Tips for using Social Media in the Hip Hop Industry
Start before you begin writing or recording songs for any projects since it takes about 9 months
to get a strong campaign going. You want to make sure you start your social
networking marketing as soon or before you are developing the product.
Know which social networks serve which purposes. Facebook is about people,
Instagram is about pictures, Twitter is about perspectives, Google Plus is
about passions, and Linked In is about business networking. Use all the social
networks for the different purposes. Twitter by design is for concise speech
while Facebook allows for elaboration. Facebook is losing popularity to Twitter
and Instagram, thus artists should focus more energy in those areas.
Of course rule #1 have the hottest profile pic possible made of mostly a close
up on face that shows you are liable, trustworthy, and competent.
Look at what’s trending and post your perspective on it because it shows people
that you are in the know about your industry sector.
Earn the right to promote yourself by posting 1 out 20 posts is advertisement
for your business. Before you promote post 20 other posts relevant to your
industry.
Definitely, every post should have an exciting youtube video or picture.
Respond to comments on your posts to win hearts and not look like your just
pushing. If you don’t have anything positive to say don’t say it. Don’t argue
because it only looks bad to onlookers.
Repeat your posts because not everyone who your post is
relevant to will be on the computer when you post it.
This blog seeks to use the Seth Godin Ted Talks "This is Broken" to analyze Hip Hop music and industry.
The first point made in the clip is " If I think it's broken it's broken." Understand that Hip Hop is broken because it fits this rule in the eyes of so many - for example the older Hip Hop generation think it has strayed far from the roots of a tool for societal empowerment.
1. Who in the Hip Hop industry says "It's Not My Job"? I've heard many times radio djs saying that they hate the music that is played on the radio. It's not their job to decide what songs are played based on chart stats. Artists have a false perception that djs get to freely choose the music played especially on major radio. Who's job is it to ensure that women have a fair representation and deal negotiations in the industry?
2. Selfish jerks? hmmm...enough said.
3. The world changed would relate to how the music industry has changed with the digital age and the failure of many to adapt. It is broken when artists seek major labels with ideas of the old model of signing a deal, being discovered and then getting fans. The new model is more towards building independent music labels and building a fan base before big label partnerships in distribution and so forth.
4. I didn't know - I'm sure all the time people in Hip Hop - which is a male dominated industry - don't know the needs of women. I'm sure people who work in artist development have ran into problems not knowing the needs of the artists.
5. This goes into to the "I'm not a fish" concept - People work with or critique artists having never been an artist. How can an orange tell an apple how to be a good apple?
6. Contradictions - The contradictions are rampant. Women are expected to be over-sexualized in Hip Hop industry whether emcee or model in a video. The business decisions that a video model or an emcee makes can bring short-term success but ill long-term consequences on the person. The contradictions are apparent in the fact that these policies are the anti-thesis of the "business work ethics" and what would be viewed as sexual harassment at the workplace. Another contradiction is the branding of rappers rapping about living lives of luxury, or living a "street life" yet may be broke and live in the suburbs.
7. Broken on Purpose - how many artists who have won Grammys and countless awards, and sold millions of records only to be broke and/or owing millions of unpaid taxes. This is evident of a music industry as a whole that is broken on purpose in order to serve those who stand to gain the most money from the fruits of other's talents. However this brokenness has led to ingenuity in the new generation to create their own businesses within the industry.
Maybe I've been under a rock but so is the life of a mother...but I had never heard of Kevin Gates until I saw his picture recently on flyers from Rod D - Arkansas' based artist and CEO/Founder of Smartmoves Ent. My first thought was who the (insert colorful language choice here) would tat a cross between his eyes?! For sake of business research and watching what's going on around me here in Arkansas, I'm compelled to find out more about who is Kevin Gates?
