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Running head: There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 1

This thesis has been approved by

The Honors Tutorial College and the College of Business at Ohio University

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Dr. Akil Associate Professor, African American Studies Thesis Adviser

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Dr. Raymond Frost Director of Studies, Business Administration

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Cary Roberts Frith Interim Dean, Honors Tutorial College

There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 2

THERE’S NO SHORTCUT TO LONGEVITY: A STUDY OF THE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF HIP-HOP SUCCESS AND THE MARKETING DECISIONS BEHIND THEM

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A Thesis

Presented to

The Honors Tutorial College

Ohio University

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In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Graduation from the Honors Tutorial College with the degree of

Bachelor of Business Administration

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by

Jacob Wernick

April 2019

There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 3

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures……………………………………………………………………….4

Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………...5

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………..6-11

Parameters of Study……………………………………………………………..6

Limitations of Study…………………………………………………………...6-7

Preface…………………………………………………………………………7-11

Literary Review……………………………………………………………………………..12-32

Methodology………………………………………………………………………………....33-55

Jay-Z Case Study……………………………………………………………..34-41

Kendrick Lamar Case Study………………………………………………...41-44

Soulja Boy Case Study………………………………………………………..45-47

Rapsody Case Study………………………………………………………….47-48

Vice Souletric Case Study…………………………………………………....48-49

D Jones Case Study…………………………………………………………..49-50

The Modern ………………………………………………...51-55

Discussion & Conclusion……………………………………………………………………55-59

Appendix: Full Case Studies………………………………………………………...... 60-70

References……………………………………………………………………………………71-78

There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 4

List of Tables and Figures

Figure A: Streaming Services Payouts by Company…………………………….…………...49

Figure B: Music Industry Revenue by Percentages…………………….……………..50

There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 5

Abstract

Despite being labeled as a “fad” at the time of its inception in the 1970s, hip-hop culture has grown, and rap music has become the number one selling genre as of 2018 in the .

Still, rap artists face the challenge of remaining relevant in the marketplace over time. The constant shift in trends impact an artist’s brand and career longevity prospects. While some artists are content with having shorter careers in music, all artists must understand how to properly invest not only the money that they earn, but also their brand. Though an artist may only produce a single hit in their career, they may still be able to utilize or extend their brand to earn money in other ways such as endorsement deals, acting jobs, and more. This thesis examines six artists, all of different success levels: Jay-Z, , ,

Rapsody, Vice Souletric, and D Jones. This study examines what constitutes a successful brand.

For the purpose of the study, a successful brand provides brand recognition and career longevity.

This study also briefly examines the modern music industry in order to understand what contemporary artists must navigate in order to be successful.

There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 6

Introduction

Parameters of Study

The purpose of this project is to examine a variety of hip-hop careers that have had different levels of success, in order to understand how hip-hop artists can achieve longevity and achieve financial success. This thesis contributes to the business discipline by adding to the limited academic research that has been done in the area of the music business and more specifically, the business of hip-hop.

This study is not a study to examine or determine the talent level of artists or to assess the quality of their music. This work focuses on the artists’ financial success based on their ability to brand and market themselves. It also examines business decisions throughout the course of an artist’s career that may determine financial viability. Although there are variables in measuring success, throughout this study, the word “success” is used in reference to financial success, unless otherwise specified. It is important to note that the term “hip-hop” denotes emceeing,

DJing, b-girl and b-boying, the whole sub-culture. Therefore, the music aspect of hip-hop is what is known as rap music, and will be referred to as such in this study.

Limitations of Study

While this study will examine some of the key aspects to being successful and sustainable in commercial hip-hop, this study does not guarantee an artist who follows these methods will succeed and achieve longevity. However, this study may be used as a blueprint to help young artists shape their brands and careers. Most of the artists studied were only able to be analyzed based on secondary data. studies would be improved with primary data collection and There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 7 qualitative interviews with all artists. There has also been little prior academic research conducted on the subject. This study provides a foundation that future studies may build upon.

Lastly, the limited information on women artists is in large measure due to shortcomings of hip- hop historiography that is inclusive of women in the industry. Future studies would be improved with a larger focus on women hip-hop artists.

Preface

When hip-hop began in in the 1970s by African American youth, people were quick to label it “a fad” (Flores, 2012). In spite of this false claim, hip-hop has risen to be the number one selling genre in the United States, according to a 2018 Nielsen report, and regularly influences many different aspects of to shape entertainment, art, fashion, and more into what they are in the modern world (Lynch, 2018). Rap music started as ‘party music’ only being performed live with a (DJ) making the beat and a master of ceremonies or microphone controller (MC) over it. Many scholars mark the first hip-hop party in 1973, when Cindy Campbell and her brother, Clive (DJ Kool Herc) hosted a party at 1520 Sedwick

Avenue, in . Herc played vinyl records of and and using two of the same records. Herc would extend the instrumental breaks of the by playing these sections or ‘breaks’ back to back (TeachRock, 2019). DJ Kool Herc’s emcee Coke La Rock and other emcees would rhyme over the breaks, which became known as “rapping.”

From there, DJs Grand Master Flash (Joseph Saddler) and (Lance

Taylor/Kevin Donovan) gained popularity in clubs. Eventually, the music expanded, and songs like “Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugarhill Gang (Michael Wright, Henry Jackson, and Guy

O’Brien) and “Christmas Rappin’” by (Kurtis Walker) were among some of the first There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 8 rap songs to be recorded and gain popularity beyond the clubs. DJing and b-boying/B-girling became the first widely recognized elements of hip-hop culture, with emceeing (rapping) and completing elements of hip-hop. Toward the end of the twentieth century, knowledge, street language, fashion, , and entrepreneurship would be added (One,

2003).

In 1981, Blondie’s (Debbie Harry and band) Billboard-topping “Rapture” was the first song with aspects of hip-hop to do such a thing (Light, 1999). The single also showed hip-hop’s ability to crossover into other genres. The song includes a rapped verse and hip-hop cultural references. The features appearances from influential hip-hop figures such as Fab 5

Freddy (Fred Brathwaite), , (Joseph Saddler), and Jean-Michel Basquiat

(Trust, 2014). A popular artist like Blondie embracing the genre helped broaden the culture’s appeal and audiences.

In 1982, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five broke new ground with the release of

“The Message” (Errey, 2015). Though the song sounded like something that may be played at a party, the lyrics went beyond light themes and discussed issues of crime and poverty. From here, rap continued to branch out showing early signs of market crossover potential. For instance, crossover songs by (Melvin Glover) and Chaka Khan (Yvette Stevens) (“I Feel For

You”), Run-DMC and (“Walk This Way”), and many others. As a result of these early cross genre , it is not uncommon for rap artists to feature artists from other genres with the intent to extend the reach of their brand.

While these artists found some success with these early crossover efforts, in part because of their already established rap credibility, many contemporary artists still struggle with There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 9 remaining relevant to maintain a long career. As a result, artists must do more than a crossover song. Artists today must brand themselves properly in order to achieve longevity. This can be directly related to the constant shift in trends within the genre as well as the importance of remaining authentic. While different sub-genres become popular year after year, some artists attempt to adapt to a new style, some artists attempt to keep making the same type of music, and others attempt to meet somewhere in the middle. MC Hammer (Stanley Burrell) is someone who tried to flip between different rap sub-genres, and this ended up leading to his demise in the music industry. Not only did the rapper change his name to “Hammer,” but he also made rap that were Christian rap, G-funk, and more, confusing audiences and drastically decreasing his sales (White, 2012). This decision can greatly impact whether or not the artist is able to retain levels of success in the marketplace. The success in this is dependent on the artist’s current level of success, their number of loyal fans, their versatility, and their overall skills as an artist. Someone who is a top-selling rap artist may find it easier to crossover into a different sub- genre than one who is not.

Additionally, some artists may never have the opportunity to or decide not to sign a label deal, but can still have successful careers in hip-hop as independent acts. With the popularity of , this transition may be easier in the modern industry than it was previously. Social media provides instant access between artists and fans. Artists can easily share music and reach large audiences in a matter of minutes. As an example, (Chancelor Bennett) utilized the social media platform SoundCloud to distribute, promote, and share his music.

SoundCloud is a social media service that allows anyone to upload and share his or her music publicly, usually consumption. By being on the platform and getting his music shared by others, Chance was able to gain a following. Additionally, because he had no backing from a There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 10 major corporate label, Chance was responsible for his own marketing. Chance created clever ways to establish and brand himself with the audience through both SoundCloud and other social media platforms. For example, when Chance was featured on ’s song, “Ultralight

Beam,” he changed his name on to “Lil Chano from 79th,” a line from his verse on the song (Geek , 2017). Further, Chance has regularly made a point to interact directly with fans and post about relevant news stories to engage fans beyond music (Geek Chicago, 2017).

The use of social media tools allowed Chance to have complete control of his image. As a result,

Chance was able to build a significant fan base that contributed to him becoming a Grammy award-winning artist.

While most artists aim for longevity, some artists are content with only remaining relevant for a short period of time and may “ride waves” in order to achieve stardom that they may not have been able to achieve otherwise. Instead of building an authentic brand and making music that is important to them, they choose to follow the current trends and make music that they believe will make them money as fast as possible. If they choose this route, their later branding efforts and business decisions will determine if they are still able to remain relevant in the eyes of the public for years to come, if this is what they wish for. Others often take similar approaches while hoping to have a long career in music, but struggle to do so. These artists are often referred to as “one hit wonders,” as they most likely only had one song that reached a high level of commercial success. One artist that went down this path is (Robert Van

Winkle). Vanilla Ice’s debut single, “” became the first rap single to top the

Billboard Hot 100 in 1990 (Madden, 2016). While he saw great success with his first , he was unable to match this level of success throughout the rest of his career due to issues with fabricating his past and deciding between appealing to rap or pop audiences. There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 11

There are also artists who are able to have long careers, even if they do not reach star status, but are still able to earn enough money to both keep making music for long periods and still be considered successful. These artists will be referred to as mid-level artists for the purposes of this study. Examples of this type of artist are , (John Austin IV), and (Phonte Coleman). While these artists have not spent the majority of their careers in the limelight, they have been able to establish niche fanbases that have allowed them to have profitable careers that have lasted reasonable lengths of time. These artists are not the ones to have Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certifications or Billboard charting songs or albums, but have still been able to appeal to a niche audience that remains loyal to them over the years, allowing them to remain relevant in the hip-hop community over 20 years.

