You're not a boss, founder, or big dog unless...

I was speaking to some kids at York College about being an entrepreneur.
They all liked the idea of working for themselves and being their own boss. Somehow they thought that being and entrepreneur was the free ticket to money and power. They didn't realize that working for yourself is 10x harder than punching a clock.

I am a serial entrepreneur. Record labels, management company, marketing firms, Festival, e-zine, Lacrosse team. Still not a millionaire but I guess that will come eventually. That's not why I do it, though. Not for the money, fame, power, or props. I do it because i need to create things. Realize visions.

In my journeys I run into kids who don't know better and fake execs who claim to be the boss but when the shit hits the fan their true colors come out. In my career I have only met and worked with a few men and women who are truly fearless. Unfortunately I have dealt with countless big mouths who are all talk and no action.

So here is my simple test. You're not really a boss unless:

-you have never had to make a payroll
-never hired or fired someone
-skipped multiple paychecks to keep the lights on
-had your name on the contract
-had to sign off to get the check cut
-been the name on the contract that gets sued when sh*t hits the fan
-actually come up with the idea rather than cherry picked once the hard work was done

Respect to all who do whatever takes to realize your vision.
And respect to everyone who has ever sweated it out with me

I alwayd did love 'Rocking It'

I was caught up on The Wire so the Grammy’s got all my attention last nightHere are the thought from the Swift Chance

• I love Herbie Hancock but him winning shows why the Grammy’s are simply not the standard anymore. Do you know 5 people who even knew that album was out? Let alone heard it. Not just your Hip-Hop friends but your whole network. The Grammy’s are more than a celebration of the Short Tail but a celebration of the elite. Herbie winning was a statement by the old guard, don’t trip
• However, I do like the archival stance they take. They make sure our industry’s short institutional memory is kept in check
• Oohh you know Kanye was pissed
• But his stance on these awards is becoming a bit of a joke. As evidenced by Usher’s comment
• I feel Kanye about getting pissed when they played the music but dude; this is not your personal platform. Don’t be a dick. You can show some good taste as well
• It was great they let him do a tribute to moms
• The light up jacket? I don’t know – good performance though
• Winehouse performance was dope
• Made me think we are making too much of her drama. Kind of like Britney
• Those dancers were serious
• However, at the same time I felt like they celebrated her drug use in an indirect way
• Two words, well five. MORRIS DAY AND THE TIME! Best thing all night
• Beyonce is built for this. Everyone else fall back
• ‘Proud Mary’ was dope buy where was the Ike shout out?
• Sure were a lot of Black folk on stage
• And a random country dude
• Carrie Underwood has a strong ass voice
• What the hell was the look Mark Ronson was going for? Jack White on a diet?
• Glad Alicia Keys stylist got the memo from the Super Bowl. Although the 1st outfit made her boobies look crazy, she looked banging in that second outfit
• Akon looked like a vampire
• Rhianna did much better than I (and those watching with me) thought
• I wonder how Common felt when Kanye told him to stop competing with him. I am sure he’s used to it
• Aretha, you are the queen and you can do whatever you want but spaghetti straps need to be reconsidered
• Prince is still the man

The Disco Market Correction

The current malaise facing the music business is nothing more than what Wall Street would call a market correction. “A market correction is sometimes defined as a drop of 10% to 20% over a short period of time (wikipedia).” Over the past three years this is what we have seen in terms of CD sales. A 15-20% drop in sales in consecutive years after over a decade of steady increases. Fear note for, “True fortunes are made during times of economic distress or financial corrections (about.com).”

This is not the time for proclamations that the sky is falling. This is the time to be shrewd and use the current lull to make wise investments and get ahead of innovation. To do that we must understand the cause for the years of profit and the last few years of doom and gloom.

