5 Things You Should Consider Before Releasing Your Next Mixtape.

“If an artist doesn’t take the time to design good artwork, he most likely also didn’t take the time to buy good beats and pay for studio time at a decent studio.”

In an era of hip-hop where every Vuzu Reality show star thinks he has what it takes to make a career out of rapping, listeners have been bombarded with new mixtapes and EP’s from unknowns hoping to be the next AKA.

Having covered local hip-hop for the better part of the last two years, I’ve seen an influx of artists come and go between mixtape releases; very few leaving a lasting impression. This sparked me looking into why some mixtapes transform careers, while others go straight to the recycle bin. I’ve identified five aspects I feel rappers need to consider BEFORE releasing their next Mixtape. Look no further….

1. Artwork

As far as I’m concerned this is one of the most important, and ironically also one of the most overlooked parts of releasing a mixtape. I can understand why, because the rapper will usually be focused on creating the music and leave the artwork to his management, or a friend that’s a wiz with Microsoft Paint. The reason I place such a high emphasis on artwork is because when it comes to unknown rappers, I’ve started using artwork as a way of determining which mixtapes to download and which ones to skip.

My reasoning is simple. If an artist doesn’t take the time to design good artwork, he most likely also didn’t take the time to buy good beats and pay for studio time at a decent studio. Harsh? Maybe, but with so many mixtapes being released these days it’s impossible to download all of them; which makes your artwork the perfect first impression. Hire a graphic design student or enlist a photography student, and create the artwork that you know your mixtape deserves.

2. Marketing

Marketing has proven to be the downfall of many a good mixtape, and this happens more often than you’d think. This is a direct result of the rapper and his management having no clear plan of action when it comes to marketing and promoting the mixtape. Release dates are not abided to, tracks are released randomly, there is no selection of singles, and most frustratingly, they stop marketing the mixtape after dropping the download link.

Make sure that you and your management team work on a marketing strategy for your project. Select a release date, select suitable singles to promote, decide on channels through which the mixtape will be promoted; including how long before and after release the mixtape will be promoted. Treat your mixtape as if it was your debut album.

3. Production

As tempting as it may seem to jump on the latest Kanye West or Jay-Z instrumental, DON’T DO IT! Nobody wants to download a mixtape only to find out half of the tape consists of recycled beats taken from popular US hip-hop artists. That’s that sh*t I don’t like. If you can’t afford to buy new beats, save up until you can, and if you really have to use instrumentals, try and keep it to a minimum of 2-3 tracks on the project.

4. Concept

What is the concept of your mixtape? Do you even have one, or is it just 17 random tracks slapped together, zipped into a folder and uploaded to Hulkshare? The concept of a mixtape will usually be tied to the title of the tape, so if you’re struggling to select a mixtape title, chances are your mixtape doesn’t have a strong enough concept. Now, if I take the artwork and title into account, I can determine which mixtapes will be worth downloading without even having listened to a single track.

Before you even think of booking a studio to record, sit down with your team and conceptualise your vision first.

5. Purpose

While this may not directly affect whether or not somebody actually downloads your mixtape, it’s critical that you analyse why exactly you’re releasing a mixtape. Is it because you think you can rap and just happen to have access to a home studio? Are you passionate about what you’re doing? Do you want to make a career out of rapping?

I feel that a lot of the time people release mixtapes for the wrong reasons. They think somehow a label executive will download their mixtape, love it and sign them to a lucrative deal. Or that C-Live will be blown away by their project and playlist it on Hip-Hop PowerNights. Successful Hip-Hop careers are hard to come by in South Africa, and if you’re doing this just for a quick buck and to get some girls, please spare us from having to download and retweet a link to another dud tape.

If music is your passion then by all means go ahead and release your EP or mixtape, but please have a look at the five points I’ve mentioned in this article before you end up as just another struggle rapper with a mixtape.

Written by: Ashraf Stakala (@ASHownsCHEKA)

How To Survive On Black Twitter

Yes, Black twitter. Black twitter is the community of young black people who are regular users of twitter. These users refer to it as “the twitter streets”, and everybody who is anybody knows everybody in the neighbourhood (tweighbourhood?). The term “black twitter” was coined by one twelebrity or the other and it stuck.

