, mainstream, or any artist that would like a good honest review of your work let me know and I will check it out and post it here on the blog! 

Thats it fam I am outta here!

Juggalotus