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I’m always amazed at how many people get scared and run away from huge opportunites if their daytime job is threatened. We’ve been trained that nothing else is more important than pleasing your boss; whether its coming in earlier or staying later, working overtime, etc. Some people get paid $7-$12 an hour and work like slaves. I overhead a drummer saying that his band had scored a cross country tour of several colleges and he didnt want to do it for fear of not having a job to come back too. I guess waiting tables is more important than selling CDs nowadays huh?

There will come a time when you will monetize your buisiness. When that happens, take whatever profit comes in and use it to grow that business. Whether that means paying a designer for a better website layout, faster computers, better business cards, whatever. The concept is to just invest in things that will bring more customers to you and attract higher level customers to your brand. Also, make sure to use the cash to reinforce your current brand message by taking new photoshoots, renting office space, etc. It will make your current customers feel stronger about retaining you! So go out there, take that money, and put it back where it came from and watch your business grow. A successfully run business of any kind is one of the best assets you will ever have!

So that makes them dinosaurs. The couldn’t adapt to a changing world, so they died, and man took its place. Same thing is happening to music, accept Apple’s iTunes is usurping the market. Apple doesn’t care whether a single sold 7 or 7000 copies, because it doesn’t have to hold a physical product. Walmart has to sell 100,000 CDs to justify giving it shelf space, whereas iTunes has enough shelf space as it has terabytes. Apple sells music from all over the world, all styles, from large artists like Beyonce to artists most people have never heard of like Mansun (my favorite band no one knows about). Either way, it makes its 35-40cent commission from every song regardless of how much it sells. But the RIAA is still trying to stop file sharing and pirating, without seeing that Apple has already solved that problem. Record companies are dinosaurs, and they are dying a slow and painful death. Go indie, its better.  

I noticed that no one wants to recognize anyone else’s achievements, and the vibe is always one of tension and resentment. That’s wack as shit by the way. We don’t do that over here. There is no egos with my team, no “we think we are better than everyone else” mentality. I just want to play my guitar, make beats and rap all day long, and if I can collaborate with another artist im always down for that too. But the problem with Rap is that everyone wants to work on going up and up and up, and forgetting about the scene that’s present on their level. Newsflash people, the labels aren’t looking for you anymore. Unless you come out the gate with a #1 single and it goes platinum I think its better to start a movement grassroots style. Lets build on our level, pack out clubs together, take the same bill across the country and grow together, and get to a point where we can goto CocaCola and negotiate a touring deal. That’s my vision for Hip Hop. O’LehDoIt

Its a lot easier than I first thought. The reason why most people never get started is because they think of every single reason why something is going to fail, not work, go wrong, etc. Me, on the other hand, I do very little thinking. I have a goal, a plan, and I know what needs to be done to get there and I do whatever it takes to accomplish that goal. You mother WILL think you are insane. Your friends WILL laugh at you. But come next year, when you’ve been signed/hired/made $1 million they wont laugh or think you’re insane. They will respect you, and admire and be inspired by the amount of courage and will it takes to achieve a goal. So remember that if you decide to become a blogger/rapper whatever, just do whatever you need to do all the way. 

Produce less, but better products. As a Gemini I know its tempting to want to start several projects, and quit halfway when it gets tough. But what most people don’t realize is that everytime you start a new project you are giving birth to a potentially new company. Lets say you’re an artist; that’s a business in itself that requires 110% to get off the ground and monetize. But then you want to be a photographer as well, another business in itself. Then most also try to be radio hosts, and bloggers, and more. Whats wrong with this picture is that if it takes all this attention, time, and footwork to monetize and run one business, how can you successfully do that for 2 or even 3 businesses at the same time. Its impossible, and time consuming, and you end up failing at all of the businesses. The best produce less, but their products are ALWAYS far superior than the rest.