Over the weekend I had the opportunity to join my hip hop family in two of the most anticipated events of the Baltimore hip hop scene. First off was Thursday and the "I AM BALTIMORE HIP HOP" show being held at the Ottobar nightclub (2549 N. Howard St). First off I would like to say this...anyone who has ever doubted that Baltimore will never be on top when it comes to the music industry or that Baltimore's time has gone and past or even if the only thing we are known for in the music world are haters, non supporters or club music junkies...this event proved those rumors wrong. Personally I have been to more than enough shows for independent artists in the DMV area to compare Thursday night to other events that promoters have put on. The crowd was decent....the flow of the performances was on point...but the love, respect and support that flowed throughout the building from fans and artists made up for any negativity that loomed over the event. Shout-outs to one of the best promoters that I have ever come across in the DMV, Frank Lewis aka EC, for putting on the event. On the bill for this event: Ty Gudda, DGK, Apex, Infamous Goon, Shy Lady Heroin, Wood, Gwop Gettas and Tu-Khindz of YHGM (w/ special guest performances from Hunnit Proof, Lenwood, Don Diva, Bomb and Tragedy of YHGM). All in all I will add this show to one of my favorites by far this summer.
Next up, the 3rd annual Masters competition which was held at the 5 seasons night club in downtown Baltimore, Md. This is to all of my blog readers who are not familiar with this competition...DON'T GET IT TWISTED THIS IS NOT YOUR AVERAGE SHOWCASE/BATTLE/CYPHER/COMPETITION. The basis of this event is not only label the artists as "the best" battler or that this artists has "the best" stag
e presence. Basically this event allows artists to showcase how they are "the best" all-around. With three different rounds; first round-proving how lyrical they are by spitting acapella, second round-freestlying a random topic via "enie meanie minie mo" card selection, third round-song performance and then the last two artists standing battle each other. Over 10 different artists participated in this event, but only one man stood champion over his peers in the end....APEX THE GENIUS!
Being not only a true fan of hip hop, a businesswoman, a optimistic, a realist and a Baltimorian....somehow the debate of why Baltimore artists will not make it in the industry does not make any sense to me. Granted in my past I have had my doubts about our scene, everyone has before. But over the weekend I have come to a crossroads with my reasons to why this same choreographed routine has not worked out for so many of my artist friends. The different roads that I am referring to are looking at the situation from a fan perspective, a business deal, a optimists view, the reality of the situation and wanting to see my hometown thrive.
I think hip hop has been flow through my veins since I was conceived in my mothers stomach. Growing up it has been one of the biggest influences in my life. Having a solid 14+years of hip hop dance training under my belt, I have always enjoyed the expressiveness and rawness of hearing someones life story, feelings and emotions, forecast of their future, boasting of their fame and glory, teachings and preachings or just straight up venting set to a hot track. Even thought I might not have personally known that person from Joe Schmo, I could connect with them on a higher level then family or friends. One thing that I will say about the Baltimore hip hop scene is this....ITS REAL! Of course everyone boast about the "finer things" in life that may not be tangible to them at this point and time, but the drive in about 90% of these artists is REAL! You can hear it in every word that they spit. Granted I have nothing against artists outside of Baltimore, but you cannot deny the fact that these talented men and women ARE NOT JUST DOING THIS FOR FUN OR FOR A PAYCHECK! As a result, good music is made. Period. Of course there are exceptions, but for the most part Baltimore makes great music and has potential to do big things with it. Positive point.....yes...but it is also a down fall. One rule that you learn in business is if a extraordinarily product/service is not marketed correctly....then its useless. Common sense right? You would think that alot of people would be able to comprehend this...but there is downfall #1 with Baltimore artists.
Now stepping into my Business shoes....one main attribute that alot of artists do not have is a business mind frame in order to market themselves effectively and efficiently. One thing that I wish alot of people in general would understand is this....STREET SMARTS WILL NOT GET YOU THROUGH LIFE! Alot of things that you experience in the streets will not and cannot be translated, used, or acknowledged in the boardroom. Individuals whom I have come across in business have always said to me "street smarts is the dumbed cliff notes of business that consist of foolish decisions, broken promises and dead ends". I semi agree with this statement. I have had alot of situations where the "streets way" of handling the situation would have been satisfactory and beneficial for me and my company. But in the end it would have damaged my reputation and future business situations I could have benefited more from. I think having that professional business sense inadvertently allows the individual to give off this "mogul" or "big business" ora that will draw in investors, supporters, and even record labels. You are what you portray. Until alot of artists understand that how they present their total package (music, album /mixtape cover, appearance, proposals, websites etc) is the way they will get noticed by big business....their is no reason to even enter into this game.