As there are in every industry, there are a select few who are able to have career longevity and remain in star status for many years. An artist reaches star status when they have achieved a high level of commercial success and have sustained commercial success over multiple years. These artists have all developed solid brand personas that have allowed them to maintain large followings. For the purposes of this study, star status requires three or more certified platinum albums and a career length of over 20 years. Examples of this kind of artist include; Kanye West, (Marshall Mathers), and Jay-Z (Shawn Carter). While branding and commercial album sales are key, a critical path to high levels of commercial success is diversifying sources of revenue. Jay-Z, Diddy (), and Dr. Dre (Andre Young) are the wealthiest hip-hop artists of all time, largely due to their ability to expand outside of being just

MCs and producers (Forbes, 2018). Some examples of their other ventures include entrepreneurship, artist management, fashion design, venture capitalism, and careers as record executives. There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 12

Literature Review

The literature review for this study involves a strong focus on one study, White (2012), as well as the review of other peer-reviewed and secondary sources that include documentaries, articles, and interviews pertaining to the focus of the study.

DuVernay, A. (Producer & Director). (2010, August 30). My mic sounds nice: A truth about women and [Video file]. United States.

DuVernay (2010) explores the complicated history of women MCs in the male- dominated genre of commercial rap. DuVernay (2010) highlights women MCs from different eras up to 2010 and examines how they market themselves and respond to industry forces that may limit the range of expression for women in rap. DuVernay (2010) begins by taking a close look at MC Lyte (Lana Moorer) who was the first woman to release a full-length commercial rap album. Next, the documentary discusses the significance of , the first hip-hop artist to receive the Grammy award for “Album of the Year” for 1999’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

Hill’s career provides a case study of sorts about the specific challenges women in rap face. Hill began her career with the trio, The before making The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill album. Despite being told to focus on pop-friendly music, Hill crafted a deeply personal album that explored topics that ranged from sexuality, race, , and class. These topics would typically end a woman’s career; however, it created a cultural icon. Lauryn Hill’s debut solo album suggests that following a generic template for commercial success may not always yield the desired results.

DuVernay (2010) continues with a critical examination of Lil’ Kim (Kimberly Jones) and

Foxy Brown (Inga DeCarlo Fung Marchand), two women who established sexuality as key parts of their brands. Extending the sexual agency developed by -N-, the two inspired a whole There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 13 wave of women rappers that use sexuality as part of a brand (i.e. /Belcalis Almánzar).

Next, the documentary examines the career of (Melissa Elliott), who was not as concerned with selling , and more focused on doing what she wanted and being authentic.

Therefore, this made Missy unique in hip-hop at the time and allowed her to build a strong fan base that has helped her succeed in hip-hop for nearly 30 years.

The significance of My Mic Sounds Nice: A Truth About Women and Hip Hop is that it considers how the market may dictate strategies for branding. Oftentimes, in order to be successful in the genre, a woman has to either come off as aggressive and/or over-sexualized.

For instance, Yo-Yo (Yolanda Whitaker) discusses how the popularity of hyper-sexualized images forced her to focus less on lyrics and more on visual sex appeal. The documentary also explores the lack of representation and hardships of women MCs in hip-hop both on and off stage. Additionally, women often find that they have to have a man who is influential within the industry supporting them throughout their career to legitimize their talent.

Gender plays a role in marketing and business decisions for women in ways it does not for men within the industry. DuVernay (2010) illustrates the difficulties or challenges women face in their music videos and on tours, as they all give particular care to their hair, makeup, nails, and overall appearance as opposed to a man. Men oftentimes are able to wear something as simple as a hat, t-shirt, and jeans and be accepted. It is also important to note that women are often sexually objectified in music videos in rap music and many other genres in contemporary music videos (Killoy, Young, Earp, & Jhally, 2007). Therefore, women rappers are often pressured into making their videos sexually appealing to viewers. DuVernay (2010) notes how

Missy Elliott was one of the first women MCs to challenge this trend and create other images. There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 14

Her music video for the song “ (Supa Dupa Fly)” from the 1997 album Supa Dupa Fly features Elliott wearing an enlarged garbage bag.

Ingram, J. (Director), & Mayo, D. (Producer). (2016). The End of Malice [Motion picture on ]. United States.

Ingram & Mayo (2016) details the life experiences and career of the rapper Gene Elliott

Thornton Jr., also known as (formerly Malice) of the duo . The film examines

Malice’s to fame and seemingly abrupt decision to end his career as one half of the duo.

While in the group, Malice primarily rapped about drug trafficking, a life of crime, and getting high. This sub-genre of rap music is also known as street gospel or trap-rap and Clipse is thought to have started “coke-rap,” as they were pioneers in rapping about .

Similarly stated in Rose (2008), this genre of rap is appealing to audiences as fans can listen to the highs and lows of this lifestyle with no risk to their lives or freedom. Throughout the film, No Malice discusses the events that led to his choice to leave Clipse. No Malice shares how he slowly grew sick of making this kind of music and the life associated with it, as he that it was morally wrong. While rapping about these things, he was branding himself as someone who partakes in those types of activities. Once people within his inner circle began to be investigated for drug trafficking, he decided that he could not take it anymore and that this life was not for him. Following his departure from Clipse, he decided to return to music, but decided to insert the

“No” at the beginning of his alias and start making music that spreads positivity and the word of

God.

The strength of Ingram & Mayo (2016) is its examination of how branding can shift based on an artist’s personal transformation. No Malice evolved from an artist who makes music about drugs and crime to an artist that spreads positivity and the word of God through a Christian There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 15 lens. The difficulty with rebranding is that many still associate No Malice with the brand that he had built as Malice of Clipse. As a result, No Malice has been unable to reach the financial success he once could through his music.

The weakness of Ingram & Mayo (2016) is that while the documentary is about how during his time in Clipse, Malice was slowly growing sick of the life he was living, the documentary does not discuss his career as No Malice very much. While the documentary is clear that this is who he is today, it would have been interesting to see some of the things he has done since becoming No Malice to try to rebuild his brand.

Lambe, S. (2013, November 05). “The peak age for rappers/hip-hop artists.” Retrieved February 4, 2019, from http://www.vh1.com/.

Lambe (2013) attempts to determine the peak age for rappers/hip-hop artists. The study was performed by examining artists and looking at the sales of their most successful album(s).

Lambe (2013) found that the peak age for rappers is 27.6 years old. The study found that at this age, the artist is most likely to release their best-selling album. The study suggests that most artists in this genre tend to plateau in sales around their late 30s. The study does, however, identify Jay-Z and Eminem as two artists who have had very high sales numbers while in their

40s.

The strength of Lambe (2013) is that it explores at an interesting topic related to hip-hop artist’s longevity in music. Rather than examine the average career length, Lambe (2013) attempts to determine the age in which artists tend to release their most financially rewarding music. As the age is 27.6, this is likely due to the artist still being relatively young and in tune with the youth, but also old enough to have matured a bit as an artist. The weakness of this study is that it did not include any women artists. Lambe (2013) mentions that artists such as , There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 16

Foxy Brown, , and Lil Kim released their best-selling albums between the ages of

19 and 22, but also notes that these artists were not factored into the study. However, women artists are important to the genre, and Lambe (2013) does not provide reasoning as to why they were excluded in the study. Additionally, the study does not include groups in the study. While groups with members of different ages would make this difficult, oftentimes being a part of a group is what helps artists have a long-lasting career, having to rely a bit less on themselves and their own skills.

Negus, K. (2004). The business of rap: Between the street and the executive suite. In M. Forman & M.A. Neal, That's the Joint!: The Hip-Hop Studies Reader (pp. 525-540). New York, NY: Routledge.

Negus (2004) examines how black music, particularly rap music, has been treated unfairly, dating as far back as to the 1960s. Whether it has been rap divisions of a label withstanding budget cuts from the major record labels, rap divisions of a label being marked as

“wild cats,” while actually deserving the title of “cash cows,” or the other hardships they have faced, rap music is still the number one selling genre in music today. Negus (2004) addresses how, because of this, many hip-hop and R&B artists choose not to sign with a label or even start their own label and build their careers independently.

The strength of Negus (2004) is that it examines how hip-hop is much more than just a genre of music. Hip-hop has a heavy cultural influence and is a very important aspect of the music business today. However, though the genre is making record labels a lot of money, executives continue to treat artists of the genre unfairly, often cheating them without their knowledge. Negus believes, “to understand rap, both in the past and its potential in the future, then cultural explanations alone are not enough. Rap is also a very particular U.S. business” (p.

525). There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 17

The weakness of Negus (2004) is that while it looks at how black music and artists have often been treated unfairly by record labels, it does not offer any advice for aspiring artists/music businesspeople on how to identify and avoid these types of labels. It would be both helpful and interesting to have laid out numbers for some industry standard contracts as compared to those of hip-hop and R&B artists.

Payne, O. (2018, December 07). “ talks , cryptocurrency and emulating Walt Disney.” Retrieved March 17, 2019, from https://www.forthestudents.co/. Payne (2018) involves an interview with rapper Ermias Asghedom, widely known as

Nipsey Hussle. The interview is centered around navigating the music industry, being successful in hip-hop, and Nipsey’s influences in business. Payne (2018) suggests that with the rise in music streaming for the consumption of music, artists have to seek out other ways to make money since the payouts per stream are minimal. Instead, artists’ revenue will come mostly from touring, , and other merchandise that they sell with their name and/or branding on it.

Still, in 2013, Nipsey Hussle released the , which he sold for $100 each through his Proud2Pay . The project sold 1,000 copies, 100 of which were bought by mogul Jay-Z. For fans that did not want to pay this rather high price for a mixtape, the project was also available for free download, but those who paid the price were gifted with one-of-a- kind Nipsey Hussle merchandise.

In 2015, Nipsey released his mixtape, , which he rolled out in a similar manner. This time he sold the project at $1,000, but only made 100 copies available. Nipsey has not limited this strategy to just his music, but he also more recently offered a limited edition The

Marathon photo book at a $500 value. Rapper Roc Marciano (Rakeem Meyer) is another rapper that has rolled out projects in similar fashion (Ju, 2019). For his albums R2: The Bitter

Dose and Behold a Dark Horse, Marciano made the albums first available on his website for $30 There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 18 to download before making them available on streaming services weeks later (Ju, 2019).

Marciano claims that since he does not have the mainstream appeal of artists like (Aubrey

Drake Graham), it is difficult for him to make large profits off streaming (Ju, 2019). By offering the album exclusively for digital download and at a higher than normal price, this offers

Marciano’s biggest fans the opportunity to hear the music before most others, and sometimes have a chance at exclusive merchandise.