A wily old vet once explained to me the true dilemma that we are facing. Briefly this was my lesson. During the days of disco labels and artists were generating an unprecedented amount of money. Not solely album sales but by astronomical single sales which was a new phenomenon. Seemingly one day in the early 80’s the party was over and disco records were being bulldozed in baseball stadiums (Disco Demolition Delight). Record labels sounded the same alarm we hear today. They were massive layoffs and panic. Then one day at MIDEM Phillips debuted the compact disc . Immediately the answer to the disco demise was staring them in the face.

Fast forward a few years and the compact disc age is born. And with it a way to replace all those lost dollars. Simple business really. Increase margins by raising prices and decreasing costs. CD’s were cheaper to manufacture but because of the novelty of the technology they were able to charge 50-60% more for a CD than for an LP. Better still there was a marketing campaign launched that convinced LP owners that they needed to replace their analog records with a more durable CD. So for the first time you had people re-purchasing content at higher price points.

The next twenty years saw the spectacular success of this new technology. The margins also lulled record labels into changing their business models to focus on this piece of plastic as its primary revenue stream. This also created a new generation of millionaire artists whose wealth was similarly based on the plastic disc. The hole in the plan was that the digital nature of the CD made it ripe for piracy in ways that were logistically impossible for vinyl or cassettes. Pirated copies made for pennies on the dollar that displayed no degradation in sound quality. Then came the MP3 and more comprehensive broadband access.

This unfettered access led the consumer to ask why am I paying $18 for a product that is so easily reproduced. The shroud of the dark side fell and consumers realized the hustle that the business had been running and all hell broke loose. So the twenty years of fairy tale profits for so many has begun to unravel. The music business like the universe itself is attempting to correct itself and achieve a balance. The pendulum now swings in the direction of the consumer. Gleefully pushed along by visionaries such as Steve Jobs, Google, Kazzaa and Napster.

The next compact disc, the next disco wave is brewing. Some may say it is already here with iTunes but the truth is that in order to make money with iTunes margin you need to be…iTunes. They are other opportunities and investments out there. The question is who is going down with the Titanic and who is going to find the 2008 Phillips.

Back at it again

Happy New Year to all!

While I prepare a real post check this out from the Times and this from Wired

Peace

Doug Morris is going to destroy the music industry...and rebuild it...

...even if he doesn't realize it.


Alma put me up on the article about Doug Morris in this month's WIRED.
Great piece with the usual insightful writing from the WIRED crew. Among many things they seized upon was the fact that the music business’s insistence on a DRM gave Apple their dominance. To paraphrase, they allowed Apple to make a Walkman that only played Apple cassettes. Just imagine if Sony could have pulled that off in the 80’s.

While the industry led by Universal and Doug Morris’ dominant market share tried to control a technology Morris readily admits he never understood, they gave Steve Jobs the rope by which our industry is dangling from. The irony is Shakespearean.

Now Morris is trying this Fair Play which we all know won’t work. Subscriptions will never beat the $0.99 model. Why?
1) Apple brand loyalty is something that businessmen have wet dreams about. You don’t just yank that away. Even if the subscription is a better model.
2) The iTunes/iPod hard/software model is something that all the competitors miss. One without the other will never topple the Apple model.
3) THE DAYS OF SELLING RECORDED MUSIC IS OVER. As ubiquitous as it is iTunes is a loss leader. Wake up and smell the Double Tall Soy Latte. But no worries Doug you still are the biggest dog in the game.

Universal is the biggest content producer around. Apple does not produce ANY content. And we all know content is king. Hard and software may be the princes, though.
Universal billings surpass Apple’s. People may not realize it but the Universal is more prominent than Apple. 50, jay, Kanye, Gwen, NIN, Snoop, MJB – all part of the Universal brand.

Recorded music is over but content will never die. Figure out another way to leverage your content:
360 deals (look at Live Nation)
Film/TV (cross pollination)
Publishing (your existing cash cow)
RETURN TO RETAIL under your own rules (I know a great entrepreneur with a killer idea for this)

Doug Morris and Universal are responsible for the current mess but once he gets his ass kicked he is smart enough to rebuild. And just as we all followed him off the cliff we will follow him to the Promised Land.

