The Ten Commandments For Hip Hop Artists
Written By: Miles "M.i." Aaron
Twitter.com/Milesaaron
[email protected]
1) Thou Shalt never spend more money on features then marketing
"Yo son I got this hot new feature from (insert current rapper dominating the airwaves here.)" In my eight years in entertainment I have heard this line one too many times. Guess what artists; it doesn't matter who is featured on your next project or single when you don't have any money set aside to market it properly. If the people and industry don't know about the feature it is valueless.
2) Thou shalt keep it REAL the right way
In Hip Hop we have a epidemic of artists and label owners going to jail for "keeping it real." You want to know what keeping it real is? Keeping it real is securing enough legitimate success and finances for yourself that when you do go get that first car or buy your mom her first house it can't be taken way by the Feds in a money laundering case. The turtle always wins the race so stop being ignorant to the fact that the police watch Hip Hop with a magnifying glass and take the right steps to protect yourself and your money.
3)Thou Shalt use Twitter the correct way, engage don't alienate
Over the past two years Twitter has moved into the front of the social network race allowing artists 140 characters to market themselves to fans across the world. Only problem is that many of you are still alienating your fans instead of engaging them. Tweets like "about to go smoke this blunt" or "damn this chick has a fat ass" have taken precedent over engaging tweets such as "reply to this with your favorite song of mine and win a exclusive to twitter free track off my new album." Engage your fans and utilize Twitter for the great networking tool it can be when used correctly.
4) Thou shalt get out of your city at least quarterly
When working with new artists I always advise that they secure a hometown fan base and then once that is completed get out and visit new cities. Showing your face and networking in new cities leads to not only new fan bases but also a solid network of artists on the same grind as you. Also never forget one of the greatest laws of power "Use absence to increase respect and honor." Bottom line is if your not getting out of your home city you will not only miss out on networking across the world but you will also begin to become to predictable and boring to your home town fans.
5)Thou shalt connect with DJ's
Artists if you are not providing DJ's with drops, properly formatted music blasts containing your newest single and generally catering to their needs you are not getting your music heard by the masses. The DJ is the oldest and in my opinion one of the strongest vehicles the artist has in marketing. The DJ rocks the cities favorite clubs, holds down mix shows on the radio, releases mix tapes as well as compilations and lets not forget most labels consult DJ's when inquiring as to who is the hottest in their region.
6)Thou shalt bridge the gap between the streets and the boardroom
If you are too gangster to put a suit on and speak the corporate language that will land you the big money deals, I highly suggest you either hire somebody who has the ability too or you start considering never moving past a certain level of success. These major corporations want to hand money to the "cool guys" and guess what? As rap artists representing the urban community you are those "cool guys." The issue however is that these major corporations want you to be just dangerous enough that it is sexy to their consumers while still professional enough that they can trust their huge marketing campaign will not be destroyed because you A. go to jail B. Get killed or C. Strong arm their company.
7)Thou shalt keep your phone turned on
When that major label comes calling or that huge magazine calls looking for that feature you have been desperately awaiting and they get "I'm sorry at this phone isn't accepting calls" they are going to do nothing but hang up and call the next artist on their list. You will have just missed out on a major opportunity because you either didn't pay your phone bill or you didn't take the five minutes to make sure all of your contacts had your updated phone number.
8)Thou shalt keep it visual
Youtube, Vimeo and countless other video sites now allow you to upload original video content for FREE. This means that you have no excuse not to create videos of yourself in your every day music life. Whether it is you visiting the studio or going to business meetings, the fans and major labels want to follow your journey. These visuals will also lend to your marketing as they give visual proof that you really are in the studio getting that major feature I talked about earlier in this article.
9)Thou shalt have your own website
Yourname.com is as important of a investment as any you will make in your entertainment career. While social networks will always be great for immediate connection to new and old fans, your own website will be the anchor of your online marketing as it will always be around for fans to reach you through. Your website should be updated with fresh content weekly and always be linked to from your social networking sites.
10) Thou shalt build a real team
You will never realize true success until you build a solid team around you. Too many artists try to be the producer, manager, promoter, and graphic designer. All that ends up happening is you stretch yourself way too thin and take your focus away from creating the great music that is your job. Build a real team of professionals around you in which others can focus on your business, marketing and visuals. With a great team around you there is no limit to how great your success can become. Always remember as well that while your the main event it is extremely important to make sure your team is eating, because a starving team that is watching you eat steaks will eventually leave you back at square one.
