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How to Be a Rap God

September 29, 2018
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The media often portrays a career in rap, as a career that is easy to achieve. These days it may be easy to think that all you need to succeed is a microphone and a passion for hip-hop. What a lot of passionate young rappers fail to see is all the work that goes behind the scenes. The truth of the matter is that overwhelming passion by itself is not enough to head straight to the top. The Hip Hop industry is a harsh and unforgiving workspace that has a history of spitting out even the most passionate aspiring rap gods to be.

Don’t be Discouraged
Pursuing a career in rap like many other dreams comes at a cost. A job in Hip Hop demands early experiences that many aspiring stars can find discouraging. Be open to every opportunity that comes your way and be realistic about your initial expectations. Being an “overnight success” is extremely rare. Don’t obsess over the idea where you believe your career should shoot you straight to the top. Success simplify does not work that way no matter how skilled you are in your profession.

Recognize the Details
You must prove that you are skilled in the entertainment agency to be rewarded. Many rookie artists jump the gun by feeling entitled, because of the praise they receive. This is a dangerous feeling that stunts career growth. Even the very best rap stars have others helping them to stay relevant. Concert promoters, production teams, and business managers all have a hand in raps star’s success. Becoming big in the rap industry is a group effort, so you have to ultimately always be trying to prove to others you are worth the investment of their time.

Don’t Be Afraid to Get A Helping Hand
Yes, you should be eager to invest time in your projects yourself, but you should look to others to cover your weak spots. Every rap artist has areas they are weak in, whether or not they admit it to themselves. The most successful artists listen to their team and take in all feedback from critics to stay relevant with the completion. Rookie artists tend to make the mistake of being very narrow side of what their idea of what close success is.

The best way to avoid this mindset is to reprioritize your goals for the industry. Instead of having goals that focus on the short-term aspects of success in the career, make a goal that remains ongoing at all times. For example, instead of thinking “How can I be a rap star?” focus on a goal that continues to be relevant over a long period of time. Goals that remains relevant over time encourage improvement, and as a result, you will stay hungry for success.

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Press

DJ Ready’s Legacy

September 11, 2018
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Collins Leysath better known as “DJ Ready” died Friday, leaving only his musical legacy and influence to his admirers. Leysath was only 53 years old when he faced a fatal heart attack. Willie Dennis shared the news of the longtime producer, and DJ’s death on Instagram. “He single-handedly established a style,” Willie says, as he reflects on Collins life.

Collins had infused his Trademark Rap-A-Lot style into Geto Boys. Collins is accredited for pioneering the southern style hip-hop sound. Brad Jordan also known as “Scarface” states that Collins influenced most of Rap-A-Lot’s sound and style. Collins would often use reference of classic pop culture in his music. For example, he once sampled music from the classic “Spider-Man” television series.

Much of Collins’ influence came from his love of comics, Kung-fu movies, and television. Common snit-bits of Collins’ passions, whether it was TV themes, or sound effects often found its way into his music. Dennis also mentions that Collins had a unique forward-thinking view of Hip Hop as a mainstream genre, as it wasn’t viewed that way at the time.

Even though Willie died in his New Jersey home, he still managed to leave the long-lasting impression on the coast. In 1979, Willie moved and threw himself into the club nightlife and eventually impressed producers. Collins subsequently picked-up-the title of “DJ Ready Red” where he joined the Geto Boys. They then released “Car Freak,” one of the earliest rap singles to be recorded in Houston.

The group’s name would eventually change after the release of the 1988 album “Making Trouble” which began to pull a consistent regional audience. The group grew in popularity with the release of “Grip It.” The vocal performances often expressed stories base around Houston and its streets.

Dennis remembers Collins as a perfectionist. He states that much of the Geto Boys hits could not have been as influential as they were if he hadn’t put as much effort into them. In Jordan’s novel, he reminisces the cross-country journey the Geto Boys took. They traveled and only made a few bucks, but they did what they loved. Eventually, Collins moved on due to his frustrations with the group’s finances but still managed to leave a lasting legacy for his fans and the Hip Hop community.

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Press

What Does Authenticity Mean in Rap Today, and Why Does it Matter?

August 27, 2018
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It’s the authenticity of today that still has a driving force for hip-hop fans. So what does a hip-hop rapper look like these days and why does it matter? If you close your eyes and try to picture him, then chances are, there are a few traits that automatically comes to mind. He is not likely to be anywhere above 19 or 20 years old. He is tatted up with sleeves and even face tattoos. The beat of his music is upbeat, and the melody has an infectious hook. However, in every music video, it looks like a scene from the video game, “Call of Duty” mix with a colorful explosion.

One rap artist, in particular, Polo G and his song “Gang With Me,” represents many up and coming rap artists in this generation of rap music. This is because they share a common sense of hardcore anti-military in their music videos. While Polo G has yet to have a large following, it’s clear he’s trying to represent himself as someone through his music.

