Nowadays hip hop is more than just drum beats, producers also use baselines and melodies in order to make beats. But it all started with the drums, for which hip hop music is known the most. Disc jockeys used to sample and isolate drums from music tracks, mostly from soul and funk music, to make their own, new sound. This was popular in the 80’s, when people gathered together on block parties and used to dance on these new drum beats. Later on, the Djs started to scratch, put instrument sounds and vocals on their beats. The result was a new music genre named hip hop.

The hip hop music went through a lot of changes, but the drums are still the heart of this genre. Even big producers still work with drum machines and MPCs, like Kanye West for example. And the result is very good! It’s really amazing how something that simple can become and stay so popular and move so many people all around the globe! Now, rap artists come from everywhere, Germany, Russia or Japan…

Some people say hip hop is dead, or is going to die out soon. But I don’t think this is true. It has become an integral part of the music industry and it will be that way. Every year new hip hop artists come on the scene, and they are as successful as the artists in every other genre. If you are fascinated about music, like me, and especially about hip hop, you want to be part of this movement!

Either you are a rapper, singer, producer or you want to do it all yourself, there’s no better time to start making your own music than now! If you are rapping or singing, you need to practice, so you have your own style, and that’s the most important part. Start with freestyling over different instrumental beats, and then, when you’re ready to make your own song, look for beat selling pages, let’s take
beats4tracks.com as an example, here you can listen to samples and buy the instrumentals for an accordingly low price. If you want to produce your own beats, you should look for a good and easy to use beat making software, DUBturbo or Fruity Loops for example. You might want to read my other articles on how to make your own beats.

Just try it out! Get yourself a free demo or software if you’re not sure about paying money for a product, there’s plenty good software out there. Feel the vibe and let it inspire you, it’s really fun!

If you happen to be somebody working out a music career, Artist Management or Artist manager are not unfamiliar words to you.

In fact, it’s probably not far-fetched for you to be toying with the idea of seeking the services of an artist manager. The real good artist managers have impressive track records that include successes of now famous and rich names. You should know though, that artist managers’ role has evolved into one that now involves business development.

The New Role Of The Artist Manager

Like most things in the music industry, the artist manager’s role is quickly changing. The good old days had him mostly concerned with helping the fledgling artists, singers, songwriters or bands with whom he works, to secure a good record deal and then after the deal is finalized and is active, to serve as liaison between his artist and the label.

This sounds simple enough, but it’s not. Of course it’s an oversimplification. It’s no picnic getting the artists a record deal nor working with a label. This was, however the real essence of an artist manager’s role, at least for a large majority of them.

Today, that has changed. Their key role is different. They’re no longer concerned with getting the artists under their wings signed. Instead, they now should be concerned with developing and creating value for their artists and bands, as in “business development.”

While they continue to view their artists and bands as something for which they must build brand equity, such brand equity is not so much for leveraging it into a record deal, but leveraging it to create direct revenue units and build strategic partnerships where he again creates exposure and impact, (thus enhancing the brand equity) and revenues.

All that time spent mailing things and items out to people at the labels outfits, those meetings with the A&R people and all those hours spent fighting and arguing about marketing budgets and promotions and everything else, must now be concentrated on “business development”

The thing is … most artist managers are not fully prepared for business development. They’ve got no proper business training and through no fault of theirs will probably move about unsure, in a market where those without the requisite skills are punished. Some of these guys won’t make it. Some will be smart enough to learn the business fundamentals and will change the paradigm.

If you’re into pursuing your music career, as a singer or member of a band or a songwriter- composer, it would be good for you to understand this evolving role of an artist manager. Before you wind up with one, make sure he/she is coming from a reputable, results-oriented outfit that knows what’s happening with artist management.