The truth about your town, city or state

[fame_keyz]

Last night me and my girl got into a deep convo about my future with music and what direction do i see it going. Great thing is my girl supports my music, so there is never a conflict with the time i might spend doing it. The biggest point of our talk was the lack of options in the city i live in(Syracuse) and the fact that i might just have to travel east (to NYC) and the fact that i dont know where to start. She was even like "lets just hop in the whip and go to nyc". I was cool with it but then what do we do, where do we go, what do we say. I know alot of you guys got alot of gear and have so skills but lets face the facts if your town sucks for music what are you really gona do. Just like a kid from idaho that may wants to be a actor he is gona have to go to cali...I read so much about how to get it poppin from getting a artist to what ever. What happens if peeps from your city aint got the skils or the love like you do. What plan do some of yall have that the city yall live just aint gona pop when it comes to music and you have no choice but to leave are you really gona do that and how do you think your gona go about doing it

 

[afriquedeluxe]

man where am at i dnt kno if theres lots of opportunity compared to places like newyork n ting, dats why i be gettin up on da net. lukily ive finally found sum serious artists down here to work wit, its nuttin big but ill hav sumtin lil to work on.

 

[voorheezMP]

I feel what your goin' through. I'm from a small town called Bridgeton NJ. Lots of talent but no outlets. There's enuff talent but some are lackin' that's star quality, you know, that hunger. I got to travel to Philly or NY to try make some major moves. So if it's anything like here, you got to get out to make things happen. Tha net is one good thing also, I see you all ready doin' that. All that together you can't go wrong, plus hot trackz. Yo check this out it might be some help. I'm about to get on too. I can't link this cuz I'm on my sidekick but here's tha site www.dynamicproducer.com if don't know about it already. Good luck my man.....
Okay it didi link.. So there it is.

 

[KIRK T]

..

I feel you on the move thing.. & I considered it myself before.. But if you dont want to or cant or like me, want to raise your family upstate.. You just need to get in the mind set of considering syracuse and NJ both close enough to the city. The trick is to be there at least couple times a month in the mix of things. & stay available. You need to consider syracuse 35-40 minutes from NYC. Fact is, Jet blue is $39 from the cuse to NY. I spend more than that on gas, food & bridge & tunnel tolls when I drive! So when you're networking on the phone or on the web or in person with people.. Don't think of yourself as bein out of town. Fact is, you can get to manhattan almost as fast as someone taking the train from coney island.

Its best to have someone pick you up at the airport so you aint shellin out 30$ for a cab if youre in a hurry.. But whatever you do.. Make that trip. You'll incerase your chances of makin shit happen for yourself 10x over. Cats livin in a vacuum here in syracuse.

Peace & good luck..
& come to the next beat battle its gonna be alot of label heads in the house..
Judged by: A&R from Shady Records, A&R from Def Jam & A&R from Bad Boy.. + You never know whos gonna be in the house.. Its a good spot to network. (www.FatDemos.com).

Get at me & I'll send you comps.. Gotta look out for my syracuse people!

 

[Phonetik]

Yo, some advice to you man. Unless you are unhappy where you are living right now, dont go anywhere. I can understand your want to go to Nyc or a place with better "outlets" or "connections", but yo, it is 2003 you can do everything without pulling your ass from your computer chair. Talk to people online. Find people who want beats, and once you find the right person over your tracks push the songs like cooked cocaine on every corner. Iam talking get your shit out there! But keep in mind of the snakes that want what you do. Use your resources to the fullest. In terms of your girl, that is great that she supports you because the second a chick gets in the way of your goals cut her the fuck off. You are a lucky man. Goodluck to you. ONE

 

[young le]

i disagree with Phonetik, u cant do everthing from your "computer chair" i mean there are plenty of hot rappers without internet access. I mean I understand the internet is huge and a great resource, but at some point u have to put yourself into the real world. how many major people in the industry actually hae gotten a deal over the net. True, it can be a good starting place, but at some point u have to venture into the actual music world