Nipsey Hussle then discusses the importance of diversifying one’s portfolio. Besides making music, Nipsey also owns All Money In label, Marathon Clothing, and is an investor in cryptocurrency. In regards to seeking out other means of revenue, Nipsey said, “Entertainers and influencers have been leveraged to create value for a lot of the companies that have taken precedence in , but we haven’t been included to the degree that we should be” (as cited in, Payne, 2018).

Nipsey also discusses the importance of artists surrounding themselves with the right people that inspire them and teach them. For him, this is not just other successful rappers and artists, but also successful business people. Nipsey has a friendship with entrepreneur Gary

Vaynerchuk and the two regularly discuss topics ranging from hip-hop culture to branding strategy. Beyond those that he surrounds himself with, Nipsey also makes a point to learn from other successful people, both past and present. Once again, these people expand far beyond music, listing inspirations ranging from Jay-Z to Walt Disney.

The importance of Payne (2018) is its first-hand look at a mid-level, independent artist’s keys to success. Nipsey Hussle discusses the importance of artists of similar status to diversify their portfolios, surround themselves with others, learn from others, both in and out of music, and of nontraditional methods to make money from music. Nipsey’s interesting means in There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 19 selling his music are particularly important considering the important topic of music streaming and the small returns artists earn from it. In the future, it is likely that many other artists will follow in the footsteps of artists like Nipsey Hussle and Roc Marciano in order to earn higher profits from their music.

Phillips, T. (2017, October 03). "How mastered selling a live experience." Retrieved August 8, 2018, from https://djbooth.net/.

Phillips (2017) examines the brand of the Houston based rapper Jacques Webster, better known as Travis Scott. Phillips (2017) discusses how he previously had a difficult time figuring out the unique selling point of Travis, “in a genre built upon realness and authenticity.” Before looking more at Travis’s individual brand, Phillips (2017) takes a look at the brands of a few artists that Travis has collaborated with in the past, to understand some recognizable brands. For example, ’s brand is centered on being a frequent marijuana smoker, ’s

(Scott Mescudi) brand is centered on being an outcast, and Kanye West’s was formerly centered on being a college dropout, but has since transformed (it was necessary that his early years were focused on a more relatable image).

However, Travis’s brand is a bit unlike most other hip-hop artists. Travis’s brand is centered on the environment his music creates, particularly at his live . For example, on

Kendrick Lamar’s (Kendrick Lamar Duckworth) DAMN. Tour, for which Travis was the opener, he performed on the back of a floating mechanical bird, a nod to his sophomore album, Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight. He has also been accused of starting riots at his shows on multiple occasions. Travis is the only current artist doing like this, at least to this extent.

Therefore, Travis understands his target market, the millennial generation, is looking to “rage” There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 20 and have fun, and this is the way to cater to these fans. However, as both Travis and his fans mature, this may not be realistic long-term.

The strength of Phillips (2017) is that it examines the unique brand of a top-selling artist in contemporary hip-hop. It also takes a brief look at the reality of this brand sustaining longevity. While some artists are able to find a value proposition that earns them high sales, these are sometimes unsustainable. Therefore, more than likely, Travis Scott will either have to rebrand or face an early plateau (as compared to other artists of the same popularity) in the future.

Rose, T. (2008). Mutual denials in the hip hop wars. In The hip hop wars: What we talk about when we talk about hip hop (pp. 217-240). New York: BasicCivitas.

In the chapter, Mutual Denials in the Hip Hop Wars, Rose (2008) explores the problems in hip-hop created by the industry in order to package it for the marketplace. Some of these issues include the portrayal of stereotypes (for blacks, women, homosexuals, and other marginalized groups), oftentimes in order to appeal to white, ‘color-blind’ audiences. While many white hip-hop fans enjoy hearing raps about dangerous lifestyles involving topics like drug dealing, drug use, and murder, many of these people do not care about black history, black culture, or black people beyond the music.

Similarly, Rodriquez (2006) examines how a large number of white rap fans feel as though “race should not matter,” and describe themselves as people who “do not see color.”

While to many, this may seem like an accepting and tolerant belief, it is more so exemplary of these fans’ privilege. For the participants of Rodriquez’s study, race does not matter solely because it does not matter in their individual lives. For people of color, race does matter and There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 21 impacts their everyday lives. While these people may not be imposing direct harm on anyone, their naivety is certainly troublesome.

These people are willing to take aspects of black culture (music, slang, dress) and use them as a means of being “cool” for their own benefit, but do not care enough about people of color to be aware of their history and modern struggles. Despite the paradox, artists generally do not speak out against these fans, as criticizing a large percentage of their fan base will almost surely have a negative impact on future sales. Furthermore, many rap fans enjoy hearing raps about dangerous lifestyles that they will never live, as they can hear about the highs and lows of it within the safety of their own homes and with no risk to their own lives or freedom. It is this ideology that creates such an attractive market for a rap group like Clipse, as discussed in Ingram

& Mayo (2016).

Rose (2008) also explains how rappers are known to “dumb down” their lyrics in order to appeal to wider audiences. Rose (2008) discusses how simple, catchy rhymes are more marketable than complex storytelling raps. Therefore, even if a rapper has the ability to create very creative songs with deep meanings, they may choose the former, as the financial incentive is often too attractive. Jay-Z’s 2003 song “Moment of Clarity” and ’s (Wasalu Jaco)

2010 “Dumb it Down” both heavily discuss the idea of “dumbing down” lyrics in songs in order to sell records. Jay-Z raps, “If skills sold, truth be told, I'd probably be lyrically Talib

Kweli/Truthfully I wanna rhyme like Sense/But I did 5 mil', I ain't been rhyming like

Common since.”

Jay refers to (Talib Kweli Greene) and Common/Common Sense (Lonnie

Corant Jaman Shuka Rashid Lynn) as two rappers that have strong lyrical skills and have had There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 22 great success, but have not seen the financial rewards of music as large as rappers like himself.

In his book, Decoded, Jay writes, “I deeply respect their craft, but even the most dazzling lyrical display won’t translate to a wide audience unless it’s matched with a big song” and continues, “I didn’t come into the rap game just to enjoy rhymes; I could’ve done that by myself in my house with a tape recorder. I came into the music business to reach as many people as possible- and to get paid” (Carter, 2010, p. 137).

Rose (2008) then goes on to describe industry conditions that often prevent hip-hop culture from moving forward. Oftentimes, people in charge of plays at radio companies, music video companies, and other related companies are the ones that determine what is played and

“what is hot,” though not having a deep knowledge of the genre. Therefore, the rap music that is played for the masses is often a very diluted sample of what the genre is as a whole. Rose (2008) also argues that despite their attractiveness in the music marketplace, the “no-snitching” and

“hustler” mentalities prevalent in hip-hop set bad examples for black youth.

The importance Rose (2008) is its discussions regarding rap artists modifying their music and overall package in order to appeal to wider audiences and in turn, boost their sales.

Oftentimes, this is by no fault of their own, but rather the industry. executives and other cultural gatekeepers require the artist to adjust in order to work with them and/or promote their music. Sometimes, this can even have real-life negative consequences, as many of the youth listening to the music are easily influenced by the behaviors portrayed and ideas promoted.

Santosuosso, M. (2018, September 17). “The morphing meaning of A&R.” Retrieved September 17, 2018, from http://hitsdailydouble.com/.

Michelle Santosuosso sat down with five A&R (Artist and Repertoire) Vice Presidents from some of the largest record labels in the United States to discuss the transforming field of There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 23

A&R. The Vice Presidents included: Derrick Aroh (RCA), Tina Davis (EMPIRE), Tim Glover

(Interscope), Shawn “Tubby” Holiday (Columbia), and (Def Jam). As the entire music industry is ever-changing, the role of A&R, in particular, has changed drastically with advancements in new technology, particularly streaming services and data mining. One of the key responsibilities of an A&R’s job is to discover new talent for the label to sign. With all of the new ways to discover data (i.e. streaming numbers), it would seem that their jobs would be easier, but actually, having access to this information only helps to an extent. For example, Def

Jam Head of A&R, Steven Victor said:

I don’t really look for the numbers, because the numbers could be deceiving—shit moves

so fast these days. Somebody could be poppin’ today, and then six months later they do

the wrong thing, or something happens; the fans are on to the new. If you’re basing it on

data, you can get bit. If you’re signing a superstar who’s crazy-talented and they have

numbers, all the better. The data might help me support someone in a better deal, but I’m

not giving a deal just because they have numbers to support it.

Additionally, VP of A&R at RCA, Derrick Aroh said:

If you have only data for an artist, you can see numbers, but you can’t see culture.

Without seeing culture, you won’t be able to know what to do with it if you’re not living

it, smelling it, tasting it. If you’re not part of it, you don’t know what the hell to do with

it. You could see the numbers are booming but what happens when the record doesn’t

work? Or the artist does something stupid and people aren’t fucking with them anymore?

That’s why data is important—but it’s not final. There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 24

The strength of Santosuosso (2018) is that it involves five executives at top record label discussing what they look for when signing hip-hop artists, based on their past experience of seeing what sells. Despite new ways to view data, these executives realize that just because an artist can make a few songs that receive a lot of popularity, this does not mean that the artist has what it takes to sustain a career. Therefore, relying solely on data may be misleading in predicting a rapper’s longevity. Santosuosso (2018) suggests that while data may be reliable in other fields in regard to long-term success, that is not always the case in music, specifically rap music. Therefore, A&Rs must be able to do more than analyze numbers if they want an artist that can make the label money for a long period of time.

Scott, J. (Joey Bada$$), & Nastee (Co-hosts). (2018, March 9). 47 Minutes Podcast | Episode 1: & [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/.

Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott, better known as Joey Bada$$ and his co-host, producer Nastee recruited rappers Vince Staples and David Styles aka Styles P () for the very first episode of their podcast, which airs on . On this episode, the four artists discussed their thoughts on 2018 hip-hop, and whether or not “hip-hop is dead.” Vince argued, “There’s always going to be good shit, there’s always going to be bad shit. It’s what you like, it’s what you don’t like. It ain’t never going to be no part of nothing ever in one time period where you like everything. No matter if it’s hip-hop, sports, cars, whatever.” No matter the generation, there will always be good and bad artists/teams and there will always be certain artists/teams that one person likes, but someone else does not. For example, just because one person is a fan of the

New Patriots, that does not mean someone else is. Regardless, this does not indicate whether the team is good or bad. Vince argues that the same concept applies to music and hip- hop. He also made the point that “If it’s before you, you not going to connect to it.” While many people who were around in the 1980s and claim that that version of hip-hop is better, There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 25 people of the current generation have a more difficult time relating to it, and thus cannot enjoy it like they may the music of today.