Thinking in the utmost positiveness I possibly can....I know that Baltimore will be put on the map sooner or later. Just like alot of cities in random states where the theater geek grew up to be the 3xs platinum Grammy award winning singer, there are multiple individuals that I can see reaching stardom in a short period of time. One thing I love to see if people who have alot of confidence in their music and their movement because those positive thoughts will go along way. But on the other hand...I deal with something that alot of artists don't believe in....REALITY! In reality, no one gets signed off of a diss and if they do...their career will be short lived. In reality, doing shows where the audience consist og 95% other artists....will not get you anywhere. In reality, facebook,myspace, twitter marketing may have worked for Soulja Boy..but that DOESN'T ME IT IS GOING TO WORK FOR YOU. I am sorry to rain on any ones parade, but just because certain tactics work for others...it does not guarantee the same for you. Just because you spend thousand on your project and you have studio time 40 hrs a week does not make you a good rapper. Constructive criticism is something that I have come to realized is feared in Baltimore. It seems like these days a suggestion is perceived as hate. And most of the time the "hate" is accepted in the community as acknowledged and smiled upon. Hate is Hate and a suggestion is a suggestion Period. Just leave it at that. Being a realest, I believe that even if I am 100% sure my work is flawless and on point, its always better to have another set of eyes and ear to critique it and show me the little mistakes that I might have overlooked. Would you rather submit a proposal into a potential billion dollar investor without having it proofread? Of course not. So why not have someone in your corner that has your back and will give you the straight forward answers that you NEED and WANT?
As a Baltimorian, I love my city and I wish it the best of luck as well. But the main thing that we all lack (and this also extends far beyond the hip hop scene) is UNITY! After this week and the shows that I attend...I see a small glint of hope though. Perfect example, at the I AM BALTIMORE HIP HOP show, both established artists Shy, Infamous Goon and Tu-Khindz shared their spotlight and set with artists that might not get much recognition from their peers. When it came to the Masters on Saturday, each judge gave the artists REAL AND HONEST opinions and suggestions on how to improve on their rap game. Little things like that just prove that Baltimore has gotten the message....'we are a movement by ourselves, but a force when we are together'. When we are untied in numbers, no one can stop us. And the littlest bit of help goes a long way. So in closing, I think the points given in this blog should be taken in and thought over. These are all opinions, correct, but they are also points that have been discussed and argued for a long time. Now its times to start putting everything into action. STAND UP BALTIMORE, ITS OUR TIME TO SHINE!
Next up, the 3rd annual Masters competition which was held at the 5 seasons night club in downtown Baltimore, Md. This is to all of my blog readers who are not familiar with this competition...DON'T GET IT TWISTED THIS IS NOT YOUR AVERAGE SHOWCASE/BATTLE/CYPHER/COMPETITION. The basis of this event is not only label the artists as "the best" battler or that this artists has "the best" stag
e presence. Basically this event allows artists to showcase how they are "the best" all-around. With three different rounds; first round-proving how lyrical they are by spitting acapella, second round-freestlying a random topic via "enie meanie minie mo" card selection, third round-song performance and then the last two artists standing battle each other. Over 10 different artists participated in this event, but only one man stood champion over his peers in the end....APEX THE GENIUS!Being not only a true fan of hip hop, a businesswoman, a optimistic, a realist and a Baltimorian....somehow the debate of why Baltimore artists will not make it in the industry does not make any sense to me. Granted in my past I have had my doubts about our scene, everyone has before. But over the weekend I have come to a crossroads with my reasons to why this same choreographed routine has not worked out for so many of my artist friends. The different roads that I am referring to are looking at the situation from a fan perspective, a business deal, a optimists view, the reality of the situation and wanting to see my hometown thrive.