Love NPR and WNYC

"things look good to me"

As far as I'm concerned they are the only real news outlet.
Not a 'wink', 'wink' joke like Jon Stewart
Not unashamedly biased like Fox
Not watered down like CNN
Not cookie cutter stories sit out by AP

They have real stories about issues you wouldn't think of. For example today they had the CEO of eBay on talking about the counter-cyclical of their business. When was the last time you dropped that word over dinner.

Made total sense once she spoke on it. When times are hard people will unload junk on eBay for much needed extra cash. And consequently when times are rough people will be more prone to purchase used goods from eBay.
eBay is a recession proof business. Brilliant.

This goes to my point of the moment. When you're not making paper look to yourself first. Recession or slow down kicked your ass? Build a recession proof business model. Like selling crack (just kidding).

The music business is fine. The problem is with the Big 4, traditional retail and half ass artists and content producers.

The music business is very good to Apple, Ticketmaster, Live Nation and select human brands like Jay, Puff, Stoute, Wayne, and Kanye.

Before you throw stones look in the mirror. Examine your business model. More specifically look at your delivery method, your product line, marketing and branding strategy.

As they say hate the player not the game. That's actually not what they say but you say it now.

and now starring Jeff Bezos as Steve Jobs

Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos wants it both ways: He wants to change the way we read without making us feel that we have to change the way we read. The manifestation of this lofty goal is the Kindle - the company's first electronic book reader. After testing the device, I found much to like but plenty of room for improvement. At $399, I also think it's overpriced.
The Kindle is hardly a new idea. There have been plenty of attempts in this category, including one called the Rocket eBook reader and, most recently, the Sony reader. But none of those has done much to wean people away from paper books.
But Amazon has something none of the other players can match - the world's largest online bookstore and a powerful position with the publishing community. Its library of 90,000 e-books includes almost all the bestsellers.

I am very interested in this new iPod for the publishing game.

I am not sure it will catch on but the fact that it is produced by Amazon makes it fundamentally different from any other attempt. Previous producers were tech companies like Sony. This is Amazon’s business. They have access to the publishers, the authors and most importantly the readers. To many Amazon is the publishing business. Probably them and Barnes and Noble. I would argue that the majority of people buy their books from those two outlets, their local bookstore and their local library.

This also had me asking a few questions

- How is that the music business can’t keep a retailer like Tower open while the publishing business which is not nearly as big or culturally significant can support a mega retailer like Barnes and Noble?

-Is there still a place for retail in the music business?

-Having access to 90,000 books is great but how the hell do I navigate all those choices. It’s bad enough with all the music choices we have. Books take so much more time

-The music business needs to go through the same overhaul that the publishing business did when other media (radio, TV, Film) kicked their ass. Raise the profile of your industry. Add a real cache to your industry to increase its value. Do something to separate the music industry and its product from the internet, DVD’s, and TiVo
(more on this later)

The SC weighs in on Fiascogate

Just like the Iraq War and Don Imus the ‘attacked’ has changed the discussion to suit their needs. Somehow this has turned into a generational battle. This is about respect, institutional knowledge, and integrity.

1. The Lupe defense is that he shouldn’t be crucified for flubbing the line. Agreed. As Q Tip said himself, it happens. However when you are essentially inducting a group into the de facto Hip-Hop Hall Of Fame you should NOT flub the line. Out of respect. When you do. Be apologetic. Show some respect.

Lupe may not give two flying f&cks about the Tribe (although his interview on Kay Slay now says the opposite) but there are millions who do. Respect that. His dismissal of the flub combined with his comments to the Village Voice, Vibe and the little old SCR feel like a comprehensive smack in the face to those of us who can and do quote Marauders, Low End, and Peoples.