Black twitter is truly a magical tworld to tweet in. All types of topics, serious and light-hearted, local and international, relevant and extremely-insignificant-but-so-hilarious are discussed.

As one would expect though, black twitter can be a very rough ‘hood. Often, one twerson can find themselves in the wrong side of town with the wrong crowd, and this can lead to bullying and all sorts of chirps. This isn’t ideal.

This is how to avoid such instances.

. Become a fan of Twelebs.

The most essential rule to making it on black twitter is to make nice with the twelebrities. Either that, or stay far away. “Twelebs?” You ask, “What are those?” Allow me to explain. The loyal twerson (note here that I do not use the term “twit”) knows that twitter is like a whole new virtual world – a tworld if you may – and each community in this world has its own virtual twelebrities. That is, ordinary individuals like you and I who create superhuman twitter personalities that become famous. Of course, fame is measured in retweets and fortune by way of follower count.

Now, black twitter has a number of twelebs, made famous by their wit, their mean-streak or by just being shamelessly controversial. They move in circles, run in clicks, and they all follow each other. Tweet anything that they do not like or agree with and these boys and birds will chirp you. And the whole black twitter community will virtually laugh at you with such vigour and cyber mirth that you will take a serious blow to the twego. “Kwaaaaaa” “hahahhahhahaha” “tltltltltllt” “waagagaga!” and “:’’’’’’D” are the few ways amongst many that tweeps will let you know that they are laughing at you. Hard.

2. No Engrish, please!

Once again, an explanation is warranted. “Engrish” is a term coined on black twitter to refer to tweople who tweet in broken English. This phenomenon is most prevalent in black twitter societies as there are many black people who assert that “English is not their mother’s tongue”, as one Engrish-speaker confidently stated.

Engrish is a crime of the first degree in the black twitter community, and you know by now that it is not safe in those twitter streets. One Engrishy offence and you will become the target. And yes, twelebs will be the ones to point out and spread your failed attempt at perfect sentence-construction like wildfire. Of course, in efforts to comply with the first rule, the rest of the community will jump on the bandwagon and soon your mentions will be flooded with RT’s upon RTs of kwaaaaaa, haaaahahahaha, waagagagaga, :’’’’’’’D, tltltlttltltl, and the like. Keep a dictionary close.

3. Beware of the munch.

Screenmuncher is a blackberry application which allows a BB wielding fame-monger to “munch” and save whatever they see on their screen as a picture. “So? What’s the big deal?” I hear you asking. Oh, you have no idea how rough these twitter streets are. Let me explain with a scenario:

New Guy on Black Twitter follows Popular Tweleb Girl on twitter. Naïve and well-meaning NGBT sends PTG a direct message – those fateful DMs – professing his twitter crush and other things to her. PTG, seeing the perfect opportunity to gain more popularity through dragging NGBT’s handle in the dirt, munches her screen with his message on it. PTG smiles wickedly as she hears that menacing “schrummmunch” sound as Screenmuncher does its evidence-collecting thing. PGT then twit-pics the munch of NGBT professing his undying love – and other things – to her with a taunting hash tag along the lines of #SMH or #TheThirst.

RT. RT. RT. RT. Kwaaaaaaa. Hahahhahaha. Waaagagaggaga. Tltltltltltlltl. :”””D.

Now you understand.

4. Show face.

Not having an avatar of yourself, which means you have the default twitter “egg” picture as your avatar, is the fastest way to falling victim to the preying twelebs. As an egg-avatar twerson, your opinion is automatically irrelevant and you are by default the butt of all yolks – I mean, jokes. Egg-avatars are black twitter’s common enemy. Avoid this and you won’t be left egg-faced. At least, not until you break rules one to three. In which case, you know, Kwaaaaaaaa.

Written by: Sibabalwe Mona

A$AP ROCKY Models Nautical Fashion For GQ Magazine.

A$AP Rocky sets sail in the May issue of GQ. In the nautical-themed shoot, the dashing rapper shows off some seafaring looks on board a yacht while surrounded by bikini-clad models.

Pretty Flacko plays skipper, rocking a $3,300 Dior Homme blazer and captain’s hat while flanked by sexy sailors. He shows off his abs in a yellow Louis Vuitton raincoat and rides a jet ski in a Nautica jacket.

