1. Jeff Weiss on How Rap is Adapting to Low Album Sales

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/low-record-sales-mean-hip-hop-artists-must-diversify-to-attract-major-music-labels/2014/10/30/2db349d0-5df3-11e4-9f3a-7e28799e0549_story.html

    Good to see great writers getting those WaPo bylines. This is a wide-ranging and entertaining piece on how smart cats are hustling to make up the difference in a long, long drought.

  2. Facebook to Small Business: "Fuck You, LOL"

    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-14/facebook-tells-marketers-don-t-try-posting-ads-for-free.html

    Big Blue announced they’re going to be blocking any Facebook content you don’t pay for your audience to see. Time to rethink that whole shit.

  3. Cortez Bryant profiled by Jeff Weiss

    http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2014/10/cortez-bryant-lil-wayne-manager-interview/

    Great article on a powerful behind-the-scenes player. Sure, this guy is responsible for wall to wall shitty product, but he’s got a lot of insight to offer here.

  4. How Hip Hop Got Its Name

    https://medium.com/cuepoint/how-hip-hop-got-its-name-a3529fa4fbf1

    I know: that sounds like the headline to a boring, pedantic, clickbait turd. Two important caveats: 1) It’s not about the Sugar Hill Gang, at all and 2) this is written by Jeff Chang. Click it.

  5. MaLLy interview with Hip Hop DX

    http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.30905/title.mally-reveals-lessons-learned-from-brother-ali-bambu-rhymesayers-entertainment

    Hip Hop DX always has good interviews, but this one goes in depth about the Rhymesayers “tour boot camp” experience. Essential reading.

  6. Oddisee Interview on Being a World Citizen & Touring Musician

    http://greenroommagazine.com/lifestyle/living-the-tangible-dream-with-oddisee/

    So much science here, this is just absurd. What a great damn read. Get on this, now.

  7. Closing the Book on XXL

    https://medium.com/cuepoint/rest-in-peace-xxl-magazine-from-one-of-your-writers-860833607644

    Paul Cantor is a talented writer with decades of experience covering hip hop. I don’t think anyone else’s thinkpiece on this particular subject matters much by comparison.

  8. Just Blaze Geeking Out Over His Entire Catalog

    http://noisey.vice.com/en_uk/blog/just-blaze-interviewed-on-roc-a-fella-the-cutting-room-producing-for-kanye-dre-kendrick-drake

    This was a goldmine of insights and a very entertaining read. Also a damn long interview. 10/10.

  9. Blueprint: "I Love it Out Here"

    http://printmatic.net/i-love-it-out-here/

    So much that gets written by artists about the music business is an extended complaint, it’s beautiful to read something this grateful and pure. Dig it.

  10. Nocando on Why He Quit Battling

    http://www.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/2014/08/06/battle-rap-im-just-not-that-into-you

    Damn good read from a damn smart mammal.

  11. Peak Summer Festivals

    http://www.wonderingsound.com/feature/too-many-summer-music-festivals/

    The bubble has to burst eventually. Bear in mind this is largely an extension of the tech bubble, since top-end “VIP packages” subsidize the ticket prices for the proles.

  12. Cold Analysis of Youtube vs. Indie Labels

    http://blog.thewildcat.co.uk/post/91151130569/some-cold-analysis-of-the-youtube-indie-labels-story

    Too much FUD, too much noise. This short, simple piece is valuable clarity.

  13. The Pro Audio Files

    http://theproaudiofiles.com/

  14. Spose Talks about the Record Deal Meat Grinder with Cracked

    http://www.cracked.com/article_20939_7-things-record-deal-teaches-you-about-music-industry.html

    Every bit as entertaining as it sounds, Spose gives a great play-by-play of what Major Label Hell is like these days. Edutainment, it’s back. Tell KRS.

  15. Es-K Talks Shop on Productivity, Tech, and Motivation

    http://streetsconnect.com/blog/2014/06/16/exclusive-producer-es-k-serenity-creating-spontaneous-grooves-creativity/

    The hardest working producer I know gives a great, in-depth interview with StreetsConnect discussing his breakout new project, “Serenity.”

Music by Justin Boland