Here’s a long overdue article: one of the most common questions I get is about how to prepare for releasing a hip hop album. Here, I’ve laid it out with picture and diagrams and the tools you’ll need. Since this is Audible Hype, that wasn’t enough, so I’ve also got contributions from Dru Ha and Godamus Rhyme. Enjoy.
Krukid is dope. He’s a natural performer, and he writes powerful verses: check out his track Invisible Children, from AFRiCAN. I’m psyched to drop this interview because Krukid has been hustling hard for a long time and he’s got a lot of experience to share. This interview is the first of two parts: here, we’re talking about songwriting, staying organized and planning your next album.
Willie Green found his way to my headphones with his recent instrumental album ...Of Heroes and Villains, a Backwoodz Studioz release. When I got in touch with him for an interview, I found out he was also an experienced professional, and he was working an a short documentary video about the making of his album. Willie Green puts in work and here we’re talking organization, no-budget promotion, and how the market for instrumental hip hop is looking in 2009.
Now that the audience for Audible Hype has grown, I’d like to spark a few conversations. I’ve been amazed by the folks who have dropped comments and gotten in contact with me, and I’ve got 5 Big Questions. I’m not asking you to answer them all, but if you can speak on any of them...please do. It’s going to be a long, cold winter and we’ve gotta figure out how to build art into income. Join the cipher.
This is an expansion on the first article in the series, Year of the Glut—which painted a depressing picture and probably moved too fast. Here, I’m staying strictly focused on numbers, trends and facts. The discussion here is based around a recent NPD Group report claiming that iTunes represents a full 25% of the entire music business...obviously, that’s a claim I’m going to be questioning. Can we find numbers we can trust in 2009? Dig in…
The excellent blog The Smoking Section put up a rant blaming internet hip hop fans for the “failure” of the Slaughterhouse album, which “only” moved 18,000 units. The conversation they sparked has been a fascinating look at all the factors that make the music biz such a complex and confusing place in 2009. Rather than just co-signing or debunking, though, this article is an exploration of internet promotion, the importance of live shows, the changing face of hip hop, and the behind the scenes moves that can make or break an album.
Sorry for the one week pause, party people. We’ve migrated servers (I told you August was Nerd Shit month) and it took awhile for the hiccups and SNAFUs to disappear. I’ve been itching to drop this interview for awhile now, because it is awesome. I’ve already interviewed the Madison hip hop scientist Man Mantis once before, and this is a richly detailed follow-up interview. We’re talking about the recording and mixing process for the latest dumate album, We Have the Technology, and going in on the technical, practical side of using the Akai MPC as a tool for both composition and performance.
Also: thank you and welcome to all the new readers. I have so much new material lined up it’s absurd. Although I always think it’s cheeseball as fuck when people say it, but for me it’s become the simple truth: Hip Hop is my life.
By reader request, Audible Hype is going to start including a lot more articles for producers. The format here is exactly like the DIY Hip Hop Business Master Class: a collection of the best gems of advice, sourced from dozens of different interviews. The next two installments will be topical (addressing Sample Laws and Making Dope Beats, respectively) but this first batch is decidedly random.
Please leave a comment if you dig it...and leave a comment if you don’t. Reader feedback is how I’m running Audible Hype, folks...your voice counts for a lot.
My apologies to Phillipdrummond—he did this interview quite awhile ago, and it’s taken me way too long to publish it. The topic is huge. We’re discussing the roots of the Fresh Coast battle scene, and Phillipdrummond has been involved as an organizer, manager, promoter, producer, cameraman, archivist and web guy over the years.
This is a cat who’s used to juggling 10,000 details as a way of life. He’s going into making albums, herding emcees, putting on quality events, and building a global network.
This is the second round of the Audible Hype “Greatest Hits” collection—the best advice, the most useful insights, the meaty details, gathered from veterans and experts and living legends. This installement is focused on the people working behind the scenes, and the mundane shitwork that make the music business actually work.
My name is Justin Boland and I work for World Around Records. I rap, produce, promote and prosper under pressure. I'm broker than I look, smarter than I talk and closer than I appear.