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