It doesn't take long for me to realize Kevin Gates has wisdom and I had better pull up a seat and take notes, hence this blog post. Kevin Gates is the Baton Rouge born Hip Hop artist who has overcame poverty, crime, and incarceration to earn a Masters in Psychology, his own label under Atlantic - Bread Winners, and a strong buzz in the music industry with millions of listens and views. Vibe's Max Weinstein says that Gates' latest mixtape 'By Any Means' "shows Rap Star potential....There are album quality songs on it....Kevin Gates may be our next big rap star" Vibe.com. That's actually not a cross tatted over his third eye. In Kevin Gates' interview with Peter Rosenburg, he enlightens, "That's the soldier sign, that's the compass, north, south, east, west...You can google it" (Hot97) So, that's exactly what I did. Firstly, the compass is a deep symbol being different in different cultures. For example, North can be symbolic of earth, home, security, fertility; South can mean fire, energy, passion, creativity; East can be for air, communication, new beginnings, new growth; and West for water, emotion, psyche, movement. (Avenefica). I became enthralled with listening to him speak before I ever listened to his music - gutter and genius. The most important lesson I learned was in relation to my Death2theDBoiGenre mentality - how I often tune out in bias any rapper I hear talking about selling drugs in their music. Kevin Gates taught me more balance. He taught me to be able to find more respect and love for people who come from a path that I hold so much hate towards due to my experiences with drug addicted parents. The following list is just some of the lessons learned from Kevin Gates - a sign that one often learns the most in the least expected of places.
Business Practices or Wisdom Gleaned from Kevin Gates' Interviews 1. Have an attitude of wanting everyone from your state to make it. 2. Practice. 3. Jack beats. 4. There are more people incarcerated in the state of Louisiana than in any country. High poverty rates = High incarceration rates 5. Have fun and experiment with music. 6. Don't dumb your music or self down. Don't be afraid to show your intelligence. 7. Know who you are on the inside; show some vulnerability. "Don't be a gorilla all the time!" It's a time and a place to be hard. Be able to play. 8. Whatever is meant to be will be. Don't have expectations for people which will set you up for disappointment. 9. Be willing to work with anyone who is serious about music and wants to work with you. Trust your instincts to be able to feel energy to know how to relate to people. 10. Make your mixtapes sound like albums. 11. The truth is stranger (and more interesting) than fiction. Put it in your music. 12. Hang around elders to learn. 13. Take your music serious, and it will become more refined. 14. Don't allow yourself to be altered by anyone around you. 15. Don't watch t.v. Read books. On purpose. It will show in your communication. 16. Mentor youth mostly during the transitional phase of middle school - when people are deciding who they will be socially. 17. Make good decisions and good things will happen. Learn from your mistakes. Every decision you make will have consequences. Take responsibility for your actions. 18. Your environment doesn't dictate who you will be. 19. Do what you love doing and be great at it. 20. Instead of signing to a major label use them and learn from them to start your own label. 21. And practice some more - at reading and making music. (HipHopzilla) 22. Some of the most intelligent people are living in poverty and prison. Do business with them! 23. Sometimes simple can be the most beautiful. 24. "Things are only as big as we allow them to be.....Anything lost can be found, except time wasted" (HotNewHipHop). 25. Don't just take opinions. Again read and find out about it yourself. 26. Don't be afraid to offend anyone. Say what you want on the mic like you would a journal. 27. Don't chase after working with any artists, producers, and so forth. If it's meant to be it will be at the right time.
28. Understand that people are human, forgive and love. Still you can speak about it in your music.
29. It's good to have a family. It won't get in the way of a career in Hip Hop. (HotNewHipHop)
30. Since he has had an affiliation with Cash Money and Lil Wayne, I might want to be more respectful and reconsider my Lil Wayne diss track? hmmmmmm......but he did advise not to be afraid to offend anyone. Great minds think alike ;)
One can safely predict that Hip Hop will continue to affect the listening of music as a whole. Beats Electronics, the company Dr. Dre co-founded, owns 51% of an estimated 1 billion dollar premium headphone market. Recently, the Carlyle Group invested 500 million into the company. (Guzmán, 2014) Based on this, it can be predicted Beats Electronics will continue to dominate the headphone industry and the listener experience, making it closer and closer to being liken to a high quality studio. Also whereas in the past headphones were a free throw-in, headphones will continue to grow as a status symbol and an expression of Hip Hop culture, which has grown and will continue grow as a dominate music form.
