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Hip Hop Glamour
Mentality VS. Major Label Reality
By, Money Bailey (reprinted from Four Thousand Eighty; Issue #35)
The successes of Nas and LL Cool J are not very common within the hip
hop game. Videos tend to flood our minds with visions of tinted Benzes,
Versace, Hilfiger and sparkling jewelry. Stacks of money are thrown all
over marble top tables like plates of red beans and rice (supporting
ill-usions).
To be frank, most artists don't own any of the clothes, cars or houses
that appear in their videos. If you are Snoop or Dre, of course you do,
but the majority of hip hoppers on TV are just giving us what we want to
see--the glamour of hip hop. I'm always cautious when an MC states:
"I wanna get signed to a phat major label." Although I can't
blame the MC, this statement has been the root of evil over and over
again, from the downfall of MC Hammer to the not-sosuccessful debut of
The Fugees. Major labels have always been puppeteers on the stage
at musical stardom--snipping the strings of vibrant rap acts only to
introduce new trendier puppets. At one time everyone wanted a major
label deal. However it takes more than a record deal to make money in
the rap game--especially the rap game. The popularity of sampling and
the non-popularity of hip hop concerts has dramatically decreased the
amount of income rappers earn. A $500,000 advance may seem like a lot to
your 2-man rap group, but by the time your album drops, you'll be down
to nothing and unless you sell mad records or write original material
(music included), you can expect nothing more.
MYTH #1
MAJOR LABELS DON’T NEED RAP ARTISTS. (I DON’T THINK SO…)
First, let's dispel this myth. Most major labels do not care about MC
NoName. I've worked underneath major label radio promotion guys who
couldn't tell you a thing about the urban releases they were supposed to
be promoting. This might not be common practice in all major labels, but
when most of the music business rotates toward alternative, pop, and
country you have to realize which genres come up short. Frequently rap
is one of the ignored genres. If you need proof, check out Billboard. Of
the 20 albums certified multi-platinum in September 1996, only 4 were
rap albums. Why is this, you wonder? Here's why: The big money labels
are colossal because of artists who consistently sell albums. Pop,
country and rock represent genres that will always be embraced during
their entire lifetime simply because millions of albums means millions
of dollars. 99% of the industry's rap artists are not this fortunate.
Violence and the nonexistent East vs. West war have scarred the rap
business. No one at the higher levels wants to deal with it--ask anyone
on the top floor at Warner Bros. If you are a rhymer who is cutting
edge, you may try finding an indie label or releasing your own material
before approaching a major label. Beware though. Although indies may be
responsible for the survival of rap, acquisitions and buy outs by the
majors are resulting in "neo major" labels. Anyone can list a
number of big money labels but only a handful of multi-platinum rap acts
exists. That ought to tell you something. If you've got a pulse and half
a brain, you know that most labels can weasel the rhyme out at any
artist--rap or otherwise.
MYTH #2
AN ADVANCE MEANS YOU LIVE PHAT LIKE SNOOP OR DRE
So what's the deal behind the deal? Try reading through a 25 page
recording agreement. From the setting of the term and options, to the
calculated royalty rate. record labels generally get away with robbery.
What does it take to get paid? Not an advance, that's for sure. Take the
tale of 2Stupid, a successful hip hop duo. They hire a manager and an
elite attorney to negotiate and secure a record deal. (Hint: If you
think you don't need an attorney you're wrong. If you think you can get
close to staying in major label negotiations without a manager or
attorney, you're even more wrong. Due to the precedence set by countless
lawsuits, it is essential to have these players when approaching a major
label.) So 2Stupid does just that and within six months the deal is set.
This is what 2Stupid gets: $500,000 in advance money and $350.000 to
cover recording costs. Of the $350,000 for recording, $100,000 is to
secure the production skill of three phenomenal rap producers for this
first project. But wait, the drama gets worse! 2Stupid wants to
"keep it real" and refuses to record clean radio edits. The
label acknowledges this refusal by eliminating funds for indie
promotions, marketing and publicity. The label's argument is this:
Profanity and excessive lyrical bloodshed mean no airplay so why waste
money on independent promotions? In other words, all promoting must be
done by in-house staff (BIG MISTAKE!) So let's assess the bill.
$850,000. 2Stupid doesn't mind because five hundred g's means Jeeps and
Karl Kani... or does it? If you know music industry practices, you know
it's not that simple.
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