If you are an unknown / lesser-known artist trying to get noticed / established:
* Establish your goals. What are you trying to do / accomplish? If you are looking for mainstream super-success (think Lady GaGa, Coldplay, U2, Justin Timberlake) - your best bet in my opinion is to look at major labels and prepare to share all revenue streams / creative control / music ownership. To reach that kind of critical mass these days your need old-school marketing muscle and that only comes from major labels. Good luck with that one.
If you're forging your own path, read on.
* Forget thinking you are going to make any real money from record sales. Make your record cheaply (but great) and GIVE IT AWAY. As an artist you want as many people as possible to hear your work. Word of mouth is the only true marketing that matters.
To clarify:
Parter with a TopSpin or similar or build your own website, but what you NEED to do is this - give your music away as high-quality DRM-free MP3s. Collect people's email info in exchange (which means having the infrastructure to do so) and start building your database of potential customers. Then, offer a variety of premium packages for sale and make them limited editions / scarce goods. Base the price and amount available on what you think you can sell. Make the packages special - make them by hand, sign them, make them unique, make them something YOU would want to have as a fan. Make a premium download available that includes high-resolution versions (for sale at a reasonable price) and include the download as something immediately available with any physical purchase. Sell T-shirts. Sell buttons, posters... whatever.
Don't have a TopSpin as a partner? Use Amazon for your transactions and fulfillment. [www.amazon.com]
Use TuneCore to get your music everywhere. [www.tunecore.com]
Have a realistic idea of what you can expect to make from these and budget your recording appropriately.
The point is this: music IS free whether you want to believe that or not. Every piece of music you can think of is available free right now a click away. This is a fact - it sucks as the musician BUT THAT'S THE WAY IT IS (for now). So... have the public get what they want FROM YOU instead of a torrent site and garner good will in the process (plus build your database).
The Beastie Boys' site offers everything you could possibly want in the formats you would want it in - available right from them, right now. The prices they are charging are more than you should be charging - they are established and you are not. Think this through.
The database you are amassing should not be abused, but used to inform people that are interested in what you do when you have something going on - like a few shows, or a tour, or a new record, or a webcast, etc.
Have your MySpace page, but get a site outside MySpace - it's dying and reads as cheap / generic. Remove all Flash from your website. Remove all stupid intros and load-times. MAKE IT SIMPLE TO NAVIGATE AND EASY TO FIND AND HEAR MUSIC (but don't autoplay). Constantly update your site with content - pictures, blogs, whatever. Give people a reason to return to your site all the time. Put up a bulletin board and start a community. Engage your fans (with caution!) Make cheap videos. Film yourself talking. Play shows. Make interesting things. Get a Twitter account. Be interesting. Be real. Submit your music to blogs that may be interested. NEVER CHASE TRENDS. Utilize the multitude of tools available to you for very little cost of any - Flickr / YouTube / Vimeo / SoundCloud / Twitter etc.
If you don't know anything about new media or how people communicate these days, none of this will work. The role of an independent musician these days requires a mastery of first hand use of these tools. If you don't get it - find someone who does to do this for you. If you are waiting around for the phone to ring or that A & R guy to show up at your gig - good luck, you're going to be waiting a while.
Hope this helps, and I'll scour responses for intelligent comments I can respond to.
TR
This was extremly well written article by Trent Reznor I wanted to share with everyone
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
Important steps to Handling your Cell phone rep
1. Pay Attention to overagesIf you notice any overages thus far (#646# then send for mins, #674# then send for text) and your bill cycle isn't over yet, call customer care, ask them to upgrade your minutes/text plan/etc. Tell them to backdate it, if you don't need the large amount next month (we all have those off, busy months) then downgrade again....
2. Make the reps notate EVERYTHING
First rule with this is going to have to be, make sure they notate EVERYTHING, if you have to, have them read back what they have, especially if you have been offered any sort of deal, supervisors will honor any notated offer when the rep goes to ask (like they will when they realize they cant do it), I've seen a lot of crazy deals happen with free phones, offers that didn't exist, etc, just because reps have messed up and put "offered free blackberry pearl" or something relevant in notes. I've also seen reps not backdate text/rateplans properly but because they notated it, I've been able to credit the overages.