I think hip hop has been flow through my veins since I was conceived in my mothers stomach. Growing up it has been one of the biggest influences in my life. Having a solid 14+years of hip hop dance training under my belt, I have always enjoyed the expressiveness and rawness of hearing someones life story, feelings and emotions, forecast of their future, boasting of their fame and glory, teachings and preachings or just straight up venting set to a hot track. Even thought I might not have personally known that person from Joe Schmo, I could connect with them on a higher level then family or friends. One thing that I will say about the Baltimore hip hop scene is this....ITS REAL! Of course everyone boast about the "finer things" in life that may not be tangible to them at this point and time, but the drive in about 90% of these artists is REAL! You can hear it in every word that they spit. Granted I have nothing against artists outside of Baltimore, but you cannot deny the fact that these talented men and women ARE NOT JUST DOING THIS FOR FUN OR FOR A PAYCHECK! As a result, good music is made. Period. Of course there are exceptions, but for the most part Baltimore makes great music and has potential to do big things with it. Positive point.....yes...but it is also a down fall. One rule that you learn in business is if a extraordinarily product/service is not marketed correctly....then its useless. Common sense right? You would think that alot of people would be able to comprehend this...but there is downfall #1 with Baltimore artists.
Now stepping into my Business shoes....one main attribute that alot of artists do not have is a business mind frame in order to market themselves effectively and efficiently. One thing that I wish alot of people in general would understand is this....STREET SMARTS WILL NOT GET YOU THROUGH LIFE! Alot of things that you experience in the streets will not and cannot be translated, used, or acknowledged in the boardroom. Individuals whom I have come across in business have always said to me "street smarts is the dumbed cliff notes of business that consist of foolish decisions, broken promises and dead ends". I semi agree with this statement. I have had alot of situations where the "streets way" of handling the situation would have been satisfactory and beneficial for me and my company. But in the end it would have damaged my reputation and future business situations I could have benefited more from. I think having that professional business sense inadvertently allows the individual to give off this "mogul" or "big business" ora that will draw in investors, supporters, and even record labels. You are what you portray. Until alot of artists understand that how they present their total package (music, album /mixtape cover, appearance, proposals, websites etc) is the way they will get noticed by big business....their is no reason to even enter into this game.
Thinking in the utmost positiveness I possibly can....I know that Baltimore will be put on the map sooner or later. Just like alot of cities in random states where the theater geek grew up to be the 3xs platinum Grammy award winning singer, there are multiple individuals that I can see reaching stardom in a short period of time. One thing I love to see if people who have alot of confidence in their music and their movement because those positive thoughts will go along way. But on the other hand...I deal with something that alot of artists don't believe in....REALITY! In reality, no one gets signed off of a diss and if they do...their career will be short lived. In reality, doing shows where the audience consist og 95% other artists....will not get you anywhere. In reality, facebook,myspace, twitter marketing may have worked for Soulja Boy..but that DOESN'T ME IT IS GOING TO WORK FOR YOU. I am sorry to rain on any ones parade, but just because certain tactics work for others...it does not guarantee the same for you. Just because you spend thousand on your project and you have studio time 40 hrs a week does not make you a good rapper. Constructive criticism is something that I have come to realized is feared in Baltimore. It seems like these days a suggestion is perceived as hate. And most of the time the "hate" is accepted in the community as acknowledged and smiled upon. Hate is Hate and a suggestion is a suggestion Period. Just leave it at that. Being a realest, I believe that even if I am 100% sure my work is flawless and on point, its always better to have another set of eyes and ear to critique it and show me the little mistakes that I might have overlooked. Would you rather submit a proposal into a potential billion dollar investor without having it proofread? Of course not. So why not have someone in your corner that has your back and will give you the straight forward answers that you NEED and WANT?
As a Baltimorian, I love my city and I wish it the best of luck as well. But the main thing that we all lack (and this also extends far beyond the hip hop scene) is UNITY! After this week and the shows that I attend...I see a small glint of hope though. Perfect example, at the I AM BALTIMORE HIP HOP show, both established artists Shy, Infamous Goon and Tu-Khindz shared their spotlight and set with artists that might not get much recognition from their peers. When it came to the Masters on Saturday, each judge gave the artists REAL AND HONEST opinions and suggestions on how to improve on their rap game. Little things like that just prove that Baltimore has gotten the message....'we are a movement by ourselves, but a force when we are together'. When we are untied in numbers, no one can stop us. And the littlest bit of help goes a long way. So in closing, I think the points given in this blog should be taken in and thought over. These are all opinions, correct, but they are also points that have been discussed and argued for a long time. Now its times to start putting everything into action. STAND UP BALTIMORE, ITS OUR TIME TO SHINE!
