FEATURED ARTIST FILES: How To Become A Successful Rapper/ Singer/Songwriter

HOW TO BECOME A SUCCESSFUL ARTIST

So you want to rap. You love listening to Jay Z, BIGGIE AND NAS. Maybe you know all the lyrics to Eminem's second and third albums. You can spit with the best of them. However, you are just now getting the idea that maybe this is something that you can do. It's best to not think "YOUR THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME" and you only hot in the kitchen banging on tables. You need to work your way up. Being a successful local Rap/R&B artist is essential before moving your way up the ranks to a national star. Don't waste any time in starting on this path.




1
Write your own music. Lyrics are the foundation, heart and soul of any  song. Make sure that you have strong lyrics. Dig deeply into your soul, and write the truth from your heart. You don't have to come from a place of GREAT DRAMA in order to have a lot on your heart and mind. Think about the places from which your heart aches. Express your feelings in the music.

2
Record the lyrics with beats. There are now ways to record a demo at home, but it's best to go into the recording studio. Expect to spend from the low hundreds to low thousands in order to record a modest demo. Asking friends for help, or recording at a studio for free or a discounted rate will decrease that amount by an extreme amount.

3
Send your demo to all the local clubs and performance spaces. Follow up by placing a call to those in charge of local hang outs. Ask about the response to your demo. Be firm, and be sincere. Get yourself gigs by being persistent.

4
Invite everybody you know to support you when playing locally. Also invite record producers and other booking agents in your town. Get the word out about your music.

5
Create a website. include ways to download your music, a link to purchase your compact disc demo and a link to contact you. You should also put up photographs from past shows, and try to have someone videotape live performances in order to showcase them on your website as well.

6
Promote yourself in every way possible. Hand out brochures and cards, send your music to record labels and give out a business card to everybody you meet in the industry.

7
Set up a Indie Tour: Now some mistake this for BIG MONEY spending but you can actually set up a Indie Tour with as little as a couple $100 dollars. The key is to START CLOSE TO HOME AS POSSIBLE, maybe you can book 1 or 2 gigs at home...collect from that show and use towards your next show in lets say...COLUMBUS which is maybe an hr or 2 away. You use little gas traveling, you wont have to stay as long far as hotels go, and its not that far so your budget wont deplete on the way. Also your using funds you accumulated thru a previous gig so that should help a lot.

8
Loyalty! Can't stress this enough..if you have picked up a couple people along the way who help you with your dreams...dont shit on them support them also with theirs. If you know of a person personally who offers a service that can help with your march towards stardom, BY ALL MEANS NETWORK!! You will be able to accomplish more with people who wants to attain the same goals in life plus you have history so things should run smoothly. Starting a business with friends is a totally different scenario, in this case im talking just exchanging services for discounts or exposure. ******Make it so everyone can eat off their own brand within the company******


THIS SHOULD HELP YPU ALONG THE WAY IN YOUR QUEST FOR STARDOM!! IF YOU DONT BLOW WELL... AT LEAST YOU CAN SAY YOU TRIED!!