 

[Ash Holmz]

yo fame what up , im in syracuse too. for the moment im in manhattan interning at a major...just meetin people....shake hands.. get numbers and refrences.... but my mission aint to stay up there...of course if somethin pops off while im down here then of course ill stay but i wannna start my business in cuse..... i know mad talented heads upstate.... syracuse.....rochetster..buffalo... the problem is niggas dont wanna network and get serious ..evrybody just tryin to do they own thing on they own block..... but in truth it aint that hard to network from where you at...... one cat i know...got signed outta middle of nowhere in kansas...look at nappy roots...theres also a couple of rock bands from cuse bout to blow...like candid daydream..my man plays bass guitar for them...gotta push hard....put snippets out on the net.... make trips to cities... hand out samplers.... get a rep so you can submit demos to labels... or ifnd a hot rapper thats hungry..u might have to give away sum shit but it could pay off in the long run...those beat comps can't hurt either...have your girl and her friends hand out stuff..(people for some reasson take things from girls rather than guys...especially if they look good!) its all about famalirity...on sum real real shit u gotta get at them white college chicks ...if they start likin an feelin ya ish...its there.... im gonna lay low this winter an get my mixes complete and all that...next spring me an my crew will be all over syarcuse..bus station...armory square....university hil.....evrywhere...got some connects that night get us on late night power 106....got some good peeps that will help me promote innyc and staten isle too....my best freinds brother, he from cuse but signed to indie in kansas city....... syracuse is open cause thers mad niggas got mic skills but no hot producers and dj's...most cuse mixtapes are garbage....nice ryhmes but theeres mad flaws in the mix so end up sound unprofessional...open market...in the meantime get my internet page lookin official and tight(my shits a mess right now)....peace and good luck

 

[Equality 7-2521]

word to what young le said

 

[fame_keyz]

Its not that i hate Where im from its just that aint shyt here as far as music and to get it poppin im gona have to go to Nyc. Im not saying im ready to get up and move to nyc just have to take a trip but i really dont know where to start. If anybody been to the Cuse then youll know everybody is only recording songs for there boys on the block to hear, that shyt is weak to me now. Funny thing is i got a hot rapper that im gona push....i have 24 tracks of him that i just got done mastering...A New York cat that now lives in Atl but im here so im gona push him up here and he gona do the same down there but im just tring to get a game plan. Im not trying to just go to a new city and be like duh where do i go where do i start. I need some land marks to start at....i guest im gona have to start doing my home work on this one.

 

[Ash Holmz]

if that block shit is weak to you then change it.... syracuse is actually a decent market.... trust me i look at soundscan reports, bds, salts reports, and distribtuion charts very week...... im not sayin that cuse is a big time city or anything im just sayin that people have "gotten on" from much smaller places than cuse and if u add up sourounding cities...albany.....buffalo...rochester...maybe even binghamton.....thats a VERY large market.....only cat that has made noise straight outta of cuse is seth marciel....but his time might have past and i bet none of the producers in this forum have never heard of him.... ....cuse niggas aint serious....i am....you got to market to the right people...the people on ur block aint gonna get u doe...you got to have at least some mainstream appeal....good people skills ....... im downtown all the time... i guest dj up onhill.. im always in the mix...and word up i nevr seen a flyer for a rapper or a poster announcin an album up on the telephone poles or message board/ never see cats out in th streets when the bars closin handin out samplers/ ...then if you go NYC...there evrywhere...cant escape em..... it there just gotta take the inniative and really get urself out there...

 

[Droopz]

you wanna talk about small city, try Green Bay Wisconsin. We up in the midwest have the hardest time gettin some sort of respect. I mean shit we got ill emcees, b-boy crews, Dj's and Graffers but rarely do you see midwest. Don't get me wrong i love where i come from, it makes me work harder to were i wanna go. And yah i wouldn't mind living in NYC or Frisco or L.A. But my style is midwest no one eva gonna change it. Call me what yah like but anytime ill throw down.

