But yeah the dude who engineered my EP could’ve tweaked things a bit more/better. When I gave him tips and pointers, he seemed to take it well but never answered any of my messages afterwards so...
Her production is the best thing she got going....she needs to ride the best and simplify/slow down her verses...also kill that singing shyt...it sounds good on a hook...but not got a whole song...her voice aint strong enough to carry a whole song
There are a LOT of rappers who record and record and record.
Investing in a showcase is a good idea (not saying it would work) because crowd connection is instant. If you have "it" the crowd will know and buy into you that way.
What have you got to lose
From the sounds of things you've been doing it your way for a while and it hasn't bubbled yet. Maybe doing something different will yield different results.
Besides...how the hell are you going to know what your "hit" is without getting it to the public?
#1 create something to go viral in your city. You'd be surprised how simple a "Who the fyck is insert rapper name?" stickers posted around the city can be. Put 100 stickers up with your instagram name and it costs you like $10.
Find any way to get on local TV to start a local following. It could be on the news (cringy I know...but it's exposure) or even providing a song for a local business to run in their online ads. Anything to make you develop an audience locally.
#2 find shows to perform at and network with artists who are larger. Open shows for bigger performers, do open mic, hell read your "raps" as poetry at coffee open mics. Wherever there is a microphone in your city...be there. Get exposure. Get on the scene. Recycle the same 3 songs but get them out there and around.
Use this opportunity to siphon fans from others. Find the local acts bigger than you. Connect with them on IG. Collab with them. Find their followers and message them "hey if you like artist A, check me out...we did a song together, you might like my music". Rinse repeat over and over to any local acts that have a bigger following than you do.
#3 Create a "gimmick" that is within your wheelhouse. H.E.R. doesn't show her face. Nipsey Hussle did a $100 mixtape. etc. Find something that you can use to make yourself stand out. Maybe it's releasing a mixtape every week. Maybe it's a new song every day for a month. I don't know.
Once you figure out that gimmick. Get interviews. Find small online blogs and youtube channels and get interviewed. You use those interviews to get more people to you. Go on Fiverr and pay $10 for someone to interview you on their podcast. Find that one writer on Bossip who does rap and beg them for an interview. Find that one writer at Complex, or XXL, or Nahright, or whoever. Flood them with interview requests so that you can use their platform as leverage.
#4 Travel/Tour. Plan trips to out of town venues, small colleges, coffee shops, and hit the pavement. Do it on the weekends. Film it and make a dope ass documentary out of it, document everything. But get out of your city, network with rappers and musicians in other cities. Find black restaurants to perform at OR to sell your music at. Make it your "Indy" tour. People want to live on the computer and that's great. But nothing beats making a fan in person. Shaking their hand, and spreading your music that way.
There definitely is a formula to "making it". Not every rapper will be Jay or Drake or Nikki, but there are a lot of rappers who make a decent living who aren't as famous.
Besides...how the hell are you going to know what your "hit" is without getting it to the public?
You provided some dope ass tips in that spoiler. I appreciate that.
Regarding the bolded question, he only suggested me making a hit after I expressed apprehension about performing at the showcase with incomplete/unfinished songs that I'm still recording.
"Performing" itself isn't an issue since I have before in front of multitudes of people and they all have pretty much expressed the same sentiments - that I have talent. That I have "it".
But one thing I am wary of is wasting my time. Especially with someone who didn't really provide his credentials. First thing this nikka mentioned to me was me spending money on a showcase. Nothing about the artists he manages. Nothing about what he's done for them, nothing about events he's booked for them, doors he's opened, opportunities he's facilitated - NONE of that shyt.
And as someone who has dealt with a bunch of lip service from cats - a bunch of "Wink from 8 Mile" type nikkas or dudes who were just outright scammers, it's only natural that I express skepticism when I've been done wrong before.
Besides...how the hell are you going to know what your "hit" is without getting it to the public?
You provided some dope ass tips in that spoiler. I appreciate that.
Regarding the bolded question, he only suggested me making a hit after I expressed apprehension about performing at the showcase with incomplete/unfinished songs that I'm still recording.
"Performing" itself isn't an issue since I have before in front of multitudes of people and they all have pretty much expressed the same sentiments - that I have talent. That I have "it".