3. The real retention department kicks in after you're a customer for 10 months
Once you've gone over 10 months of being with t-mobile, you're eligible to go to the real retention dept, any time before 10 months, you deal with customer care. Again, I've seen some crazy deals come from retention, special rate plans, phone deals, etc. (all of which WILL renew your contract, but some of the deals are quite worth it)
4. Don't call angry
We all get upset at incorrect charges, etc. but chances are if you come on the phone angry or yelling at the rep, you wont get what you want, there have been times I've told customers that due to them demanding things from me, and being rude, I wouldn't waive charges. Honesty helps your case sometimes as well. I was always more willing to help someone who recently changed plans and got overages than someone who repeatedly denied using the minutes calculated or say they never sent a text in their life, when in reality their children used AIM on their phone for a day.
5. 2-Year contracts are for suckers
Quite similar to the Verizon rep's comments, don't get 2 year contracts, usually its just a 50$ discount, with t-mobile every 11 months of active service, you get a full discount again. TRUST ME your nokia 6103 will NOT last 2 years. Pay the extra $50 and then you can upgrade in 11 months as opposed to 22. The sales rep will try to talk you out of this, because they get an extra payout for it, but it is not worth it.
6. Call the second you think your phone is lost
For the love of god, call in the second you notice its missing, even if it may be in the car. Why is this? Because you are responsible for all charges up until you called in to suspend it, meaning if someone made 10 calls to Guatemala then you called in, you would have to pay those 10, however if from the time the suspend button is hit and the line fully suspends, you're in the clear.
7. Upgrades
If you upgrade your phone in store and decide to return it within the 30 day trial period, make sure that sales rep memoes your account noting the price you paid, when it was returned, and make sure they call Customer Care to undo the contract extension. If you don't ask, they won't do it. It's that simple. Then, if you decide to upgrade later, and the sales rep hasn't done this, you're f'd as there is no paper trail to prove you returned your phone and undid the extension. You'll end up getting hosed on your next upgrade.
8. If you're looking to activate new service, do it at the end of the month and do it at a slower location.
Sales quotas with T-Mobile are a real bitch, and they have a new focus on "accountability," meaning if sales reps aren't meeting their quotas, they can now be fired (one of many reasons why I quit). If you buy your phone towards the end of the month and have a rep who's desperate for sales, he'll cut whatever deal he can to close the sale.
9. If the bill payment kiosk in your store is closed, it's because the sales manager in that store wants reps to offer you a new line of service when you come to pay your bill in person.
Avoid the hard sell and pay your bill online or in a store with a working kiosk.
10. Features are EVERYTHING to a sales rep at T-Mobile.
You are in a much better bargaining position for phone pricing if you're willing to add on a few features to your account. Then, just go to the website and cancel them.
11.Not happy with your rate plan, and are out of your contract?
Talk to customer care about "preferred" rate plans. They're a little known secret, and will not be proactively offered to you unless you ask.
12. T-Mobile sales reps are forbidden from saying anything disparaging about any handset in the store.
Do your homework before you go in. Reps know the specs of their phones, but they will not tell you that the RAZR is a hunk of crap, or that the DASH needs to be reset every two months or so.
13. MyFaves is a joke if you have a lot of friends who use T-Mobile.
All reps are aggressively selling MyFaves plans, and most people don't need them. If you have a lot of friends and family who use T-Mobile, just add the unlimited Mobile-to-Mobile for $6.99 and save yourself some money.
14. Even if you have T-Mobile Web or Unlimited Data service, Instant Messaging programs still use your SMS bucket, and are not part of your unlimited data plan.
15. You are ALWAYS eligible for a mail-in rebate.
Even if the rep discounts your phone down to $0, if there is a mail-in rebate for it, you just have to go to tmobilerebates.com and download the rebate form and send it in.
16. Phone insurance is a total scam.
You pay a $40, $70 or $110 deductible (depending on the model) for replacements, and they won't replace it in the store. You need to talk to Asurion (the insurance company) and not T-Mobile to get a replacement shipped to you. Once your shipment is confirmed, you'll need to get a replacement SIM card in the store, and if you're lucky, they might have a loaner phone for you, but that is extremely unlikely.
17. T-Mobile's security precautions are a joke.
Put a password on your account that only you know, and make sure Customer Care has a special instruction to verify either that password or a photo ID in store before anyone can access the account. Otherwise, anyone with the last four digits of your SSN has essentially full access to your account.
