Chuck you just said exactly what I've been saying to everybody lately. At this point it is not just about "Yippee, E-40 has a new album coming out," it is much much bigger than that. The Bay Area has not had a spotlight on itself like this in at least 10 years, the buzz around 40 and this new crop of artists is incredible right now, we really do have the industry looking at us, magazines are taking notice, look how much Bay Area coverage there has been in the major magazines lately, websites are featuring interviews with a lot of Bay artists, not just 40, TV is featuring 40 as well as the new movement, MTV (millions of viewers), BET (Millions of viewers), we had a whole documentary dedicated to the Bay, radio is blowing up the single natinwide, it is #13 on the radio charts right now, 2,500 spins last week, that is a GREAT accomplishment, mixtape dj's from other regions are doing Bay Area mixtapes, that was unheard of before all of this, the labels have a microscope on the Bay right now, they are paying attention.
A lot of bitter people might say fuck them and it should have happened a long time ago, yes, very true, but, with the wait came hunger and better quality music... and most of all, a new found UNITY amongst all of Northern California. The thing that people don't seem to realize, which I have had to explain a lot lately, E-40 right now is the gauge for whatever else will come from this new resurgance of Bay Area music. If we can show that we support him and his music, if even some of the rest of the country can show that it supports this, then we can slowly get in the door forreal and kick it in all the way.
People may not want to ride with 40 completely, whether you do or not, HE IS what the rest of the world and most importantly, the rest of the industry and labels who control the deals, who they are judging us and our region and our music and our support of ourselves on right now. It is VERY VERY important that we go out and support this album, it will lead to bigger and better things. We all know Keak, F.A.B., Quinn, Messy, etc etc etc have been offered deals, if 40 can do real numbers, imagine the good deals which they will get is 40's album is successful, they wont take us for a joke and give us bullshit deals that nobody wants to take. We have to show them that we take ourselves serious, we have to follow all the way through, we cannot drop the ball now.
And for those of you saying, you don't want to support it cuz it doesn't effect you, yes it does, whether you're in the music industry or not, I bet if a good number of Bay artists had deals, and were on the radio and tv all the time and selling millions of units, you'd enjoy it more wouldn't you, it would be better for the Bay, period. It effects ALL of us.