2. Lupe may not think he is not connected to ATCQ but he most certainly is. The fans think so. As does Vh1 and Atlantic as the record shows. But regardless of those operations he is connected in spirit.
Who does he think paved the way for his post integration, skateboarding, and nerdy, eclectic persona? The Abstract. Plain and simple.

The old saying is still true. If you don't know your history you can't know your future. We must get out of this celebration of ignorance. If you are a Hip-Hop artist it behooves you to study your predecessors. Tribe, Pac, Big, 8Ball, Mannie, Outkast, Luke (see Brian Coleman for the whole list, suckas).

Ignorance and youth are simply not excuses used by enlightened people. It may be funny (Shanae) to call people like me a dinosaur but this is a billion dollar business. This is serious business. This is how I eat and how I feed my family. The danger for our culture is when someone spews this sort of ignorance while being lauded on XXL as the future of Hip-Hop. How many young kids 25 and under are now looking at Tribe as irrelevant because of what this ‘young lion’ says.

3. Bottom line is Lupe does or did not honor ATCQ, so as a man he should have refused the honor. Let Phonte do it. He loves our heroes. His tribute would have been sincere.
You compromised yourself Lupe for the limelight and that's wack.
You should have waited for the 8Ball tribute if you love the space age balers so damn much.

And can I say how ignorant his position really is? Let's listen to Midnight Marauders. If I had my way that album would be required in the Public School system. 'Keep It Rollin', 'God Lives Through'. Go see Aqua Boogie for more.

That album represents a true addition to the African American cultural dialogue. Much like Ralph Ellison’s ‘Invisible Man’, or the work of Gordon Parks, or Romare Bearden.

I'm out

Kweli beats Swizz!?!

this producer will move units


As reported by SOHH who provides Soundscan for us cella dwellas with no account - Talib Kweli trumped Swizzy by 20,000 copies.

I don't know what's crazier:

1. the fact that with all those marketing dollars spent on One Man Band Man that he lost to Kweli. BET commercials. SOHH and alliphop tags

2. That Kweli beat him with no radio play (that I know of in my ignorance) compared to 'Money In The Bank'

3. and no video play

4. That Swizz only did 40k. Blacksmith and Warner have to be happy with Kweli's 60K

5, The complete inability to parlay Swizz's monster year of outside production into personal success. Wait a minute. Didn't that happen to Skateboad P and Timalam (Timbaland). Maybe these producers are latent human brands with way less visibility outside of industry circles. Maybe those producer advances and publishing checks are so sick they don't care. (Swizz uses a chopper to get back and forth to the city so we know he ain't broke.)

I really thought Swizz was gonna be a sleeper
Well I guess this does prove there is something to these inteligent backpackers (jaded major label A&R drones).
Is the okayplayer/brooklynbodega/sandbox/hiphopsite demo that strong still.
Stronger than the too sexy for my shirt demo of Fader/Pitchfork/whatever 'now' blog
That's Common and Kweli. 1 and 2 respectively albeit in weak weeks.

"Battle For Cash" excerpt

After some advice from a talented young woman in publishing who has been fighting the good fight for our boy Brian Coleman I have finally started working on my book ideas with some level of seriousness. At least five minutes a day to start. I was up at 6:00 am working on this for the book "Battle For Cash: Hip-Hop and The Art OF War"
Let me know what y'all think.

...The reason I am drawn to the Wu is same the intellectual magnetic pull that draws me to Master Tzu. No other creative collective has been as consistently organized as the Wu Tang Clan. Only Jay Z has had a better run in the short history of Hip-Hop business. And even that is apples and oranges as Jay has only been able to provide his own success while his proteges have floundered in comparison (SCR note: except Kanye where one could argue was Dame's crowning glory) . That is not a knock as I personally like Memhis Bleek, Beans, and Freeway. However their annual numbers barely compete with the monthly numbers from 'Kingdom Come.'

On the other hand The Wu has delivered their own million sellers. At one time or another their derivatives Method Man, Ghost, ODB, and Raekwon have produced critical and financial hits since 1993.

