Rap Music

Rap celeb Flavor Flav getting into food, beverage biz
Rapper and reality television star Flavor Flav signs a bottle of his LeFLAV vodka at Lee's Discount Liquor on Lake Mead Boulevard on Dec. 23, 2011. By Delen Goldberg (contact) Flavor Flav has had a successful career as a rapper and reality television …
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The Year In Pop And Profanity
At first it seemed that the young star known for raunchy club cuts and guest turns on tracks by hardcore rappers had gone all Doris Day for the family show. But a glance at her boyish black shoes revealed a phrase inscribed on the side of one: "F …
Read more on NPR (blog)

Rapper Ice Cube Professes His Love For Architecture [Video]
By Yi Chen on December 13, 2011 Ice Cube, born O'Shea Jackson, is known for his rap-star quality and acting career, but little is known about his love for design and architecture. In a campaign video for the Pacific Standard Time Art exhibit in LA, …
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Jeezy Embraces His Female Fans
Young Jeezy has long been a trap-rap superstar, with dope boys seeming to gravitate towards his tales of slanging and his penchant for thug anthems. But the Atlanta rap star revealed that his fanbase has diversified over the years, and there are more …
Read more on HipHopBlog.com (blog)

From Trey Songz to Ryan Leslie and Chris Brown it seems like every R&B singer is starting to rap. What sparked this trend? Is the talent line in rapping less defined than that in singing? The Friday Hip Hop Report crew discuss “Why R&B Singers Are Getting The Urge To Rap” Twitter.com Twitter.com Twitter.com Twitter.com Twitter.com Twitter.com For More Debates see: ‪www.youtube.com Special Thanks: ‪glaceau.com‬ Edit by @Ice_iz_nice For daily updates http

Rapping Beats

Marketing of your music product (mixed and mastered vocals on Rapping Beats or R&B Instrumentals) is probably the most important part of the music BUSINESS. In this Rap Beats and Instrumentals support article I’ll give you an intro in the MASSIVE world of Music Marketing. This article is part of a series on how to become a successful Rapper or Singer. You can view all the articles in this series on the author’s page.

You can have the craziest lyrics and the hottest rapping beats and R&B instrumentals in the world, but if no one knows about you and your music, it makes NO difference. You can even have distribution with the biggest distributors in the world. But without proper marketing it won’t mean anything. If you don’t promote your music heavily, you’ll get lost in the ocean of rappers and singers that are online and in stores. I’ll give you an intro here, but the topic is way to huge to discuss in one article.

Q: Once my song is ready, where and how can I promote it and get it heard?

A: Like I said earlier this is a big subject which can’t be explained in a couple of paragraphs. But once you have a fully mixed and mastered song with solid lyrics on a really HOT rapping beat or R&B instrumental, you’re ready to get it out there into the world. (Remember, as important as marketing is, music quality still matters). One thing you definitely want to keep doing is constantly learn all you can about Music Marketing. The key is to get AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE to hear (to actually listen to) your song. Post your music up everywhere online. Give it to all your friends and tell them to make copies and share it with their own friends. Hand CD’s out at clubs and concerts where they play music similar to yours. When you’re first starting out don’t be afraid to give your music away for free. Yes I said FREE. (well… Almost free, the only thing you should ask for in return is the person’s Email Address – more on this later.) People won’t pay to listen to a song from an unknown artist they might not like. They have to trust and like you before they buy from you. Trust me, giving away your music to gain a true fan will PAY OFF in the end.

The next thing to do is get your music on the internet and let the world hear. Upload your music to any music related website you know of. POST IT EVERYWHERE YOU CAN! Some good ones to focus on are iLike, ReverbNation, MySpace (yes MySpace still matters), Last.fm, Jango and BandCamp but the list goes on and on. After that get on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter and socialize with different people – tell them about your music! It’s important NOT to be annoying and spam people with ads of your music. That is one SURE way to get potential fans to HATE you. (Do you ever click on those kinds of posts? Didn’t think so…) You have to start or join in conversations and build personal relationships with people. That’s the key to social networking – It’s hard work, but it WILL pay off.

Another thing you don’t want to forget about is having your OWN website – it looks professional and will give you credibility as an independent artist. Having a MySpace of Facebook Page is great but you need a HOME – your personal website will be your own store-front where you can gather fans. A good solution for this is BandZoogle. You can easily design a professional looking website with them and get your own domain (something like www.YourArtistOrBandName.com). BandZoogle also has a great Mailing List application that will let you collect all your fans email addresses so you can keep in touch with them. This is VERY important. When you give your music away to fans, make sure to get an email address in return and keep them updated on all your new releases. It’s much easier to keep old fans (customers) than it is to get new ones! Well this is the longest article in the series so I’ll leave it at that for now! Keep learning about Music Marketing – It’s Important! Hope this helped.

Holla @ ur boy!

DatPaki
Producer/Songwriter
PBE Music

Rapping Beats

Getting distribution for your music (mixed and mastered vocals on Rapping Beats or R&B Instrumentals) is an important step in the music business. In this Rap Beats and Instrumentals support article I’ll show you how to get your music in stores everywhere! This article is part of a series on how to become a successful Rapper or Singer. You can view all the articles in this series on the author’s page.

So you’ve got actual product – your mixed and mastered songs on the hot rapping beats and R&B instrumentals you’ve bought. You know you need to be in stores across the country but a lot of people trying to become a rapper or singer don’t know how to do this.

Q: How do I get my album/mixtape/single in online stores like iTunes, Rhapsody, MP3.com and retail stores like HMV and CDPlus?