The four artists then went on to discuss labeling in hip-hop and its overall influence. The artists were discussing how rock has various sub-genres (i.e. alternative and metal), but hip-hop is labeled “hip-hop” in spite of the many different types of music within the genre. Vince stated,

“[people] don’t expect a metal band to be , just like people need to realize that some of these new [rappers] aren’t going to be .” Regardless if the music is quality or not, people often try to compare new artists to some of rappers, when their music is vastly different, and the artists are not even trying to be like them. Lastly, Joey mentioned, “I can tell [someone] listens to hip-hop by the way he dress.” Joey is alluding to the overall cultural influence hip-hop has had on society, impacting fashion, media, and other areas of popular culture.

The strength of Scott (2018) is that the four artists discuss important issues surrounding hip-hop. The discussion regarding the liveliness of hip-hop is important to show how different it is treated as opposed to other genres of music. The discussion regarding assuming someone’s music preference by the way they dress is important to show that hip-hop’s influence spans far beyond just music. Both of these discussions are important regarding the marketplace of hip-hop in that rappers have great opportunity and necessity to diversify their sources of revenue.

Scott, J. (Joey Bada$$), & Nastee (Co-hosts). (2018, April 29). 47 Minutes Podcast | Episode 2: [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/.

Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott, better known as Joey Bada$$ and his co-host, producer Nastee recruited New York rap trio, Flatbush Zombies for the second episode of their podcast, which airs on Tidal. The Zombies consist of Meechy Darko (Dimitri Simms), Zombie (Antonio There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 26

Lewis), and Erick the Architect also known as Erick Arc Elliot (Erick Elliot). On the episode, the artists discussed the current state of New York hip-hop and what it takes to be the “King of New

York.” Joey and the Zombies discussed how New York is and always has been more competitive, as far as naming one artist “the king” of the state. For example, they discuss how when Kendrick Lamar (Kendrick Lamar Duckworth) was gaining popularity, legendary

Angeles artists like Dr. Dre and (Calvin Broadus Jr.) made it a point to say that they were “passing the torch” to him. However, legendary New York artists like Jay-Z or (Nasir

Jones) never have and never would do such a thing.

They then went on to discuss how music streaming and today’s world has affected hip- hop and its competitiveness. They talked about how that hip-hop is , people are quick to compare number of streams, followers on social media, and other related statistics when saying one MC is superior to the other. However, in the past, the focus was more on whose songs were better, and this is the way it should be in hip-hop, according to them. This then brought up

Joey’s next point that “people want to be attracted to what they see before they even grasp what they are hearing.” Joey is claiming that if someone can establish a unique and interesting look, they are giving themselves a great chance to succeed, though music is thought to be an audial entertainment source.

The strength of Scott (2018) is that it includes four New York artists discussing New

York hip-hop. The four artists provide insight on what goes along with being a New York rapper, and how a brand is just as important as quality music in 2018. The discussion of New York rap compared to other regions is important, to compare the opportunity that varies for artists just based on where they are from, especially as New York is the birthplace of the genre. The discussion regarding streaming is particularly important as in 2018, this is the primary form of There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 27 consumption for rap music. It is also important because the conversation suggests that modern artists may be more inclined to work on marketing tactics rather than actual skills as an artist, as this not only offers larger financial incentive, but also inserts artists into greatness conversations based on high sales alone.

Taylor, Sean (Brandman Sean) (Host). (2016, November 28). How to put the whole team on - The ASAP was (music strategy) [YouTube Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/.

Sean Taylor, the self-proclaimed “Brandman” of hip-hop discusses the branding of the

New York-based A$AP Mob collective. Sean discusses the intelligent brand association that comes with all members of the group having a name that starts with “A$AP.” He discusses how the group took the most marketable artist in their group, A$AP Rocky (Rakim Mayers), and had him release a large amount of music first in order to lay the foundation for the rest of the artists.

Rocky consistently says “ASAP” in his music, to ensure that his listeners of not only him, but also his whole group. By creating this easily identifiable moniker, Rocky was a large for the success of A$AP Ferg (Darold Ferguson, Jr.), who started releasing more solo music after Rocky’s debut. Since fans knew that the two artists were affiliated, this is what drew many of them into Ferg’s music.

The strength of Taylor (2016) is that Sean discusses important concepts regarding brand association and other marketing tactics. These concepts are especially important when examining the marketing of a group, rather than just a single artist. Even though the artists in the A$AP

Mob collective are solo artists first and foremost, they still formed a group in order to help each other achieve success. The weakness of this video is that Sean fails to mention some of the key aspects of the A$AP brand. The group regularly uses the term “lord” to refer to each other, There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 28 which is key to who they are and their brand. The group is also heavily involved in fashion, with members having deals with companies like , , and .

Taylor, Sean (Brandman Sean) (Host). (2018, January 8). This Is How TDE Built Hip-Hop’s Most Important Indie Label [YouTube Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/.

Sean Taylor, the self-proclaimed “Brandman” of hip-hop discusses the brand that is Los

Angeles based (TDE), to artists Kendrick Lamar,

(Quincy Hanley), Ab-Soul (Herbert Stevens IV), (Johnny McKinzie, Jr.), SZA (Solána

Rowe), (Isaiah Rashad McClain), Lance Skiiiwalker (Lance Howard), SiR (Sir

Darryl Farris), Reason (Robert Gill), and (Zacari Pacaldo). Sean pulls quotes from interviews from both Kendrick and label president, Terrence “” Henderson to show how many times they mention the word “brotherhood” when talking about the label. In TDE, the artists are not only all signed to the same label, but also frequently collaborate with each other, show up to each other’s shows, and go places together outside of music. By being a

“brotherhood,” this not only allows for better artistry, but also is a fundamental aspect of who

TDE is and who they stand for. One particular thing that they are known to do is change their profile pictures on Twitter every time one of them releases an album to the cover art. Every artist and the whole management team change their “avis,” to show that they are all one, and part of the same team.

The strength Taylor (2018) is that Sean pulls factual information from interviews from members of TDE that were published by places such as Billboard. With that, he is not just giving his opinion on the label, but backing it up with . The weakness of this video is that Sean barely scratches the surface in examining TDE’s brand. For instance, Sean does not mention

“HiiiPoWeR” which is not only a song by Kendrick Lamar, but also a recurring topic and motto There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 29 of the artists’ music (Horowitz, 2011). The artists on the label describe it as a movement, and oftentimes hold up three fingers instead of two to signal “peace.” The three fingers are representative of the three “i” letters that appear in “HiiiPoWeR” which are derivative of the idea that humans have three eyes, not two (Horowitz, 2011).

White, Christopher R., ‘Rap is easy, career is the part’: analyzing success, longevity and failure within the framework of the hip-hop career. (2012). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 911.

White (2012) examines multiple, both past and contemporary artists’ brands and their longevity. White (2012) begins by discussing the typical paths that hip-hop careers tend to take.

Some are so-called one hit wonders like MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice. While both artists may have had more than a single successful song, both rappers had very short periods of commercial relevance and are generally remembered for their biggest song (“U Can’t Touch This” for MC

Hammer and “Ice Ice Baby” for Vanilla Ice). However, just because a career takes this path, does not mean the artist will be unable to continue to have a successful career, as long as they are able to properly leverage their momentary stardom. Other artists are content with being mid-level artists that have long, successful careers, but never quite reach star status.

White (2012) lists as a mid-level group that has had a long, successful career, and their album is often considered one of the best hip-hop albums of all time. The group, consisting of members Posdnous (), Trugoy the Dove (David

Jolicoeur), and Maseo ( Jr.) has been able to remain relevant, playing shows and still releasing music, over 30 years after their first album’s release. However, due to issues with sample clearances, most of their early albums have failed to transition into the digital age and There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 30 have not been made available for digital download or streaming. Therefore, while the group has been able to remain relevant, they have not had 30 years of stardom by any means.

Some artists, such as Snoop Dogg (Calvin Broadus Jr.) and (O’Shea Jackson

Sr.) have been able to achieve longevity by having successful hip-hop careers and then successfully transitioning into show business. Jay-Z’s (Shawn Carter) over 30-year career in hip- hop is considered by White (2012) as well as many others as the epitomical hip-hop career as Jay has succeeded as an MC, a , and as a business owner, making him the wealthiest man in all of hip-hop.

White (2012) then goes on to more closely examine the careers of MC Hammer and

Vanilla Ice. MC Hammer achieved early success with his crossover hit “U Can’t Touch This,” but ran into trouble, as despite this song’s success, this was not the type of music he wanted to continually make. MC Hammer jumped around from making Christian hip-hop, G-funk, West

Coast rap, and everything in between. He also dropped the “MC” from his name, as he felt it

“takes away a certain connotation that is associated with just being an ordinary rapper” (Rosen,

1991). This created brand confusion, as audiences did not know what to expect from him as an artist.

Vanilla Ice achieved early success with his crossover hit “Ice Ice Baby,” but ran into trouble, particularly with facing accusations of after it was revealed that he had fabricated pieces of his story about his upbringing. This then pushed him to attempt to transition into more of a pop artist since pop audiences tend to be less critical of a person, as long as the songs remain catchy. Unfortunately for Vanilla Ice, he was not able to again achieve the success he did with “Ice Ice Baby.” There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 31

White (2012) then discusses the career of Jay-Z. Jay-Z went from touring with and opening for (Antonio Hardy) for free to being the most commercially successful hip-hop artists of all time. Jay has been able to consistently put out albums with high sales volume, launch a successful label (Roc-a-Fella) that has signed other successful artists, serve as president of Def Jam, launch an entertainment and sports and sports company (Roc

Nation), launch a clothing line (), own a sports bar chain (40/40 Club), and operate the music streaming service Tidal, among other ventures. This has allowed him to not only retain relevance and stardom, but also accrue more funds than anyone else in hip-hop history.

White (2012) further examines modern day hip-hop and the importance of utilizing the

Internet and social media to be successful. Social media sites such as Twitter and allow artists to more easily build their brands by giving fans an inside look at the persona that they choose to create for themselves, authentic or otherwise. The tools also allow easy communication for artists with fans, with other artists, and with companies that can create for financially rewarding outcomes. White (2012) also stresses the power of tools such as

SoundCloud and other free (and legal) music services that allow up-and-coming artists the modern-day equivalent of handing out free tapes or CDs. The services also benefit artists by allowing the use of samples that have not been cleared, as artists have more leniency when they are not being financially rewarded.

