The Hip Hop Hero’s Journey

by Daniel Nanas on May 22, 2013

Growing up, we’re inundated with this shit. Most popular hip hop artists have at least one track detailing their assent. From poverty, from suburbia, from drug abuse, from wherever. Essentially, the message behind all of these tracks is the same: if you hustle, you can make it. The life you’re living now, doesn’t have to be the one you live forever. In this post, I want to take a break from focusing on the media we create, and take a look at the media that we consume.

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When I was in high school, 8 Mile came out, and I went and saw it. I don’t think that the movie was anything special, but Eminem was at the height of his popularity, and everyone was intrigued by his story. What is it about climbing all the way up from the bottom that appeals to us? Does it make us believe that we can accomplish the same feat? We’ve all heard, seen, and read this plot line hundreds of times, as told by hundreds of artists; why does it still interest us?

I have to believe that all of us see ourselves in the protagonists of these stories. We are those starving artists, hustling, working our way up. So what do these success stories actually do for us? Does it help us to hear the stories of Jay-Z and Diddy? What does it do for us to watch two kids from the projects in New York become the two richest men in the game? We’d be deluded to think that there’s some kind of script that we can follow, some kind of framework that they’ve laid in place that will allows to climb to success. Isn’t it?

Ultimately, all that we can draw from this archetype is the inspiration to do what we do, and do it hard. All of us know that it takes more than unique talent, and relentless dedication. Realistically, we know that all of the examples I’ve cited, had a certain amount of luck. As much as their verses suggest it, these artists needed more than talent and hard work.

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Now, however, we are better equipped than ever to succeed. The tools we need to hone our craft are more accessible than ever. It’s never been easier or cheaper to build one’s own recording studio. Additionally, the internet has provided us with the resources to run successful marketing and promotional campaigns. Whether you’re launching a variety of social media profiles, or submitting a track to a Jee Juh contest, you’re making use of avenues that weren’t available to earlier artists.

So while we do need some luck to succeed, it’s never been easier to get lucky. Draw your inspiration from your hip-hop heroes, but use every tool available to you. Don’t limit yourself to following some blueprint for success.

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Hip Hop Promotions

by Daniel Nanas on April 26, 2013

 

TwitterFor up and coming artists, one of the most difficult objectives is to develop an honest and viable way to promote your music. Luckily, there are now more options for new artists than ever before. Many web-based services are now specializing in promoting talented hip hop artists. I recently caught up with Akismet of Official Promotions Online, a seasoned veteran of the hip hop promotion game. I highly recommend checking out his site! Here’s what he had to say:

Jee Juh: What are some of the biggest mistakes that artists make in trying to promote their music?

Akismet: We would say that the biggest mistake for artists in promoting is to overpromote. For instance, on Instagram, never post the same image twice especially if it is an album cover. You have to find creative ways to market yourself and don’t overdo it where the audience is annoyed by being “marketed to.” The ideal audience is one who enjoys your media and comes back to look at more or listen to more since what you post is new and refreshing every time. Also, quality is better than quantity. Some tracks should never leave the studio. Really try to focus on that one song that will get people hooked instead of dropping a bunch of filler tracks that won’t get the message across.

Jee Juh: What’s the single most important thing an artist can do when trying to promote their music?

Akismet: When promoting your own music, you have to get a team who is willing to invest time into marketing it for you. Look at whatever you do yourself as a bonus. But everything really starts with the music. It’s not uncommon to see a better response from a really good song with a professionally shot video do better than a lesser quality video that has double the promotion. Then again, there are tons of good artists who make no effort to promote themselves and their music is unheard and unharnessed.

Jee Juh: What differentiates your promotional services from those offered by other websites?

Akismet: We are aware of other companies that offer fake plays and stats that lack real interaction. We believe that our audience-targeted method of promoting is best because we share with over 50,000 people who have already expressed an interest in hip hop and R&B videos. This results in more comments, followers, and active fans which is more important than just stats. Marketing to random people and spamming random people is a method used by the majority of the industry, but we have found that only sharing with targeted audiences is the most effective.

For more info and promotional inquiry, check out www.officialpromotionsonline.com

To contact me, hit me up at dan@jeejuh.com

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How To Make A Music Video

April 11, 2013

The limitless power of the internet and Youtube has changed the rap industry forever. In fact, many of the most successful songs in recent history became famous because of their music videos–not the other way around. However, most don’t have access to an expensive set or professional choreographers. What you do have is the internet. [...]

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Promoting Your Music Online: Leveraging Music Blogs

April 7, 2013

As recently as several years ago, there used to be a high premium placed on “getting noticed” and “making it.” Artists used to record demos with the best equipment they could afford, and send them out to major and minor labels, hoping to be given a chance. While a variety of technological advances have contributed [...]

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Leveraging Social Media

April 2, 2013

It’s widely understood that for an artist, the primary benefit of maintaining a strong social media presence is the ease with which he can interface with the entirety of his fan base. Rather than posting content to a privately run website, artists can post to their facebook or twitter accounts, and trust that their fans [...]

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Jee Juh’s $1000 Best Public Performance Contest (April 2013)

April 1, 2013

April 2013 Jee Juh Contest Winners 1st Place – $1000 Cash + Feature on JeeJuh.com Homepage for 1 Month 2nd Place – $400 worth of Jee Juh Beats 3rd Place – $200 worth of Jee Juh Beats 4rd Place – $100 worth of Jee Juh Beats 5th Place – $80 worth of Jee Juh Beats [...]

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New Hip Hop Marketing Interview

March 31, 2013

Social Media strategist Dan Zarella recently posted a great interview with Eskay (pictured below), the founder of Nah Right, an incredibly influential hip hop blog. The interview goes into some depth about the nuts and bolts of social media marketing, focusing on how it can be applied in a rap and hip-hop context. Eskay identifies [...]

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Jee Juh Ink: This is What Devotion Looks Like

March 30, 2013

  Props to Tin P on his new ink, we know he’ll be repping Jee Juh for life. Who else is ready to rock Jee Juh in the flesh? Let’s see some ink!

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Marketing Your Music

March 27, 2013

Almost since the advent of the internet, musicians, artists and filmmakers have seen it’s potential as a platform for marketing their work. Initially, artists toyed with a variety of approaches to internet marketing and music sales. Consensus soon became that all major musicians should maintain a website, and structure it in a certain way, including [...]

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Get to Know Your Jee Juh Featured Artists: Nate Millyunz

January 18, 2013

Born in Tennessee in 1991, Nate acquired the South’s great passion for music at a young age. This passion followed him to Twin Cities, Minnesota where he moved at the age of six. Being constantly surrounded by dedicated musicians during his upbringing taught Nate how his passion for music could be harnessed to express his [...]

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