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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With continuous verbal assaults and enough local notoriety and street cred to back it up it was only a matter of time before SHEE developed a legion of fans in both the Empire State and the Garden State. Also, the July 2004 launching of www.SHEEmusic.com significantly expanded her listener base. SHEE has been the spotlight/featured artist in Young & Black Magazine, Muse’s Muse, Street Rapz, Streetzclusive, Eraport and more. Solidifying her position, SHEE builds anticipation for her ‘Vaginal Erections’ album by performing at a series of venues throughout the tri-state area, supplying promotional samplers and marketing her music with a variety of unconventional, but successful techniques. Already receiving excellent reviews, her highly anticipated full-length debut album, ‘Vaginal Erections’ is about balancing soft with hard - reflective of both her music and lifestyle. Whether it’s the commercial club-banger “Work Clothes”, the hard-hitting politically motivated “Rebel” or the trademark spit-fire hood-anthem “We In Flatbush” - SHEE shows she isn’t one dimensional by displaying her lyrical dexterity and taking listeners on a wild ride through the various elements of her character. SHEE proudly states, “My life is a snapshot of what it means to be an independent Black woman in urban America - this album is the soundtrack to that life, my life, the life of a woman that takes no mess, knows what she wants, gets what she wants and accepts nothing less.”

Born and raised in Flatbush, Brooklyn’s infamous drug and crime ridden Vanderveer Housing Complex (currently Flatbush Gardens), Rasheedah Andrews, dubbed “SHEE” from early childhood was the first of what went on to be six children. Born to a Trinidadian mother and an African-American father only 14 years her senior, SHEE inherited a number of responsibilities that resulted in her carrying a level of maturity that far exceeded her age. SHEE faced a number of challenges - playing mother to younger siblings, having to find sources of income which ultimately led to involvement with illegal activity, constant fighting which resulted in legal troubles and discrimination among other things - all while trying to find herself in an environment that provided every possible excuse to fail.

Never the type of person to accept failure, SHEE refused to become another statistic. She worked on developing credentials to validate her in the business world while she continued to hone her craft to follow her dream of being a driving force in the rap world. A true testament of intelligence, determination and character, SHEE went on to be the first in her family to obtain a 4 year college degree, earning a total of 3 degrees by the age of 22. SHEE currently owns Sheer Badness Entertainment, a full-service independent record label and SHEEsoFly, a web based travel agency, powered by the YTB Network.

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R&B newcomer Kieran started 2006 with the launch of his debut music video for his Scott Storch produced single “Let’s Get Away”. The video is the latest released by the MusicDish Network through major file sharing networks such as Morpheus, Kazaa and eDonkey. In collaboration with INTENT Media, the MusicDish Network has successfully utilized search placement technology and web marketing campaign to deliver over a million downloads to its artists.
Fans can download and share Kieran’s video “Let’s Get Away” by clicking here

Filmed on location in Caribe, Puerto Rico, Kieran gives viewers an impromtu “Get Away” to the exotic island with it’s lush scenery, beautiful women and plenty of shots of the gorgeous R&B newcomer. Kieran is in high demand and must make a trip to the island with his publicist to meet with his label head. Kieran just wants to spend time with this one particular lady (his publicist) despite being surrounded by adoring fans. After Kieran cracks her ultra professional demeanor the fun begins. This stunning visual is guaranteed to please Kieran’s fans, old and new.

Growing up on a steady diet of his parents’ record collection, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Michael Jackson and Donny Hathaway, and his own Seal, R. Kelly and Usher, Kieran’s music contains echoes of all those artists and more. He’s skilled at dance-floor party anthems like “R U Awake” and “Keep It Cool”, with mid tempo’s such as “Let’s Get Away” and sensuous quiet storm ballad’s like “Hard Time” off of his debut album “Breathe”

Only 22 years old, a Brooklyn, NY native, Kieran has been performing for audiences since he was 10, when he soloed on “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” for the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. He started recording his own demos when he was barely 16.

Kieran’s fan base has been established and demonstrated through “R U Awake”, the first single release off of his debut album “Breathe”. With a listenership of over 52 million on radio, “R U Awake” sat at #1 across the board for most downloaded track on both iTunes and Real/Rhapsody. Kieran joined the ranks of superstars like Usher and Beyonce as his release rose to #1 on the “Soul/R&B,” “Pop/Rock/R&B,” and “Top Albums” charts on the Real/Rhapsody and iTunes digital music services resulting in over 26,000 internet sales. “R U Awake” was also added to AT&T, Cingular, and Sprint as a ringtone and to all Samsung phones rolled out in 2005.

“Keep It Cool” produced by Jazze Pha released in summer of 2005 left Kieran’s fans wanting more. The video for his current release “Let’s Get Away” produced by Scott Storch has given Kieran’s fans an outstanding visual and a peek into his world.

Kieran’s debut album “Breathe”, released September 27, 2005, features collaborations with songwriters who penned songs for Mario, Ciara, Jaheim, Mary J.Blige/Wyclef, Aretha Franklin, J’Lo, LL Cool J, Joe and more. “Breathe” also features production from Scott Storch (Mario, 50 Cent, etc) Jazze Pha (Rueben Studdard, Dave Hollister, Ciara, etc), Jayd Daniels (SWV, Pink, D’Mello, etc) and Ced Solo (Kelly Rowland, Beyonce, Anthony Hamilton, etc). Kieran’s debut effort delivers for his established fan base and will “Breathe” life into those new to his music.

Kieran’s music speaks volumes; he is a true singer and entertainer.

Provided by the MusicDish Network. Copyright © Tag It 2005 - Republished with Permission

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