What is Lil Wayne rapping about?

By: B. Brown (BREG)

It's quite amazing! Declare yourself the best rapper alive long enough and people actually start believing that you are the best rapper. Human nature and propaganda are a trip. If you do not know who I am talking about yet, let me tell you. I'm talking about Lil Wayne. Yeah, he's talented, but by know means is he the best rapper alive! Have we forgotten about Jay Z, LL Cool J, Nas, Ice Cube, KRS One, Andre 3000, Ludacris, T.I., etc. I don't even remember the last time Lil Wayne said something of substance. Everyone knows about him sipping on syzzzurp now, so he is obviously disoriented on his most recent features with Mario, Mary J. Blige, Usher, etc. On "Lolipop", he says absolutely nothing! He tries to come back strong on Baby's new banger "I Run This ...", but Wayne's verses do not put him in my top 5 of anything.

But let me be fair, I can call Lil Wayne the most popular rapper alive at this time. Now that may be true because every young lady I ask, "Who is your favorite rapper?", they all say, "Lil Wayne." Unbelievable!

So aspiring rappers or even established rappers, feature on as many songs as possible and start saying that you are the best rapper ever or alive, and one day everyone may be hyped into believing that you too are the best!

One Love!

Train of Thought - Sheek Louch: "Don't Be Them"

By: Hillary Crosley

Why shouldn't kids want to be like their favorite rappers?

I got an almost 4-yr. old son, and he's like, "Daddy, I wanna rap." I told him, "Don't rap. Be the head of the company the rappers are signed to." We don't need another Styles, Sheek or Jadakiss. When B.I.G. came into the game, he wasn't tryin' to be anyone else. He was just B.I.G. He was rapping about how he was Black and ugly as ever, and made himself cool.


Well, an artist like Soulja Boy is totally being himself. What's your take on him?

A lot of people take shots at Soulja Boy 'cause he's coming with gimmicks. But let lil' homie do his thing. It's whatever. I don't bump it in my car, but he's doing him. At least he's not tryin' to be
Kool G Rap.


You say, "Everything pretty behind the scene/until you find out your favorite rapper's a fiend." Were you talking about anyone in particular?

No, it I was talkin' about somebody, I would've damn sure said his name, 'cause that's how me and my crew get down. I don't think cocaine went away, but it's not the only popular drug right now. People still on them prescription pills, weed, angel dust. There's a lot of wetheads out here.


So life on the road isn't all it's cracked up to be?

I'm not broke, and as an artist, you do get money, but it's a grind. That's why labels call the promotional week for your album - "hell week." You do all these big shows, but it's for promo. You be like, "Where's the money?" Gettin' into the game, it is what it is. Going to these shady clubs, people gettin' shot, but this is how we get our money.


You mention being careful about chicks giving you brains. Have you ever been burned?

Nah, but AIDS is out there, and sex is part of being on the road. Groupies come immediately. You're with your crew, hoppin' in whoever's mouth, and you're young and you're livin'. the groupies get sillier as time goes on, but I'm not interested. the hotter you are, the hotter the groupies are. But, in retrospect, once the game is over and you get that doctor call ... This song is strictly geared to the artist that's home writing, that can't wait to get on.


Any other advice for these aspiring MC's?

Get some equipment. Screw the Jordan Shoes. Invest that little money in a keyboard or a beat machine. You can record at home and keep the budget. Stay shape. Leave them cheeseburgers alone. And keep your circle tight. You're gonna meet new people ... you can't let them ruin your circle.

Radio Music Conference - Albany, GA (3-22-08)

By: B. Brown of BREG

It was a history making moment in Albany, GA on Saturday, March 22, 2008! Team JaWar (Music Industry Connection) invaded Albany, GA for the Radio Music Conference. The first Music Conference of its kind took place in this long ignored area and the audience loved it!

JaWar (Music Industry Connection), Allen Johnston (The Music Specialist), John Christmas (Sports & Ent. Attorney/Bio Disel Fuel), DJ Judgemental (Hittmen DJ; Radio Mixshow DJ), Willie Hunter (Sentinel Newspaper), B. Brown (Bar-Red Ent. Grp.), J-Dog (Select-O-Hits Distribution), and El & Goose (Mogul Tunes) gave awesome presentations that really gave conference attendees the ability to make money and moves in the industry as soon as they left the conference. The theme of the conference-seminar was "How to Make Money Online"!

Great networking took place at the conference, and I have personally been speaking with contacts that I made at the Radio Music Conference and I will probably do some business with some of them.

I would like to give a big shout-out to the Host of the event --- Solo! Brother, you did a good job and the next conference is going to be even better. I would like to recognize some more entertainment professionals that were present --- Cool Water (Artificially Flavored, Inc.); Rovella (Versus Ent.); Thedy B. (Hits-A-Million Ent.); Hotep (Skinnymen Productions); Ayodele Vassell (Ent. Attorney); GameFace Video Production & Bizness.

I would like to say thank you to all the conference attendees and ask that you make the next conference even bigger and better! May God Bless you and keep you!

The Direction of an Artist and/or Independent Record Company

By: B. Brown of BREG


I receive a lot of phone calls and emails asking about what direction an Artist and/or an Independent Record Company should go in for their project. In the last two (2) days, I have had three (3) conversations about this very important issue.

