Some names, like Drake or Sarah Palin, show up everywhere because there’s a publicist making $20,000 a week to make phone calls, all day long.  Some names show up everywhere because the artist behind the name is totally committed to their career.  TAIS is a perfect specimen of the DIY CEO: running every aspect of his career and embracing every challenge that comes his way.  I caught up with him while he was traveling to New York to sprint around the city for a week promoting his new single, Too Complex.  He’s a highly energetic and focused dude with a lot to say…

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After writing The Template: Planning Your First Album, I’ve been re-thinking it ever since.  I’d like to introduce you to Oddisee, the DMV renaissance man, who’s got a system that’s proven to work and gives us some real numbers to work with.  Diamond District’s debut album, In the Ruff, is more than just one of the best hip hop albums that’s come out this year.  It’s also a perfect case study of how to make everything that’s “wrong” with the industry today work for you.

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It’s 2009, and people are still repeating this question like idiot lemmings.  “Is Hip Hop Dead?” Considering Nas dropped that album in 2006, I’d have to say this is the single greatest marketing campaign in hip hop history.  Not only did it “go viral,” it’s still causing bar fights three years later.  This article is a look behind the curtains at Def Jam, and into the marketing mastermind of Nasir Jones. 

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Doing an interview with The Aztext was doper than usual, because I got to see their operation from three different perspectives.  I’m talking in depth with all three members, covering promotion, product, performance, and songwriting.  If you’re just getting started, or trying to push your act to the next level, this interview is full of gems on all aspects of managing a hip hop group in 2009. 

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The only hard part about running Audible Hype is this: I’m trying to out-do myself every time.  After the first installation of our series on advice from hip hop production veterans, I wanted this to be like a textbook...that didn’t suck...about dealing with sample laws and the business side of making music.  From Large Professor to Cut Chemist to The RZA himself, this is a collection of the best quotes I’ve found from reading thousands of pages about hip hop history and business.  I eat books for reals...but the real winner is you.  Enjoy.

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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. 

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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. 

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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.

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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…

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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.

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