After reading RZA's 'Wu Tang Manual' I realized that along with luck and talent their success is due to the basic tenets of strategy and execution. Lessons that Master Tzu teaches every day.

...The title 'Battle For Cash' is appropriate because that is what this is. Not a game, the ever so popular euphemism. A multi billion dollar business that is a cultural and social juggernaut. Hip-Hop influences fashion, film, literature, politics, and thanks to Hip-Hop Harry even child programming and elementary education. It employs thousands directly and indirectly. Make no mistake this is a battle. A battle for cash because cash in this world gives you power. The power to make decisions. And I believe harnessing the power of this culture is the single biggest inspiration for the disenfranchised since the Civil Rights. So let's prepare for battle because as Master Tzu would say the best opponent is the one who does not realize there is a conflict.

I give you permission to...bite it

Swifty, Eb, Boogie and The Bea are out of town. Getting some much deserved and needed R&R. We are chilling with two sets of grandparents, 2 aunts, and three cousins. What does that mean? All my parents know. That means babysitters to my right, playmates to the left. All the amenities you don't get in BK.

Anyway, while I was chilling on Saturday night. Making sausage and peppers and sipping some vino with Grandma I get an email from two of my peoples who shall remain nameless. One asks me how he can get into my event at the Empire Fulton Ferry State Park and the other recommending that Microsoft cut me a royalty check. I am referring of course to the Live At The BBQ event presented by Zune this weekend at the same place the BHF calls home, Empire Fulton Ferry State Park.

I wish I was there but all reports seem to indicate the organizers got some...'inspiration' from our Bodega team. The email I got on the Treo used words like 'carbon copy', 'biter','1/5 the people' and 'better VIP.' LOL

At first I felt pangs of territorial anger. We opened that park up to Hip-Hop, we pitched Zune on BHF sponsorship, I know who got that Zune account and it seems like we just got cut out of deal. After another glass of Yellow Tail (quality, cheap wine from Down Under BTW) I realized I needed to grow up. It's not my park. I may have never seriously been in the running for the Zune account. And if the State is up for doing more Hip-Hop down there then that is good for me, the Festival, and Hip-Hop in general. A courtesy call would have been nice but hey they don't owe me anything.

I peeped a bit on You Tube this morning and it was definitely a good look to get LL. Some of those other acts we have already had (insert person biting apple sound) and their stage was much better. So you know what, I am gonna learn from this and make my event even iller. So to Zune and all those who received inspiration from the BHF I give you permission to bite it just like the song says. It's all good. There is enough out here for all of us.

I am off to the pool with Miles Boogie before this SC sun reaches its zenith and gives my black ass heat stroke.

And for the record my VIP was gonna be the shiznit before Amp'd went belly up and I had to cut my budget. Next year I am gonna have poles all throughout the triangle in the Warehouses and bad chicks giving out lap dances. Nachos and cheese waterfalls with four kinds of cheeses and beer bongs.

Generals and Solders - Swifty's Art of War

To be a good general you need to be a good dolder. To give orders you must know how to take them. However good solders do not neccesarily make good generals. Some people are not built to be entrepeneurs. Most entrepeneurs are not built to be executives.

What is unfair is how we forget how symbiotic the two are. A general is nothing without his crew and of course vice versa. The most important thing is realizing which you are. Don't try and be a boss just because that is what you think you are supposed to be. Don't become a boss just because you can. You may be able to do more damage (and make more money) as a truseted right hand man or woman.

I was mentored by several entrepeneurs who taught me the ropes. From my pops to Nick Eisenman at Nervous Records to Claudia Cuseta at Maxi/Max'n (anyone who remembers that is my motherf*cker). I, in turn, have tried to pass on that knowledge to young cats that have passed through our office as well as coleagues and friends who I have worked with over the years. I hate to see talented cats waste their lives afraid to live out their dreams. What I have realized is that this is not the path for everyone.

