In my previous article, 3 common mistakes upcoming rappers make ” on their road to stardom which actually dampen it. The beautiful property called The Music Industry has gone past an artiste making music just for fun.
It is a saying that ” The sky is wide enough for every bird to fly ” but it is also certain that competition is what makes every business thrive. As a consultant in this game, I took my time to correct those 4 common mistakes and observe what makes a successful rapper – successful, drawing inspiration from both local and foreign rappers.
Here are 7 Tips To Make You A Successful Rapper
1. Focus on quality
This however is the difference between people coming back to listen to your song again and checking it out only once, seeing that it’s amateur made and just leave. Always make sure that your public image is as professional as it can get. Even if you don’t have the cash for it right now.
Take your time, get the paper and do it the proper way. It’s better to be patient and blow up like you should, rather than being impatient and just bubble in the background.
2. Know Where are you headed
In my opinion, your public image should be very carefully established. You should carve up your character with the utmost attention, get a reputation for a specific type of content, develop a USP(Unique Selling Point) and so on.
By having 20 songs online and all of them below 100 views, this is not a good look. You’re giving the wrong first impression to people and rather damaging perception of yourself. Once that happens, people will start to think less of you.
It’s always better to have 1 song with 1000 views, which you effectively promote, rather than having 20 with 30 views each.
3. Rating is important!
Next time people hear your name, they would want to check out your content and if they see that one song with high number of views/downloads, they’ll see that there is a certain desirability about you. This immediately generates more interest for them and they get curious as to what you have to say.
It must be good, since so many people heard it.
4. Find your style.
This is vital, because once you know your style, while defining it, more people with similar style will gravitate towards you. You will be representing. So you really need to think about that, before you post anything on the web.
You have to be able to generate an association with your name. For example, when you say Olamide, you think of the crazy impulsive guy. When you say M.I, you think of the slick hustler. When you say Vector, you think of the cool chilled guy. You have to put yourself in a category depending on your character.
If there is no such category, make one-that’s even better.
5. Attention Grabbers
You have to think of factors which would separate you from the crowd. Maybe it’s the controversy you will get yourself involved in, maybe it would be your insolent comments, maybe it would be your intelligence, or appearance.
It has to be something, which is going to make you different from the other rappers and which would grab the attention of the viewer. Simply joining the crowd and rapping about what they rap about will not work.
The market is saturated by rappers who glorify money and people are looking for something other than that. Something fresh. Package it nicely and give it to them.
6. Money Sources
You have to think about that too. Before you start your public relations, you have to know from where you’re going to get your money. Not knowing that, will simply make you ignorant to the opportunities you could have and missing opportunities is the shortest way to failure.
Think several steps ahead. So what if you get that record deal? What would you do? Would you sell shoes? Would you sell clothes? How are you going to use your popularity and how will you double it.
To be a successful rapper/entertainer, you have to be a businessman too.
7. Be an entrepreneur
That’s for those of you who want to make money rapping. If you don’t want to mix with all that shady, manipulation money environment, you can write your lyrics and don’t care about the music business. You will however remain underground and underpaid.
