Rappers, Producers, Labels... When Will You Call It Quits?

[og MS]

I've been affiliated with this shit for the past 10-11 years... started out as a street rep, back when it was really the fun thing to do. Then eventually did the label thing... and for the first 2 years or so.. it was really fun as well. Personally , as a label owner... in this point in time, I think it's truly under-appreciated and overrated position. You get to a point where you want to just walk away. I feel like I've given my all in more ways than one and I'm almost to the point where I'm done. You think to yourself, "what am I in it for?" For me, It damn sure isn't money, because indie rap money in these past few years has sucked. Chain stores, One Stops and Distributors have been swallowed up by the game, but I still feel the need to hold on. I've gone too far forward to turn back, however this shit has taken its toll. Seems as a label owner youre in a no-win situation almost all of the time. Because loyalty is few and far between and relationships are based on money rather than genuine wholehearted understanding. I've rambled a bit... but ask yourself.. When Will You Hang it Up?

I'd like to hear from the various artists, producers and labels and what your thoughts are and if the game is burning you out... What drives you to keep goin?

 

[Daddy Rich]

this is a good thread man just stay with it alot of cats been doin it for a long time as far as the lable situation i feel ya i think one problem is cats hook up there friends and do alot of bizz with there inner circle its cool but in some situations are they lying to themselves this shit starts with talent if u dont have talent the drive and the willingness to work,listen and take the good with the bad then this game aint for u the bizz is serious and should always should always be takin seriously speaking for myself the thing that keeps me goin is my luv for the music i think thats were it starts i would do this forever wheather i make money or not and still have the same drive and passion and i think that attitude has helped me alot another thing is the positive that u recieve as long as people are still interested in wut u have to say or wut u do then thats a blessing in disguise to have people that u dont even know wanting to listen to ur music and get sumthing out of it good things come as long as u keep at it so my advice to u is dont hang it up there is so many ways to be succefull in this bizz and i know u already know that just keep hustlin pz

 

[HIGHERRECORDS]

this music thing is about movement..............

thats what im in it for. all the stereotypes, all the lookin down upon. we all human bottomline. money makes the world go around no doubt but at the same time fucked up this place we call home. we all know the money isnt what they think. but u get what u put into it. bottomline if u in it for the right reasons and thats with any thing u do, good things will follow. how many people out here are really in it to make a difference. and when i say make a difference i dont mean tellin a bunch a lies and pushin people in the wrong direction, but lettin these kids know the streets aint cool, and the niggas in the game 4 real feel me. theres no light at the end of the tunnel. the only light is when u get out....................
my bad for the little rambling. as far as when things might stop. when i see that we arent makin progress then i might ask what am i doin. but ive been doin this music thing 4 3 yrs now and learn somethin new everyday. the cats that know me know how things are progressing. patience is somethin im barely learnin to have....... and the willingness to do what it takes regardless of the situation to get the job done. with lil to no resources weve dropped 4 albums. everyone has sold more than the next. in 2005 we got resources and the knowledge to start makin an impact like yall will see very soon...... Suni Entertainment......... read about it..........

 

[kontac]

me its the love i feel you 100% but i have been in the game for over 10 years i have been throu fucked up distrobuters like music people i say them because before they went under they owed me $6,000 for a single i had man the song made it to billboard and everything and all i got from them is $500.00 made me want to say fuck it then a few years later had a deal with mack 10 and hoobangin records on the table went to la 3 times they had my name on the up coming thump tour and everything 3 weeks later they lose there deal with priority still enough to make you quit,2 years later hooked up with grand jury records micheal conceptions label they fly me to l.a. i stay in the mansion and every thing in 2 music videos in the studio with teddy riley only to get put on hold enough to make you quit right?made me say fuck this im gonna do it on my own now 2004 i got a film coming out dropped 3 three albums this year got 2 labels hollering at me one i will tell you i not holding my breath its RAP-A-LOT i have talked to J PRINCE twice ANZAR "REDBOY'JENNINGS,and others they talking real good but im not gonna hold my breath my film will get me in the door i also made a mistake trying to help every one else come up as well a lot of cats dont apprciate it but you know what im gonna stay helping cats out on my film i got cats on there big time on a national level i have never hated on a cat in my life all you artists out there keep doing ya thing it will pay off if you believe it will happed

 

[GAME INSANE]

Dont hang it up MS, yall will make it.

