The advice I’d give to anyone who wants to follow in my footsteps is …
Individuality is KEY. You are who YOU are because that’s who you see in the mirror everyday when you wake up. It’s good to admire and appreciate those around you, but understand that no one can do what you do. Whatever it is that you’re good at? Hone in on that and perfect it day in and day out. There are so many intricate parts that keep this industry moving that there’s room for everyone to make money and leave a legacy. This game has become saturated with the same content, commentary, look and feel. If you’re entering this blog game now? Understand why you’re entering and make sure no one can provide what you plan on providing with your brand.
The relationship my blog has with labels and A&R people in the industry is …
It’s funny because aside from radio, A&R’ing is essentially what I wanted to do and live. I love discovering new music and giving it to people who have no idea it exists. I have a great relationship with a lot of A&Rs in the industry now because they understand we know the pulse of what’s hot on the Internet and sometimes in the streets. They look to our sites, our Twitter pages and IG pages to see what’s the next big “thing” about to emerge. In some sense, us bloggers have become unofficial A&Rs for these labels because they search our sites to see who they should be paying attention to. Hell, it’s almost like we’re doing their job for them. But then you have some A&R’s who will send us stuff because they know we’ll appreciate what they have to offer. There’s definitely a high respect level with both parties.
The way I came up with the name of my blog is …
Honestly? I was in my parents house shortly after graduating Howard University and my mother explicitly told me, ‘You have X amount of time to figure this music industry thing out or I’m shipping you to MD to live with your aunt.’ That scared the ever living shit out of me. So, I called a partner up and asked him, ‘What do you say to your friends every time you hear a new song or album?’ ‘You heard that new…Jay-Z? You heard that new…TI?’ The light bulb went off in my head and I never looked back. There’s no way in hell you can forget that name after the first time I tell you.
The next move that’s going to grow my brand is …
Hosting. Brand ambassador work. A&R’ing. Hosting. Hosting and hosting. I love hosting. It tickles my funny bone in a way. If I could host a concert, show and/or an event every day of the year, I would. I recently signed to a talent agency so hopefully that move will expand on my hosting career; but I’m not trying to limit myself and just blog for the rest of my life. The site is already instilled in the culture today so now it’s time to grow my site past the workings of the Internet and let these companies, corporations, networks and brands see my worth. The next 6 months should be very interesting, trust me.