 

[KIRK T]

Bottom line is, you're right, you need to get out of wack little syracuse to make shit happen.

PS: I'm not a cuse basher, I wouldnt live here if I was.. But this business requires you to be in the mix of things. But my opinion is it dont matter where you live if you're willing to travel..

 

[Phonetik]

Young le,
Believe me, I know that lots of "hot rappers" dont have internet access, because alot of them live near big cities, where they can get exposure. Alls Iam saying is that if fame doesnt want to leave home the internet can be an extremely resourceful tool, especially these days. DO you know how hard it is to put yourself "out there" these days?Nearly impossible. Everybody seems to be rapping today and most of it is wack shit. GOing to shows to give rappers your demos is truly a fuckin herbass act, which will probably result in someone spitting in your face (unless you got skills) Record execs dont have the time of day. The best way to get recognized is to perform at venues locally and if you are good enough success will come to you. Build your own emopire and if it is meant to be great things will be rewarded. Goodluck

 

[bigdmakintrax]

The area I live in is right outside of DC, there are a lot of producers and rappers in this area, I work some different camps here and there is a lot of street level out of the trunk sales of music, I don't really do a lot of the local production, that is primarily rap based music however the college crowd supports foundation hip hop still.......but this is a good area because you don't have to be locked into 1 type of production style....you can do dirty south, you can do RNb....you can do Neptunes and club tracks and find lots of talented rappers and singers to use your tracks.......I am not really concerned about trying to hit it big because I do a lot of street level production and sell enough tracks to pay bills....and save money for new gear..

 

[Ash Holmz]

basically u just can't be wack..... people listen if its good..they don't if its not..... if u hand shit for free....or hand someone on abusiness card with a link to website...they MOST LIKELY will visit it.....even just for a second...... they MOST LIKELY wil give it a listen.... if it wack its wack....they will toss it....... go to the webistes where they interview a&R.... evrything gets heard by soemone...... im sayin maybe at def jam or shady or somehwre with a star studded lineup, they throw shit away without even listenn...but indies....smaller lablels, local venues.... they listen to evrything...if u rocking shows.... someone wil hear....they may write your name down..kepp watch on your progresss....not cpontact you but file away your name.... an A&R i did sum minor work for...got a big ass book.... people he never contacted...but he watching them..if they make a major move or drop somethin unbeliavble he's the first that gone snatch em up.....it cost the label alot of money to sign an artist...they want to be sure..... they wanna see that u have following.....nearly impossible to just send a demo an get signed....nearly impossible to give a demo to exec and get signed...... especally if you striaght hip hop...im not i make hip hop,dance,r&b,electronica, evrything........i would say treat the business as if you were runnin your own compnay...don't wait for responses.... go out and do your thing as if you know you were nevr gona get signed by a label..... and yeah kirk i hear what u say...but no one done this in cuse... no one has properly marketed a hot product in cuse and surrounding areas before.....u rejecteing the idea before u try..... to me thats negative attitude..... if u can't get heads feelin you in own town how u expect to go somewhere else( where u know less people) and get signed....not gonna happen....only by chance and extreme luck unless you already got established connection..... i live in nyc...there's nigga's on the subway droppin fire for pocket change....there dudes that play instrument sick...the employess at sam ash music can just get on a couple keybords and kick some nasty shit right there in front of your face....u still got to network....work hard...just cause you in a diffrent place don't mean you gon suceed......acting is diffrent...they actual shoot films in hollywood so you gota be there...musicians come from everywhere.......get signed from everywhere......make noise wherever u at... cuse or manhattan.... i don't even do shit wit msuci at the label i work at, i just deal wit business..... tryint o prove myself as busines man.... so they take me serous......im jusy makin connects ritgh now ...thats it... i don't hand out nothin down here.....no music...... just make connects and meet people.... so next spring/summer...when my shit is geared and ready.... illl start travelin evrywhere......il have some connects...and they know im serious and bout business