Yall have come alot further then many labels..Maybe you just need that 1 artist that will come along and make everything change for yall, and take you to another level.

I think I see things differnt as a label owner because Im also one of the artists and producers. Its not all about the business to me, because alot of my satisfaction comes from the music we make.

Just a few cents..

 

[MrPeete]

For me, the "game" just wasn't moving fast enough. I understood that it wasn't going to happen over night and that I needed time to grow musically and all that but it never moved in the direction that I wanted it to quick enough for me. A lot of the projects that I worked on, I shouldered a lot of responsibility from a musical standpoint. Producing, recording, arranging, going to mix down sessions, going to mastering sessions - that shit is time consuming and after a few projects it takes it's toll on you. Especially if you're on your 5th or 6th album but from a business standpoint you're still in the same place you were with your 1st album. To those that know my work, notice that when I was involved with the production of an album, I was REALLY involved. I would handle 70% - 90% of the production which goes back to the point I was making about the process (on my end) being time consuming.

If you're doing the indie thing like most of us are (in my case, was), you aint doing it for the money - cause there aint that much money in it. Some cats do make money though. You're just trying to catch the ear of someone in the industry hoping something gets through to someone with some connections. I wasn't fortunate enough to get that break. You can only bang your head up against a wall for so long before you get tired of banging your head up against a wall. One of the last albums I produced, I said to myself, "If this don't break through the way I want it to, that's it - I'm back to a regular job" and that's what I did. You gotta know when to hold em and know when to fold em.

-Also- I, unfortunately, suffer from a thing called 'artistic integrity'. I want to make good music that's true to me. Before I made my final decision to go back to being a "regular Joe" I entertained the thought of just making beats all day and selling them to anybody and everybody buying beats. I could have (probably still could) whored myself out to the 8,000,000 "artists" out here in the bay and made a killin but fuck that, I want to make some good shit. I'd rather work my 9 to 5 than do that.

QUICK (SHAMELESS) PLUG - Vote for ESPN NFL 2K5 for Best Sports Videogame at www.spiketv.com

 

[mr2productionz]

ogMS

aw man...im just starting out but i got some plans layed out. for real. and when i look for inspiration or need to set a goal, i look at a select few. 2daface being one of them because im from stockton and no one can say they aint doing it the biggest in stockton. but past that, in the central valley and the whole state of california, i cant help but look at you and all of the work you have put out. the product that you make is plenty and top notch. kve is a big thing to me...dont let it go away man. matter of fact, i was hoping to hook up with you and see what i can learn from you. music is life....remember that.

 

[yung-g]

well i'm still new in this game, i've officially been in this shit for the past 5-6 years, ya feel so i'm still learnin & goin thru shit, as i speak. but thru my last few years, i've progressed alot, yet at the same time been involved in alotta faulty situations wit some fake ass people in this game, but its all part of learnin and shit. i've yet to make $1 off of my music yet, so if it wasnt for the luv of the music, and just creatin sumthin new every time i step in the studio, i woulda quit like last year or sumthin. but i know i haven't put my all into this game yet, so until i do, i cant call it quits.

 

[Checkmate Muzik]

Never!!

 

[kos]

NEVER .... BUY OUR NEW SHIT......

 

[BASEDVATO]

but its true... there's a point when you ain't doen it, and you need to start thing about the future of yourself and ya family.

how long you you gonna run in the same place for a selfish dream?

cause don't be fooled, its all a selfish dream we have to bubble!!!

I give my self 3 year from now to break anything, and if it don't I think i'm done spending money on studio equpiment and shit. At least I tryed, better then regretting when I get older

 

[GHP]

damn this thread is kinda depressing and discouraging, I'm going to recording arts school in like 4 months and am spending a fuck load of money I don't even have to attend. I was hoping to be able to make a solid living outta being an audio engineer but people make it sound like its really hard to survive in the business, well i guess i'll find out first hand pretty soon.

 

[Vince V.]

damn this thread is kinda depressing and discouraging, I'm going to recording arts school in like 4 months and am spending a fuck load of money I don't even have to attend. I was hoping to be able to make a solid living outta being an audio engineer but people make it sound like its really hard to survive in the business, well i guess i'll find out first hand pretty soon.