There is hope in the future of Hip Hop being one where more and more people use it in a manner closer to its original intent – to address the ongoing struggles and disenfranchisement of oppressed people. People like Alridge promote that “socially and politically conscious Hip Hop shares common ideas and ideology with the Civil Rights-Black Power Movement and the larger Black Freedom Struggle” (Alridge, 2005) Alridge and others seek to bridge the gap between the generations by identifying common ground to stimulate dialogue. More and more artists perfect their craft daily – Killah Priest, Bahamadia, Sa Roc, K-Rino, Arkansas Bo, 607, Roni Poet, and 9th Scientist – and the underground Hip Hop scene continues to grow. Whereas, female artists are gaining underground recognition their still exists the sex fetish barrier to overcome in the Hip Hop industry. With Nicki growing with her success in the industry, more and more women will continue to be marginalized as sex objects in Hip Hop. There is hope though as all great trends come to an end, could there be in sight women emcees receiving wide recognition who are not oversexed? Roni Poet, Sa Roc, Kilo Kish, Dutch ReBelle, Lee Mazin, Awkwafina, Brianna Perry, Noname Gypsy and others are making their way to break out of the box and portray women as much more than just sex commodities in Hip Hop. As mainstream radio plays more and more music out of tune with what is happening on the grassroots level, people will continue to take their listening experience into their own hands. The need will put more money into companies that supply the demand - Beats Electronic new music subscription service Beats Music that uses music curators and personalization versus computer algorithms. They have partnered with AT&T’s millions of subscribers and with Target to deliver the music subscription services. Thus, Beats Music can be predicted to take over as the leader in music subscription services, likely to be bigger than Spotify and Pandora. (Beats, 2014)
Roni Poet, female emcee on the rise
References
Alridge, D. P., & Stewart, J. B. (2005). INTRODUCTION: HIP HOP IN HISTORY: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE. Journal Of African American History, 90(3), 190-195. Beats, M. (2014, January). Beats Music is Here. Business Wire (English).
Guzmán, I., & Rayman, N. (2014). Generation Beats. Time, 183(3), 42.
It
would appear that the growth of Hip Hop in other countries loosely mirrors the
growth of Hip Hop in the U.S. This is evident in the separation of
commercialized Hip Hop known as "pop" rap from authentic Hip Hop as a
tool to give people a voice for resistance. Once Hip Hop became
commercially viable the art-form and culture was turned into a commodity - a
means of promoting materialism - what the dominate culture wants to sell such
as designer clothes, cars, and so forth. For example, in the Tanzanian music
industry "calls for authenticity are closely related to discussions of the
capitalist commodification of popular music in Tanzania, and beyond"
(Clark, 2013) Artists in Tanzania are standing up to question Hip Hop cultural
authenticity and to distinguish themselves apart form "pop" rap which
they call Bongo Flava. (Clark, 2013)
Europe
Hip
Hop culture has grown in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Greece. They
face some of the same struggles within their Hip Hop culture as faced in the
U.S. For example, when it comes to gender issues the culture is still dominated
by males. There is also a “generational conflict” with “old school” Hip Hop
fans versus “new school”. The early nineties Hip Hop was one of political and
social protest whereas newcomers are more technological and commercial
including topics on everyday life.
Many European artists have taken a page from Wu-Tang Clan’s book and have formed
artist collectives such as Freestyle Productions in Greece. Who’s down with
Wu-Tang Clan? The world!
