Next Stop On Top contest gives rappers STARdom

So, not only is it #newClientMonday ... but I am going to go ahead and scoop myself and some of my friends in the media.

As everyone knows I am all for independence ... however as of late I have noticed just how hard it is to be independent. I launched my freelance lifestyle a little under a year ago and its been a tough ride. However, I couldn't help but to tap into some of my instincts and natural talents. Take for instance the fact that I am a #Google Queen! Just hear me out. My mind works in keywords ... an old skill I picked up when I was studying for a spelling bee.

(way back when I was young enough to be in spelling bees)

In spelling and linguistics you learn that one or two histories or meanings a word may have can sometime tell how it is spelled

(yeah, I was the largest nerd, of the latin origin hugemongous)

Nevertheless, back to the point. My business is back to growing and I am keeping up with my networking, when all of a sudden a young entrepreneur by the name of Nelson "NBanks" Morris contacted me with a task. He is a music producer, based in Houston, who wants to find other likeminded professional artist who want to branch out of their individual markets.

The "Next Stop on Top" contest is looking for artists to download a beat from NBanks' production house site, BrokenBeatzEnt.com, record some hot verses, send it in and get their friends to vote for the best song ... in the end, the winner will be flown to Austin, TX where they'll shoot a video for the song, be featured in a showcase and then have the song promoted to independent weblogs and stations.

Sound good?! I mean, if this was a contest for young publicists I'd enter... so this is the goal, shoot this post to a friend that is a rapper or singer so they can enter to win this opportunity.

Or you can log onto brokenbeatzent.com for more information.

That's all for now my wonderful Black readers

TTYL

Ellington on Music

"It's a record selling business."

I mean, how could I have not gotten that? It seems so simple.

Frontman, hustler, rapper, member of Detroit-based rap duo (City Council), Mayor Wills. I feel as if I'm taking HIP HOP Sales 101, taking notes.

For some reason I use to think that it was all about the music, it was about the message, the soulful journey lyrics take you...but apparently I had the game twisted. Janet said it, "Just give me a beat."

My mind wonders back to my father preached on the Devil in the beat ... sucking in the "young people". Is it wrong to say that I quickly snap back to reality ... Wills makes another point, there's nothing wrong with having a message, but its the catalog that gets you on the charts... you gotta appeal, to the market, and then to your audience. His method of rhyme isn't generic, Detroit-bred, knowledgeable, and the way he describes his music shows This is what he does.

Marketing methods for rappers hasn't changed, some people feel that all the best rappers, those with a message, aren't necessarily popular ... thlose rappers need to sit in on this conversation.
The "market" is the trend, its the mindset of the majority, its like black leggings in fashion - what everyone likes, "a good beat, catchy hook, a little comedy and bullshit"...apparently. Jeezy did it, Mike Jones, Gucci Mane, Tupac, Biggie, Diddy (especially Diddy) all captivated audiences by talking about themselves...how gangsta, how paid, how respected, how feared, how ... dumb, I mean, radical. And they've gone on to make a great fortune, with tons of screaming followers.
And Jay, Luda, Nas, Em and I wanna say Ghostface did the unthinkable...they broke out of market conforming traditions...although entertaining have begun to provide a message in their music.

Now, the question is, with all of the new fad rappers we got? what will their message be?...when will they realize that we'd rather hear "the message"?

MMMmm, marketing, music, messages and the whatnot. What are your thoughts on the future of the record-selling business?