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[Xavier2005]

Hip Hop Musicians and Artists Need to be more Professional If they are to Succeed


It's no secret that the music industry in this country does not look favourably upon the UK's black music scene. For years, countless acts have been signed to major labels, only to then be dropped after just having one minor hit. Lack of promotion, support and direction from the label has always been the explanation given for lacklustre sales, and the ultimate axing of an artist's contract. But our current crop of up-coming talent shouldn't be disheartened by this fact. Going on to achieve major success is always possible, as long as you're disciplined, focused, and have a strong work ethic.
Kano, Ty, Dizzie Rascal and Estelle, in my opinion, are artists who display all these attributes and more when it comes to pushing their careers forward.


The fact that they can now be seen on the front covers of mainstream publications, receive awards, and appear on high profile music shows, proves that even with all the obstacles that have been thrown in their paths, they've still managed to achieve some level of success. However it's a shame that a number of individuals from our community, who have the potential to be the next big thing refuse to follow suit. The individuals, of whom I speak, are the predominately male emcees, who convince us with their raw talent and creativity that they're going to be the one's to lift our music scene from out of the doldrums and on the road to recovery. Sadly, when you have become privy to the mindsets and the behind the scenes antics of these individuals, you soon begin to realise that this won't be happening anytime soon.

Since becoming a music journalist, I have had the privilege of interviewing up-coming UK acts, Gods Gipht I, Shiloh, Def 1, G3 NEE, and Street Politiks, who are all in the process of putting in the hard graft that will lead them in to having long and fruitful careers. But whilst they carve out solid foundations for themselves and work hard to uplift the UK's black music scene, others succeed in knocking it back down to earth, thanks to an extreme lack of professionalism towards their craft.
These un-professionals sit at home studying the likes of Jay-Z and 50 Cent and salivate at the very thought of, one day, being able to walk in their shoes. Spurred on by the hunger to live the "American dream" these emcees show great promise in the beginning. They release several impressive tracks, receive support from the radio stations and it's deejays, appear on Channel U, and create a huge buzz for themselves on the streets. But once they cotton on to the fact that the music industry involves a lot more than just putting on a good show for the "local man's dem" and is first and foremost a BUSINESS, careers begin to take a nosedive.

Reluctant to accept that this is a business and ignorant when it came to realising that all new artists are expected to work like mules, if they wish to succeed in this game, a well known emcee (whom shall remain nameless), suffered a major career set back last year, when it filtered through that he had been dropped by his label(which was no doubt brought on by his (immaturity). Now, I admit that I was not a big fan of this particular artist's work, but everything seemed to be working in his favour at the time. The music media were jumping all over him, full of praise and he was receiving some serious video / radio airplay and financial backing from a major label. Such was the heat surrounding this emcee that a then new magazine publication requested that he appear on their first issue's front cover, complete with an exclusive interview. BIG MISTAKE! When the day arrived for this artist to attend the photo shoot and interview, he could not be seen for dust. Countless ! phone calls were made to his mobile phone asking the same question every time, "where are you?" to which the responses varied from, "I'm thirty minutes away" to "I'm just around the corner" and the classic "I've got to go back home to change my clothes". After a five-hour game of cat and mouse, it was safe to say that this "star of the future" was going to be a no show. At this point, baffled magazine staff members could not understand why an up-coming artist would deliberately pass up on such a great opportunity to boost his career. Why was hanging around the street corners of London with friends his main priority on the day?

Many of my colleagues also consistently talk of experiencing the same sorts of shenanigans from a few of the artists that they have come in to contact with. These emcees will tell anyone who is listening that they're ready to sell records, own businesses, and "make money". But as soon as they're summoned to put in a days hard work of promotion, studio time and scheduled meetings, which will all prove to be extremely beneficial in the long term, they decide that for some pathetic reason, their priorities lie elsewhere and go AWOL. I mean, do they really think that harbouring a "something for nothing" attitude, mixed in with a lethal dose of bone idleness and unpredictability is going to put them on the road to fame and fortune?

If our US counterparts behaved in such a manner, hip hop would not be the billion dollar industry that it is today, with former street hustlers now owning record labels, clothing lines and beverages. Take 50 Cent for instance, he did not wake up one morning in his cramped Hollis Queens apartment, to find millions of dollars stuffed under his pillow with the keys to an eighteen bed roomed mansion lying next to his bedside lamp. No! Nothing was handed down to him on a plate. When opportunity presented itself, he grabbed it with both hands and worked his fingers to the bone, day and night, to achieve his goals, because in his own words "if I hadn't of given one hundred percent to this rap thing, my options would have been limited".

As time goes by, I no longer find myself putting all the blame on the industry's doorstep, when it comes to the UK scene's current state of affairs. Yes, we all know that it's practically spat upon by industry executives, but if the talented continue to throw away the very rare opportunities that come their way and refuse to fulfil their obligations, then the scene will always be spat upon.

It is perhaps time, for our emcees to adopt the American train of thought, when embarking on a career in music, which is to stop treating your careers as if they were nothing more than hobbies, which you partake in now and again, aim high, stay focused and most importantly....

HANDLE YOUR BUSINESS!

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