Small grassroots labels that are mostly or exclusively handling rap release
most of the records. The release of rap records is growing steadily.
Although they respect the creation and history of
Hip Hop as it has developed in the U.S., they still seek to create a native art
form within their own culture using there own language for example. They are
facing “a symbolic struggle for cultural autonomy, whereby simple imitation of
the “mother” culture is rejected in favor of a creative integration of rap into
the host culture” (Androutsopoulos, 2003) An example
of the appropriation of Hip Hop culture by Europe and the development of a new
native genre can be seen in“Fly Cat,
Articolo 31 claimed “spaghetti funk” as their own genre creation, which
integrates Italian melody into rap music” (Androutsopoulos, 2003) Although many European rappers use their own dialect they still use
some African American vernacular, which is viewed as a “‘resistance
vernacular,” i.e., a positively valued linguistic code” (Androutsopoulos,
2003) At the same
time there is a global Hip Hop culture that includes elements such as graffiti,
tattoos, and sampling (albeit they are sampling more local sounds).
Interestingly, even Europe knows that “sampling is a constitutive structural
part of rap music, it is naturally found in all local variants of the genre” (Androutsopoulos,
2003). Whereas, in the U.S. copyright laws are trying to
do away with this part of Hip Hop, but that’s another topic for another blog
post…. In Europe “gangsta rap” hasn’t really caught because the rappers there don’t
identify with that lifestyle as being authentic to their experience. However,
data does show that rap with a message or protest content is still continuing.
On the other hand, these types of songs are decreasing while songs about love
and sex are increasing. (Androutsopoulos,
2003).
Dynamax, U.S. Ambassador of Hip Hop & Cultural Specialist
Asia
South
Korea is a strong cultural force in Asia. In South Korea K Pop was popular but
declined due to file sharing, over-saturation, and other reasons. In its decline
K Rock thrives as the most popular. However, Hip Hop is on the rise as one
member of the pop group Seo Taiji and the Boys, Yang Hyun Suk, was more
interested in Hip Hop. After the group’s breakup he formed his own level
YangGoon Entertainment. In 2000 Wu-Tang Clan
album (again with Wu-Tang ruling the world J)
broke South Korea’s top-30 charts, having had little promotion. It is clear
that as far as fashion Hip Hop rules the style of the Korean youth showing that
Hip Hop is indeed more than just a music genre but a culture being spread all
over the world. Hip Hop dance is becoming popular as well (Russell, 2003).
2NE1
Pioneers of Hip Hop in U.S. Share with the World
The
pioneers and new generations of Hip Hop in the U.S have been doing their part to spread the music
and culture, performing overseas and establishing relationships with overseas
music stakeholders. For example, Dynamax is an American Hip Hop artist from the
Bronx who is also part of Afrika Bambaataa's (one of the founders of Hip Hop) Zulu
Nation. Dynamax serves as US Embassy’s Hip Hop Ambassador and Cultural
Specialist in 12 African Nations. Dynamax was signed to Universal France and has helped pioneer Hip Hop culture in Europe working with producers and artists such as Dee Nasty known to be "the godfather of the French Hip Hop scene in France"(Djouls, n.d). He started a radio station in Paris called Générations 88.2 - the first
international radio show -“Live From New York”. Dynamax has been living in
France teaching the basics of Hip Hop to elementary school students, creating a
whole new generation of Hip Hop fans overseas. (Djouls, n.d).
References
Androutsopoulos, J., & Scholz, A. (2003). Spaghetti Funk: Appropriations of Hip-Hop Culture and Rap Music in Europe. Popular Music & Society, 26(4), 463-479.
Clark, M. (2013). The Struggle for Hip Hop Authenticity and Against Commercialization in Tanzania. Journal Of Pan African Studies,
6(3), 5-21.