A: Selling CDs out the trunk of your car can only go so far. And before you can properly promote your music you need distribution – people need to be able to find and purchase/download your music. But as a rapper or singer you can’t just call up HMV or ITunes and ask them to carry your music. They won’t even take your calls. You need a distributor who already has a relationship with these stores. Distributors are companies that take your music product (your mixed and mastered vocals over rapping beats or r&b instrumentals – your finished songs – either on CD or as an MP3) and put it in retail and online stores for you. There are a few different options available to you as an independent rapper or singer.

If you are not manufacturing a lot of physical CDs and just want digital distribution (MP3 Downloads) a good option for you would be a company called TuneCore. They offer digital distribution to all the major online music stores like ITunes, Rhapsody, Mp3.com and a huge list of others. They charge you .99 for a single and .99 for a full album. If you want both digital AND physical (CD) distribution to actual retail stores like HMV or CDPlus you want to go with a company called CDBaby. CDBaby offers digital distribution to all the major online stores but can also put your release on catalog in 2,500 different retail stores. This means that people can special order your CD to their favorite music store anywhere in North America. Their prices are very similar (possibly cheaper for albums) to TuneCore. You can also try sites like ReverbNation who have their own distribution system (but I think they’ve just partnered with one of the companies I’ve mentioned earlier).

It can take some time for it to get in stores. They usually say 4 – 6 weeks but I’ve had experiences where it’s taken a lot longer and they don’t contact you or let you know what’s happening until it’s approved. And make sure you keep an eye on it and follow-up. Just because a company is doing this for you doesn’t mean you can forget about it. I’ve also had cases where my music still hasn’t shown up in stores. But once you have your CD in stores where people can find it, you’re ready to get your promotion grind on. Oh one last thing, don’t forget about selling your music DIRECTLY from your own website (www.yourartistname.com). This is huge! All the companies like iTunes take a cut when they sell your CD or songs. But on your own website, you get to keep EVERYTHING! That’s the best type of distribution. Hope this was helpful…

Holla @ ur boy!

DatPaki
Producer/Songwriter
PBE Music

A music video of soul singer, Erykah Badu alongside rapper, Common entitled, “Love of My Life (Ode to Hip-hop).” This song is found on the 2002 movie Brown Sugar soundtrack. I do not own this video; all credits go to Erykah Badu and her respective record labels.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Rapping Beats – How to Be a Rapper or Singer

A big part of music promotion is getting radio play. Whether it’s your local radio station or the new online radio stations, the exposure you can get as a rapper or singer from radio is crazy. In this Rap Beats and Instrumentals support article I’ll give you tips on how to get some serious radio play and exposure. This article is part of a series on how to become a successful rapper or singer. You can view all the articles in this series on the author’s page.

Radio aint dead! It’s still a great way for an independent musician to get their music heard by a huge number of people. But with so many musicians, and mainstream radio only catering to a select few “superstars” it’s hard work getting heard. So how does someone trying to become a rapper or singer use radio to gain exposure?

Q: I’ve got a SMASH single! How do I get my music on the radio?

A: Getting on radio can be a hard task and there are entire companies dedicated to what’s called Radio Tracking (getting your music on radio and tracking the spins). But hiring these companies is hella expensive. You CAN do it yourself – but its lots of work. The very FIRST thing you need to do is make sure the rapping beats and r&b beats you chose are HIT radio-style beats. Next make sure your song is properly mixed and mastered. NO radio station in the world will take an unmastered song and add it to rotation. It’s usually a good idea to get some professional physical CDs made in case the stations you send your music to don’t accept digital download links. You’ll also need a good Biography of yourself as an artist or group and some professional photos if you want to do this right. I’ve written other articles on most of those subjects. After this it is time to find radio station’s you’re going to send your music to.

This is important and it may seem like common sense, but you’d be surprised what up and coming rappers and singers do – its mad unprofessional. Do some research and find stations that will actually play your music. (As a rapper, don’t send your CD to a country station). Commercial Radio, the main pop/rock/urban stations in your area, are probably not the best place to start because they are very controlled and hard to break into. College radio is great for independent artists though because it is less controlled and more accepting to independent and underground rappers and singers. A good resource is called the “Indie Bible.” It’s a MASSIVE book full of contact info for radio stations and places to send your music. Compile a list of stations and get ready to mail your CDs and email your digital links out to them. (Make sure whenever you can, you find a specific PERSON at the station to send your music to – either a specific DJ or the Music Director.)

Work in steps. Start locally, then go state/province wide, and then work nationally. At each stage make sure you follow-up with whoever you sent your package to two weeks after you send it out. Remember not to be annoying and it’s all good if you get in touch with them to see if they got your music and had a chance to listen. Be kind, polite and real and you can get some serious exposure through radio.

Holla @ ur boy!

DatPaki
Producer/Songwriter
PBE Music

James Brown: Getting Funky
Last week, Radiohead dropped their new album along with a video of Thom Yorke’s bizarre dancing to their single “Lotus Flower.” While watching Yorke dance is interesting, his moves are nothing compared to the godfather of soul and king of feverish dancing, the one and only James Brown.
Read more on The Rice Thresher

Should Schools Track Truant Kids By GPS?
Ferris Bueller would have had a hard time in Anaheim, California. The city’s school district has teamed up with local police for the ultimate Big-Brother-is-watching-you solution to truancy. They’ve embarked on a six-week pilot program where 75 students with four or more unexcused absences are carrying a handheld GPS tracking device.  Every morning the teens get a robocall reminding them to get …
Read more on GOOD

Lloyd Talks ‘Cupid’; Collaboration Record With Lil Wayne And Andre 3000
Don’t let the name fool you: On Lloyd’s upcoming album King Of Hearts, the singer is bringing out the big guns.
Read more on Vibe Magazine