Bay Area Hip Hop Scene (Must Read)

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youngmix

youngmix

Sicc OG
#1
Jan 5, 2009
200
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#1
Whats up yall.. many of you, if not majority of yall probably never heard of me or my music which is fine because I WAS a Bay Area artist competing in a market where it seems almost impossible to really stand out because everyone is a rapper themselves. Im a young dude only 19, I released my first mixtape "Grind Mode: Tha Hustle Don't Stop" Vol. 1 when I was 16 and a street album "The Underdog" when I was 18 (digitally only and there's a reason for that). I moved out of the bay to pursue a career in the Music Industry, not as an artist but an engineer, A&R, manager, hopefully I will learn enough to be an executive and own a production/management/publishing company and be a power house within the industry.

But I am not writing this to promote myself, not my intentions, but to share some of the knowledge that I have learned with you. Of course I do not know everything, in fact Im still hella young and some of you are probably thinking that I don't know shit. And that's fine which leads me to my first point that I've learned: Why burn bridges? cuz u never know, what if Im the next go-to-person, you just never know in this BUSINESS what is going to happen next. And I bring this point up because the bay area as a whole we tend to do that a lot, we're like a crab bucket, we see someone rising and we pull him back down. Artist beef it within each other over stuff that isn't that important and also make bad connections with important people. I understand most rappers EVERYWHERE not just the Bay Area are real street dudes and put in work and what not.. I know cuz I saw it my whole life growing up. Im from the Mission District, San Francisco but theres people like myself who want to make money out of this BUSINESS because this is an entertainment business at the end of the day.

But as Bay Area artists/producers/djs/etc. we have the first advantage: we live and understand the INDEPENDENT HUSTLE. That's the advantage I have had so far everywhere I went because place like New York or LA, its all about contracts and paper work. People sit around waiting for the paper work, see the Bay Area we don't wait around. If no one helps up, we'll go out ourselves and push ourselves. Which raises my next question: then why aren't we as strong in the Hip Hop culture?? Props to E-40 and Too Short,but I feel like we got so much new talent out here in the Bay right now, why aren't they being heard? These are just questions Im bringing up, and I would love to discuss in this forum.

To finish off I feel if you are an artist or call yourself someone in the Bay Area music industry learn more about the industry, learn key terms, read sample contracts to see how major labels make money.. Lets make long run careers not just a one hit single to build your buzz. i.e. Learn the differences between a record deal, a 360 deal, a publishing deal, and a production deal because there's a lot of ways to make money in this business, NOT JUST BY BEING A RAPPER. And I say that because that way we can really support the rappers in our region when there is a market that allows it to be.


I know the opportunity for the West Coast is coming real soon and being from San Francisco, I want the Bay Area to take advantage of it as well so it is not only LA representing for the West Coast.


You may read this and find it useful, or you may think Im full of shit. Either way it doesn't stop me


Mix


P.S.
I recommend everyone reads "All You Need To Know About The Music Business" 6th Edition By: Donald S. Passman
It never hurts to learn more


Follow me on twitter.com/youngmix
 
R

ROB RIZE

Sicc OG
#4
Jan 30, 2004
1,378
183
0
myspace.com
#4
As an artist i think u need to offer somethin different...ppl want to be familiar and only lead towards what they know but u need to think out the box.IMO everybody talkin bout poppin bottles and scrappin and pistol packin is cool and there are sum real foos doin that but stay true to urself and u will be OK ....
 
youngmix

youngmix

Sicc OG
#6
Jan 5, 2009
200
0
0
33
#6
MaddDogg said:
That's a good post. You speak with a pretty good ethos as someone that is 19 years old. Its interesting that information from people who don't have a familiar name or come from a different industry is somehow irrelevant to most artists trying to get in the game. Yet, most of the time, artists themselves are responsible for never taking off or a swift fall from grace.

I'll try to keep my post short so here goes. Artists need to be original and stop imitating the South or Kayne West. Artists need to release solos, releasing mixtape after mixtape long term hurts an artist because their sound plays out. Artists in the West need to tour and tour well, they need to target college towns, fringe cities in CA, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Washington, cities in the mid-west, where local artists have a viable reputation to begin with. Artists need to stop talking shit on the begining of their songs and make their music with introductions so that DJs can beat match the songs in clubs. You're right, artists shouldn't burn bridges, you never know when you might see someone, and being known as someone who is a shit talker turns off professionals.
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Yea I agree... and touring is where most money is being made in the industry right now.. Example, Wiz khalifa he drops free mixtapes all the time with original tracks but he makes up that money through touring cuz it builds his buzz up
 
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