Where's your head at?

[robb_lowe]

I ask myself this on weekly basis. Where do I want to take my music? Are my goals realistic? Am I doing enough to get to where I want to be? Am I willing to sacrifice time and money to get there? Are my tracks "shop worthy"? Am I ready for the competition that's out there? Am I willing to play my tracks for a major artist? Am I scared to be told that my tracks aren't good enough? I bring this up because sometimes I feel that some of you aren't that confident in yourselves. I know you're asking, well who the hell is this cat to be telling me that?!? I'm here to help, not harm. I'm in the "grind" just like you guys. I think this is a great topic for discussion...(Be easy)

 

[Relic]

Im feelin good right now, and always in a learnin state..Self doubt always is gonna creep in to anyone, but I just gotta push it forward.

 

[dacalion]

Im one of those cats that believe you have to 110% in what you're doing if you want success at high levels in this game. I don't believe that an A&R cat is gonna hear your ish on the internet and come to your door or send you an e-mail saying "We want you!" Thats just not realistic to me. When I think of grinding, I'm thinking of being ALL over the internet, being ALL over the streets (not just in your area but in surrounding states), When somebody says "dope beats", your name has to instantly pop up in the same breath. Every new artist goes through some type of trail, you have to take it to the next level, matching his won't necessarily work.

With that in mind, my head has changed. I have a wife and a daughter that I CAN'T put on the back burner to put myself out there like that. Some can but my personal life won't allow me to do it. So now I'm just having fun, learning, building my sound bank, keeping my diary of the dates and the things that motivated me for each song. Just in case the opportunity presents itself, I'll be ready.

MOF

 

[robb_lowe]

Im one of those cats that believe you have to 110% in what you're doing if you want success at high levels in this game. I don't believe that an A&R cat is gonna hear your ish on the internet and come to your door or send you an e-mail saying "We want you!" Thats just not realistic to me. When I think of grinding, I'm thinking of being ALL over the internet, being ALL over the streets (not just in your area but in surrounding states), When somebody says "dope beats", your name has to instantly pop up in the same breath. Every new artist goes through some type of trail, you have to take it to the next level, matching his won't necessarily work.

With that in mind, my head has changed. I have a wife and a daughter that I CAN'T put on the back burner to put myself out there like that. Some can but my personal life won't allow me to do it. So now I'm just having fun, learning, building my sound bank, keeping my diary of the dates and the things that motivated me for each song. Just in case the opportunity presents itself, I'll be ready.

MOF

I feel you. If you don't believe in yourself, nobody else will. You have to know that your tracks are hot. But at the same time, you have to know when they're not. Not every thing you lay down is going to be fire. You got to know where your heat is at. Also, you're right about the internet. That's a form of grinding, but you can't solely depend on that. No one is going to go out looking for you. You have to be in their face. Not to diss the internet, but there's a lot of ground to cover and you won't do so on the "net" alone. You also hit the nail on the head as far as "originality". Biting will only get you so far. I have a daughter also, and she takes up so much time. Not to mention my wife. So it's family and music. I have no social life what so ever. But you know what, if I were single, I don't think my social life would be any different. I take this music stuff seriously. It's definitely not a game.

 

[robb_lowe]

Im feelin good right now, and always in a learnin state..Self doubt always is gonna creep in to anyone, but I just gotta push it forward.

Oh, I'm not above having doubts. I have my occasional "self pity" sessions every once in a while. But that's just negative spirits man. That's some unknown force knowing that I'm nice at what I do and trying to bring me down. (Some of us know what that force is, but I don't want to bring religion into the discussion, the rules man, the rules!!! LOL) So, I just slap that force in the face and step my game up another notch.

 

[dacalion]

no doubt, that was just skimming the surface. One has to be dedicated and devoted to it. It's like production is one form of many required. It's a few cats on here that I would invest in on beats alone if that were the only thing that was needed. You got to have a business sense, you have to be professional, you have to have the right attitude and many other factors to make a complete package.