18. If you see the phone for free on the website, but don't see the phone in the store, that is a RED FLAG.
It means the phone sucks and they couldn't unload them in the store (Motorola PEBL, for example).
Cancelling and Getting great deals
Hi guys. I used to be a rep for T-Mobile USA. Here's some tips for you readers on how to handle the cancellation call - and some inside tips on our thought processes.
Be Patient. We're doing our job. - Face it folks, we want to talk to you about as much as you want to talk to us. If you genuinely want to end your service, then we'll take care of you. Just like you though, we do have requirements for our job that we must perform to keep it. I know you don't care at that point if I can save you money with a preferred plan. I know you don't want a new phone and contract from us. Just humor us for an extra 30 seconds and let us make our offer as is required so we can move on to taking care of your cancel request. Our goal is to have you squared away within 8 minutes of answering. Often times sooner - 480 seconds is a target for average resolution time. Those eight minutes will be a lot more pleasant if you...
Be friendly and courteous. - I know there are a handful of reps out there that for whatever reason are just (insert expletive here). Most of us though are in this job because we like what we do. I personally took this job because I like talking to people and solving problems. Those skills took me out of the general queues and into retention and high-value queues. Do whatever with the gen reps. When you're talking to a Customer Loyalty rep, though, your courtesy and conversation while we're doing you've requested will be appreciated and reflected back ten-fold. This will also go a long way to help you...
Get the best deal. - So you don't really want to cancel, but you, like countless others, understand the game. Threaten to cancel, get transferred to me, and get that POS RAZR for free shipped instead of 49.99 after rebate. This works great if you're fully qualified (11 or more months since previous 12 month contract phone purchase or 22 months since 2 yr contract phone purchase and on a 39.99 rate plan or higher for an equal or greater number of months since same purchase - but months suspended for no pay don't count as months towards upgrade) But if you're not fully qualified, you don't get the rebate for the RAZR, so the gen price is 99.99. Their price is 19.99. If we've got good rapport going, I won't even mention that 99.99 price to you. I could change order forms in about two clicks of a mouse and get it for you at no cost if I'm feeling frisky (albeit against policy, and I'm usually not going to ask my coach to violate policy) and if you're treating me right. I'm not Monty Hall. This isn't Let's Make a Deal. Your kindness to me, and the relationship we build in the first 2 minutes of the call is going to determine if I am willing to sacrifice my policy compliance to keep you as a customer. I will do anything I can possibly do for you if you will understand that there are limits to what I can do, and if you will try to...
Understand the system. - When we give you a handset price, that's our price. We cannot override that. We cannot adjust handset costs. We cannot issue credits to offset handset costs. It is simply not an option. If you don't like the price, simply say no thank you. Don't ask for free service. Can't do that either. Once upon a time we had a 6th month free offer. That's gone. Code is unrecognized now. We CAN however often times set you up on grandfathered features. For example, you want a fat messaging package on your 2 line family plan. 9.95 per month for unlimited messaging for families is right up your alley. If you're renewing a contract, I'll add it (or even change your existing feature) with the old FTMSG999 code and hook you up at half price. I can work the system that way. I can't make the system give something free. Also understand that the fact that you've been with us since it was Arial/Voicestream/Powertel/
Adjustment guidelines. - The hard and fast rule in retention is that if you've been with us less than 10 months, the most credit we can give by policy is 50% of your monthly charges. After ten months, we can offer up to 100%. Doesn't mean you'll get that much (See tip #2), but that's the cap. If it's a situation where an adjustment is my only save strategy, here's my steps. Let's say that you get over to me because you gave a trigger statement to a gen rep since you were charged a $100 out of warranty fee for water damage on an exchanged handset. (bonus tip: triggers include asking contract end date, mentioning canceling service, mentioning another provider's offer - all this will get you transferred to me if your line has been active greater than 10 months) First off, I'd listen to you tell me all about how you never dropped it in water (while you fail to realize that leaving it on the shelf in the bath while you take your steaming morning shower also induces water damage indicators) and how you will not pay the fee, and if we don't take it off, you'll cancel. Great. Makes no difference to me. So don't pay it. You'll be canceled soon enough anyway, and it won't count against my numbers. While you're telling me how inept the manufacturer's return center is at diagnosing water damage on devices they specialize in, I'm looking first at your service start date, your contract details, then your payment history (to garner the total amount of your cash we deposited), and finally your adjustment history. So say you've been with us 38 months. In those 38 months, you've paid us 1600 dollars with an additional $400 in adjustments. So that means in just over 3 years, we've paid 25% of your bills for you in adjustments. Guess what percentage of your monthly charges I'm going to offer you? You guessed it - 25%. Now that may go higher, remember, I can go as high as 100%. That's where tip #2 again kicks in. But regardless, the only way you're getting a credit higher than one month's service is in a re-rate situation where you went over your minutes, and agree to a new contract for a new plan in exchange for crediting overage less cost difference between old and new plans. And since we're on the topic of plans...