In the issue, he chats about his passion for fashion. “I wanted to model when I was younger. I was always into clothes and shit,” he tells the magazine.

When it comes to his inspiration, he doesn’t look far. “I’m the man on those things [referring to menswear blogs],” he says. “I don’t really look at them. Well, I guess I do, but only when I’m looking at myself. I inspire me.”

See more photos below and head to GQ.com for the entiregallery.

Opinion: We Want More Videos ( Written By Siphiwe )

“To attain more recognition, the album/offering should be based on one single equals a video ratio.”

Channel-hopping through the music channels one night I noticed that one channel in specific played the Top Ten Lil Wayne songs. This left me thinking… “Will we ever see a top ten SA hip hop artist special?”

As SA hip-hop continues to grow, we attain in matching the international standards in terms of production and exportable quality. But think of your favourite local hip-hop song – now match that number to the number of videos they have released for that specific album.

We are now seeing our artists being endorsed by big brands so you see them more frequently on media platforms. However, there are a bunch of rappers you may listen to that you wouldn’t even recognise in the streets. Why is that? Not enough exposure. On a 15-track album you can’t ride out on a one single one video mentality. To attain more recognition, the album/offering should be based on one single equals a video ratio. This way you have the media in a chokehold, the radio is spinning your record AND the music video is on rotation. [Ed’s Note: That’s if you have a hit single on your hands.]

This is not unfounded speculation, but every video doesn’t have to be in the $7 million bracket as MJ’s “Scream”, although with every video your rep and recognition is impacted. A simple video; interactive and memorable will suffice.  Break barriers if that’s what you set out to do but remember that simplicity can be memorable too. YouTube The Roots “What They Do” as a reference.

On “Mkhukhu Funkshen”, Skwatta Kamp harboured the one album one video mentality. Undoubtedly the album garnered scores of fans; reportedly sold gold, picked up a SAMA, and you might even go to the extent of saying they revolutionised the game, but “Umoya” was the album’s only video. The issue is that your product needs a face; an image people can attach their ringtone to, that even when they see you in the streets – they recognize and show love.  It’s a connection fans want to make with their favourite artists. And artists can do this by being more vigilant through media channels, and release more visuals for their offerings.

And know, there’s no need for special effects or expensive cars if there’s no budget, rather focus on creativity in its simplest form. If you release three singles to your upcoming album, we look forward to seeing three videos grace our screens.

The Swag-Tionary

At this point swag is a kind of like chicken pox. Everyone above the age of ten has already had it. Fabolous left his on the corner. Kanye got it first. Jay-Z can’t teach it to you. T.I got his from his dad and Kwesta bought some at the local Mr Price.

This concept has swept across the world and captured the egos of more people than Generations’ viewers; now begging for a new definition. At the risk of being burnt by teenagers in skinny jeans and plastic shoes, I’ll exercise some subtlety as I attempt to give new meaning to this pandemic phenomenon. Okay, I lied. ’Why?’  This question is more relevant now than during any other time in the history of civilisation, due to a disturbing practice by pseudo-swagger enthusiasts who’ve chosen to abandon things from the sole purpose for which they were created.

Blasphemy in the name of swag: more and more people are beginning to wear shades in movie theaters. Luminous pants so tight and body-hugging that they provide competition for Superman are also aptly titled swag. These are supplemented with belts, music-less headphones and chinchilla coats in the mid-summer heat! Let it be said now that the term ‘dripping swag‘ does not refer to the excess gel that drips from the sides of many over-lubricated eccentric hairstyles that are so common these days.

Swag cannot be conditioned. There is no swag in having more kids than brain cells before you turn 18. You cannot find it on BBM and it’s not a competition for who has the most Ama Kip Kip t-shirts or who wears the most ice. It’s also not synonymous with materialism and cannot be equated to ignorance. Neither is it a substitute for low self-esteem. In fact, swag aims to correct the false notion that illiteracy is an element of hip-hop. It cannot be measured in units or counted in currency. Only felt.

Written by: Zane Meslani

Dope 5panel Caps You Should Look Out For

2Bop Snapback 5panel Collection.

Party animal edition

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Great Read: The "Friendzone" - Let It Go,Buddy.