Russell, M. (2003). K-Rock, Hip-Hop Making Noise In South Korea. Billboard, 115(6), APQ-1. Djouls. Dynamax - Equilibrium - Paris DJs. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.parisdjs.com/index.php/post/Dynamax-Equilibrium
When one types Hip Hop Music in Arkansas or any variations thereof into the Ebsco Host search using all the academic databases, it says that there are no results for the search query. One could make the point that in fact this is saying much about the state of Hip Hop in Arkansas. While there is an ever present underground Hip Hop culture in Arkansas, the larger U.S. and World have yet to realize it.
607 with Big Dolla - Block Monster
Epiphany
Arkansas Hip Hop enthusiasts lament that there hasn't been any break out Hip Hip artists from Arkansas as there have been in other states. Including online marketing, The state of Arkansas hip-hop accurately describes how artists are using the old-school methods of "hand-to-hand marketing, driving around from club to club passing out CDs, paying club DJs to consider spinning their singles, all on a wing and prayer, funded entirely by their own limited finances" (Elliot, 2012).
There is hope! Artists are venturing overseas to tour. 607, Epiphany, and others are garnering a fan base overseas. Perhaps, other countries will respect Arkansas as having immense Hip Hop talent before the U.S. will? 607 though has personally told the blogger (me) that he doesn't believe its necessary to leave Arkansas because of the success of internet marketing. Arkansas Times asked "how Central Arkansas could ever hope to compare to such massive metro areas?" and 607 responded Black people spend millions of dollar at the hair store. We fill up the 2 Chainz concerts. We situated. The money is there. We just have to make them subscribe to our brand"(Millar, 2012). 607 describes himself as a mix of Tupac and Fionna Apple and has released 38 albums, showing his deep lyrics and genius creativity and is a member of the group Earfear with his brother Bobby - a lyrical beast in his own right. (607, n.d.) Bobby is also a member of the LabRatz, an artist collective (will it be the Wu-Tang Clan of Arkansas?) pushing forward the music scene with Blaze Beatz, Kwestion, Asylum, Fiyah Burnz, Osyrus Bolly,Doe Boi,Turnpike, Tiko Brooks, X2C, Nick Broadway, King Knowlej, Gadah and Duke Stigall. Epiphany and his collaborators Gina Gee and One Night Stand's performance on AETN Presents: On the Front Row was described as "jazz, soul and rock-and-roll infused hip-hop....[,]a musical performance so original – this is something you won’t want to miss" (AETN, n.d.)!
ScarFace Introduces Arkansas Bo
Recently, Arkansas Bo announced via his Facebook page that he had signed with Scarface's Facemob Music which has the whole state proud of his accomplishment and excited about the future of Hip Hop in Arkansas! But Arkansas Bo "claims that he would have never gotten the chance to work with a figure like Scarface if he hadn't left Arkansas and moved closer to a city with an established hip-hop reputation"(Elliot, 2012). This brings up more questions about how one in Arkansas should go about breaking out of the state. Can it all be done from Arkansas? Or does one have to leave to achieve?Perhaps, Arkansas Bo will open the door for other artists to be recognized for their talents and business grind?
D Dirt, self-named Lil Rock Obama (rightfully so), and his Thow'd Studio team is doing much for the music scene in Arkansas including throwing events to highlight artists' talents (the old and newbies alike), promoting himself and other artists, as well as holding down a notable radio show The Real Underground Show on 88.3 which plays local Hip Hop music. 101.1 The Streetz has also been supporting local music (along with Dj No Name forming community relations) and 92.3 more and more after people like D Dirt, Couch Lightyear, and others spoke out about the lack of support for local music. Radio 88.3 is very supportive in general of local music and Hip Hop, various shows have interviewed and played Roni Poet's music- Naturally Fab (Fit and Beautiful), The Pow Wow with Amy Pannell, Craft & Conversations Artist E -Dubb, said by 607 to be "one of the most unifying presences on the scene" (Elliot, 2012) was released from incarceration recently which has Arkansas music supporters happy about the future. I'm happy, and I've never met him but I know it's something to be happy about when a brother gets out of slavery and plans to use his talents to succeed in life (Yes, I know one shouldn't use I in professional writing or sound so bias as to claim jail as slavery (That's another blog post in itself. Can one put parentheses within parentheses?) but I'm allowed to add personal flare! Well, ain't I Mr. Teacher Man reading this blog to grade me in my Masters in Entertainment program?)! Petey Weedstraw has the popular L.I.T.T.L.E. Rock Anthem featuring E-Dubb and others. Rod D is another respected artist in Arkansas, having signed a distribution deal through a Universal subsidiary. Artists such as Epiphany, Wardog, Roni Poet, and many more have organized Hip Hop events and organizations for charitable causes showing the power of Hip Hop to solve social issues.
