danthrax, the first wop to escape the matrix.

If I had time, bruh… I’d make you a beat.

But you don’t need beats. I’ve seen dudes get more buzz by going in over the latest Weezy/Yeezy.

We can talk about how to step up your lyrics. Cee Lo Green is a soulful dude. Nas has flows for days. But you and I both know that there are less talented artists with bigger buzz.

I’ll mos def give you the cosign. My people will give you some listens. But how many producers have enough of a rep to actually give you some fans? Not many. (And definitely not me… not yet.)

I got advice for days on creative stuff. Your mix. Your hooks. That shit is important to me. I wouldn’t respect an artist who didn’t care about producing GREAT work. I can’t wait to hit the studio and see what we come up with.

But that’s not what you need. Not for the success you want.

At all times… you need to be out there playing shows. Even if there’s only 12 people there. You need to meet promoters, DJs, bloggers, and other artists. Then you need to drop some new material and repeat that cycle all over again. You need to build that movement one person at a time.

I can be one of those people. But it’s the movement that’s essential… not me. You get people by doing something that excites them. You get more people when you listen to them and give them more of what they want. To succeed, you need to do this over and over. Create, connect, learn, repeat.

I consider myself lucky to know such talented friends. But don’t make the mistake of locking your talent up in your room making internet mixtapes. Your talent will suffocate if you can’t connect with others. The music is just one way to make a human connection. Yeah… I can help you with the music. But if you’re doing everything else… you won’t need me to do anything.

Theme Music: Aloe Blacc - “I Need A Dollar”

There was a time when there was nothing worse than being a “sell out”. You have to look back to find it. Back when Van Halen was the sound of clear Pepsi. When Hammer danced for some popcorn chicken. And suddenly… people were just done. Gangsta took over. Grunge killed glam. Raves became the anti-club. The whole industry flipped.

But as the “alternative” rose up… some idiots took it too far. If selling out is for punks… then how can I be the best at not selling out? Fans fought over which artist was more “real”. At the most extreme… just becoming popular was a sellout move.

That killed it. People got sick of critics saying that everybody’s last album was soooo much better. Artists realized it’s easy to not gain popularity. So you heard a lot more bragging about “making it”. It’s now 2010, and you can’t even lay claim to the top 10 without sales to back it up. And if you hate a popular artist… you’re probably just mad they got money and you don’t.

Can you “keep it real” in this day and age? I heard about an artist who turned down an iPod commercial a couple years ago. This year, his sales bricked. Suddenly he’s selling songs to some telecom. Shit is shameful.

I was gonna finish this blog post by saying “selling out” isn’t about popularity or money. The test should be whether you caved in on something you stand for. But problem is that some fans and artists have found a trick to passing this test… Never stand for anything in the first place.

That’s a bitch move. Maybe it’s why I don’t focus on who sold out… and why I spend most of my time demanding real artists to nut up and stick out.

Theme Music: Company Flow “Vital Nerve”

Before Outkast was considered one of the greatest of all time… they were booed off the stage at the Source Awards in 1995. I been around long enough to remember that era. At a time when hip-hop was about east versus west… Andre could only tell that restless New York audience that “the south got something to say”.

I’m gonna confess something. Before I was steady bumpin Aquemini… my first reaction to Rosa Parks was… confused. Outkast used to sound like Hieroglyphics with a drawl. But… This track is more upbeat than grimy. I never heard a hiphop beat like this. What the fuck are they wearing in the video? What’s this got to do with civil rights? … The song was not what some people expected from hiphop. But that whole album would go on to get 5 mics in the Source (back when that meant more). Not to mention constant play in my headphones. 

Outkast became legendary cuz they had “something to say”. Saying something doesn’t have to be preachy. It just has to be yours. On the flipside… if your only goal is to say things people already agree with then you probably don’t stand for anything. If you stand for nothing… why would anybody follow you?

And that’s the difference between greatness and garbage. Both get hate. Hate is inevitable. But wack artists get hate for trying to fit in and failing to pull it off. Great artists get hate for not fitting in at all. Before they get success and fame… great artists get confusion, laughter, and even full on resistance. But you can’t change the game if you follow all the old rules.