I would check around first with the Engineer thing, I know a couple Major Engineers who got plaques on the wall and major credits, who are doin real bad right now. It aint what it used to be. Home studios and indy engineers are taking over. People aren't paying big bread for studio time any more, and the people that already got it on lock in the major cities aint going nowhere. I thought about going to school for that too, but changed my mind after looking into it.

As far as the music thing goes, I make tracks, so it's a little different for me. I'll do this forever, even if I don't go big. As long as you keep making forward progress, you'll be alright. Shit this year has been good for me. Got some Major connects, did a commercial for Jeep /Chrysler, got on alot of albums , I can't complain. You gotta stay competitive with the major markets if you wanna break through.

People also need to realize , this shit aint for everyone. just cuz you love rap music and want big bread, don't mean it's for you.

 

[CCCUser925]

I don't own a label....but the love for the music is what should keep you going...keep ya head up MS...

 

[og MS]

This wasn't a sympathy post by myself.. just a topic to see how our peers felt about things... I agree with plenty being said on this topic and appreciate everyone's points and contributions. I'm at the point where I say.. "why do it.. just to say you have an album out"
Things are constantly changing.. we had an artists that wanted to be on shine no matter what the cost.. magazine ad in murder dog... radio spots... video commercials... etc... He wanted to be in murder dog so his folks in the pen could see that he "finally made it" I mean let's be real... finally made it? made what? murder dog ad $2000 ... radio spots on hot 104.7 $500 video commercials locally $1000 convincing people that I finally made it = priceless! It's all smoke and mirrors. Back in 1999 - 2001 we actually went that route and saw that it didn't do much more than flyers and posters could do.... With that same $3500 nowadays... we could press 1k units $1000, print 1k 18x24 posters $450, print 10 k 4x5 flyers $250 for two different projects and go to work. The project would actually be able to pay for itself... But people I'm running into expect the ads, radio spots, vid com etc... and don't expect to have to wait for the expenses to recoup and don't really care if the recoup occurs. That's what's killin the business aspect of things and leading to the demise of labels and artists.

I encourage artists to learn everything they can... especially when depending on or playing with someone else's money.

 

[og MS]

good lookin yall... didnt see your posts til after my last story i typed!

i'm actually waitin to take my real estate exam ... most likely in a couple months i'll be workin with my buddy either doing loans or being a real estate agent.

In the meantime.. I'm doing biz cards... and other designs for corporate entities locally....

 

[Law]

og ms.. you will be ight in music and in life..

you got me in it and my blood is boiling getting ready to start this shit, much love to you and robb..

i need to pm you anyway.. holla

 

[Big Robb]

WE "KVE" ATTACKED THE MUSIC LIKE IT WAS NOTHING WITH BOUT 20 ALBUMS OUT WE WORKED OUR ASS OFF, BUT THIS YR ME AND MS DECIDE TO TAKE ABOUT 9-12 MONTHS OFF TO LOOK AT WHAT WE ARE DOING AS A BUISNESS AND SEE WHAT WE CAN DO BETTER, SO WE DID OUR HUSTLE AND 8-5 SHIT AND THINGS ARE LOOKING COO.....LUCKLY WE BOTH HAVE GOOD EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUNDS AND CAN GET PAID WITH A 8-5 BUT THE RUSH, EXCITMENT, AND FUN OF RUNNING THE LABEL WILL ALWAYS BE THERE, BUT WE LOOK TO ATTACK THE BUSINESS ONCE AGAIN AT THE NEW YEAR WITH SUM NEW IDEAS AND SEE WHAT WE CAN DO AT A SLOWER PACE NOW, LIKE HOMIE SAID , GOTA KNOW WHEN TO HOLD EM OR FOLD EM, CANT PUT ALL THEM CARDS IN ONE GAME GOTA BE MULTI-GAMING, GOTA HAVE BACK UP PLANS........IF ME OR MS WAS AN ARTIST IT WOULD BE LOVLY, BUT UNTIL THEN WE HAVE A FEW WE WILL DEAL WITH AND HOPE THAT THE DEVIL DONT TAKE THEY PRIDE AND APPRECIATION FOR THOSE THAT MAKE THE DREAMS COME TRUE.......ON ANOTHER NOTE WE ARE WHO WE ARE DUE TO # OF FANS AND SUPPORTERS, INCLUDING INDIE STORES, DISTRIBUTORS, POWER PPL IN MUSIC........BUT IN NO WAY ARE WE DONE, BUT IN ALL WAYS WE WILL TAKE THINGS A LIL SLOWER, WE ARE NOT HAVING A PISSING CONTEST ON THE # OF CDS WE CAN PUT OUT........CUZ THAT IS NOTHING.........BE ON LTHE LOOK OUT FOR ALBUMS FROM KVE: GREATEST HITZ, THEN AND NOW, COUPLE DVDS, MYTH, CHILL, DREW, AND MANY MORE THAT WE WORK WITH.....STAY TUNED!


