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Dear Producers: Not All Money Is Good Money 

I believe that anyone who labors and takes pride in their craft should get paid for their work. But, as the saying goes, not all money is good money. So producers, please hear me out, because this blog is dedicated to you and the consequences of selling to every lil' this that and the third. 

Here are three reasons why I believe producers should be more selective over who purchases their beats: 

(KWest Beats on the keys)

First, whack artists hurt everyone, the producer's brand included. 

Quick…

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Music Labels Should Step In Earlier for Emerging Rap Artists. 

Music labels and rap artists share a rather hostile relationship based on the history of labels crafting bad deals for rap artists to sign. Hence, as a label owner, I cannot blame a rapper for shifting his or her mentality into supporting themselves, especially given all the distribution tools at their disposal today. It used to be the case that labels handled the printing and distribution of music to the brick and mortar stores, but long gone are the days of pushing physical units at Best Buy as a main…

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No One Does It By Themselves 

Without a doubt, many artists brag about making it to the finish line alone. But, the finish line in the form of winning awards for ones music and the wealth that comes with the accolades, are rarely if ever achieved single handley. This particular message of “I did it by myself” or what it even means to be “independent” has been conflated to mean that rap artists should lock themselves up in their studios and search the internet near and far to find every answer regarding how to become a successful rap artist. Now the ability to conduct research is very important, and learning what you can do by yourself, is key. But how many scammers have you run into along the way claiming that they want to “help” you, only to send you streams in the form of bots? Trust, we’ve all been there. Yet the question remains, if not by yourself, and not with the help of scammers, then who do you surround yourself with? 

Not all of us have the magnetic energy of Kanye to convince another person to drop everything and film our day to day lives. It takes a lot for others to see your vision. However, there are a few key players who you should look out for as you progress in your journey. But before I jump into the key players, let's first cover what you can do by yourself: 

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