Theme Music: Outkast - “SpottieOttieDopaliscious”

Tell me if this sounds familiar. There’s an artist you respect. They aint the best…but they never did anything you hate. They never do shit you would call corny or lame. In fact… you don’t know anyone who hates them. But you can’t think of a diehard fan who called them “the best” either.

Now flip that. Think about someone who evokes stronger emotions: Rick Ross. Folks have a wide range of reactions to the teflon don. But let me cut through all that and say that’s exactly how he became one of the best selling artists. You can’t rise above the crowd if you don’t stick your neck out.

Hate him or love him… Rozay didn’t play himself as an average dude from Miami. He didn’t even do the obvious thing and try to be a Biggie clone. He created his own persona — the voice, the flow, the beard, the cartel lyrics. He rose through the ranks. And when people realized he wasn’t going away… they clowned him. They outed him as a corrections officer. But the identity was so powerful that you can’t see a cop. You see a boss. Now he’s got New York MCs biting the Ross flow.

The industry is crowded, son. You can’t win by being better. It’s hard to compare artists after a certain level of talent. And the minute you go at somebody trying to do what they do (but better), all you do is reinforce the idea that they’re the man to beat. You only win when you find that space where nobody else is going and own that spot. Make everything you do reinforce that.

It’s risky… but not as risky as being “yet another very competent artist”.

Theme music: Game featuring 50 Cent - Hate It Or Love It

A friend of mine asked me how far I’d go to make it in the music industry. That’s an interesting question… and a lot of artists prolly ask themselves that. Are you willing to work yourself to the bone? Are you ready to sell out your core principles?

But the truth is…there’s no genie that’s gonna pop out and ask you to kill your brother for a shot at your dream. Or I can hit you closer to your reality… No one is gonna make dreams come true if you move away from your family. Put every paycheck you have into studio time. Work through every weekend. The cold truth…nobody will ever promise you (or me) shit.

And that’s the worst part. There is no guarantee. All the talent and hard work and planning can’t eliminate that X factor. That lucky thing that happens when your music gets to the right ears. 95% of all records lose money. Ninety-Five. The other 5% might not even make enough money for the cost of LIVING. In the world of art and entertainment, nobody’s got a high batting average. So it comes down to the number of times you swing the bat… and you might die swinging.

So we do the only thing we can do. Keep pushing. And love the work. Because if you don’t love this artistic shit… if you’re just doing it to get rich or famous… you might be wasting the best years of your life working at something you can’t handle. Nah. I don’t sacrifice shit. I’m doing this because this is just what I’d rather do. The only guarantee is it’s gonna take me more hours than there are in the day. No promises. But no compromises either.

Theme Music: Nas - “You Gotta Love It”

Hate is in the air. MIA and Gaga. Fab and Souljah. Cudi and Wale. Letting off some shots might get you some blog buzz. But I ain’t writing this to promote any of those artists.

One opinion in The Source:

This is what the combination of “don’t hate,” “show support,” and “let him live” philosophies have caused. A breed of rappers who are so thin skinned they can be bruised by the wind while refusing to believe that they are anything short of Gods after one album

The problem goes back to the public. Fans should hold artists to a high standard. And it’s true that the internet lets everybody throw slaps. But in reality, most people jump on to defend the status quo. Everyone deserves a gold star and who are you to say they don’t? Creativity is irrelevant. Dick rides are inevitable.

And the fans are only following the rules that the industry gave em. Like Don Vito, somebody at the top realized that “blood is bad for business”. Beef might get a little attention… but a guest appearance can double your sales overnight. So we get hit with an an endless stream of collabs and cross promotions.

On top of all that… there’s a silent deal the stars have with each other. Don’t shit on my perfectly crafted image and I won’t shit on yours. It’s been like that for years. And it’s created a pile of celebrities with big egos, thin skins, and bad music.

But real artists should welcome the criticism. Start a flood and let’s see who drowns. Cuz I demand more from music. That’s probably why I’m my own worst critic. …And you can call me a hater. But I’ll be the hater who won’t cry at the first shot.

Theme Music: The Clipse - “Pussy”