White (2012) then presents case studies of modern-day artists Tyler, the Creator (Tyler

Okonma), Wiz Khalifa (Cameron Thomaz), and (Malcolm McCormick). Tyler and his collective rose to popularity by utilizing to release free music. Tyler also regularly used “trolling” on social media, controversial lyrics, and controversial stage antics to build his brand and gain attention. From there, Odd Future as a collective began to expand and There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 32 acts like (Christopher Breaux), Sweatshirt (Thebe Kgositsile), and multiple others began to gain attention. The group signed a deal with ’s where they starred in and produced the comedic sketch show Loiter Squad. Though Odd Future no longer is the close-knit group they once were, many of the individual members have had great success as solo artists.

Though making music for many years prior, Wiz Khalifa gained massive popularity with his Pittsburgh anthem, “.” He then was able to secure the persona of the heaviest marijuana user in modern hip-hop. This allowed him to sell large amounts of marijuana- related merchandise and even connect with Snoop Dogg. Additionally, Wiz Khalifa assisted in fellow Pittsburgh rapper, Mac Miller’s rise to stardom. A key to Mac’s brand was a “thumbs up.”

Mac both sold merchandise with this phrase and imagery on it, as well as told fans to make the gesture. This is comparable to Jay-Z’s “throw your diamonds up” to represent Roc-a-Fella/Roc

Nation. Mac also chose an interesting method of rolling out his 2011 album Blue Slide Park. In a partnership with iTunes, Mac announced that he would release the first single of the album at 25- thousand preorders, donate $50,000 to Make-a-Wish at 50-thousand preorders, and release the album early at 100-thousand preorders. Not only did this help Mac’s image, but also was a creative strategy to climb charts more quickly and gain more exposure in turn.

The strength of White (2012) is its examination of various hip-hop artists who had different levels of success, different personas, and made music during different time periods.

White (2012) uses Jay-Z, the most financially successful hip-hop artist as a model, particularly when studying the careers of the modern-day artists, in order to predict success and longevity.

The study also looks at artists like De La Soul, who have achieved longevity, but never reached There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 33 star status. It also looks at MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice who were hip-hop stars for short periods of time, but failed to reach longevity.

Methodology

This qualitative study follows the case study model. The study will examine superstars

Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar, mid-level artist Rapsody, so-called one hit wonder Soulja Boy, and independent artists D Jones and Vice Souletric. The study examines the artists’ career length, popularity, branding efforts, and business decisions both in and out of music made by the artists.

The study provides a brief discussion of the landscape of today’s music industry, including streaming and touring. Following the discussion, conclusions will be drawn, identifying the most important branding and business decisions for artists to make in order to achieve longevity in hip-hop.

Two tools that will be used throughout the study to examine popularity and financial success are RIAA certifications and Billboard entries. RIAA certifications are based on unit sales, whether for albums or singles. The Gold certification is granted for the sale of 500,000 units and the Platinum certification is granted for the sale of 1,000,000 units (RIAA, 2019). In today’s landscape, the sale of one “unit” can mean one digital or physical copy purchased, 10 tracks from an album digitally purchased, and/or 1,500 “on-demand audio and/or video streams from the album” (RIAA, 2019). Billboard’s 200 (albums chart) Hot 100 (songs chart) are compiled based on numbers from pure sales, radio airplay, and streaming data (Billboard, 2019). There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 34

In addition to examining RIAA certifications and Billboard entries, other large money makers of the artists including touring, endorsement deals, and more will be examined. There will also be an examination of any brand key points of the artist as well as any major philanthropic efforts of the artists. While many sources of the artists’ incomes will be examined, it is important to note that not all information is available to the public. For this reason, things such as recording contracts, publishing deals, and synchronization royalties have been left out of the study, though these certainly factor into the artists’ financial success. Any necessary costs the artists are required to pay (i.e. management, lawyers, and sample clearances) have also been excluded from the study for the same reason. Despite the shortcomings in these areas, the use of past literature in the field and personal interviews have been included in this study as a tool to make observations and draw conclusions.

Jay-Z

Shawn Carter, better known as Jay-Z, Hova, or Jigga, is a 49-year-old rapper from

Brooklyn, New York. Jay-Z is the most commercially successful rap artist of all time. Jay’s career was largely made possible due to his mentor, Jaz-O (Jonathan Burks), for whom his name is derived from. In 1987, Jaz-O signed a with EMI and invited Jay to go with him to record in (White, 2012). Jay used this time to learn from Jaz, and when Jaz-O’s album, Word to the Jaz did not sell well, EMI dropped Jaz and went after Jay. Shortly after, another friend of Jay’s, DJ (Rodolfo Franklin) became an A&R at Atlantic Records and tried to persuade Jay to pursue rapping full time, despite his high earnings selling drugs at the time (White, 2012).

While Jay did not sign to Atlantic, through working with Clark Kent, Jay was able to get a gig opening for a Big Daddy Kane (Antonio Hardy) tour in 1989, but without pay (White, There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 35

2012). Along with the tremendous exposure this brought Jay, Jay also claims that this experience helped him learn more about performing, a very important aspect of hip-hop artist’s careers

(White, 2012). After selling tapes out of his car for a while, Jay then went on to start his own record label, Roc-a-Fella Records along with Dame Dash & Kareem “Biggs” Burke in 1994, before the release of his debut album, Reasonable Doubt in 1996 (White, 2012). The start of his label and release of his debut album marked the start of one of the longest, most diverse, and successful careers not just in hip-hop, but in music.

Jay’s career, spanning over about 30 years, has involved many different sources of income, both in and out of music. As of 2019, he has released 13 studio albums, one live album, five compilation albums, and five albums (two with R. Kelly, one with Linkin

Park, one with Kanye West, and one with Beyoncé). Of these albums, all 13 studio albums and four of the collaboration albums are RIAA certified platinum (RIAA, 2018). Additionally, the live album and one of the compilation albums are RIAA certified gold (RIAA, 2018). Jay also has 16 platinum and 11 platinum songs along with platinum and 7 gold featured songs

(RIAA, 2018). His guest verses are rumored to cost artists somewhere between $200,000 and

$1.5 million (BET Staff, 2017). Lastly, in 1998, Jay released a video longform titled, “Streets is

Watching,” that is also certified platinum (RIAA, 2018).

Additionally, 14 of these albums achieved number one spots on Billboard (Billboard,

2018). Jay and Beyoncé’s () achieved the number two spot

(Billboard, 2018). Jay also topped the four times and landed in the top 10 a total of 21 times thus far in his career (Billboard, 2018).

While Jay co-founded Roc-a-Fella Records in 1994, it was not long before he sold half of it to Def Jam in 1997 for $1.5 million (Akhtar, 2018). Just seven years after this, in 2004, Def There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 36

Jam purchased the rest of Roc-a-Fella for $10 million and made Jay the new president, a role he served in through 2007 (Akhtar, 2018). Roc-a-Fella Records is known to have been the starting label for not only Jay-Z, but also artists such as (Dwight Grant) and Kanye West.

Once Jay left Def Jam, he started a new entertainment company called in

2007. The company not only has signed music artists such as ( Fenty), J. Cole

(Jermaine Cole), and (Robert Williams), but also athletes such as , Todd

Gurley, and . The company also owns Paper Planes Apparel. Over the years, Roc

Nation has regularly bought out other talent groups to expand its business, such as when they bought Block Music Group in 2011 (Williams, 2016).

Along with making music, a key in the music industry is touring and performing live shows. Over the course of his career, Jay has had seven headlining, nine co- headlining, and four supporting tours. He has also performed at various festivals over the years.

As of 2019, Jay is in a $200 million contract with Live Nation that is a 10-year agreement

(Akhtar, 2018). Jay’s most rewarding tour as of 2019 was his 4:44 Tour which grossed around

$48.7 million (Akhtar, 2018).

Being a popular recording artist, this allowed for many endorsement deals to be possible for Jay over the years. In 2003, Jay launched the “S. Carter” brand with , which he continued through 2007 (Hogan, 2017). Also, in 2003, Nokia made him the face of their “Black

Phone,” which released the same year as Jay’s The Black Album (Hogan, 2017). In 2006, Jay signed an endorsement deal with HP, which continued his streak of partnering with the “less cool” competitor (i.e. Reebok instead of Nike, HP instead of Apple) (Hogan, 2017). In 2006, Jay was made the co-brand director of Budweiser Select (Hogan, 2017). The same year, Jay advertised his album, Kingdom Come through a Budweiser commercial (Hogan, 2017). There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 37

Budweiser also has assisted Jay in advertising the , an annual in (previously ) started by Jay-Z in 2012 which is also produced by Live Nation (Hogan, 2017).

In 2007, Jay partnered with Coca-Cola, in a deal that involved him designing a new can for Cherry Coke and overseeing the radio, TV, and print marketing for the product line (Hogan,

2017). The same year, Jay partnered with General Motors, where they painted a special GMC

Yukon Denali “Jay-Z Blue” (Hogan, 2017). Two years later in 2009, Jay reached an agreement with Rhapsody (Napster), where the streaming service marketed his upcoming album, The

Blueprint 3, through commercials for their service (Hogan, 2017). In 2010, launched a

$1 million marketing campaign for their search engine, Bing that also promoted Jay’s autobiography, Decoded that released the same year (Hogan, 2017). The memoir sold over

50,000 copies in its first month (Rose, 2010).

In 2013, Jay signed a major $20 million deal with that involved the company giving away one million exclusive copies of Jay’s album through an exclusive Samsung Galaxy app as well as a three-minute long commercial during the NBA

Finals that’s theme was to “write the new rules for music in the online era” (Hogan, 2017).

Unfortunately, the campaign came with great criticism. The partners were ridiculed for “selling the concept of selling out” (Hogan, 2017). Additionally, while RIAA declared that the sales through the Galaxy app would count towards platinum status, Billboard decided to block the album from debuting at number one, even though it eventually would top the chart (Hogan,

2017).

Jay has also had endorsements with companies like Cohiba Cigars and Parlux (Williams,

2016). His deal with Parlux included the introduction of a new cologne, called “Gold” (Williams, There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 38

2016). When the product did not sell well, the company sued Jay for $18 million, claiming the sales were low due to Jay-Z not sufficiently promoting the product through his large platform as a recording artist (Williams, 2016).

Along with starting Roc-a-Fella Records with Dame Dash, the two also started Rocawear clothing in 1999 (Akhtar, 2018). The company has a peak annual sales of $700 million (Akhtar,

2018). In 2007, the pair sold the company to for $204 million, but allowed them to keep creative control and stake in the company (Akhtar, 2018). However, in 2017,

Iconix sued Jay for trademark and in 2018 accused him of breaching a 2015 private arbitration settlement (Pierson, 2018). Later in 2018, Jay sued to halt private arbitration, claiming “the company’s inability to find an African-American arbitrator to hear the trademark dispute was unfair” (Pierson, 2018).