Ask for a preferred plan. - So your new plan isn't working out anymore. Don't settle for what's on the website. Don't settle for what the gen repgatekeeper tells you about. Talk to retention. Just mention "cancel" to the IVR. We've got a handful of unadvertised, current plans. A popular example is 1000 minutes, free nights and weekends for $39.99. What's the catch for saving 120 bucks a year over the regular offering? In this case, we sign you up for 2 more years. Only want one year? Take 800 minutes instead for the same price - and get 200 more minutes than the standard plan at that price point. And along those lines...
Don't fear the contract. - If you just signed a two year contract 6 months ago, all a 2 year contract does is add 6 months to the end. A one year in the same scenario doesn't change anything. If you're out of contract, every special offer I throw your way is going to have a contract attached. If the contract is the deal breaker, the one and only thing I'll do out of the ordinary for you is change you to a current advertised plan and waive the contract. I'll do that to save your line(s), but apart from that, I'll cut my losses and cancel as you wish.
Finally, Do your homework before you call. - Don't insult my intelligence and ask me to give you a Sidekick for free cause Sprint will. Don't tell me that AT&T is going to give you a thousand minute family plan and two new blackberries and BIS service for 49.99 a month with no contract. My response to that nonsense? "Wow! What a great deal Mr. Beayesser! Are you porting your T-Mobile number to AT&T? No? Well then let me tell you some basic information about cancellation as I prepare to cancel your account." If you're going to bluff, be aware that it may just be called.
Be Patient. We're doing our job. - Face it folks, we want to talk to you about as much as you want to talk to us. If you genuinely want to end your service, then we'll take care of you. Just like you though, we do have requirements for our job that we must perform to keep it. I know you don't care at that point if I can save you money with a preferred plan. I know you don't want a new phone and contract from us. Just humor us for an extra 30 seconds and let us make our offer as is required so we can move on to taking care of your cancel request. Our goal is to have you squared away within 8 minutes of answering. Often times sooner - 480 seconds is a target for average resolution time. Those eight minutes will be a lot more pleasant if you...
Be friendly and courteous. - I know there are a handful of reps out there that for whatever reason are just (insert expletive here). Most of us though are in this job because we like what we do. I personally took this job because I like talking to people and solving problems. Those skills took me out of the general queues and into retention and high-value queues. Do whatever with the gen reps. When you're talking to a Customer Loyalty rep, though, your courtesy and conversation while we're doing you've requested will be appreciated and reflected back ten-fold. This will also go a long way to help you...
Get the best deal. - So you don't really want to cancel, but you, like countless others, understand the game. Threaten to cancel, get transferred to me, and get that POS RAZR for free shipped instead of 49.99 after rebate. This works great if you're fully qualified (11 or more months since previous 12 month contract phone purchase or 22 months since 2 yr contract phone purchase and on a 39.99 rate plan or higher for an equal or greater number of months since same purchase - but months suspended for no pay don't count as months towards upgrade) But if you're not fully qualified, you don't get the rebate for the RAZR, so the gen price is 99.99. Their price is 19.99. If we've got good rapport going, I won't even mention that 99.99 price to you. I could change order forms in about two clicks of a mouse and get it for you at no cost if I'm feeling frisky (albeit against policy, and I'm usually not going to ask my coach to violate policy) and if you're treating me right. I'm not Monty Hall. This isn't Let's Make a Deal. Your kindness to me, and the relationship we build in the first 2 minutes of the call is going to determine if I am willing to sacrifice my policy compliance to keep you as a customer. I will do anything I can possibly do for you if you will understand that there are limits to what I can do, and if you will try to...
