When the east is in the house OMG (DANGA!) - Blazay Blazay

That was the mid-90s, fast-forward to 2006 and ask yourself - Is the East in the house?
Short answer, yes. It’s been “in the house” for quite sometime, very sheltered and
remaining awfully quiet. I’m patiently waiting for the east to come back outside to play;
honestly I’m getting bored. By nature, hip-hop has always been territorial. There is a
sense of pride knowing your region is on top and the genre’s stars are people from your
own community. In listening to Tru Life’s “New New York” I understand where this rap
artist is coming from. To hear New York artists spitting about “trapping” or “getting
crunk in the club” or “going dumb” makes me feel awkward. I would welcome this lingo
with open arms had it came from artists in the areas the jargon originated. Observing this
tells me upcoming artists in New York City have major identity issues and are simply
looking to mimic whatever is “hot” at the moment.

As a recording artist, industry professional and most importantly as a fan, I attend hip-
hop showcases in New York City rather frequently. New York City is the Mecca of hip-
hop, an emcees breeding ground. The city is flooded with aspiring hip-hop stars; I’m
willing to bet New York City has the highest number of rappers per capita in the world.
Do these artists have talent? Many of them do – but does talent always translate to
commercial success, NO. This is what many artists fail to understand, once you start
looking for external sources to finance your career, you are an investment. Of course
you’d like to feel like more since after all, the lyrics are your personal memoirs (accurate
or fabricated) and the music is something you’ve poured your time, life and money into.
Despite the previous statements, one thing that you should never lose sight of is the
following: the music business is just that, a business. Grey areas are to be expected since
the ultimate product stems from creativity but where there is a company, there is a bottom
line – period.

If you walk into a bank looking to secure a loan for your business, you will have to
demonstrate to that financial institution that you have the ability to pay back, plus
interest. You’ll have to supply supporting documentation, income projections – you have
to have a plan. They don’t want to sample your product (or in this case, evaluate your
demo). They want tangible evidence – previous sales, spins, shows, web traffic, celebrity
endorsements etc. Unlike a bank loan, where they will hunt you down, destroy you and
take everything short of the clothes off your back if cannot repay – with a record label’s
investment, if things don’t pan out…you walk with almost no consequence (aside from
difficulty securing future deals or possible shame). Taking this into consideration, they
should reserve the right to be selective and invest in those acts most likely to meet certain
sales criteria. Simply stated, right now – New York doesn’t appear to be that. Being well
versed on both the business and creative sides of the spectrum, there are many artists I
enjoy listening to personally but had I been an A&R, I still wouldn’t sign them. Why?
Because I’d like to keep my job and part of my job is to scout talent that will inevitably
bring money to the company I work for.

Where do New York artists fit into the scheme of all this? How do the previous
statements about business and investments relate to the changes currently taking place in
the hip-hop landscape? Easy. New York City artists have to prove that they aren’t poor
investments. You must also bear in mind that many of your predecessors as of late have
failed to meet the target. These facts damage your reputation to potential investors, it’s
like a bad credit score. You can argue to the cows come home about “real hip-hop,”
more than likely you are not going to change popular opinion. Attending showcases
lately in NYC, it’s like…if you’ve seen one – you’ve seen them all. In terms of fashion,
every artist looks the same. With regard to content (or lack thereof), every artist is
addressing the same issues. The repetitiveness in subject matter has reached new lows.
Some artists become remarkably frustrated at the prospect of not having a deal after years
of hard work. This anger eventually finds its way into their music and as a potential fan;
I don’t want to hear about it. I’ve attended shows where rappers felt obligated to express
their displeasure with the likes of Chingy and D4L during their performances – it’s
ridiculous. I can take this opportunity to start plugging my music as a New Yorker and
discuss in great detail how I can revolutionize the game, but I’ll summarize now. New
York City is known as the birthplace of rap music. New York rappers are famed for
being lyrically proficient, fly by default and envied by rappers of all regions. We have
that Big Apple swagger. We don’t follow trends, we just set them. Please don’t ever
forget that. So in conclusion, don’t obsess over the current success of other regions.
Rather, make a point to create material worthy of carrying the Empire State’s torch.
Understand what investors are looking for and what fans want - incorporate your personal
style (after all, no one wants a clone of an artist who already exists). With this newfound
outlook and your talent, hopefully we can see the genre returned its owners. Peace!!!

————————————————————-
R.S. Andrews, BBA MSA - President/CEO of Sheer Badness Entertainment, professional
songwriter, performer and hip-hop/rap recording artist p/k/a SHEE.
Contact: http://www.SHEEmusic.com, info@sheerbadness.com or call (908) 245-6467

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