Branding Yourself

One thing I have noticed about the music industry recently is that it is not only about just the lyrics anymore. Artist have to make a brand for themselves and that only make a brand for people have to identify with that brand. You also have to let people into your personal life to some extent so that they can feel connected to you in some way. Social media has played a huge role in shaping this. Following your favorite artist constantly checking their page to see what they are doing. If you are able to stand out and be different but have others relate to your movement then that will attract more people.

Kanye West and his wife Kim Kardashian

Kanye west for example has mastered the art of branding. He has created an empire that's has expanded to things beyond music now. Kanye west has branded himself as a fashion icon. His personality has been extremely controversial over the years which is what makes people interested in him. Starting with interrupting  Taylor Swift at the MTV music awards, to his most recent 13 minute speech on how he will be running for president in 2020. Mr.West has mastered the art of branding himself and he continues to shock us all with his crazy stunts and outspokenness.

Nicki Minaj Barbie doll

Nicki Minaj is another artists which has had a lot of success with personal branding. She started off with her crazy looks and alter egos, something that was never done before usually female rappers would rap about things that were gangster, but Nicki was not afraid to ad pop and girlyness to her raps. She was able to take the Barbie look and make it into her own, making millions off of products and even getting her own barbie doll made by Mattel.

I am not suggesting that we all take Kanye's West's or Nicki's approach on the industry if you are an aspiring artist but what I am suggesting is branding yourself. Giving the audience something different that they can relate to or that they can be entertained by. This will attract more people to listen and to become fans.

Music

Music can be so powerful, in my last blog post I stated that for me music is an escape. But I failed to mention that music can also take you to a dark place. In 2 minutes an artist can impact someone's life with just sound and words. They can shift someone's mood from happy to sad or  from sad to happy and then switch it back. Hip-Hop music is very influential, listeners tend to imitate what the artists says in their music. 

Yesterday I was with a group of friends and I noticed something that I never noticed before. What I noticed was that if an artist is able to get others to sing along with them, that's the key for it to be a good song. If no one wants to say what you're saying then no one will really want to listen to the song. The main thing is saying things that people want to say and repeat. Another thing that I noticed was that if an artist is able to point out to the listener something that is fairly obvious but the listener had never noticed before, then that gets the listeners attention which makes for a good song. 

A strong hook can make or break a song, there are songs that are out there that the lyrics are not as good but because the hook or the chorus is so catchy the song itself becomes a hit. I do not recommend artists to have wack lyrics and a good hook but it works for some people. If you do just make sure that its a great hook. 

A person that has been extremely successful with hooks is drake a rapper from Toronto who is part of the young money team. Drake has been able to make hit after hit because he says things that people want to say. The song which actually made me realize that if you get people to sing along you have a hit was his diss track to Meek Mill, Back to Back-Drake (Meek Mill diss) which has 66.8 million plays on sound cloud . When that song came out everyone in the room started to chant it word for word. As an artist ultimately this is the ideal situation for everyone in a room to feel like they want to say what you are saying and repeat it. 

When writing a song this is definitely something that I will be keeping in mind. Music is about selling words, you are selling a lifestyle, your lifestyle and if people buy into that lifestyle than you will be extremely successful. 

Hip Hop Through the Eyes of A Rising Star

Hey guys welcome to my blog, if you enjoy listening to hip hop, want to learn more about the culture, or just enjoy keeping up with the times then you have come to the right place. In this blog I will be discussing current events going on in the industry, things that I find interesting and will share a little about my personal life and my experience with the music industry.

The "Barbs" showing Nicki Minaj some love.

First I want to tell you a little bit about myself, I am a college senior at Rochester Institute of Technology. I discovered my passion for music probably around middle school. I had an obsession with learning all of the words of the songs that I liked. After that I became an obsessive Nicki fan, which I am still a fan of today but definitely not as intense as I used to be in high school. To then finally writing and producing my own songs. My goal is to expand my current audience and eventually reach millions.   

Music  has been a major part of my life, its the way that I release stress. When I am writing a new song I block everything else out and focus only on that. When I listen to a new song and jam to that or a song that brings me memories of a certain point or my current situation it makes me feel like anything is possible.