Understand the system. - When we give you a handset price, that's our price. We cannot override that. We cannot adjust handset costs. We cannot issue credits to offset handset costs. It is simply not an option. If you don't like the price, simply say no thank you. Don't ask for free service. Can't do that either. Once upon a time we had a 6th month free offer. That's gone. Code is unrecognized now. We CAN however often times set you up on grandfathered features. For example, you want a fat messaging package on your 2 line family plan. 9.95 per month for unlimited messaging for families is right up your alley. If you're renewing a contract, I'll add it (or even change your existing feature) with the old FTMSG999 code and hook you up at half price. I can work the system that way. I can't make the system give something free. Also understand that the fact that you've been with us since it was Arial/Voicestream/Powertel/
Adjustment guidelines. - The hard and fast rule in retention is that if you've been with us less than 10 months, the most credit we can give by policy is 50% of your monthly charges. After ten months, we can offer up to 100%. Doesn't mean you'll get that much (See tip #2), but that's the cap. If it's a situation where an adjustment is my only save strategy, here's my steps. Let's say that you get over to me because you gave a trigger statement to a gen rep since you were charged a $100 out of warranty fee for water damage on an exchanged handset. (bonus tip: triggers include asking contract end date, mentioning canceling service, mentioning another provider's offer - all this will get you transferred to me if your line has been active greater than 10 months) First off, I'd listen to you tell me all about how you never dropped it in water (while you fail to realize that leaving it on the shelf in the bath while you take your steaming morning shower also induces water damage indicators) and how you will not pay the fee, and if we don't take it off, you'll cancel. Great. Makes no difference to me. So don't pay it. You'll be canceled soon enough anyway, and it won't count against my numbers. While you're telling me how inept the manufacturer's return center is at diagnosing water damage on devices they specialize in, I'm looking first at your service start date, your contract details, then your payment history (to garner the total amount of your cash we deposited), and finally your adjustment history. So say you've been with us 38 months. In those 38 months, you've paid us 1600 dollars with an additional $400 in adjustments. So that means in just over 3 years, we've paid 25% of your bills for you in adjustments. Guess what percentage of your monthly charges I'm going to offer you? You guessed it - 25%. Now that may go higher, remember, I can go as high as 100%. That's where tip #2 again kicks in. But regardless, the only way you're getting a credit higher than one month's service is in a re-rate situation where you went over your minutes, and agree to a new contract for a new plan in exchange for crediting overage less cost difference between old and new plans. And since we're on the topic of plans...
Ask for a preferred plan. - So your new plan isn't working out anymore. Don't settle for what's on the website. Don't settle for what the gen repgatekeeper tells you about. Talk to retention. Just mention "cancel" to the IVR. We've got a handful of unadvertised, current plans. A popular example is 1000 minutes, free nights and weekends for $39.99. What's the catch for saving 120 bucks a year over the regular offering? In this case, we sign you up for 2 more years. Only want one year? Take 800 minutes instead for the same price - and get 200 more minutes than the standard plan at that price point. And along those lines...
Don't fear the contract. - If you just signed a two year contract 6 months ago, all a 2 year contract does is add 6 months to the end. A one year in the same scenario doesn't change anything. If you're out of contract, every special offer I throw your way is going to have a contract attached. If the contract is the deal breaker, the one and only thing I'll do out of the ordinary for you is change you to a current advertised plan and waive the contract. I'll do that to save your line(s), but apart from that, I'll cut my losses and cancel as you wish.
Finally, Do your homework before you call. - Don't insult my intelligence and ask me to give you a Sidekick for free cause Sprint will. Don't tell me that AT&T is going to give you a thousand minute family plan and two new blackberries and BIS service for 49.99 a month with no contract. My response to that nonsense? "Wow! What a great deal Mr. Beayesser! Are you porting your T-Mobile number to AT&T? No? Well then let me tell you some basic information about cancellation as I prepare to cancel your account." If you're going to bluff, be aware that it may just be called.