In 2009, along with Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Jay co-produced the play,

Fela! The play is about the Nigerian superstar, Fela Anikulap Kuti (Herrera, 2009). This would be Jay’s first test of hand in entertainment. In 2012, Jay was recruited by Sports to work on their upcoming NBA 2K13 game. Not only did Jay curate the soundtrack for , but he also executive produced it (Williams, 2016). Jay would then go on to curate the soundtrack for the movie, in 2013 and work on production for the 2014 remake of Annie and

Chris Rock’s 2014 movie, Top Five (Watson, 2016). In 2016, Jay once again teamed with Will

Smith as well as , as the three all signed on to executive produce an HBO miniseries about the story of Emmet Till. Till was a 14-year-old African who was tortured and killed in Mississippi in 1955 for whistling at a white woman. Later in 2016, Jay signed a 2-year film and television production deal with The Weinstein Company (Williams, There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 39

2016). The deal included the production of a documentary on Kalief Browder, who was wrongfully imprisoned and later committed suicide upon his release (Williams, 2016).

In 2014, Roc Nation CEO Laurence Brown Jr. founded Project Panther Bidco, a company that is indirectly owned and operated by Jay-Z (Akhtar, 2018). In 2015, the company purchased the Swedish company Aspiro for $56 million (Akhtar, 2018). Aspiro’s largest subsidiary is the streaming service Tidal. The company’s value propositions include offering the highest artist payout of any streaming service, a “HiFi” quality option (for double the monthly subscription rate), and other “exclusive artist content” such as footage for Tidal exclusive artists

(Akhtar, 2018). In 2017, CNN reported that the company sold a 33% stake to Sprint for $200 million, a deal the company valued at $600 million (Akhtar, 2018).

Jay also has multiple other miscellaneous business ventures. He established 40/40 Club in

2003, a sports bar with locations in , , and . He would also go on to purchase Armand de Brignac champagne in 2014 for an undisclosed amount (Akhtar, 2018).

Prices for the champagne range from $850-200,000 (Akhtar, 2018). In 2012, Jay orchestrated the

NBA’s Nets move from to Brooklyn, a team which he had part ownership in. In

2013, he sold his shares in both the team and their arena, , for $500,000 and $1.5 million, respectively (Akhtar, 2018). In 2015, Jay invested $20 million in JetSmarter, a company similar to , but with private jets (Akhtar, 2018). Rather than paying per ride, clients pay around $9,000 per year for unlimited access (Akhtar, 2018). Lastly, in 2017, he teamed with Jada

Pinkett Smith to invest in Carol’s Daughter Beauty Products (MacKenzie, 2017).

While Jay-Z became popular pre-social media era, it is also worth noting that while he has accounts on social media, he has a rather low presence. On Twitter, he has had an account since 2008, but has only Tweeted or reposted something a total of 263 times. It took Jay until There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 40

2015 to create an Instagram, but within 24-hours, he deleted it (Robertson, 2015). As of 2019,

Jay still remains absent on Instagram. Jay and his supporters also regularly put their hands together to form the shape of a , to represent Roc-a-Fella/Roc Nation (White, 2012).

In addition to business, Jay has done a large amount of philanthropy over the course of his career. In 2003, he founded the Shawn Carter Foundation along with his mother, Gloria

(Williams, 2016). The foundation assists students in difficult socio-economic situations in paying for college (Williams, 2016). In 2006, Jay made Diary of Jay Z: Water for Life, which addressed the global water shortage (Williams, 2016). He also pledged $1 million to the Red Cross’ relief effort for along with fellow hip-hop mogul, Diddy (Williams, 2016). Jay has also lent a helping hand in fighting for young rappers’, Meek Mill and 21 (Shéyaa Bin

Abraham-Joseph), freedom as the two have both faced controversial legal troubles (Minsker,

2019). In 2019, Jay announced a partnership with Meek called REFORM alliance, an organization that will fight for criminal justice reform (Minsker, 2019).

Over the course of his career, Jay-Z has done a tremendous amount of diversifying.

Collaborations on songs, albums, and tours with artists such as Kanye West, Fall Out Boy,

Linkin Park, and helped him achieve chart-topping songs and sold out tours, which assisted in helping him sustain such a successful music career spanning over three decades.

Beyond his music, Jay has been sure to seek out various sources of revenue through investing, entrepreneurship, production, and more. While not necessarily a business decision, it is also worth noting that in 2008, he married singer Beyoncé Knowles, who has a net worth of $350 million, only adding more power and value to Jay’s name (Akhtar, 2018).

Combining all of his ventures and skills together, as of 2018, Jay-Z is the highest hip-hop earner of all time, with earnings exceeding $900 million according to Forbes (Forbes, 2018). He There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 41 was also the top hip-hop earner of 2018, with earnings exceeding $76.5 million according to

Forbes (Forbes, 2018). Being both the highest earner of all time and the highest earner of 2018 perfectly displays his longevity and ability to succeed in hip-hop for many years.

Starting as a drug dealer in of New York and eventually becoming a music mogul contributes to the image of a hustler that Jay has been building since his debut album on the song “Can’t Knock the Hustle.” Rose (2011) explains, “…violence and wanton thrill seeking is not the commensurate to the hustler spirit, as it is more akin to gaining access to resources and living a luxurious lifestyle which lacks a larger cultural contextualization and critique” (p.122).

While Jay-Z started off as what Rose (2008) would describe as a hustler, he changed the narrative by hustling his way to the top of hip-hop.

Though still putting out new music, an older Jay-Z is less focused on making music, and more so on helping others both in and out of music. With his large popularity and success, helping others is easier for him than many others, whether through donations, starting foundations, or otherwise. It is for this reason that Jay is seen by many as the epitome of success in hip-hop.

Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, better known as Kendrick Lamar, K. Dot, or Kung-Fu

Kenny is a 31-year-old rapper from Compton, . Kendrick began his career as K. Dot and released his first mixtape at 16-years-old, while still in high school (Bychawski, 2015). His close friend, Free was fixing computers at the time and went in to fix one for a small label called Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) where he played the label’s owner, Anthony “Top Dawg”

Tiffith K. Dot’s mixtape (Bychawski, 2015). Tiffith liked what he heard and asked Free to bring him into the studio (Bychawski, 2015). In the end, K. Dot would sign to TDE and Free would go There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 42 on to become the label’s co-president (Bychawski, 2015). K. Dot would go on to collaborate with and open for fellow Compton rapper, The Game (Jayceon Taylor) on tour, which helped him reach new audiences (Bychawski, 2015).

In 2009, K. Dot released his third mixtape, , a tribute to (Dwayne Carter,

Jr.), changed his alias to “Kendrick Lamar,” released a self-titled (EP), and formed the group “Black Hippy” with fellow TDE signees Ab-Soul, ScHoolboy Q, and Jay Rock

(Bychawski, 2015). After the release of his fourth mixtape, Overly Dedicated in 2010, Kendrick caught the attention of West Coast hip-hop legend, Dr. Dre (Bychawski, 2015). Dre became a mentor to Kendrick, and this relationship eventually led to Kendrick’s signing with Aftermath and in 2012 (Bychawski, 2015).

As of 2019, Kendrick has released four albums, one album re-release (DAMN. was re- released with a reverse tracklist), one mixtape (only one is available for financial reward), one , and one executive produced soundtrack (for the movie Black Panther). Of these projects, Kendrick has three platinum albums, one gold album, and one platinum soundtrack (RIAA, 2018). He also has 15 platinum tracks, 14 gold tracks, six platinum features, and three gold features (RIAA, 2018).

Additionally, Kendrick has three Billboard-topping, albums and one that charted in second (Billboard, 2018). He also has two songs that have reached the top of the Billboard Hot

100 and eight others that have made the top 10 (Billboard, 2018). According to Complex, a

Kendrick Lamar guest verse costs artists somewhere between $250,000-400,000 (Lee, 2018).

Along with recording music, Kendrick regularly tours in and outside of the United States.

He has had four headlining tours, one supporting tour, and one tour that he co-headlined, as part There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 43 of the TDE: in 2018. He has also performed at various music festivals over the years. As of 2019, Kendrick’s most financially rewarding tour was his 2017 The DAMN.

Tour (Rendon & Rogers, 2017). The tour included 35 headlining shows, 446,337 tickets sold, average ticket price of $91, and an average gross of $1,267,568 per market appearance (Rendon

& Rogers, 2017).

Beyond music, Kendrick has explored plenty of other sources of revenue in his young career. In 2014, he signed his first shoe deal with Reebok for $5 million through the year 2017

(Lee, 2018). The deal included six shoe releases of Reebok Classics, and also worked to spread messages of unity and reconciliation (Lee, 2018). In 2017, Kendrick switched brands and signed a deal with Nike for an undisclosed amount (Wolf, 2018). As of March 2019, the deal has included four releases of Nike Cortez shoes. In the spring of 2018, Nike also made merchandise for both TDE and DAMN., which included hats, long sleeve shirts, and hoodies (Wolf, 2018).

Additionally, Kendrick has appeared in commercials for Dr. Dre’s Beats by Dre (Young,

2013). In 2018, Kendrick made his acting debut when he made a guest appearance on STARZ television show, Power (Kreps, 2018). He also owns an undisclosed percentage in the TDE label

(Bandini, 2017).

Similar to Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar has a rather low presence on social media. Having joined Twitter in 2009, Kendrick only has Tweeted or reposted just over 4,000 times, most of which are reposts. On Instagram, Kendrick has 26 posts between April 11, 2017, and October 2,

2018. It is worth noting that Kendrick has previously deleted or archived all of his Instagram posts, starting the count back to zero. Many artists do this between albums. In 2018, Kendrick became the first hip-hop artist to ever receive a for his album DAMN. (Coscarelli,

2018). Not only was the award a first for a hip-hop artist, but Kendrick was the first nonclassical There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 44 or musician to win the award (Coscarelli, 2018). The award earned him yet another nickname, “Pulitzer Kenny.”

Kendrick and TDE also regularly put three fingers up, to represent “HiiiPoWeR,” a movement started by Kendrick’s 2011 song of the same name (Horowitz, 2011). The three i’s are representative of both heart, honor, and respect and the concept of the third eye (Horowitz,

2011). Other artists on the label, such as Ab-Soul, SZA, and ScHoolboy Q have referred to the movement in songs, concerts, or even .

In addition to sources of revenue, Kendrick Lamar is known to be a very charitable person. For example, in 2014, he went on a five-stop world tour, for which proceeds were donated to Habitat for Humanity (Selby, 2016). In 2015, he donated over $50,000 to his former high school’s music program and additional money to sports and other after-school programs

(Selby, 2016). In 2016, he brought a group of high school students along with him to the

Grammy’s (Selby, 2016). Kendrick also regularly donates to the Red Cross (Selby, 2016).