I am an entrepeneur and I don't think I would do well in a larget system. Working for someone would certainly be a challenge, to say the least. Entrepeneurship is one of my passions. Taking an idea from light bulb to fruition is what lights my fire. But I couldn't do it without my team.

And because you came up with the idea does not make me the smartest cat in the room, nor does it gurantee you will be the richest cat in the room. In fact, with the risk you take you will be poorer than most and appear dumber than everyone.

To all the solders in big systems, rocking it, I salute you. To all the entrepenurs with no savings and two mortgages, but a heart full of desire and brain full of ideas. We are brothers.

Institutional Knowledge

A follow up to the post about the 'things go in cycles' post.

My brother once pointed out that the music business or more particularly the Hip-Hop world does not make institutional knowledge a priority. There is no desire to learn from past mistakes.

Hip-Hop seems to be obsessed with making the same mistakes. Artists seem to love to complain about labels since the same beefs are endlessly regurtitated. I was listening to ATCQ 'The Business' on XM. The one with Jamar, Sadat and Diamond. They are saying the same shit I heard Kweli and others complain about during a recent town hall meeting.

But what is more interesting is how the people who do watch the cycles make money. And there is no better operation doing that than Jive Records.

( I must mention this point has been not so subtly made to your boy Swifty by an inside source at Jive who has a Phd. in tooting horns. )

Putting aside whether you like their records or not we must pay attention to their hustle. And their hustle is working. A trip to Target (like I had yesterday) or a read of the Daily News (wink) will let you know that.

T Pain. Kells, Lil Mama, Huey are everywhere. Who gets the credit? A&R? Yes. Marketing? Yes. But who really gets the credit is the Jive records philosophy. They've been doing this for years.

Since the days of BDP and Too $hort Jive has employed a business model of watching trends. Finding local hits and rolling them out nationally.

In the late 80's and 90's they jumped on the Afrocentric, intellectual vibe of New York which begat ATCQ and KRS ONE. They watched Too $hort in the Bay and then bankrolled him. They also caught the indie Bay wave and signed Casual.
When the worlds of sports and Hip-Hop really converged they caught that and signed Shaq.

There was no greater earner than when Barry Weiss caught the boy band, pubescent fire in the pants wave and signed N Sync, Backstreet, and Britney.

It was my old deadbeat tenant Mr. Dave who pointed out that as long as they are pubescent girls there will be boy bands. There was nothing new about Justin Timberlake. We just forgot. We forgot how much Donny Osmond, The Bee Gees, Jackson 5, Michael Jackson, New Edition. Bobby Brown and even Elvis earned. Jive didn't. They jumped on that cycle and earned hundreds of millions.

You may laugh but Kells is Sam Cooke. Down to the scandal and affiliation with sports figures.

And a look at the rack at Target reminds us that they are at it again. They may not be the best records but even a hard head like me loves 'Bartender.'
But most of the industry doesn't care about making classic records. Most of y'all wanna make that dollar. And if you wanna make that dollar you'd better watch those cycles.

Daddy don't you know...

...things go in cycles

I think I have written about this before but it occurred to me again today about the wonderful cyclical nature of Hip-Hop. I like to romanticize the past as much as anyone but remember:

- The Scream Tour is the New Edition Tour
- just as many people hated EPMD as hate Young Joc
- my dad hated RUN DMC because they called people 'Sucker MC's'
- Just as it seems anyone from Atlanta and the South can fart and make a hit record it was the same way after NWA. Everyone was from Compton and South Central after "F*ck Da Police"
- Slick Rick rocked more gold than R. Kelly has ice on the 'Double Up' cover
- My man Giggy used to tell me how Cold Crush was the real shit just as I tell young'uns KRS is the best ever
- Remember when KRS said 'we'll be the old school artists'
- LL vs Moe Dee is Jay vs Wayne (generation wise)
- 'Chicken Noodle Soup' is 'Pee Wee's Dance'
- Lil Mama is Antoinette
- El Michels Affair is The Brand New Heavies
- Dave Chapelle is Eddie Murphy
- Stones Throw is Cold Chillin'
- the iPod is the Walkman
- New Era is Kangol
- Nike is still Nike, however

and the list goes on...