THE HORIZON LOOKS VERY SUNNY......................

 

[big_fat_tony]

Who knows about that Bay Luv Records camp. We out here doing it super grande.

(NUMP, D1, Tre Paper)=them Super Villans

free downloads @
http://profiles.myspace.com/users/7053435

purchase cd's @
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/duspervulous
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/trepaper

NUMP was born on August 27th 1980 in the one and only beautifull BAY AREA. He had his 1st musical @ the age of 3 which was a fisher price tape deck that recorded everything onto blank tape. Young NUMP would use this fisher price tape deck and record them saturday morning cartoons so he could listen to them later, sometimes saving his favorite ones cuz they were his classics. Nump grew up listening to rap all thru out elementary school but didn't really start to encounter it himself till the 7th grade when he was 13. He never was easily accepted to the rap circles @ his school, maybe becuz he was the only filipino in the group, but this made NUMP more to himself with his music.(which probably was the best thing for him @ the time) At 16 NUMP finally got his 1st pair of turntables. Everyday the mission was ta mix and cut the same 20 records as different as possible till you literally played out the vinyl. Him and his brother D1 (the Knockaholik) would take samples from instrumentals and rap over them with kareoke machines. Once NUMP learned how to multi-track with the kareoke machine, it was over. D1 and NUMP's only mission from there was to make tapes, but they weren't 4 sale, just for the mustang and their Drank Team. After high school NUMP started taking classes on recording @ the local junior which led ta moving to Arizona and attending the Conservatory. A year out of the Conservatory NUMP was and is currently house engineer at Infinite Studios(owned by Bay Area legendary engineer Michael Denten) in Alameda, CA. This shows why when you listen to NUMP's material the sound is always a major reason why it got you doing tha bobble head. When NUMP started rapping he was influenced by Too Short, Ice Cube, 8Ball & MJG, E40, Hieroglyphics, 2Pac and 2 Live Crew. Him and his brother used to write songs while listening to the classic 8Ball & MJG "On top of the world". Being a DJ helped NUMP get on his p's and toes when it came ta rappin to the beat and picking up the beat. NUMP's 1st song that he released was "flows b4 hoes" and it had a big underground buzz. That song made it to his debut albm NUMP Tha Album Dus Pervulous. That albums has sold over 3,000 copies underground and out the trunk. It features the single "Krankin" which was getting weekly spins on local radio stations 106.1KMEL and 95LIVE www.95live.com. The album features trax produced by D1, NUMP and Tre$Paper and guest appearances include; Tre$Paper, The Nut, J.Dranka, Maria Morell and Ron Quesada on Guitar. Currently NUMP has just finished a group album (Them Super Villanz) and a Mixx Tape (The Ugly Bay Mixx Tape edition 1). You can request his 1st single off his second upcoming album (The Numpyard/Will Rap 4 Drank). The single is called "1 Mo Gin" and it features Droop E (E-40's oldest son) and it is produced by D1 the Knockaholik. The album is due out early 2005 and has a lot of surprise guest appearances featuring on the album. Also NUMP is out there collaborating with all artists that want ta expand their catalog and get NUMP on a verse. He is Pro Tools cerified so its nothin for those that are outside of the Bay Area. Just contact NUMP @ [email protected]. http://www.siccness.net/vb/attachme...tid=56363&stc=1

one luv BAY AREA
'Big Fat Tony'
Bay Luv Records Street Promotion Director

__________________
REQUEST: NUMP "1 Mo Gin" Featuring Droop E on 106.1 KMEL 1(800) 955-KMELBay Luv Records presents "Them Super Villans"...Album hitting the turfs in October 2004
NUMP... "The NumpYard/Will Rap 4 Drank" coming in 2005Who knows about that Bay Luv Records camp. We out here doing it super grande.

 

[GAME INSANE]

Lookin foward to hearing that Drew album...

Sounds like yall know what yall doin'