Some reports say, he wants to reflect himself as a thug; a menace to society, but why would anyone expect this sort of representation to be relatable to listeners? The answer. Since Rap music’s inception, authenticity has been a huge part of how artists are represented. “Keeping it real” quickly became a staple among successful artists and many people didn’t so much as blink at the violence often represented in Rap’s most notorious music videos.

It’s this kind of culture that has taken its toll on young Tay-K who is currently on trial for capital murder in the state of Texas. It quickly becomes very apparent that this kind of street credibility comes with a price. While credibility is a trait that most up and coming rappers aim for, it also comes into question where should the line be drawn? Should retaining a tough guy persona be worth violence and in some cases, death? The rap scene has situations where it seems to think so.

In a new era where violence has become such a big part of what authenticity should mean to a rap artist, it’s important to recognize the cost involved in the process. That way the new generation of Hip Hop fans can appreciate music without always seeing the desperate conditions of poverty, violence, and neglect in the system. That’s why it matters today.

[Source]

Press

Who is Slim Thug?

August 15, 2018
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Stayve Jerome Thomas, better known by his street name, Slim Thug grew up in the Houston area where his brother TayDay introduced him to rapping at the age of 12 years old. His nickname was coined in his teenage years because he was very tall, standing at 6”6′ and lanky. The thug part of his alias stemmed from the fact that due to his corn rolls and sunglasses people would immediately assume he was a thug.

His most notable works, like his debut album and his material with Interscope Records, were associated with Star Trak Entertainment, where he begins to develop the reputation of being Houston’s pride and joy. He would eventually release three highly successful albums through his own independent record company, Boss Hog Outlaw.

To create his first freestyle, Slim used a recording of the instrumental “Player’s Ball” by Outcast, and he eventually turned towards the Hip Hop Industry to make a career for himself. His Rap career started with Swishahouse in the late 1990s and then formed his independent label.

His first performance was at a club called “Club All-Star” in 1998. Slim later challenged Lil Mario in a style competition, and they were invited by DJ Mike to submit their raps for the Swisha House – Final Chapter 98 mixtape.

After 20 years of success in the Rap Industry, Slim is still making a mark in the Hip Hop Industry through Boss Life Construction, where he is giving one lucky family a home after the lost theirs in Hurricane Harvey. Now, even 20 years in the game a retired Slim Thug continues to work on projects and states that he will continue to rap even at the age of 50.

Though Slim’s long-running and successful Rap career, he has been able not only to influence the Swishahouse and freestyle community, he has also devoted his time and energy to make an enormous impact towards the community due to his efforts through Boss Life Construction. To Celebrate 20 years in the music industry, Slim held a concert at the White Oak Music Hall and continues to influence all listens of the genre now, and for many years to come.

[Source]

Press

Four Rappers Now Paying Fat Pat’s Uniquely Houston Vision Forward

October 26, 2017
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In 1998, Fat Pat released his posthumous debut album, Ghetto Dreams. It was a massive signifier that someone outside of E.S.G. or Scarface could make a solo Houston rap album that was essential to its era and vastly superior to nearly everything else in its orbit. It is the third greatest Houston rap album ever, behind UGK’s Ridin’ Dirty and Scarface’s The Diary(The Fix is the fourth). I say it is his posthumous debut album because Pat was killed outside of an apartment complex in February 1998 and I remember the news report vividly.

I walked into my mom’s room, getting ready for fourth grade, holding the white and red Air Jordan 13s in my hand. The channel was flicked on to NBC because my mother loved NBC’s morning news more than anybody else at the time. I went to her room to talk about cleaning my shoes when I turned my neck, which probably did the work of four combined necks by carrying my big ass fourth-grade head. I heard the announcer say: “HOUSTON RAPPER PATRICK HAWKINS, BETTER KNOWN AS FAT PAT, WAS SHOT AND KILLED AT AN APARTMENT COMPLEX —” The rest of the details faded out, and I remember saying, “Whoa.” My mom asked if I knew the guy, a statement that would become her lead sentence any time a rapper’s death was announced on the news. I nodded and said yes.

Fat Pat was everywhere in 1998, both in life and death. The year before, he had released this slow rumble of perfection called “Tops Drop.” It had the same Yarborough & Peoples sample that Puff Daddy and Lil Kim had used for No Way Out, but this felt and sounded better. Pat had this baritone that seemed like stacking a megaphone in front of Barry White; that sound came from a giant subwoofer the size of Yao Ming. You couldn’t mistake a Fat Pat verse or his lingo, that twisted-up Houston phrasing that sounded like a brand-new language. Fat Pat was the shit and one of the greatest Houston what-ifs in a city halfway built on what-ifs.

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