Why is it this way?- The relationship/rapport aspect is based on the fact that a) it's common decency and b)it's the basis for about half of our quality score. We get good scores, we get bigger bonuses, more advancement opportunities, etc. Your job gives you one, maybe 2 performance reviews a year. Mine gives me 11 each month. Handset pricing: I don't know who sets the prices. All I know is that my order form tells me the price based on your personal account history. We simply have no way of lowering the price beyond a maximum lowest cost. Adjustment policy: T-Mobile is a business. We don't make money by giving money away. I damn sure don't like T-Mobile giving my money to anyone else, and I'm not going to do the same with theirs. If it's an invalid charge, we will credit it without fail. However if you used the service, you owe the bill. Contracts: Simple. It sweetens my pot. I get an above average hourly wage, a quarterly performance bonus based on quality scores and call resolution time. I also get two monthly bonuses. I get 400 bucks if I come in contact with a minimum number of subscribers (not accounts, but rather actual active lines) who are still active 30 days after my contact with them. For each additional 25 subscribers, I get another 25 bucks, no limit. Could you put an extra $1000 to use a month? Yeah, me too. The other monthly bonus gives me $2.50 for the first 60 contracts I set for customers in the 11th (or 22d) month of contract or later. After the first 60, it's $4 each. 200 contracts a month = $710. So yeah, it's worth it for me to "save" you. But, coming full circle now, if you just want to cancel, let me make my one offer so I can move along, get you on with your day, and get on to my next customer with 5 lines, all out of contract, wanting to get some new Nokias.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Executive Remix
I was told this when I wanted to get into the music business:
Check out this clip spoofing the A&R remix process. It's pretty much the same scheme for producers. Most of this is sad but true, although I'd say it would take more than just a FEW calls and e-mails to get paid. Welcome to the biz, kidees!
Check out this clip spoofing the A&R remix process. It's pretty much the same scheme for producers. Most of this is sad but true, although I'd say it would take more than just a FEW calls and e-mails to get paid. Welcome to the biz, kidees!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Top 10 Most Underrated MC's
Earlier this week, I started blabbering about this list that I've been conjuring up in my head over the last few months. Everyone always talks about who's in their Top 10 MC's of all time, or the ever-popular Top 5 Dead or Alive list. Well, I've been thinking about something different.
Ever since I started listening to rap and hip-hop when I was 11 or 12 years old (1999 or 2000 to be exact, I know, young pup), I've always been drawn to exceptional lyrics and lyricists. The art of emceeing is something that grabbed my ear and never let go, from buying every album that came out, to making a career out of it.
We all know about the greats that make most peoples lists (Biggie, Jay, 'Pac, Nas, Rakim, KRS and YES Em), but this isn't about them. This list is about the guys that haven't quite got their proper due or recognition as spectacular rappers, in my opinion. So, while I love Redman and Ghostface, guys like that aren't on this list because I think most people hold them in very high regard amongst the best. This list is about the other guys that often aren't mentioned in that discussion, but probably should be. The guys that on their best day could probably tear a New One in some of your Top 10'ers. So without further ado, here is my Top 10 Most Underrated MC's list:.
10. Black Rob: To me, this guy is one of the best street story tellers of the post-gold age rap era. Anyone that disagrees just take a listen to his verses on "I Love You Baby" from No Way Out for a reminder. Rob's dead pan flow packs a casual power that has been often overlooked. I think label issues and legal issues have really held this special artist back from where he deserves to be.
9. Nature: This one might cause some grumbling, but I feel strongly about it. Nature is one of the most gifted Queens MC's to never get his full shine. His simple but extremely poignant flow paired with wit and depth makes him really special. His debut album For All Seasons is an overlooked gem, and his verses from The Firm album are stand-out classics. Check out "We Ain't Friends" and holla back.
8. Brother J.: The X-Clan's main flow came courtesy of none other than Brother J., one of the smoothest but aggresive voices in the history of rap music. J. kicked X-Clan's brand of pro-black, militant rhetoric with such force and talent that even if you took issue with some of their views, you had to give it up to him. Although there were only two original X-Clan albums before the original members of the group disbanded (To the East, Blackwards and Xodus), J.'s delivery was so memorable that his style is imitated and his lyrics are quoted to this day. Check out the title track from the second LP "Xodus" for proof. Brother J. says YUCK!
