Okay I know what you're thinking, what gives me the right to make a statement like that? Well a lot of folks don't like when you compare the work ethic of secular rappers to christian rappers they say that I shouldn't be doing so. But the truth in the matter is that new believers and non believers constantly compare christian rappers to secular rappers and one thing they might notice is the fact that releases and news are kind of slower when it comes to the christian hip hop world. Rest of the Article after the Jump!
Now before I get started I would to address one thought that everybody will have and that is regarding our beloved artist Lecrae and the Reach Label and its artists, they are in special case since they don't allow two releases around the same time nor they allow mixtapes to intervene with album releases, in other words every artist must wait their turn. I will say that I should expect their artists to still release bits of free music here and there regardless if a label mate is releasing an album. Now that we have gone pass that thought I would also like to address the fact that in this article I will not mention any secular artists names or affiliations but will address their ethics and strategies. Now what has inspired me to write this post? The fact that looking back I have seen a diminish in solo projects released by some of my favorite artists. I won't mention names for time sake but if you look at the christian hip hop community right now and ask what are you currently listening to? A large majority will answer Lecrae's Church Clothes and that is because there is not a large number or mixtapes or albums being released to challenge Lecraes listening share. Now in the Secular industry, rappers release a ton of music to generate buzz before album release or to gain fans, get signed, recognized, or to build hype. Now the secular industry is much larger than our own, but to scale we can see artists lack the motivation to continue to record music after touring, for some reason they like to extend their vacations for over a year. There are some artists that were heard on Reach's DJ Official Collaboration CD Entermission 2009, and then never heard of again, and it's that they lacked skill because they delivered the best songs on the album it's just they haven't felt ready to drop anything since. We have seen our industry boom into something everybody has now sees our presence! We even have veterans thinking of coming back (Gospel Gangstaz, T-Bone, Corey Red) because the business is booming and fan base is growing large. Now shouldn't that motivate these artists a little, aside from the biggest motivation of all and that is that Christ died for your sins and your father happen to give you the gift of rhyme so spread the message with your gift through music. Now before I start to address the news flow in the community, I would to say that there are plenty of exceptions to the statement because of label deals and what not or just some artists that provide us with plenty of music. Now in terms of news, this is a major problem, I haven't some artists names that I play a lot on my music library. We have great site like Rapzilla, Da South, Holy Culture. But as much as they cover they can't be like a paparazzi and stalk these artist some of the news and promotion the own artists should be in charge in giving news to the sites or even the labels and managers. Now as we can clearly see our community has not become 100% efficient, a couple of labels have already (Reach, Humble Beast, Syntax, Xist) but as a whole we still have a few artists that are slacking. But that is soon to change since the impact of christ is reaching over everyone and revival is being sparked. The industry is a business but also a mean of spreading the Gospel and made a holy practice by God himself.
God Bless!
I think that this is a good article. I would like to piggy back and share some thoughts. I think that some Christian hip hop artist are lazy and really just want a hand out. Some may look at Reach Records but have no idea the hard work that goes into making that label work. Also artist need to understand that if they really wanna get a labels attention they have to not only put out good music but show they have a movement behind them because of how hard they are working. 1 great example is Andy Mineo he had a movement before he got the deal and if you pay close attention you see Andy working like the label isn't there. Also artist need to educate themselves on the industry. There are many blogs, websites, and youtube videos that can help educate the artist on the business. Many of our artist think they made it if they land on Rapzilla or Da South. These are good tools but they are not the in all be all to get your music out there. You have to work hard at marketing and having an amazing internet presence. You have to understand the power of branding and promotion. If people are really willing to work they will stop looking for hand outs and go get it by putting in hard work.
ReplyDelete^^^^^( gets standing ovation)
ReplyDeleteMany artists are waiting for the "perfect set up" to drop their material. You see bands delay releases, drop a single every 8 months and think it's "building anticipation." There are also artists that focus on gaining the attention of artists/groups in order to get "put on." All of these strategies make artist lack productivity. Most rappers do not tour like rock bands do. The sense of entitlement mixed with pride keep them from being the "indie" artist because they are "major" in their own mind.
ReplyDeleteAs with the mainstream who consistently drop material, CHH artists have to keep content out, consistently perform and build their brand!
@Applejaxx bro u hit the nail on the head with that one. i see that side of things as well.
ReplyDeleteNot all CHH artists are lazy! I mean we've got independent guys like JB Real who are overlooked by sites like rapzilla and Da South who always release hot singles every months sometimes three. That dude has also an amazing internet base fan! I mean i'm from Africa. The first Christian rapper i heard was JB Real.. This guy is dope bt much underrated and overlooked by media.
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