Minor League Rappers, Sunday Hip-Hop Radio & My City

So it has FINALLY started and what a better place for this to happen at then the Hot 97 radio station. The questions on why cant underground rap artist get any kind of air play? Here is what Ebro had to say about it…

Now I can agree that you gotta pay your dues BUT, Sean Price to me is no “Minor League” Emcee and lets face it, a time slot on Sundays on ANY radio station is HARD to get ratings ESP if it starts at 12AM in NYC. Do you guys not remember The 916 Leak, 80 West or The Future Flavor Show here in Sacramento,CA? They STOP putting on Local Acts because they (the radio station) said the ratings where VERY bad. So Rosenberg I feel your pain and I hope you continue to fight the good fight WHICH he did!

Now looking at all this from New York the birth place of Hip-Hop, it has me saying “Can we get back a local radio hour in my city of Sacramento,CA?” “Would you support for more then a year?” and “Who would go BAD because they cant get no air time because they suck?”
And my answer to all that is….NO. I’d like to see it happen but lets just be 100 with each other, it wont. I mean, the on air DJ’s act like bigger stars then the actual artist and most of em dont even know how to spin a actual album. So what do we do as artist? GET OUT OF THE DAMN CITY!

Saigon said it best “@TheRealSaigon: What NY artists have to understand is the world in bigger than NY. I bump into @SeanMandela more in other countries than I do in NY gettin $”

Same Rule apply HERE in our city…even if we are in what Ebro call’s “The Minor League” I mean, if you REALLY want on the radio you will do what you gotta do. Not to mention you can get on Pandora.com Spotify and whatever podcast out there on top of internet radio. But does it suck not having at LEAST a 2 Hour Sunday Show for the local Hip-Hop Artist here in Sacramento? YES! Hell even 98 Rock has a show that SUPPORTS LOCALS! Are we not the capitol of CALIFORNIA? What is our hip-hop stations here?

Pay To Play? Fake it Till you make it

I’ve always wanted to play a few different clubs/venues but right when I think its all good I would get hit with “ok you need to sell x amount of tickets” and thats when I look confused and just hang up or walk out. I understand some people that do it, I really do. It gives less known artist in their area a chance to play with a big name and to a bigger crowd. For me, I just cant see myself doing that just because I have thrown big shows with me and my crew as the openers and as far as my city, I have a long ways to go but I’d like to think I am pretty well known here.

Having to pay to play has been around for years, even before I started to emcee. In LA its pretty much THEE way to do things. The problem for me is, as a fan, when I go to see these shows they have some openner who paid $600 and sold maybe 10 tickets at best and they get on stage and suck. I mean, SUCK! I went to a Tech N9ne show at the Boardwalk about 3yrs back and the last group that was on pretty much got boo’d the whole time they where on stage. It was bad.

So for me with the resume i’ve worked so hard for, I cant see myself paying to play NOR can I see myself paying for YouTube Views, Facebook Likes, Datpiff Streams, Worlstar Views, or anything like that. I might not have a lot of views or likes, but at least I know they are from actual people not being paid to “watch” your every move. The whole fake it till you make it thing is just not for me. It dont feel right and not to mention you are lying to yourself the whole time. You know you didint get 40,000 views in 2 days with that kind of “boom bap” song when you look at your other videos and barley have 400+, come on! Be real with yourself first.

I dont knock anyone that wants to do those kind of things, but in my own opinion (shout outs to Task 1ne for this one) its one big lie and it goes back to “is your music good?” Cause really no matter what you say, if your music sucks no one is gonna care about anything your doing.

2011 Honorable Mention at ITSA Film Festival

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Shout outs to the director Brian Harper for Muttchild productions and to EVERYONE at ITSA Film Fest Thank you!

The Mahtie Bush Documentary Accepted to the 2nd Annual ITSA Film Festival Sept.30th & Oct.1st

for more info on the ITSA Festival http://itsafilmfestival.com