Artists like Matt Dizzle of Ill Legal Productions is producing quality and affordable Hip Hop videos to promote local talent. While artist Temolja Washington is using his creativity to pimp out chains for his fellow artists as well as making movies. Miss Lady magazine with Jas Chy'rel as Publisher and her sister Ebony Kelsey, Lay D Black of The Streetz 101.1 support the music and arts scene in Arkansas.
Roni Poet - Country Gurl ft. Weezie Wee
Ms. Weezie Wee
Artist Roni Poet has opened for national acts such as Too Short, Trina, Shawna former member of Ludacris's DTP, and recently performed on a festival ticket with Stic Man of Dead Prez. She is definitely one to take notice of as set to "blow up" with her multitude of talents as a lyrically genius emcee, visual artist, actress, and model. (It will never not seem strange to refer to one's self in the third person but supposedly that's thought more professional.)
Young Hoggs with member Ms. Weezie Wee have respect and a solid following. Ms. Weezie Wee is a talented artist - an emcee, singer, songwriter, actress, and model.
Stephan James of 4x4 Crew and RTLD Media are artists who have also partnered as entrepreneurs who promote the well-attended Indie Music Night which gives artists a chance to showcase their talent and get promotion.Venues are supportive of local Hip Hop in Arkansas such as Robert's Sports Bar and Grill in Southwest, Elevations, The Yard in Mcalmont, and many others.
This blog on Arkansas Hip Hop would be incomplete without such talents as 9th scientist, The Ridah G.O.D, Fleezilini (Do you count since you're a transplant from Flint, Michigan?), Throad Poetic Rapper, Slim Arkane, Koop Davillian, Nemo Money, and Feezio. YK Mitchell is definitely holding it down with his Grim Muzik movement - also providing affordable studio recording for fellow artists. Wow, and one can't leave out K-Toomer - He's everywhere in Arkansas promoting his music!
In researching about Arkansas Hip Hop one must mention the following I would like a retraction of the statement about Kari Faux "She’s one of the only females that is rapping and at the same time you wouldn’t put her on the list by default just ’cause she’s a girl." from (Mylnar, 2013) This relates to the blog I did earlier about female emcees in the Hip Hop industry, and how we have no respect. I personally know many female emcees holding it down in Arkansas - me for one, Weezie Wee, Cat Daddy (She's not just making waves in Arkansas but travels to Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Atlanta, California, Kansas City, and Texas. She's been interviewed by 50.com, and has sat down with mangers such as Miami Mike and Debra Atney), Kandee Gurl, Nisharee, Mizz Tiny,Thourill Bread, and many more. People assume that women aren't making music and out on the Arkansas streets hard performing and promoting, and it is a common saying that when one assumes...but the blog digresses. Cat Daddy says of her recent move to Houston, "I'm actually looking for the career not the lifestyle thats why I left. In Arkansas I can be famous, (without the money) but I chose the career so now I'm in Houston grindin'" (direct quote from Cat Daddy). However, she's not dissing any artists in Arkansas for staying in Arkansas and agrees with the blogger that there is more than one way up a mountain.