But one thing I am wary of is wasting my time. Especially with someone who didn't really provide his credentials. First thing this nikka mentioned to me was me spending money on a showcase. Nothing about the artists he manages. Nothing about what he's done for them, nothing about events he's booked for them, doors he's opened, opportunities he's facilitated - NONE of that shyt.
And as someone who has dealt with a bunch of lip service from cats - a bunch of "Wink from 8 Mile" type nikkas or dudes who were just outright scammers, it's only natural that I express skepticism when I've been done wrong before.
My encouragement for the showcase was definitely NOT an endorsement for the manager. I don't know him from you
But
A showcase is good IF you work it the right way because you can see what connects with people, you can get new fans, and you can make connections.
Don't think of it as "spending money to perform" think of it as "spending money on a live commercial to a direct audience".
People spend money on clothes, videos, engineers, beats, collabs, but have a problem spending money on advertisements (not you specifically, just in general). Every business needs to advertise. Going to a performance, paying to perform, and then capturing a bunch of leads (people) that you can follow up with to sell your goods or services (music) is a good investment IF you are good.
Her production is the best thing she got going....she needs to ride the best and simplify/slow down her verses...also kill that singing shyt...it sounds good on a hook...but not got a whole song...her voice aint strong enough to carry a whole song
I'm ambivalent about the singing. Doesn't really sway me one way or the other. I'm more into lyricism and she does 'ride the beat'. Problem is the beat is too pronounced for the vocals to shine through. Instead of her slowing down the verses, the beat should be slower and a bit softer.
I'm ambivalent about the singing. Doesn't really sway me one way or the other. I'm more into lyricism and she does 'ride the beat'. Problem is the beat is too pronounced for the vocals to shine through. Instead of her slowing down the verses, the beat should be slower and a bit softer.
The beat is not going to change how SHE sounds.... her prduction sounds really good and should not take the back sear to better camouflage her weaknesses
She is not a singer...however she sounds good on a hook..her voice is perfect for that especially on top of that production....outside of that its like she tries to be too abstract with her lyrics...putting many words in the bar going off beat which also messes up the flow of the music
I think she legit has something...but to say the production is thr problem is wrong....but shorty just wants to circle jerk herself she dont wont nobodies advice unless its to make her head bigger....already peeped her game....prideful and arrogant....
You need to work on articulation and diction a bit. Meaning, the enunciation of words so those sound as clear as possible. Don't slur words if you feel like their meaning will be lost. Every word must hit...or rather, someone must be able to write what you say. Ask someone to write your lyrics from hearing alone and if they can't do it then that means you ain't communicating well. And communicating a message is what hip-hop's all about.
Your flow is pretty amazing though, and you've got a very nice grasp of what it means to ride a beat. It's a joy hearing you have fun on the beat...but sometimes it feels like you're speaking a different language.
And yeah, at the end the beat is way louder than you're singing. Which is a pity because you've got a lil nice lower pitch voice going there. Not a bad singer at all!
The beat is not going to change how SHE sounds.... her prduction sounds really good and should not take the back sear to better camouflage her weaknesses
Her 'weakness' isn't her ability to rhyme and I'm ambivalent towards singing. The beat is drowning out her rhymes.
NoChillJones said:
She is not a singer...however she sounds good on a hook..her voice is perfect for that especially on top of that production....outside of that its like she tries to be too abstract with her lyrics...putting many words in the bar going off beat which also messes up the flow of the music
I have no problem with being abstract as it adds to the imagery, but I like lyricism and the beat isn't well-suited to her flow on this track, IMO.
NoChillJones said:
I think she legit has something...but to say the production is thr problem is wrong....but shorty just wants to circle jerk herself she dont wont nobodies advice unless its to make her head bigger....already peeped her game....prideful and arrogant....
I didn't state 'the production is the problem'. I said the beat overpowers the lyrics. Not the same thing, although you may think differently. I actually wanted to hear what she had to say, but the beat kept getting in the way which is why I suggested a slower-tempo beat for this track to let her rhymes/wordplay shine. The production is fine......for another song. This one should have another beat or she should record different vocals for this beat.
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