7. Wise Intelligent: Hailing from Trenton, N.J., the lead rapper from Poor Righteous Teachers was hands-down the best reggae/rap toaster ever. His melodies and intricate lyrics were simply incredible. P.R.T. had 4 albums out of the gate in the early-to-mid 90's and Wise never slipped for a second across all of those discs, even when there wasn't commercial success. Take a listen to "Easy Star" to hear Wise at his freshest.
6. The D.O.C.:Unfortunately for us, this guy was only able to make one (classic) album No One Can Do It Better before his vocal chords were severely damaged in an auto accident shortly after the album's release. Yeah, there's really only one album, but put it on today and it still stands up. That Dre guy has always been good at finding great rappers. Imagine what he would have done with The Doc if his full voice was still rockin'. The D.O.C. still remains a frequent Dre collaborator, penning several classics on 2001. Anyone needing a reference, check "Whirlwind Pyramid".
5. Del the Funkee Homosapien: Aa you may or may not know, D-E-L is Ice Cube's cousin. But their blood relation is where the similarities end. We first heard Del's voice on Cube's classic Amerikkka's Most Wanted, and he dropped a couple of classic albums and seriously complex and deep verses along the way after wards. This pioneering lead MC from the Hieroglyphics crew is one of my personal faves. Peep his twisty and flavorful verses on "Wrongplace" (Casual Remix) to remember.
4. Big L.: There's not much to argue with here. Right before L.'s untimely passing in 1999 he had blossomed into one of the best rappers in the game and was in his absolute prime. While he hadn't hit his stride quite yet on his major label debut, the world learned just how ill he was when his posthumous Rawkus album The Big Picture dropped. The classic "Ebonics" is all you need to know.
3. Royce Da 5'9": It has always amazed me just how many incredible rappers have come out of Detroit, and in particular the storied Hip-Hop Shop scene. Royce arrived on the scene in it's later stages, and quickly gained a reputation as one of Detroit's nastiest MC's. Personal bias and history aside, the fact that Royce still rhymes at the level that he does after all these years is simply incredible. If you don't know, give a listen to "Boom" for a reminder where he was and check out "Street Hop 2010" to see where he's at.
2. Big Pun: Another unfortunate early loss for hip-hop fans worldwide occurred when Pun passed away at an early age in 2000. Simply the illest Latin rapper of all time happens to also be one of the most underrated rappers ever. Pun was so nasty and quick on the mic that his verses commanded rewind buttons everywhere for years. "Dead in the middle of Little Italy..." is one of the most memorable lines ever. Listen to "Leatherface" loudly. Now.
1. Kurupt: A personal favorite of mine ever since the Death Row Dogg Pound days, Kurupt Young Gotti is still rapping at a level above most. Hailing from Philadelphia but spending his adult years on the West Coast caused Kurupt to develop a unique East Coast flow with that Cali twang that is one of a kind. Kurupt's solo album Tha Streetz Iz A Mutha and Space Boogie are both extremely overlooked gems that still get play in my rotation to this day. Check out the hard rhyming on "I Call Shots" to see where he was and listen to the sublime "Yes Sir" with Pete Rock to see where he's at.
So, there it is. I hope that this list causes anger, elation, frustration, memories and most importantly debate. Let me know who's on your Underrated list... the greatest thing about the list is that it's yours and thus nobody can be wrong.
Ever since I started listening to rap and hip-hop when I was 11 or 12 years old (1999 or 2000 to be exact, I know, young pup), I've always been drawn to exceptional lyrics and lyricists. The art of emceeing is something that grabbed my ear and never let go, from buying every album that came out, to making a career out of it.
We all know about the greats that make most peoples lists (Biggie, Jay, 'Pac, Nas, Rakim, KRS and YES Em), but this isn't about them. This list is about the guys that haven't quite got their proper due or recognition as spectacular rappers, in my opinion. So, while I love Redman and Ghostface, guys like that aren't on this list because I think most people hold them in very high regard amongst the best. This list is about the other guys that often aren't mentioned in that discussion, but probably should be. The guys that on their best day could probably tear a New One in some of your Top 10'ers. So without further ado, here is my Top 10 Most Underrated MC's list:.
10. Black Rob: To me, this guy is one of the best street story tellers of the post-gold age rap era. Anyone that disagrees just take a listen to his verses on "I Love You Baby" from No Way Out for a reminder. Rob's dead pan flow packs a casual power that has been often overlooked. I think label issues and legal issues have really held this special artist back from where he deserves to be.