Written By: Miles "M.i." Aaron
Twitter.com/Milesaaron
[email protected]
1) Thou Shalt never spend more money on features then marketing
"Yo son I got this hot new feature from (insert current rapper dominating the airwaves here.)" In my eight years in entertainment I have heard this line one too many times. Guess what artists; it doesn't matter who is featured on your next project or single when you don't have any money set aside to market it properly. If the people and industry don't know about the feature it is valueless.
2) Thou shalt keep it REAL the right way
In Hip Hop we have a epidemic of artists and label owners going to jail for "keeping it real." You want to know what keeping it real is? Keeping it real is securing enough legitimate success and finances for yourself that when you do go get that first car or buy your mom her first house it can't be taken way by the Feds in a money laundering case. The turtle always wins the race so stop being ignorant to the fact that the police watch Hip Hop with a magnifying glass and take the right steps to protect yourself and your money.
3)Thou Shalt use Twitter the correct way, engage don't alienate
Over the past two years Twitter has moved into the front of the social network race allowing artists 140 characters to market themselves to fans across the world. Only problem is that many of you are still alienating your fans instead of engaging them. Tweets like "about to go smoke this blunt" or "damn this chick has a fat ass" have taken precedent over engaging tweets such as "reply to this with your favorite song of mine and win a exclusive to twitter free track off my new album." Engage your fans and utilize Twitter for the great networking tool it can be when used correctly.
4) Thou shalt get out of your city at least quarterly
When working with new artists I always advise that they secure a hometown fan base and then once that is completed get out and visit new cities. Showing your face and networking in new cities leads to not only new fan bases but also a solid network of artists on the same grind as you. Also never forget one of the greatest laws of power "Use absence to increase respect and honor." Bottom line is if your not getting out of your home city you will not only miss out on networking across the world but you will also begin to become to predictable and boring to your home town fans.
5)Thou shalt connect with DJ's
Artists if you are not providing DJ's with drops, properly formatted music blasts containing your newest single and generally catering to their needs you are not getting your music heard by the masses. The DJ is the oldest and in my opinion one of the strongest vehicles the artist has in marketing. The DJ rocks the cities favorite clubs, holds down mix shows on the radio, releases mix tapes as well as compilations and lets not forget most labels consult DJ's when inquiring as to who is the hottest in their region.
6)Thou shalt bridge the gap between the streets and the boardroom
If you are too gangster to put a suit on and speak the corporate language that will land you the big money deals, I highly suggest you either hire somebody who has the ability too or you start considering never moving past a certain level of success. These major corporations want to hand money to the "cool guys" and guess what? As rap artists representing the urban community you are those "cool guys." The issue however is that these major corporations want you to be just dangerous enough that it is sexy to their consumers while still professional enough that they can trust their huge marketing campaign will not be destroyed because you A. go to jail B. Get killed or C. Strong arm their company.
7)Thou shalt keep your phone turned on
When that major label comes calling or that huge magazine calls looking for that feature you have been desperately awaiting and they get "I'm sorry at this phone isn't accepting calls" they are going to do nothing but hang up and call the next artist on their list. You will have just missed out on a major opportunity because you either didn't pay your phone bill or you didn't take the five minutes to make sure all of your contacts had your updated phone number.
8)Thou shalt keep it visual
Youtube, Vimeo and countless other video sites now allow you to upload original video content for FREE. This means that you have no excuse not to create videos of yourself in your every day music life. Whether it is you visiting the studio or going to business meetings, the fans and major labels want to follow your journey. These visuals will also lend to your marketing as they give visual proof that you really are in the studio getting that major feature I talked about earlier in this article.
9)Thou shalt have your own website
Yourname.com is as important of a investment as any you will make in your entertainment career. While social networks will always be great for immediate connection to new and old fans, your own website will be the anchor of your online marketing as it will always be around for fans to reach you through. Your website should be updated with fresh content weekly and always be linked to from your social networking sites.
10) Thou shalt build a real team
You will never realize true success until you build a solid team around you. Too many artists try to be the producer, manager, promoter, and graphic designer. All that ends up happening is you stretch yourself way too thin and take your focus away from creating the great music that is your job. Build a real team of professionals around you in which others can focus on your business, marketing and visuals. With a great team around you there is no limit to how great your success can become. Always remember as well that while your the main event it is extremely important to make sure your team is eating, because a starving team that is watching you eat steaks will eventually leave you back at square one.