While Kendrick’s career is still young, he has already made achievements that most rappers are not able to reach throughout their entire careers. Kendrick has already begun to diversify his sources of revenue and sought out ownership in things such as his own label, TDE.

As many of his status do, Kendrick has made it a point to give back to his community and use his power and wealth to help others.

In 2018, Kendrick was hip-hop’s third highest earner, according to Forbes (Forbes,

2018). At an estimated $58 million in annual earnings, Kendrick sat behind only Jay-Z and

Diddy, two moguls that have been in the business much longer than he has. In May 2018,

Kendrick’s net worth was estimated to be over $30 million, however, this number is not There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 45 factoring in his largely successful 2018 (Lee, 2018). Kendrick certainly has a lot of potential to continue to grow this number for years to come, and it would not at all be a surprise to see him top the yearly Forbes list in future years.

Soulja Boy

DeAndre Way, better known as Soulja Boy is a 28-year-old rapper from Atlanta,

Georgia. Way began his career as a rapper by uploading songs to a website called SoundClick, where he sold songs for $0.99 each (Wynter, 2016). At his SoundClick peak, his songs were projected to be earning $10,000/day, of which Way and SoundClick split profits (Wynter, 2016).

Before it became a Billboard-topping hit, Soulja Boy initially uploaded his song “” along with other early songs to the social networking website Myspace (Wynter, 2016).

Instead of labeling the songs as by himself, he would label the songs as though they were songs of other popular artists of the era such as (Curtis Jackson III) or

(Wynter, 2016). By utilizing social media sites like SoundClick and Myspace, Soulja Boy was able to gain national attention and attention from many within the music industry. Soulja Boy was the first major success story to rise to hip-hop stardom through the use of social media and is for this reason seen by many as the digital trailblazer of the genre.

Since the start of his career, Soulja Boy has released 10 studio albums, one EP, one collaboration album with (Shad Moss), and one collaboration EP with Go Yayo

(Kyrin Peters). While none of his albums have reached platinum or gold certification by the

RIAA, his debut single, “Crank That” went three times platinum within the first five months of its release in July 2007 (RIAA, 2018). In the following year, the song would continue its popularity and earn Soulja Boy a reported $7 million in 2008 alone (Berman, 2018). With the rise of digital downloading music, the song became the first single to sell over three million There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 46 digital copies (Medal, 2016). While “Crank That” also topped the Billboard Hot 100, this was not Soulja Boy’s only entry on the Hot 100 (Billboard, 2018). Soulja Boy has a total of 10

Billboard Hot 100 entries over the course of his career, but has not had an album enter the charts

(Billboard, 2018).

Though he has done many shows over the years, Soulja Boy has only done one headlining tour in 2009. He also started his own label in 2004 called Stacks on Deck

Entertainment or Stacks on Deck Money Gang (SODMG) (HotNewHipHop, 2018). Though the roster regularly changes, over the years, the label has boasted artists such as (Horst

Simco) and (Brandon McCartney). Soulja Boy has also earned production and writing credits over the years for artists like Beyoncé, Lil Wayne, and (Onika Maraj)

(Slavik, 2016).

Beyond music, Soulja boy has been heavily involved in many other areas of popular culture. In 2008, he started S.O.D Clothing, named after his label, and also started selling YUMS shoes (Wynter, 2016). In 2012, he started Ocean Gang clothing line with fashion designer D.

Young (Wynter, 2016). The same year, he released BLVD. Supply clothing line (Wynter, 2016).

In 2018, Soulja Boy signed an endorsement deal with Fashion Nova. In addition to clothing,

Soulja Boy has also dabbled in acting. He has made appearances in the BET series The Game as well as the 2013 movie Officer Down (IMDb, 2018).

In 2018, Soulja Boy began selling consumer entertainment products. This includes:

SouljaWatch ($49.99 on sale for $19.99), SouljaPods ($9.99), SouljaGame Handheld ($199.99 on sale for $99.99), SouljaGame Console ($199.99 on sale for $149.99), SouljaHeadphones

($38.26), SouljaPhone HT70 ($299.00 on sale for $199.00), and the SouljaPad ($166.60)

(SouljaWatch, 2018). Another major business deal that Soulja Boy was apart of was a five-year, There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 47 nine-figure poker deal with World Poker Fund Holdings, which he signed in 2016 (Wynter,

2016).

In spite of being referred to as a “one hit wonder” by many, Soulja Boy has managed to stay relevant over the years. Not only has he continually released music, but he has also managed to find other lucrative ventures both in and out of music. As of June 2018, Soulja Boy’s projected net worth is $30 million (Berman, 2018). With Soulja Boy being rather active in 2018, signing a new endorsement deal, and starting a new consumer product business, it will be interesting to see how this affects both his music career and overall net worth.

Rapsody

Marlanna Evans, better known as Rapsody is a 36-year-old MC from Snow Hill, North

Carolina. Inspired by the likes of MC Lyte and The Fugees, she began her rap career as part of a collective known as H2O, which eventually became known as Kooley High (Wacey, n.d.).

During her time with Kooley High, the group released two albums and one EP. During this time,

Rapsody met legendary producer (Patrick Douthit) who took an interest in her and eventually signed her to It’s a Wonderful Life Music Group and Jamla Records, which he founded in 2008 (Wacey, n.d.). Her Jamla debut mixtape, Return of the B-Girl featured the likes of DJ Premier (Christopher Martin), Big Daddy Kane, and Mac Miller (Wacey, n.d.). She would also go on to do supporting tours with both Mac Miller and 9th Wonder (Wacey, n.d.)

After the release of four more projects and having features like Kendrick Lamar’s

“Complexion (A Zulu Love)” (), Rapsody signed a deal with Jay-Z’s Roc

Nation (Wacey, n.d.). In 2017, she released her sophomore album, Laila’s Wisdom, which featured artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Anderson .Paak (Brandon Paak Anderson), and Busta

Rhymes (Trevor Smith, Jr.) (Wacey, n.d.). After the release of this album, Rapsody would go on There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 48 her first headlining tour. The album would end up being nominated for two Grammys in 2018 for

“Best Rap Album” and “Best ” for the song “Sassy” (Wacey, n.d.). As part of It’s a

Wonderful World Music Group and Jamla Records, Rapsody has also been heavily featured on both 9th Wonder Presents: Jamla Is The Squad (2014) and 9th Wonder Presents: Jamla Is The

Squad II (2018).

Rapsody’s brand is particularly interesting, as she is most focused on being authentic and being the greatest MC she is capable of being. As discussed in DuVernay (2010), this is not always easy, particularly with women MCs. While there is not anything wrong with a woman expressing her sexuality as part of her brand, it should not be a necessity for them to sell records.

In a 2017 interview with the , Rapsody said, “Never let your gender define you or limit you, but be proud of it at the same time” (Roti, 2017). Rapsody does not want to be considered among the best women rappers, but rather, among the best rappers in the game.

Even with the many successes and accolades in Rapsody’s career, there are still little to no endorsement opportunities and outside sources of revenue in her career thus far. There is also little available information regarding her earnings and net worth. While the reasoning behind this is unclear, Rapsody is one of the most skilled and prominent MCs in 2019 and certainly is as deserving of these things as anyone.

Vice Souletric

Nicholas Gatewood, known by many as Vice Souletric is an independent rapper and producer from Cleveland, Ohio. Vice began his career as part of the duo Play along with long-time friend, HiJinks (Gatewood, 2018). The two released their debut album, All Things Due in 2006 (Gatewood, 2018). After this album, Vice decided to focus on producing (Gatewood,

2018). He produced two projects for Youngstown rapper G. Huff (Gatewood, 2018). After There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 49 producing these projects, Vice started his solo career, releasing his debut EP, Vice For President in 2015 (Gatewood, 2018). Vice turned the project into a trilogy, releasing the second and third installments in 2016 and 2019 (Gatewood, 2018). For these projects, Vice has regularly toured, sometimes opening for legendary artists (Gatewood, 2018).

Outside of his career as an artist in music, Vice takes on many side jobs as well. He is a graphic and web designer, having designed album covers, websites, marketing materials, and more for both artists and small companies (Gatewood, 2018). He is also a booking agent for

Breakpoint Booking, having booked shows for artists like Bumpy Knuckles, formerly known as

Freddie Foxxx (James Campbell) and Benny the Butcher (Gatewood, 2018). Vice claims his brand as an artist is based on integrity (Gatewood, 2018). He tries to cater to lovers of 90s era hip-hop, as that is what he is himself (Gatewood, 2018).

Vice believes that no one can define a person’s success other than themselves (Gatewood,

2018). Vice considers his career to be successful, both in and outside of music. He has worked with many artists whom he considers hip-hop greats, such as Talib Kweli, 9th Wonder, KRS-

One, and (Peter Phillips) (Gatewood, 2018).

D Jones

Derrick Jones, also known as D Jones is a 41-year-old independent rapper from

Youngstown, Ohio (Jones, 2018). Jones began his career in 2000, with the release of Situations, as Common Ground (Jones, 2018). Since then, he has released a total of fourteen projects, including two as Common Ground, two as G & D Jones, and one as Natural Jones (Jones, 2018).

Though he is a rapper, Jones considers himself to be a “jack of all trades,” as he works in other areas of the arts as well (Jones, 2018). Jones went to school at Bowling Green State There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 50

University and Ohio University where he studied theatre and film, respectively (Jones, 2018). He currently is a Ph.D. student in film at State University (Jones, 2018). He has acted in films and TV shows, edited and directed documentaries and films, and served as a consultant for documentary production (Jones, 2018). Much of his work has been nominated for and won various awards over the years (Jones, 2018). Jones has also published four books of poetry and taught classes (Jones, 2018).

Jones describes his brand as being a lyricist who cares deeply about hip-hop (Jones,

2018). He also prides himself in not allowing A&Rs, producers, or anyone else to alter his brand in efforts to sell records (Jones, 2018). He is a firm believer that hip-hop culture is not something that is rooted in capitalism or stardom (Jones, 2018). While Jones does not want these things impacting his career as an MC, he understands that many people have different intentions with music and/or have brands that are naturally very appealing to wide audiences, and therefore, is not upset about it (Jones, 2018).

Jones is not shy to admit that his rap career has not been a financially profitable one

(Jones, 2018). However, Jones still considers his career to be successful because he has made music that he is proud of, many hip-hop fans enjoy, and believes he represents hip-hop culture well (Jones, 2018). Jones says that he has never been too business-minded when it comes to his rap career, as he enjoyed being “underground” (Jones, 2018). He says that because of this, he gave up on trying to sell his music around 2008 (Jones, 2018).