There is even a market for Christian rap in Arkansas such as Divine 7 Entertainment artist Charles Mayo - Last Supper - Official Video The music scene in Arkansas is love from fellow artists and fans, a mesh of diverse people forming a camaraderie in trying to break the Arkansas glass ceiling for Hip Hop artists. One would be amiss to not mention there does exist hate amongst some artists not wanting to support one another as they feel the pressure to be the first to put Arkansas on the map.
9th Scientist
Resources
AETN.org On the Front Row with Epiphany. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.aetn.org/programs/aetnpresents/onthefrontrow/epiphany Elliot, N. (2012, July 4). The state of Arkansas hip-hop | A&E Feature | Arkansas news, politics, opinion, restaurants, music, movies and art. Retrieved from http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/the-state-of-arkansas-hip-hop/Content?oid=2321937&showFullText=true 607. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://iam607.com/ Millar, L. (2012, May 16). 607 is not retiring. Retrieved from www.arktimes.com/RockCandy/archives/2012/05/16/607-is-not-retiringind Mlynar , P. (2013, January 28). Get to Know These Little Rock Rappers | MTV Hive. Retrieved from http://www.mtvhive.com/2013/01/28/best-little-rock-rappers-arkansas/ Roni Poet's firsthand knowledge of Hip Hop in Arkansas
In
John C. Maxwell’s Developing the Leader
Within You, there are five levels of leadership. According to these
qualities, on the top level would be Dr. Dre at Level 5: Personhood/Respect. At this level of leadership Dr. Dre is
respected in that people follow him for who he is as an iconic music producer,
CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Co-founder of Beats Electronics, and for
what he represents in Hip Hop and music in general. It is said that few ever
make it to this level. Dr. Dre is the definition of a leader in that over the
years he has demonstrated that he has most importantly integrity, the vision to
foresee what will succeed in the music industry, and the ability to develop the
best in people.
Dr. Dre is a
leader because he possesses integrity. Dr. Dre has established a reputation of
integrity, which means for one’s words and action’s to match up. AllHipHop.com’s
Chuck Creekmur says of his integrity, “People trust that he is going to deliver
results in line with his iconic reputation. Dre's pedigree and perfectionist
reputation” (Steve, n.d). Dre has credibility, which goes back to his integrity. He
has a system of values he uses to determine the quality of his creative, music
and business endeavors. For example, Carlyle Group invested 500 million into
Beats Electronics, the company Dr. Dre co-founded along with the audio
technology and new music subscription service he has helped to develop.
Sandra
Horbach speaks of her confidence in the company, "We are confident that
Beats will continue to drive innovation and growth in the premium audio
accessory market, particularly as the proliferation of smartphones and tablets
stimulate increased consumption of digital media" (Pham, 2013) Carlyle
Group’s investment is evident of Dr. Dre’s high influence value, his known high
standards, and solid reputation. Dr. Dre lives his high quality before he leads
others to do as him. When the label he helped found, Death Row Records no
longer supported his creative decision making, risked his high standards, and
reputation Dr. Dre proactively left to found his own label Aftermath
Entertainment (C.J.F.,1996). Dr. Dre’s integrity qualifies him as a
leader.
No leader would be complete without vision, and Dr. Dre exemplifies a man who has vision. Dr. Dre created and
popularized a new style of music known as ‘G-Funk’ According to Dr. Dre, it “was
created and mixed specifically for listening in car stereo systems.” He was
aware of the car-dependent lifestyles and the car cultures of hot rods, custom
cars, and lowriders. Dr. Dre as the music producer was able demonstrate his
vision by creating a new listening experience in the car that has had a far
reaching affect on Hip Hop music setting the background culture for Snoop Dog,
Tupac Shakur and others, and music in general. (Williams, 2009). Dr. Dre shows
vision in his business entrepreneurship. Not only did he co-found Death Row
Records and produce the likes of Snoop Dog and Tupac Shakur, but he went on to
found his own company Aftermath Entertainment which has built the careers of
Eminem and 50 Cent among others. Dr. Dre had a mission to produce masterpieces,
and got other artists, producers, and fans to get behind his vision. Dr. Dre
says that he isn't interested in producing albums for established artists but
instead wants to find who's next, as he did with Eminem and 50 Cent. Dr. Dre
says of his vision, "All I want to do is sit in the studio with that
person for a year and try to create another masterpiece" (Steve, n.d).
