“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)
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