9. Nature: This one might cause some grumbling, but I feel strongly about it. Nature is one of the most gifted Queens MC's to never get his full shine. His simple but extremely poignant flow paired with wit and depth makes him really special. His debut album For All Seasons is an overlooked gem, and his verses from The Firm album are stand-out classics. Check out "We Ain't Friends" and holla back.
8. Brother J.: The X-Clan's main flow came courtesy of none other than Brother J., one of the smoothest but aggresive voices in the history of rap music. J. kicked X-Clan's brand of pro-black, militant rhetoric with such force and talent that even if you took issue with some of their views, you had to give it up to him. Although there were only two original X-Clan albums before the original members of the group disbanded (To the East, Blackwards and Xodus), J.'s delivery was so memorable that his style is imitated and his lyrics are quoted to this day. Check out the title track from the second LP "Xodus" for proof. Brother J. says YUCK!
7. Wise Intelligent: Hailing from Trenton, N.J., the lead rapper from Poor Righteous Teachers was hands-down the best reggae/rap toaster ever. His melodies and intricate lyrics were simply incredible. P.R.T. had 4 albums out of the gate in the early-to-mid 90's and Wise never slipped for a second across all of those discs, even when there wasn't commercial success. Take a listen to "Easy Star" to hear Wise at his freshest.
6. The D.O.C.:Unfortunately for us, this guy was only able to make one (classic) album No One Can Do It Better before his vocal chords were severely damaged in an auto accident shortly after the album's release. Yeah, there's really only one album, but put it on today and it still stands up. That Dre guy has always been good at finding great rappers. Imagine what he would have done with The Doc if his full voice was still rockin'. The D.O.C. still remains a frequent Dre collaborator, penning several classics on 2001. Anyone needing a reference, check "Whirlwind Pyramid".
5. Del the Funkee Homosapien: Aa you may or may not know, D-E-L is Ice Cube's cousin. But their blood relation is where the similarities end. We first heard Del's voice on Cube's classic Amerikkka's Most Wanted, and he dropped a couple of classic albums and seriously complex and deep verses along the way after wards. This pioneering lead MC from the Hieroglyphics crew is one of my personal faves. Peep his twisty and flavorful verses on "Wrongplace" (Casual Remix) to remember.
4. Big L.: There's not much to argue with here. Right before L.'s untimely passing in 1999 he had blossomed into one of the best rappers in the game and was in his absolute prime. While he hadn't hit his stride quite yet on his major label debut, the world learned just how ill he was when his posthumous Rawkus album The Big Picture dropped. The classic "Ebonics" is all you need to know.
3. Royce Da 5'9": It has always amazed me just how many incredible rappers have come out of Detroit, and in particular the storied Hip-Hop Shop scene. Royce arrived on the scene in it's later stages, and quickly gained a reputation as one of Detroit's nastiest MC's. Personal bias and history aside, the fact that Royce still rhymes at the level that he does after all these years is simply incredible. If you don't know, give a listen to "Boom" for a reminder where he was and check out "Street Hop 2010" to see where he's at.
2. Big Pun: Another unfortunate early loss for hip-hop fans worldwide occurred when Pun passed away at an early age in 2000. Simply the illest Latin rapper of all time happens to also be one of the most underrated rappers ever. Pun was so nasty and quick on the mic that his verses commanded rewind buttons everywhere for years. "Dead in the middle of Little Italy..." is one of the most memorable lines ever. Listen to "Leatherface" loudly. Now.
1. Kurupt: A personal favorite of mine ever since the Death Row Dogg Pound days, Kurupt Young Gotti is still rapping at a level above most. Hailing from Philadelphia but spending his adult years on the West Coast caused Kurupt to develop a unique East Coast flow with that Cali twang that is one of a kind. Kurupt's solo album Tha Streetz Iz A Mutha and Space Boogie are both extremely overlooked gems that still get play in my rotation to this day. Check out the hard rhyming on "I Call Shots" to see where he was and listen to the sublime "Yes Sir" with Pete Rock to see where he's at.
So, there it is. I hope that this list causes anger, elation, frustration, memories and most importantly debate. Let me know who's on your Underrated list... the greatest thing about the list is that it's yours and thus nobody can be wrong.
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