MU$IC

   What’s going on y’all?! Hopefully, you guys are sticking to your New Year’s resolutions and if not take a look at my previous blogs to gain some insight and inspiration. The topic at hand is for my music lovers and students of music, no matter the genre you can probably relate or debate. And my question to y’all is this, “Do we really need radio and major labels?”

   Back in the day artists needed to be discovered by an A&R  from a major label to put their music out for the masses to hear and to make money off of their craft. Maybe I am blind, but I don’t see why an artist would want to be signed to a major in this day and age. Majors would give you exposure, get you airplay, book gigs for you, and distribute your music to brick and mortar stores. 

   Today, if an artist has quality music and a strong internet connection, they can do everything that a label promises to do and still keep most, if not all of their money in their pocket. I feel like a lot of these talented and ignorant artists are searching for deals, when they should be searching for a team that will build with them instead of use them. You look at the Billboard Hot 100 and all you see is gimmicky ass music with no substance. Now we all know that’s the majority of “pop music” from the 2000’s and decades past but, very rarely have we seen a “crossover hit” in this era of digitally altered music. In the past we have always had genuine music break in to those charts. And if you want to know what genuine music is then you don’t need to read this blog. 

   I see so many people complaining about their favorite artists or a great song not being played on the radio. Honestly, who the fuck still listens to the radio? With Satellite radio(which I feel is on its last leg, but that’s another story…ain’t nobody tryna pay $20 a month for radio), iTunes radio, Spotify, internet radio, etc. Only time I listen to the radio is if my phone has died or I forgot my iPod and even then I am listening to sports radio because the radio only has 12 songs in rotation and they’re trying to program you to like the song. You know you listened to “Tuesday” about 17 times on the drive home from work due to the radio and all of sudden you’re like, “this is catchy, dude can’t sing, but it’s not THAT bad.” But the first time you heard it sans Young Drizzy aka I cry when Mickey D’s doesn’t give me a girls toy with my mighty kids meal, you thought the song was *insert trash emoji. All I am saying is if you have a favorite artist that’s not being played on the radio or a hot song you feel needs to be played on the radio, share it with your friends and strangers on social media. Social media has changed the promo game, radio is dead so quit being butt hurt about radio politics. If you enjoy DJ’s on the radio and are tired of hearing the same 12 songs, I guarantee that there is a podcast/soundcloud that fits your taste…without the struggle music. 

   My advice for up and coming artists with talent, follow in the wise words of Joseph Budden, “wanna talk about bars, mine leave it to be/never needed an A&R, mine needed me…I aint spit ether yet/you need a major, I just need an ethernet.” If you don’t follow those wise bars from Mouse, then most likely you’ll get pinned down on a major that’s only looking for the here and now, then you’ll be left doing youtube videos and bitching on social media about how you need to be let go out of your contract. Keep your freedom, don’t even sign a distribution deal…folks don’t line up at Best Buy anymore for compact disc. Only time people hit those stores for cd’s is if it comes with an exclusive track or a damn glossy of the artists’ Instagram pictures. You can distribute your music on CDbaby and they’ll hit all of the major digital download formats for you. Protect your art and get paid for your time, quit releasing your best tracks as a mixtape for free, all you are doing is spoiling the fans. You spent your dollars to put out something that won’t return any money? Tuh! And even if you have a friend with a recording studio and a buddy that does web design/graphic arts so you didn’t have to spend money on this mixtape… y’all spent time! Time is more valuable than money and if your time isn’t worth $$$ then you are hustling backwards. All that time and energy that’s spent on a mixtape can be spent on an album and if you want to build a fanbase you can release a few tracks and release videos of your recording sessions. People want to feel like they have grown with you and if you interact with your fanbase they will have no problem spending money or their iTunes giftcard for your debut album. 