As far as direction is concerned, there is always more than one way to skin a cat and it is the same way in the music industry. Many people have a clear vision of the result they want, but do not have a clear vision of how to get to those results. That's why you would contact and hire Bar-Red Entertainment Group (BREG), JaWar and/or any of my business associates to assist you in making your project a success.

One of the first things you have to do is be willing to work hard. The second thing is to be willing to listen & learn. The third thing is to actually have some financial resources available and be willing to use your own financial resources strategically. These three (3) things are very important!

The direction we all may want to be headed in and definitely invest research time and money into is digital marketing, promotions and sales. We are in a music based content environment and we have to tap into this arena or we will definitely be left behind. Solja Boy sold 3 million + ringtones and 500,000 physical Albums (CD). See the difference!

As business men and women, we must elevate our minds and businesses to reach our goals. Believe me, we can do it!

One Love!

Attitude - Kanye West

By: B. Brown of BREG

There is no denying Kanye West’s talent, appeal and drive. The man is flat out one of the best producers and artists in the business right now! His songs are hits and he seems to attract everyone he needs to attract to be successful. He has one fatal flaw however!

He is too self-absorbed and arrogant. I never question people when they thank as many people as possible during their award acceptance speeches. We must all thank and acknowledge everyone that has assisted us in achieving our success, but being flat out obnoxious isn’t good. Kanye actually kept talking when the music started playing for him to exit the stage and then he said, “I know ya’ll are not playing the music on me.” He kept talking, and then he said, “It would be in good taste for you all to stop playing the music.” It was funny, but at the same time, extremely disturbing because Kanye wines all the time and this was a time when everyone wanted him to shine because of the recent passing of his mother and the great performance he did prior to receiving his award. There is a time and a place for everything. For some reason, he chooses any place and any time to say whatever he wants to say. Appropriateness does not seem to matter.

I suggest that every Artist think before they speak and actually know the time allotted for them to speak or present so that they do not impose on someone else’s time slot, performance and/or position.

I believe in being humble and when you do that, people tend to want to help you and be a part of your success. When you are not being humble, people tend to want to see you down and out.Remember, in all things, talent will only take you so far. At some point and time, a pleasant personality and positive attitude will take you farther than you may ever believe!

Making sure your CD gets heard!

By: K. Cannick (Makin' It Magazine)

As an independent artist one of the worse sights to see is your CD's scattered on the club floor or parking lot. Even if you were a signed artist, a fair share of your promo CD's are going to make their way to the rash heap. Though many independent artists get discouraged by this, it is just the nature of the beast. Promotional CD's and free goods are a necessary component to successfully promote your project. Here are a few tips to help you maximize your results. Have a well packaged product and no cheap paper sleeves and hand written labels. I recommend a thermal printed CD in a slim jewel. The better the packaging is the higher the perceived value of the CD. If it looks like trash ... that is how it will be treated.

Speak to people - Don't just randomly hand out CD's as you make your way around the room. Use this opportunity to create a personal bond with potential fans. Introduce yourself to people holding brief conversations. Later in the evening go back to those same people addressing them by name, and reference your earlier conversation while giving them the CD. The goal is to attach a personal element to it. If that's too much for you, at least introduce yourself as you pass out the CD and tell people who you are.

Ask - A simple way to greatly increase how many of your promo CD's get heard is to ask people to listen. The trick is to ask a specific question that will elicit a response. I.e. "If I give you a copy of this CD will you check out number 4 when you get in the car? If they say "no" you have saved a CD from the trash. If they say "yes" you thank them and as you give them a CD tell them you appreciate their honesty. This is effective because people have a strong urge to be consistent. When they get to the car, they have two options, listen to the song or admit to themselves that they are liars.

Place a value on the CD - Another tactic that I've used is selling the CD for a dollar. Most people will have no problem shelling out a buck to show their support and the fact that you are selling the CD places a value on it. If a person doesn't have a dollar, but shows a genuine interest, give it to them and the affect will not be lost. You can also place a value on the CD by making people take action to receive it whether it is a contest, answering a question or just walking across the room to get it. The key is to make them pay for the CD whether with money or effort.

Wait till the time is right - Passing out CD's in the club can be a double edged sword. Sure it may be your target market for your music, but people are typically preoccupied with liquor, friends, and the opposite sex. A good time to pass out CD's is at the car before they go in. They are typically sober and you can ask them to toss it in the stereo. This increases the chances that they will be listening to your CD on the way home. Another good time to pass out CD's is during or after performing.

A small amount of effort on your part can save you a ton of money and make your street promotions much more effective. Until next time ... keep Grinding.

Two (2) Positive Hip-Hop Songs you need to hear!

Class is in Session with Professor: DJ Sonic

"I Tried" (2007) - By: Bone, Thugs-N-Harmony featuring Akon

They say nothing in life worth having comes easy. Success is triumph over struggles. The demon within the struggles will surface in a physical form. However, its most potent venom is delivered mentally. The moment you submit to the struggle, is the exact moment that your journey ends. You must always know where you want to be in life, but also keep conscious of where you don't want to be ...


"Don't Let it go to your Head" (1998) - By: Brand Nubians

It's every artist's dream to take his or her craft to the highest level. There's no feeling that beats the one that you get from people recognizing and appreciating your work. The secret to keeping that respect is not abusing it. Once you allow the fame and attention to make you feel invincible, that's when your longevity will be most vulnerable. You always have to remember the ingredients that made people notice you in the first place ...