My unofficial thoughts on Amp'd's Chapter 11

In bullet form because the kids are all up now and I am on the clock

• They bailed the Festival out last year when other sponsorship deals fell apart so I can't throw them under the bus


• All the people I have dealt have all been cool and professional


• I have run my own business for 12 years and I know how tempting it is to believe the dramatic stories of executive incompetence and failure


• the reality is is it's never quite that simple


• Beware of the haters. the difference between a supporter and a 'I Told You So'-er is usually a check


• When people are making money from you, you are are a visionary


• When times get rough and money slows you are an idiot...or worse


• the Amp'd CEO seems like a smart cookie. The idea that this just got away from him seems less than logical


• I was reading a blog comment where some cat was baffled at how rapid growth can lead to financial problems. Obviously that guy is no MBA nor has he ever run his own shop


• Fantastic success is often worse than tremendous failure


• Think about it like this. Miles growing out of his clothes is just as bad as me not being able to buy him clothes in the first place. The result is the same.


• Chapter 11 is not lights out, that Chapter 7, I believe. Chapter 11 is give me a minute and stop calling me so I can get my shit together


• This could be a ploy in a power struggle between Amp'd management, the board, and Verizon that we are simply not privy too

Let's all just stay tuned and see what happens.

Thanks Kweli

this guy appreciates Kweli

Let's keep it real, the mega human brand that is Kanye 'to the' owes a tremendous debt to one Talib Kweli Greene.

Before Kanye was too sexy for his shirt he earned his backpacker respect by producing 'Get By' and a bunch of joints on 'Quality.' I remember when we recorded 'Mood Swing' - the joint Kweli did with Asheru. Kweli was playing joints off of 'Quality' and talking about the beats he got from 'this dude Kanye that works with Jay-Z.' My response was 'you mean that dude Kane?' (a problem with Mr. West's plaques).

Kanye may have hit gold with H to the Izzo (overated) and the Scarface joint but he got his Hip Hop Nazi/Bougie Hip Hop fans from Kweli.

The inspiration for this post? Listening to the 'Get By' remix on the C train. Which made me think of the line (and I paraphrase) 'Hov ain't get a beat from me in a minute / He heard 'Just To Get By' and I was re-hired.' Even the Louis Viton Don would agree. Plus I remember an interview where Kanye spoke on how he modeled his live show after Kwel and how going on tour with Kweli was the biggest boost to his career.

Anyhoo, I say this to say how fucked up it is that Kanye's status has so wholehearyedly eclipsed Kweli's. On paper Kweli is a better MC although not nearly as entertaining. The bottom line is that there is no good reason why there is a such disparity between the two.

Kanye should take out a full page ad in the Times thanking our man Twig Ali aka Kweli. (what up Hodge).

(Another 'who cares' moment. At the Apollo in 2002 or something with J-Live. We had to share a dressing room with Kanye. We looked on the door and was like 'who the hell is this'. Went in. Drank all the beer and ate all the food. 20 min later Kanye and crew walk in with the same look. 'who the hell is J-Live?' They bounced and an hour later I'm like who is this clown rhyming in a white dinner jacket. Who knew?'

Hip-Hop is worse than I thought

..well for me at least.
My problems go beyond the personal this time. This is about business.

It has been more difficult than it should be to find a headliner for the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival this year. Last year we hit a home run/got lucky with BDK and Lupe. We were able to get 'A' level talent that fit our mission of positivity, family and creativity.

I think we got lucky again with Ghost this year although the kids may have to do 'earmuffs'.
We did fantastic with sponsorship this year as the BHF brand has gotten stronger and stronger. We had $ to spend!

