What I Learned In 2 Years of Being a Rap Artist

March 8, 2021

Ever remember your parents telling you “don’t believe everything you see on TV” growing up? Turns out they were right.

I’ll try to break this down as simply as possible (seeing as this is my first post and I’m not expecting too much reception).

My name is King. I’ve been writing since I could hold a crayon and it’s always been my release. My music just gave my words a voice. But that’s neither here nor there. Two years ago I decided to pursue a career in the music industry as an independent artist with three goals. One, learn as much as possible, two, learn to make money doing what I love and three, transcend the catacomb maze of hypocrisy the music industry is often accused of.

“I think it’s possible for anyone to rap. If not blessed with natural music ability, a hustler mentality and strong work ethic can create a solid career in my opinion.”

– KING

1. Anyone can rap but not everyone can make a living off of rap.

It’s absolutely insane how many artists I meet on a daily basis and, let me say, the bar of what qualifies has dropped. Well, not really because, of course, good music will sell. If not good, then controversial or conversationally provocative personalities and larger-than-life brands will. Let’s be frank. Most people are not serious about learning the business side of things. They see chains, fame and dames and go running into the blinding light of stardom. Except there’s a harsh reality that we all face at some point. The image of the “struggling artist” is not one that sells as much anymore. To add to that, it’s on YOU to put in all the hard work. A label will not come and save you if you don’t have industry plugs. Sorry. Just the truth. When you’re not connected money talks and bs walks. If you’re not making and flashing money you are not successful in most people eyes. My first check from music I still remember was about $2.00 total (all streaming services added up). That was 6 months, “organic promotion” and 1,000 plays later. WHICH LEADS ME TO MY SECOND POINT….

2. Money talks and bs walks but most money is BS anyway.

When connections and familial ties aren’t in your favor, or even the lack or a strong supporting network, money talks. Now I know it may sound vain, but money creates financial freedom (if used and budgeted correctly) which creates opportunity. And THAT is the key half the time. Just getting in the door and then running with what you got. If you’re taking Triller videos in your mom’s basement to a 30 second clip of your “newest single” that’s poorly engineered thinking it’ll catch the RIGHT ears, I’m sorry you’re wrong. No serious label A&R or rapper is sitting on Instagram at 4:30 AM scouring the bowels of the internet for undiscovered talent. It just doesn’t happen. But, if you DRAW attention, take quality studio videos, get professional photos done or create original engaging content that is the first big step to creating an internet presence worth talking about and sharing. But like I said, that takes money. A $50 paid promotion may get you 10,000 new views, but how many actually listen to your song and then in turn put money back in the artist’s pocket is what’s really important. And quite frankly a lot of artist’s priorities are out of whack. Instead of focusing on consistently posting quality music and opening the floor for genuine interest there’s a lot of unnecessary flashing and flexing, buying jewelry with no long term value, and pushing content on to viewers. But promotion is key as well as marketing and having a quality product. Money and talent will still only get you so far. (And extra: you can BUY fake money online, don’t ask how I know, which is what a lot of artists are flexing. It looks exactly like the real thing and costs a 10th of the price.)

3. Have a Plan

Let’s be honest here. Artists, you thought you were going to step in the studio the first time and be “one take drake”, but it probably didn’t work like that. And that’s okay. It took me a lot of time and self discovery and mistake after mistake to realize that organization is really key. Whether that’s moving with gang and pushing collectively to flood the internet and make yourselves SEO friendly by any means necessary, or simply having a vision board and setting short term goals, plans are essential. I know, it’s boring, but it’s true. As an artist especially I feel like it’s easy to lose track of time through out the year if you don’t set concrete plans and stay active in all facets of growing your career. You set an album date for April and all of a sudden March rolls up and you still haven’t recorded half your track list. Not to forget playlisting, pitching tracks to execs and steaming platforms PRE-release, marketing and advertising (because if no one’s listening what’s the point of spending all that money and investing all that time and effort), and shooting videos. But hey, “one day at a time” right? Wrong. At least for me. A lot of people crave fame and to be rich and come up with a lot of bold, vague statements like “I’m going to help the poor and give back to the community”, but the truth is if I put $100,000 dollars cash in your hand right now and asked what exactly you’d spend it on (not including any taxes) I’m sure 99% of us wouldn’t be able to make sound and sure investments off the top of our head with fully prepared portfolios.A lot of young rappers are taken advantage of by labels and that’s really what icons even like Michael Jackson meant when they say “you paid the price for your fame”. Too many artists in general are often cut on unfair deals. If you’re reading this checkout the book “All You Need To Know About The Music Business: 10th Edition” by Donald S. Passman. I think the author really covers the ins and outs of record deals, royalties and financial responsibilities of the industry and music releases.

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