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

Just this past week… rap legend Nas aired out Def Jam for trying to exploit his contract. They agreed to release “Lost Tapes 2”. But they would put it out as a compilation of old unreleased material. Meaning it wouldn’t count as an album, Nas wouldn’t get paid for an album, and he’d still be obligated to make another album. … It’s bullshit.

And it ain’t the first time a label stuck up an artist and held their music for ransom. If you sign a record deal, they might own everything you make. Lupe Fiasco had to organize a campaign to get his last album out — a move that Fiona Apple also had to make against her label in 2005. There’s no question that Nas could use his fans to build the pressure and get the album out. His fanbase is as big as it is loyal.

But if you got fans like that… what you need a label for? You don’t need a label to make an album. (Just a laptop and a good microphone.) You don’t need a label to get it in stores either. (Get on iTunes.) You don’t need a label to get you shows. (That’s what a booking agent does.) The only thing left for a label to do is promote you. They have money and connections that you don’t have.

…Unless you’re Nas. A legend like that has attracts natural promo (and collabs too). Even with no label support he could sell respectable numbers, and split less of that money with the suits.

Lesser artists would kill for that fanbase. Which is why they dream of getting signed. …but good luck with that. There’s so many artists trying to make it that labels don’t have to find someone totally raw and help them build a following. Why should a record executive guess who fans will like when they can find an unsigned artist who sold 100,000 mixtapes, or has 100,000 twitter followers? 

And if you can do that on your own, you might not even want a label. Maybe if you wanna turn 100,000 into 1,000,000. But then you gotta accept the risk that your label will put your album on ice, and pour their energy into someone prettier than you. And that’s just how it goes.

Theme Music: UGK - “Ain’t That a Bitch”

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”

People will sometimes tell you to dumb it down. So the quote goes… “no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.” Sex… violence… cash… you gotta go for the lowest common denominator if you wanna sell. In music and entertainment it’s easy to find examples of that.

But if all that were really true, then any moron could make it. It all falls apart in practice. Hundreds of artists have heard rap tracks about money and thought “I can do that!” So the next chorus they write goes “Get That Cash.” … But nobody notices. Nobody gives a shit. …those clones only get attention if they have an industry machine behind them. If you don’t have that machine, you can only get attention by saying something that no one else is saying. That takes brains.

And the biggest mistake that so-called smart people make is believing they’re too smart for everybody else. … cuz the truth is the average person is NOT dumb. The average person has strong opinions about the world. They look at all the chatter out there and wish somebody would tell it how it really is. They’re waiting for someone with the intelligence to call the world out.

Making it complicated can make you feel smart. But intelligence is not about syllable count… Nah. Smart people are a machete that cuts through that jungle of bullshit. They may not be the first to notice the truth, but they have a unique ability to express it. They take something on everyone’s mind… and use their head to add humor, insight, wordplay, or just sum that topic up in a clever line.

…even if that topic is sex or cash.

Theme Music: Kanye West “All Falls Down”

One of my friends just moved to Los Angeles to get his big break as a director. This weekend he sent me the first episode of this series he’s shooting and asked me to do the score. He also told me his secret to making it in LA… If you wanna be different from 80% of so-called artists, it’s important to get shit done…Because most people would rather just talk about it.

He’s right. Even in music most people can’t deliver. Just recording a proper album will get you to the front of the herd.

But what does it take to get AHEAD of the herd?

It takes years of practice to make great art. But it takes a MOVEMENT to make a career… a movement that includes managers, promoters, fans, fellow artists…shit, I even see artists who break through when they team up with a clothing label. Getting people to believe in your music starts with a few close allies.

You’ll hear people complain. “I just wanna make music.” They even criticize people who succeed. “That kid ain’t that talented. He only got that spot because he got the co-sign from other stars.”

Man… getting the co-sign IS the work. Or else you’re just another sucker with a mixtape on megashare.

Yeah, there are people promoting themselves who ain’t even good… They have problems too. Sometimes they work so hard on their promotion that they forget to work on something that’s worth promoting. But other times they get all the right people backing them, even though their tracks are hot garbage. Meanwhile, you worked yourself to the bone on tracks that COULD steal the show… except nobody knows who the fuck you are.

A working artist — someone who gets paid for their creativity — works as much on their business plan as they do on their art. It used to be all about getting a label to pay your advance. Now it’s about getting people to just pay *attention*. You should always start with great music. But if you really wanna bust through the noise, you need to work on those relationships.

Theme Music: Souls of Mischief “Let ‘Em Know”