I feel like some of us that are pushing really hard and have dope beats are missing the mark because of the "other" things mentioned above. How many times have we seen "true talent" make it the first few steps but then fall and never get back up? On the other hand, how many times have we heard some wack @$$ beat on the radio and making big $$? I'm convinced that they're production was just so-so but they had everything else very well placed and in order.

It has alot to do with your resources, many sign a deal with the first "joe" label they can only to find out that they were responsible for their own promotion or something of that nature. Tribe said it best "record company people are shady", that should tell us something. We have to have the right people in the right places for this business to work. Producing dope beats is one thing but making it in the industry is truely another.

Confidence in your work should be in place off top. If there is any doubt in your "whole" game, you're not ready.

MOF

 

[Sincock]

Shit, you guys are talking about a lot of what's on my mind lately too.

I got a wife and daughter that have to come first also; and I feel I stilll got a long way to go with getting my shit right musically. I been playing music in one way or another for twenty years but I've only recently been able to afford a daw etc to do what I want properly. Guess I've been too laid back about it all, but I want to work at it and get to be the best I can be.

I'm rambling;... but basically I agree with what you're saying...... Push on.
I think positive thinking is the key to do anything successfully; fuck, in my situation the internet becomes even more important cause there isn't much of a scene going on in this city that I can see and I'll be collaborating/ producing with people back home in Australia over the net too. That's the way it's gotta be and I'm not gonna be sitting around worrying over whether it can be done or not; just work at it anyway I can with the time and means I have

 

[Elgen]

i been feelin real good lately, been mad positive.. sending tracks to some of my biggest influences... hell, i've even been told i could have a beat placed on my BIGGEST influences upcoming album.. just gotta believe in yourself and take some risks... who cares if someone doesnt like a beat you made.. it could be someone elses favourite beat of all time

 

[Relic]

Oh, I'm not above having doubts. I have my occasional "self pity" sessions every once in a while. But that's just negative spirits man. That's some unknown force knowing that I'm nice at what I do and trying to bring me down. (Some of us know what that force is, but I don't want to bring religion into the discussion, the rules man, the rules!!! LOL) So, I just slap that force in the face and step my game up another notch.

agreed

 

[robb_lowe]

no doubt, that was just skimming the surface. One has to be dedicated and devoted to it. It's like production is one form of many required. It's a few cats on here that I would invest in on beats alone if that were the only thing that was needed. You got to have a business sense, you have to be professional, you have to have the right attitude and many other factors to make a complete package.

I feel like some of us that are pushing really hard and have dope beats are missing the mark because of the "other" things mentioned above. How many times have we seen "true talent" make it the first few steps but then fall and never get back up? On the other hand, how many times have we heard some wack @$$ beat on the radio and making big $$? I'm convinced that they're production was just so-so but they had everything else very well placed and in order.

It has alot to do with your resources, many sign a deal with the first "joe" label they can only to find out that they were responsible for their own promotion or something of that nature. Tribe said it best "record company people are shady", that should tell us something. We have to have the right people in the right places for this business to work. Producing dope beats is one thing but making it in the industry is truely another.

Confidence in your work should be in place off top. If there is any doubt in your "whole" game, you're not ready.

MOF

Also, you got to surround yourself with winners. People with common goals. If you surround yourself with nonbelievers, you become one yourself. You got to know when to cut off ties with people when their work ethic hits an all time low. I can't lie, sometimes I just don't feel like turning on the MPC. But give it a day or two and I'm back on it. But I know this cat that turned his shed into a studio in his backyard and hasn't been in there in about a year. (Crazy, isn't it?) For some people, if doesn't happen overnight, they give up. Me, I love what I do. It's fun to me. If I wasn't having fun with it, I would have hung it up long time ago. But at the same time, I know for sure that my music is good enough to be heard on a professional level. But I don't pressure myself to "blow up" right away because while I'm patiently waiting for my shine, I'm getting better everytime I set foot in the lab.

 

[Ominous]

Last Chance is what is on my mind.