   Omaha, Omaha, Omaha rappers, y’all need to quit treating rap like a hobby. Either you’re in with all ten toes or you’re going to get a 9-5. You can’t half ass with your craft then expect whole assed results, it doesn’t work like that. You know you can’t cheat the grind. And as far as “my city doesn’t support me or my squad” well newsflash, nigga, give the city something to support. You can’t do 1 show on the chitlin’ circuit and expect to have the city on smash, you have to work and have a MARKETING PLAN!!! You can’t be out here looking like the average joe and talk about you are a rapper, you have to look the part to become the part. And no one is going to give you shit for free, bruh bruh. If someone does they are still spending their time with you and again time is more valuable than $$$. So don’t start something that you can’t finish because no one likes for their time to be wasted. And put out quality product. The city can’t support someone with dated music, you dropping tracks that’s been recorded back in 07, talking bout “check my new shit out!!”. We know it’s dated cause half of your bars have references to how you caught more bodies than the shooter from Virginia Tech(RIP to those victims) and how you cook crack better than Ratatouille. Build something, you can’t just drop a mixtape and expect niggas to co-sign when niggas still call you by your gov’t name. Hustle harder(that doesnt mean to spam folks mentions on twitter with your datpiff and youtube links. also, quit posting shit on folks wall and tagging em in trashy flyers, fam). Peace Isa. (and yes that is a picture of yours truly blessing the mic)

For all of my music lovers make sure you support the headphones over humans movement click here.

Stop being polite to assholes that bother you when you got ya headphones on, fam.

#WeWorking

#iHustle

Follow Me: @OmahaHostage

Hair Like Wool

            

             Cultural Appropriation is defined as the adoption of elements of one culture by members of a different cultural group, specifically the use by cultural outsiders of a minority, oppressed culture’s symbols or other cultural elements.

            Now that you know what cultural appropriation is let’s move on to the topic at hand. Twitter has been in an uproar about a white girl who posted a picture of her box braids hairstyle. Don’t know what box braids are? Just think Janet Jackson in Poetic Justice. This is nothing new, you and I know white folks love to borrow from other cultures from food to body types (word to the Kardashian/Jenner clan). But what some folks don’t seem to understand is why this cuts deep.

            As far as the hair issue goes there are so many stories circulating across the web about how certain hairstyles on blacks have caused them to be suspended from school or denied job opportunities. So to see the fashion mags, blogs, and tv shows big up a white celeb for bringing cornrows to the mainstream is nothing more than a slap in the face. Especially, when blacks have to fight the good fight just to wear a certain hairstyle. That’s why there’s such a huge back lash on this young lady, it’s not her it’s what she represents. Little black girls are reminded daily that they’re not pretty unless they have “good hair” which equals a weave or a relaxer and some of those little girls are now grown. And those grown women do not have time to sit back and accept the bullshit that the media has been feeding us for decades. Amerikkka loves black hairstyles on a white face.

            Then there’s the body issue, black women have been ridiculed for being curvy and having full lips for centuries in the light, but in the dark, well we know how much Amerikkkan men love coke bottle and pear shaped ladies. Now those baby making hips and plump asses are making plastic surgeons millions upon millions due to the Kardashian craze. The same goes for the collagen lip injections. Amerikkka loves black features on a white face. There seems to be a pattern here…hmm?

            This also can explain the Igloo Australia backlash; here is an ivory white Aussie that sounds like Sweet Brown when the beat drops. Now back in August it was uncovered that this woman was trying to be the next Brittney Spears/Christina Alligator/Mandy Moore. And there was no “Southern Twang” in her singing voice. Now she’s mocking rap music and killing our eardrums…like I said before Amerikkka aka the “I don’t like rap music, but I love Eminem” crowd loves black music with a white face. To sum it all up: “It’s not acceptable for you to do it, unless we cosign it, or we discover it from you.” –Amerikkka 

            And as far as the Oscars not having any black nominees (#OscarsSoWhite)in the major acting categories, it’s just a reminder as to why we need to stop trying to measure our achievements to a white standard. And for the “what about black on black crime” crowd on social media that loves to throw out some bullshit rhetoric to deflect from the real issues at hand, you only get half a bar…

#WeWorking

#iHustle

 Follow me: @OmahaHostage

A Billion Dollars Later, Now You Understand Us...

              

            So the Wall Street Journal just released an article stating that the Ohio State University football program is valued at $1.1 billion. Yes, a college football team is valued at just over a billion dollars. Now this proposes the age old question: Should college athletes get a piece of that pie?

            I know a lot of the athletes on that field or court have their education paid for them via athletic scholarships. But when players are making the university millions of dollars and not having food to eat (Shabazz Napier) it makes you think Are these kids getting a fair shake? Just look at the endorsements for the uniforms, the television ad revenue, the “angel donors”, and so much more that’s raking in so much money, but your athletes are struggling to make it to appearances/practices due to their beat up cars word to Maurice Clarett.