The headliners we thought would fit our mission were outrageously expensive. And outside of that list it was slim pickings.

Common is doing two shows in NY a month before us.

Kweli - ditto

Mos wanted a down payment on a brownstone

De La was not interested in playing NY

Kanye - a king's ransom

ATCQ - four years tuition at UVA

Luckily Cons and Skillz were down.
Old school wise, sadly there aren't that many dudes with a good show, a big draw, affordable rates, and in line with the mission.

Now if we wanted to do Summer Jam Jr. our options were seemingly endless and more affordable.

I guess this is no shock to anyone but it does suck when you establish your mission, raise the money then have to work to spend it. Is it really that hard to find the Lupes, Little Brothers, Kanes, Ghost's, Brand Nubians and Mayas?

There should be a better balance.

New Rules

New Rules inspired by the Don Imus saga

1. Don’t blame Hip-Hop for the world’s woes.


2. Cite references – stop using phrases like rap artist, rap business, and record labels without citing one actual name, title, or executive


3. old white men with a history of bigoted behavior can definitely not use Hip-Hop as a scapegoat


4. if you don’t know Hip-Hop, don’t speak on it and show your ignorance


5. and if you don’t know, do your research


6. When we (Hip-Hop) have nothing to do with drama keep our name out of your mouth


7. Don’t invite website editors (Aqua Boogie, allhiphop) to your show (Sat morning on MSNBC) and not do any research of the aforementioned editor’s and his writers published opinions. “Why was there no protest about Three Six Mafia winning the Oscar?” There was plenty, idiot host. Ever heard of a Google search?


8. If your name is Pat Robertson or Fat Tony from the McLaughlin Group stay away from me. Because after the garbage you spewed on Sunday I will punch you in the face if I see you. “Don Imus did no evil. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are evil.” But thanks for exposing yourselves as the sick bigots that you are. I love it when the shroud of the Dark Side drops. Regardless of what you think your boy got axed, learn from it.


9. All in all I feel bad for Imus. His ignorant ass got a 50 year education and ass whooping in about 10 days. Which inspires my last rule: It is 2007, bashing of women and endorsing racial stereotypes will no longer be tolerated. When you run your mouth, be prepared for the heat.

Those damn rappers

Imus has done a great job rallying his supporters around an misinformed attack on hip-hop.
I find it presporous that a 66 year old white, male shock jock is so overwhelmed by the negative language in Hip-Hop that it is to blame for his degrading comments.

Did I miss the I-Man (as pseudo journalist Joe Scarborough lovingly called him) down on Fulton Street shopping for mixtapes. Is Don Imus parked in front of 106th and Park after his show? Does he bump the Drama King while commuting back and forth to work.
I highly doubt it.

So how can he blaim the misogyny in Hip-Hop for HIS comments?

and please can one reporter cite a lyric, artist, or song that corrupted poor I-Man's precious psyche. Stop grouping Hip-Hop as one monolithic voice. What Jeezy feels and says is not what Consequence feels. Nor do Three Six speak with the same voice as Common.
And while you're at it stop speaking about 'civil rights leaders.' Be specific. Call out Al and Jesse. Let's deal with their track record for standing up against misogyny. And let's also look at Imus's record of bigotry (Gwen Ifill).

Also recognize that there are people in the industy who condemn those pesky rappers for their overwhelming negativity. Some of thise people are in this very office.
but bottom line stop it. Be an adult you cannot pin your demons on T.I., Cam or Jay Z. Be a man Imus. You wilded out and got called out. Take your licking like a man and call Kramer over to the crib. Y'all can pop some popcorn, snuggle and watch a marathon of Tarantino flicks.

Imus dr.ama part 2 - before the firing

so Imus is trying to use the rap defense. Rappers use bitch and ho so get off his back.

So we are giving rappers this much power? Excellent.
So when rappers rap about reperations, universal health care, police brutality I expect everyone to follow suit. Grant them the same power and influence then as you do now.