I think this next project I am working on is my last chance to try and make something happen with this as a career for myself. I have stopped everything else to invest my energy into this. I am try to keep the music on my mind and not the consequences of failure. When you are hungry enough, you will dig in the trash to eat. It is more than an urge. It is a drive to survive. I am trying to show everyone around me this is more than an urge. I gotta eat off of this. I don't want anything else. It is a hard place to be in.

 

[Mikemaster G]

I always feel miserable or afraid that the beats aren't in the so-called "hip-hop format" or something like that. We as beatmakers always try to make music our way,not trying to copying other styles. However, a few of us does so because the style they copied is more popular than the rest. All that we want from making beats is to get known on a national level. Some may reach it, some may not, but no matter what you do, always love the music you're making.

 

[Ash Holmz]

I feel u robb 120% .. u cant doubt urself... and it pays to be around people who are positive and just as motivated as u are.. i was born in a city where nobody does anything.. there was a bunch of us, like ten cats that were heavy into hip hop .. we started off recording raps in my boys basement. We were super talented, all of us. We got togther and said that we were gonna be the first to blow fom our area. that was about 8 years ago. Long story short im the only cat from that entire group thats even still fucking with music on any type of serious level. I learned how to make beats, how to record, moved to nyc, got on my grind and now i got an album coming out. A couple friends visited me the other week and i played some sneak preview joints off the album. When they heard it they flipped and now they wanna get all on the songs and they keep buggin me about sendin beats and shit like that. When in the five years that I been doin this I barley heard a word from any of them. Basically my advice is, make ur moves, if niggas aint motivated or they are not on ur level/wavelength .. fiind some other cats who are and grind with them. always keep it moving. evrybody has their downs and dissapointments, but if u really love what u do, u will end up alright.

 

[robb_lowe]

I feel u robb 120% .. u cant doubt urself... and it pays to be around people who are positive and just as motivated as u are.. i was born in a city where nobody does anything.. there was a bunch of us, like ten cats that were heavy into hip hop .. we started off recording raps in my boys basement. We were super talented, all of us. We got togther and said that we were gonna be the first to blow fom our area. that was about 8 years ago. Long story short im the only cat from that entire group thats even still fucking with music on any type of serious level. I learned how to make beats, how to record, moved to nyc, got on my grind and now i got an album coming out. A couple friends visited me the other week and i played some sneak preview joints off the album. When they heard it they flipped and now they wanna get all on the songs and they keep buggin me about sendin beats and shit like that. When in the five years that I been doin this I barley heard a word from any of them. Basically my advice is, make ur moves, if niggas aint motivated or they are not on ur level/wavelength .. fiind some other cats who are and grind with them. always keep it moving. evrybody has their downs and dissapointments, but if u really love what u do, u will end up alright.

Man, everything you said is almost exactly how things went down with me man. Now, I'm pretty much the last man standing. Me and my younger brother has the "production team" going, but at the same time, I'm not going to put all my "eggs in one basket". I've made that mistake too many times. I have to make more moves than one. We both have that understanding and that's what's cool about our situation. All the mistakes I've made, I've become a better producer. Even if you're in a situation when you're with a team, sometimes you'll have to be a "self motivator". I've learned that no one I've encountered personally works harder than I. I think about this music stuff 24/7, 365 and I think that's why a lot of cats quit when they work with me because they realize this "ish" is real and they get scared. I do have a couple cats that's stuck with me through this whole ordeal and they'll always have first "dibs" on all my tracks. It's so funny though, when "hobby" cats found out I went to "Nottz's" studio, they assumed that I was about to blow, now they want to call.

 

[robb_lowe]

Last Chance is what is on my mind.

I think this next project I am working on is my last chance to try and make something happen with this as a career for myself. I have stopped everything else to invest my energy into this. I am try to keep the music on my mind and not the consequences of failure. When you are hungry enough, you will dig in the trash to eat. It is more than an urge. It is a drive to survive. I am trying to show everyone around me this is more than an urge. I gotta eat off of this. I don't want anything else. It is a hard place to be in.