  

            Would paying college athletes get kids to stay in school longer instead of being one and done? Just look at how many NBA players/prospects do the one and done, or go to play Euroball after high school. This would make for a stronger draft class for the NBA. The one and done guys are still developing their collegiate game while in the league and showing their potential 2-3yrs later…word to A.D. of the N.O. Pelicans. And Kobe hit the nail on the head about AAU’s but that's another story. Getting paid might turn some athletic teams around and help with recruiting. Just look at how Oregon turned their football program around mainly due to Nike taking over the branding of the university. Who knew having several different alternate jerseys and exclusive kicks from Nike and Jordan Brand would elevate the ducks?!  Cash is king. 

            Now you’re asking, “How would you pay these Athletes?” Many have proposed paying the players like employees bi-weekly. I’ve seen articles that said that they should be paid anywhere between $500-$2,000 bi-weekly. If it was as high as $2k every two weeks then you would have the McDonald’s workers picketing outside of stadiums because taking the fries out the deep fryer and putting salt on them is the same as running 4.2 40yd dash and pancaking a 350lb defensive line man so your tailback can plow throw that hole for 6. Personally, I would like to see the colleges put up some sort of trust fund for the athletes and once they graduate they will have access to that fund. That fund would include a percentage of the revenue generated from that team during the duration of that athletes college career. And if the athlete doesn’t graduate and still wants to access the fund he/she would suffer a harsh penalty up to 40% of the fund. I believe that this would help those athletes step away with a degree while also honing their skills in the athletic field and making them more valuable if they chose to pursue going to the league.

What are your thoughts and opinions? Comment below.

#WeWorking

Follow Me: @OmahaHostage

Monday Morning Motivation

  So it's Sunday night and you are dreading going back to work/school. Why are you afraid of Mondays? Mondays are the beginning of the work week, Monday is the beginning of the end, Mondays are depressing...excuses, excuses, and more excuses. Let's throw them out the window and conquer. Everyday is a work day, if you are working towards your life goals, so don't let a damn day ruin your plan. #iHustle

  Here is some more Monday motivation for you courtesy of Gary Vaynerchuk:

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New Blacks Or Old Coons?

             

                Good ol K dot aka Kendrick Lamar had some choice words for the black community in a recent Billboard magazine article in regards to the events in Ferguson. He was quoted saying, “I wish somebody would look in our neighborhood knowing that it's already a situation, mentally, where it's f---ked up. What happened to [Michael Brown] should've never happened. Never. But when we don't have respect for ourselves, how do we expect them to respect us? It starts from within. Don't start with just a rally, don't start from looting -- it starts from within.” Boy if you don’t shut your midget ass up!!! Cheese N Rice, Jesus Christ…what the hell is wrong with these black celebs? 

            Kendrick Lamar is from Compton, CA muthaf*cking Compton, bruh. And he is telling the black community that we need to respect ourselves and they (white supremacists) will respect us? That view from the ivory tower must be foggy from all that Hollywood smug. Blacks were brought to this country as property and we are always reminded of that every damn day, from social studies books to the television. We got our freedom due to the new system of Capitalism and the south’s economy thriving from free labor, not because slavery is wrong:"If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it"-President Lincoln in an open letter to Horace Greeley. We were hosed, arrested, beat, and killed for standing up for our basic human rights…and in our Sunday’s finest. But the “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” rapper is telling us (again) that we must respect ourselves. 

            It’s a slippery slope when artists speak their minds about current events and it gets even more dangerous due to the twitterverse. Twitter is amazing when it comes to airing out bullshit. The people on twitter will get you the f*ck up out the paint like DeMarcus Cousins. Besides that dumbass remark from K dot, we haven’t heard much from our favorite MC’s and crooners, Nicki Minaj spoke on this when she was doing promo for the Pinkprint, the Anaconda tamer said, “People say, 'Why aren't black celebrities speaking out more?' But look what happened to Kanye when he spoke out. People told him to apologize to Bush... And now you haven't heard him speaking about these last couple things, and it's sad. Because how many times can you be made to feel horrible for caring about your people before you say, 'Fuck it, it's not worth it, let me live my life because I'm rich, and why should I give a fuck?”  These “new blacks” (thanks Pharrell) have the soul of an old coon. I just hope people enjoy their music and not follow in their footsteps when it comes to this system of injustice. And 9^th Wonder yes we read the whole article…still doesn’t take away from what that boy said.

#WeWorking

@OmahaHostage