More recently, he demonstrated great vision by co-founding Beats Electronics
because of his mission to bring quality sound to listeners. In 2012 Beats Electronics owned 51% of an estimated 1 billion
dollar premium headphone market. Dre’s vision is evidenced in “Beats' signature
thundering bass, sometimes criticized as overwhelming, is well suited to modern
music driven by the bottom end and offers a direct challenge to competitors
such as Bose and Sennheiser” (Guzmán,
2014). The headphone technology has Dr. Dre ranked
third on the Forbes list for Hip Hop’s Wealthiest Artist with $350 million
(Forbes, n.d).
Not
only does Dr. Dre possess integrity as a leader but also the ability to develop
the best in people. Being able to develop people is a leader’s greatest
resource. First of all he is an example that others can follow because he
demonstrates integrity and vision as evidenced above. People can learn from his
business decisions and skills used in the creation of Death Row Records,
Aftermath Records, Beats Electronics, and all of his music production.
Recently, Dr. Dre makes a big move to develop people: He donated 70 million
U.S. dollars together with Jimmy Iovine, co-founder of Interscope Records, to
the University of Southern California in order “to establish the Jimmy Iovine
and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation.
The program will be a collaboration among its schools of business, engineering,
fine arts, and music to help students become entrepreneurs” (Bermudez, 2013). With the program that Dr. Dre has helped to fund will increase technology
resources to be used with the arts. Dr. Dre says that he wants people to be
entrepreneurs. (Bermudez, 2013). By
donating resources to a college, Dr. Dre is doing just that because the
students are learning skills to perfect their creative abilities and preparing
for entrepreneurship. Also through
Aftermath Entertainment, Dr. Dre has developed Eminem and 50 Cent to be
prosperous entrepreneurs and successful music artists. In summary, Dr. Dre is the man to develop people.
In
conclusion, Dr. Dre exemplifies leadership because of his integrity
demonstrating high standards and trust, vision of what’s going to be the best
in music, and ability to develop people that go on to become millionaires and
successful entrepreneurs. Dr. Dre came from poverty and crime-stricken Compton
to rise to be the third wealthiest Hip Hop artist with his leadership
abilities. His integrity is trusted to the point of being entrusted with fans
around the world and millions in investments. He has had the vision to create
“G-Funk”, and music Dr. Dre is a person to want to work with and a source of
wisdom to learn from in regards to music and being a leader.
References
Bermudez,
C. (2013). Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine Give USC $70-Million. Chronicle
Of Philanthropy, 25(13), 24.
C.J.F. (1996). The Dr. is out. Time, 148(24), 102.
Dr. Dre (hip-hop). (1999). Rolling Stone, (812), 53.
Guzmán, I., & Rayman, N. (2014). Generation Beats. Time, 183(3), 42.
The Forbes Five: Hip-Hop's Wealthiest Artists 2013 - Forbes. (n.d.). Retrieved
from
hip-hops-wealthiest-artists-2013
Pham, A. (2013). Beats Gets Cash Boost From Carlyle Group. Billboard, 125(39),
10.
Steve, J. (n.d). Dr. Dre's 'Detox' has industry buzzing. USA Today.
Williams, J. A. (2009). 'You never been on a ride like this befo': Los Angeles,
automotive
listening, and Dr. Dre's 'G-Funk'. Popular
Music History, 4(2), 160-176.