I don't believe in putting that kind of pressure on myself because I won't have fun making tracks and my music will sound forced. I still live my everyday life dude. My life is too good man. Making beats to me is equilvalent to "taking a big deuce" (a dump), it's based off a feeling I have in my gut and I just let it out. It's natural. I don't worry about making money off of music because if my music is good enough, I'm going to reap some benefits. Right now, it's all about getting my "ducks in a row" before I put myself out there. Moves are being made. There's no age limit to when you should blow up. If you nice, you nice. No one is going to say, "that beat is hot but brotha you like 35 years old". If it's hot, it's hot. (No, I'm not 35, that was just an example, LOL) Don't put that kind of pressure on yourself man because you're taking away from your music if you do. Trust me, I use to do the same thing. But now, things are falling into place little by little, so I sit and wait patiently, but still make moves in the process. (If that makes any sense)

 

[Sincock]

I don't believe in putting that kind of pressure on myself because I won't have fun making tracks and my music will sound forced. I still live my everyday life dude. My life is too good man. Making beats to me is equilvalent to "taking a big deuce" (a dump), it's based off a feeling I have in my gut and I just let it out. It's natural. I don't worry about making money off of music because if my music is good enough, I'm going to reap some benefits. Right now, it's all about getting my "ducks in a row" before I put myself out there. Moves are being made. There's no age limit to when you should blow up. If you nice, you nice. No one is going to say, "that beat is hot but brotha you like 35 years old". If it's hot, it's hot. (No, I'm not 35, that was just an example, LOL) Don't put that kind of pressure on yourself man because you're taking away from your music if you do. Trust me, I use to do the same thing. But now, things are falling into place little by little, so I sit and wait patiently, but still make moves in the process. (If that makes any sense)

That is so true man, music is so much more than what money you can make out of it. If that's all someone's getting or asking for out of music then they should be doing something else. I am an older bastard but I don't give a shit. I like my life now and enjoy making music even if it's only for myself and friends, (which it isn't but you get my point).

 

[Ominous]

I don't believe in putting that kind of pressure on myself because I won't have fun making tracks and my music will sound forced. I still live my everyday life dude. My life is too good man. (If that makes any sense)

That is so true man, music is so much more than what money you can make out of it. If that's all someone's getting or asking for out of music then they should be doing something else. I am an older bastard but I don't give a shit. I like my life now and enjoy making music even if it's only for myself and friends, (which it isn't but you get my point).

I hear you guys. Yall make sense. But I am at a different place right now. I don't try to put that kind of pressure on myself but the pressure is there. If you put faith in yourself and your abilities, there is pressure not to fail yourself. It also comes from other places. We all have to answer to someone. It is usually ourselves. But in this case, I am trying to answer the pressures put on me from other places. The people you want to feel your music is where pressure can come from. The people who are relying on me and wondering what all my efforts are going to produce. There is pressure not to fail them.

It is not so much about the money. It is about sustaining. I think Ash said it earlier. A big distraction is work. If we all didn't have to work, we could focus on our craft. Well I got rid of my distractions. I have no excuse for not getting music done. The goal is to make music my work. But the pressure I face is being able to sustain what I am trying to do. You can't keep your fire burning and you don't have wood to burn. Right now this music is all I got, so I have to get something with it to keep it going.

 

[Sincock]

^^^ Don't feel like we're trying to criticise you. That certainly wasn't my purpose. By all means keep that drive to do something but from what you're saying maybe you could use a different perspective on things. I don't know what you're situation is right now so I can't comment but IMO life isn't always so simple and cut and dried as that, shit really does happen that you can't plan for and things go in directions you might not have expected, just be ready and don't paint yourself into a corner.

don't be living your life by someone else's expectations either.

Not that it's any of my business.

 

[Relic]

Also dont eat anything unless you buy it with money made from playing...
Thats a motivator eh?

 

[Fury]

all i knoe is my head is drunk and i cant find a sample and its getting me aggravating synthesizers lets go!!!!