For the last week or so I've been making my rounds, dippin in and out of sets, hitting cats online, basicially getting the vibe of the state of St. Louis hip hop.
It's bleak....and not because of a lack of talent (we got that), resources or credible outlets (which will come and go as the Lou stands up or stands down), but instead because a lotta of artists have competely lost their minds.
I don't know if they're on hallucinogens or what, but they're definately in their own lil world where they are the major attraction...where selling cds on consignment at Vintage Vinyl is comparative to Lil Wayne selling' 1 million nationwide in one week, where winning showcases is the same as winning a Grammy, where local buzz (especially the buzz that comes from outlets where people don't even check for hip hop) is equal to mainstream buzz from The Source or MTV.
Don't get me wrong, outlets like STLPlayback, STLSound and Charter's The Set are cool for expanding your reach, once you've worked other channels...every lil bit helps, but few if any hip hoppers (your target audience) pick up these publications or watch The Set. Ditto for The Riverfront Times.
You can get the cover of every one of those in the same week and would still get more exposure in St. Louis from one blurb in the Whirl, more print exposure outside St. Louis from a page in Disclosure, more exposure worldwide on stlhiphop.com.
But none of that is what's got me irked today...
Coupla things got me riled....
I went to Midwest Leak showcase last Saturday...if you're not familiar with Midwest Leak it's a new publication shining light on the midwest. Nice, color, glossy and best of all free.
The showcase & model search were cool, decent turnout for a St. Charles set. While making my rounds, I had a chance to chat with the sista who put it all together, humble...and it was her shit. Now I'm going to compare that convo with one I had with one of St. Louis' signed, dropped and on the fast track to nowhere rap artists...I caught him and his entourage comin in the door about 15 mins before the set was over.
I was about to give him props for driving all the way out to St. Charles to support local artists when I realized he wasn't there to support artists, he was performing...one of those self absorbed artists who doesn't support others on stage, but wants others to support him. I was going to cover his set, but then I was like fuck it, I ain't doin' shit.
Instead I struck up a conversation with Derrty Boi Montana, an up an coming artist who's been on the grind and wouldn't ya know I had one of the realest conversations I've had with a St. Louis artist in a long time. Very insightful, wise beyond his years in this rap shit. He sees the bigger picture...this lil brotha restored my hope that St. Louis would eventually get it together....and when it does it will be because of the young cats, who are eager to learn and can adapt to this new grind era.
When the set ended I spent a few mins politicin' with the club owner before hitting the door and walking into some drama that popped off outside, starring, guess who? Mr. St. Louis' signed, dropped and on the fast track to nowhere rap artist. Midwest Leak was cool enuff to give dude a forum and he pays them back by being in the middle of the shit poppin off outside. Dude should know better. He's been around long enuff to know that shit is the easiest way to get a set shut down. He could have been a bigger person and squashed, it....just left, but noooooooooooooo
As much as I hate to say it because I got love for a lotta the older artists, they're lost...a fading breed who unfortunately were before their time. They got on too early, they took some hard knocks, they blazed the trails a lot of the young cats are going to benefit from. Nothing wrong with being a pioneer, but live up to it.
It's bleak....and not because of a lack of talent (we got that), resources or credible outlets (which will come and go as the Lou stands up or stands down), but instead because a lotta of artists have competely lost their minds.
I don't know if they're on hallucinogens or what, but they're definately in their own lil world where they are the major attraction...where selling cds on consignment at Vintage Vinyl is comparative to Lil Wayne selling' 1 million nationwide in one week, where winning showcases is the same as winning a Grammy, where local buzz (especially the buzz that comes from outlets where people don't even check for hip hop) is equal to mainstream buzz from The Source or MTV.
Don't get me wrong, outlets like STLPlayback, STLSound and Charter's The Set are cool for expanding your reach, once you've worked other channels...every lil bit helps, but few if any hip hoppers (your target audience) pick up these publications or watch The Set. Ditto for The Riverfront Times.
You can get the cover of every one of those in the same week and would still get more exposure in St. Louis from one blurb in the Whirl, more print exposure outside St. Louis from a page in Disclosure, more exposure worldwide on stlhiphop.com.
But none of that is what's got me irked today...
Coupla things got me riled....
I went to Midwest Leak showcase last Saturday...if you're not familiar with Midwest Leak it's a new publication shining light on the midwest. Nice, color, glossy and best of all free.
The showcase & model search were cool, decent turnout for a St. Charles set. While making my rounds, I had a chance to chat with the sista who put it all together, humble...and it was her shit. Now I'm going to compare that convo with one I had with one of St. Louis' signed, dropped and on the fast track to nowhere rap artists...I caught him and his entourage comin in the door about 15 mins before the set was over.
I was about to give him props for driving all the way out to St. Charles to support local artists when I realized he wasn't there to support artists, he was performing...one of those self absorbed artists who doesn't support others on stage, but wants others to support him. I was going to cover his set, but then I was like fuck it, I ain't doin' shit.
Instead I struck up a conversation with Derrty Boi Montana, an up an coming artist who's been on the grind and wouldn't ya know I had one of the realest conversations I've had with a St. Louis artist in a long time. Very insightful, wise beyond his years in this rap shit. He sees the bigger picture...this lil brotha restored my hope that St. Louis would eventually get it together....and when it does it will be because of the young cats, who are eager to learn and can adapt to this new grind era.
When the set ended I spent a few mins politicin' with the club owner before hitting the door and walking into some drama that popped off outside, starring, guess who? Mr. St. Louis' signed, dropped and on the fast track to nowhere rap artist. Midwest Leak was cool enuff to give dude a forum and he pays them back by being in the middle of the shit poppin off outside. Dude should know better. He's been around long enuff to know that shit is the easiest way to get a set shut down. He could have been a bigger person and squashed, it....just left, but noooooooooooooo
As much as I hate to say it because I got love for a lotta the older artists, they're lost...a fading breed who unfortunately were before their time. They got on too early, they took some hard knocks, they blazed the trails a lot of the young cats are going to benefit from. Nothing wrong with being a pioneer, but live up to it.