The Friendzone is the harshest prison on earth. You get imprisoned not for doing anything wrong, but for being who you are. It makes sense then that people take their time there to heart. What people don’t realise is that it shouldn’t be a punishment, but rather an opportunity. It is beyond annoying how much people complain about what should be seen as an indictment of themselves and their peers.  Bear with me as I essentially tell you to stop boring us with your friendship-filled tears, and do something to change the situation.

People are idiots. This is because we are irrational. The difference between ignorance and stupidity is that with ignorance one doesn’t know any better. With stupidity one knows better but doesn’t do better, and this irrationality stems from our natural inclination to base our decisions on our emotions. This is why people often end up with people they shouldn’t have any business associating with. You know this man is fat, ugly, dumb and any other bad adjective you can Google. But hey, he’s popular so now you want to start DM-ing him your BBM pin. You’re an idiot. She’s shallow, materialistic and uninteresting. Mmmm, but she’s got the most perfect ass you’ve ever seen, so now you’ve caught feelings. You’re an idiot too. But don’t be mad at them for feeling how they feel, be mad at them for acting on it. What people who’ve been friendzoned need to realise is that people can’t help how they feel. You can’t force them to like you back, or force them to stop liking who they like, no matter how recklessly they are behaving.

“You can’t feel anything that your heart doesn’t want to feel” – James Morrison

Firstly, you need to make peace with the fact that people like maintaining appearances. Yes she said she wanted a smart, funny and sweet guy, and you’re all those things, but she’s still not giving you. That is because she didn’t say he also has to be attractive, rich and/or popular. It doesn’t mean she was lying, it just means that she wasn’t 100% honest. Similarly, a guy saying he wants a smart, strong and independent woman isn’t being completely honest when he omits that she must not make more than him or defy his authority, and must give him sex on command. It’s difficult for people to be 100% honest in this world because we need to be civil to maintain our social standing. No girl can come out and say that she is a gold digger and expect to maintain friendships. As a friend you must accept that people only list criteria in an ideal and not necessarily practical manner. They say they want those qualities ideally, but life is not necessarily ideal. People are fluid creatures; accept that each situation is different. People desire many qualities in theory, but hearts aren’t known for their rationality.

Next, you must also see where people are coming from. Sometimes people genuinely don’t see their friends in a sexual/relational manner, but a lot of the time it boils down to attraction. Some people must realise that as great as they are as people, that doesn’t necessarily make them attractive. Fine, you’re really funny and nice and everything, but you look like Rick Ross, so now what must happen? There is a very distinct difference between being good-looking and being attractive. You can’t, barring an episode of Dr 90210, change your physical features, but you can improve your level of attractiveness. If you’ve got thousands of jokes but zero sexual charisma, stop trying to bully her into being with you and improve yourself. Go to gym, buy a GQ, watch Mystery’s show, read a book, WHATEVER DUDE. Just be better. Attraction isn’t necessarily always about looks, often it’s more mental and emotional than anything.

Lastly, you need to wake the fuck up. If you’ve done everything in your power to be the best you can be for this person and they still don’t want you, let it go. When you apply for a job and your application gets denied, you don’t keep going to their office to cry about it. You either work towards improving your CV and apply again, or you go get another job. If your improved experience and CV doesn’t get you the job, go apply somewhere else. There will always be better jobs and there will always be better people. Ask yourself this: if they can’t recognise how amazing you are, are they really worth your time? Just accept that your friend, as amazing as they may be, is an idiot.

The Friendzone should inspire you to improve yourself. If your friend doesn’t want you, you should either let it go and move on to better things, or improve yourself to the point that you cannot be denied. People will always feel how they want to feel and there is nothing you can do to change that, so stop crying about it and just be better. If after all that effort you are still determined to be with them as opposed to someone who recognises you for who you are, then good luck. You are a person after all, and people are idiots.

By Lebo Sibisi (@MrImJustSayin)

New Music : Acematic - 5am In Port Eli.

This is the second single off Acematic's "Stolen beatz'' mixtape vol2.

Listen,share and support local music acts.

Free download.

Link : http://www1.datafilehost.com/d/cbb693a7

Enjoy.

Fuphe Potography.

Amazing. Unique. Beautiful. Art.