Instead, he posts his music on Bandcamp, a service where fans can name their price to download the music, which can be $0 (Jones, 2018). While he sometimes pays producers for beats, he is oftentimes contacted by producers who want him on their beats (Jones, 2018). He also works with an engineer who has a similar mentality as these producers. While his engineer There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 51 is more business focused than he is, the engineer is willing to work with him for free because he enjoys his music more than most artists that he works with that pay him (Jones, 2018).

The Modern Music Industry

With the everchanging music industry, building a sustainable brand and achieving longevity and success in hip-hop and in music is much different today than it was in the past.

Artists must not only market themselves through traditional means, but also in the digital world.

Artists who have been around for many years, like Jay-Z, are able to get away with not having a high social media presence since he had already achieved high levels of success, both financially and otherwise, before the rise of social media. Other artists, such as Soulja Boy, use social media to rise to stardom and gain the attention of labels and fans worldwide.

In addition to social media, artists must also be prepared for the climate of music streaming. While fans are paying around $10/month for streaming services, artists are being paid usually less than a penny per stream (Sanchez, 2018). Along with this, this money must be distributed amongst the performing artist, the , the producer(s), the label, and anyone else that played a part in the song’s creation.

While there are many competitors in the streaming service industry, has the largest market share, with 191 million monthly active users and 87 million subscribers (Sanchez,

2018). Despite holding what is by far, the largest market share, Spotify is near the bottom of the spectrum of the major players as far as artist payouts are concerned, at $0.00437 per stream on average (Sanchez, 2018). Exact payout varies based on the artist’s popularity and the average payout usually increases every year industry wide (Sanchez, 2018). Regardless, at the average rate, an artist would need about 336,842 plays to earn $1,472, the US minimum monthly wage There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 52

Streaming Music Service Per-stream Rate Total Plays Needed to Earn $1,472 (US Minimum Monthly Wage) Napster 0.01900 77,474 Tidal 0.01250 177,604 0.00735 200,272 Play 0.00676 217,752 0.00640 230,000 Spotify 0.00437 336,842 0.00402 366,169 Pandora 0.00133 1,106,767 YouTube 0.00069 2,133,333 (Sanchez, 2018). See Figure A below for a more detailed look at per-stream payouts of major

players in the music streaming industry.

Figure A (Sanchez, 2018)

Though the payouts of streaming services is certainly a negative, they are not all bad. It

has not completely destroyed the issue, but streaming has helped decrease music piracy

(Faughnder, 2015). Having to pay a small monthly price for unlimited access to almost if not,

every album they desire is much more convenient than having to download each song or album

individually, even if it is for free. Additionally, the opportunity for artists to be featured on

curated playlists offers them a chance to be heard by new audiences and gain new fans like never

before. According to Buzzfeed, one out of five plays on streaming services happens within a

playlist across all services, and this number is only growing (Ugwu, 2016).

Considering the minimal payouts from streaming, artists rely heavily on touring to make

the bulk of their money. For example, in 2016, Beyoncé was the highest earner in all of music at

$62.1 million (Sanchez, 2017). Of this $62.1 million, only $4.3 million was sales, of which, only

$1.9 million came from streaming (Sanchez, 2017). However, from her tour the same year, she There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 53 earned $54.7 million (Sanchez, 2017). Furthermore, as of 2017, touring generates a leading 43% of all revenue in the music industry in the United States, followed by streaming at 18%, according to PwC (Resnikoff, 2017). See Figure B for a more detailed breakdown of revenue share in the U.S. music industry.

Figure B (Resnikoff, 2017) – via PwC

As expected from the data, a key part of success for the artists studied was touring regularly. While Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar were the only artists studied that have had many headlining tours, all of the artists studied regularly performed shows and festivals. Regardless of the state of the current music industry, touring has always been an important and major money maker for rap artists, as Jay-Z learned while on tour with Big Daddy Kane (White, 2012). Even if the shows do not pay much at first, there is no better way to gain attention as an artist than by performing at shows. Therefore, if an artist is able to continually perform, they not only will be able to build a fanbase, but they will have more and more opportunities to make large sums of money from these performances. There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 54

It is also important to note that rap artists have a history of being taken advantage of by large record labels as discussed in Negus (2004). While record labels undoubtedly are able to help artists reach wider audiences, boost sales, and discover new business opportunities, they also can potentially cheat artists out of their fair shares and/or pressure artists into making career decisions which they may be uncomfortable with. One common way which artists are often taken advantage of by record labels is through something known as a 360 deal.

With a 360 deal, the label is able to profit off just about everything the artist does in the music business (Gordon, 2013). While it may seem obvious not to take this deal, many artists are given the choice between a 360 deal or no deal (Gordon, 2013). Considering that the 360 deal still comes with a large check up front, this can be very difficult for young, inexperienced artists to turn down, especially if they had been struggling financially prior to the offer (Gordon, 2013).

Though this is a normal occurrence, this does not mean that all record labels, recording contracts, and record executives are evil. Just as there is bad, there is good, and it is important that up-and- coming artists are able to either understand their contracts themselves or have competent legal counsel on their team.

With the fear of being taken advantage of and the opportunity to own everything, many artists are choosing to remain independent. Being independent gives artists complete creative control, the opportunity to earn more money for themselves, and the freedom of not having to answer to anyone (Rani, 2018). In a world of social media, it is now possible for artists to gain popularity and attention through social media, as artists like Soulja Boy and Chance The Rapper have done (Rani, 2018). However, an artist who chooses to not sign a recording contract and remain independent must truly be banking on themselves both as an artist and as a business person. Record labels offer young artists teams of professionals who are tasked with assisting the There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 55 artist in navigating the industry. While remaining independent is certainly an opportunity for high reward, it is also very risky and requires even more work than a contract may have been to obtain.

Discussion & Conclusion

For an artist to have a chance at achieving longevity, they must first ensure that their brand is authentic. Wu-Tang Clan member, U-God (Lamont Hawkins) agrees, saying, “all artists should be authentic and not waste their time trying to a false face in attempt to sell records” (Hawkins, 2018). While an artist may be able to achieve some success and popularity by pretending to be something or someone that they are not, this will likely be unsustainable over time.

Harry Allen, a journalist, primarily known for working with the hip-hop group, Public

Enemy also has emphasized the importance of authenticity in hip-hop. By focusing on political themes, Allen detailed how controversy would be an integral part of the brand

(Allen, 2018). While the group was shooting just to be authentic, not controversial, it makes sense that controversy came along with it, as they were doing something new, and also fighting norms in music and politics. Allen also stated that, branding is more important to hip-hop artists than artists of other genres (Allen, 2018). Authenticity is central to a hip-hop identity. Artists are expected to question society and discuss more sensitive subject matter, compared to other genres, thus making it important that the artists are staying true to their lyrics in their personal lives, as a way to validate their lyrics.

In the cases of the artists studied, Jay-Z keeps an authentic brand by maintaining a

“hustler” image. Jay went from dealing drugs in the streets of New York to becoming a hip-hop There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 56 icon and working on criminal justice reform in the United States. Jay stays true to where he is from by helping others from his home and also having ownership, albeit a relatively small share, of the . Rapsody remains authentic by not forcing herself to be a stereotypical woman rapper who relies on being overly sexual or overly aggressive in order to sell records.

Rapsody relies on being a skilled lyrical artist to sell records and acquire accolades in her career.

It important for artists to remain authentic, but they must also ensure they are keeping a cohesive brand. This starts with the music. As discussed in White (2012), MC Hammer faced challenges when trying to rebrand and make drastically different music than what made him popular initially. Unfortunately, this played a major part in the demise of his music career.

Additionally, in Ingram & Mayo (2016), the transformation of Malice of Clipse to the solo artist,

No Malice was examined. While No Malice is now making music and life decisions that he is more at peace with, he has not been able to achieve the type of financial success and popularity that he had during his time with Clipse or the type of financial success and popularity his brother,

Pusha-T (Terrence Thornton) has achieved as a solo act. Regardless, the rebrand plays a part in

No Malice’s authenticity and his change of heart could have led to a demise in the group, even had he continued on with his brother.

Maintaining a cohesive brand expands far beyond just an artist’s music. Everything that an artist does in the eyes of the public has an effect on their brand. Therefore, it is important that any business ventures an artist pursues, both in and outside of music is on point with the brand which they have established. For example, just because a company offers an artist a large check for an endorsement deal, this does not mean that it is a smart decision to pursue. Jay-Z’s intentions with partnering with Reebok, Nokia, and HP rather than Nike, Motorola, and Apple over the years 2003-2007 was a strategic decision of partnering with the less popular There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 57 competitors. This goes hand-in-hand with Jay’s hustler mentality of taking the path least travelled in hopes to land on top in the end. Jay has continued this strategy throughout his entire career, taking a similar route, partnering with Rhapsody over Pandora in 2009, Bing over Google in 2010, and Samsung over Apple in 2013.

The most important thing an artist can do to achieve financial success and longevity is to diversify their sources of revenue. With the minimal returns from streaming, the possibility of being taken advantage of by a label, and the costs of touring, management, lawyers, and more, an artist who relies solely on their music has little opportunity to accumulate large sums of wealth unless they are of the most popular artists. According to Forbes, the three highest earners in hip- hop as of 2018 are Jay-Z, Diddy, and Dr. Dre (Forbes, 2018). It is no coincidence that all three of these artists not only started their own labels, but own and/or started companies; Jay with Roc-a-

Fella/Roc Nation and Tidal, 40/40, and more, Diddy with Bad Boy and REVOLT, and Dr. Dre with Death Row and Aftermath and Beats by Dre.

Performing regularly, being authentic, keeping a consistent brand, and diversifying sources of revenue are the basic steps an artist needs to follow in order to achieve longevity in hip-hop. These conclusions may be used as a blueprint for up-and-coming artists who want to model their brand from particular artists and achieve similar levels of success and longevity.

Understanding how the music industry works is also a very important aspect of not only achieving longevity, but also having any success in the business. A major part of understanding the industry is understanding that it changes constantly. Things like social media and music streaming are of the most important things to understand in the modern landscape of hip-hop, but were of no importance in the early days of the genre. There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 58

In the words of legendary MC Nas, “The hip-hop game is about staying and sustaining and keeping it going” (Playboy, 2019). If an artist is able to figure out how to stick around for many years, they likely will have achieved great success either financially, musically, or both.

Some artists, however, wish to be popular enough for a few years, so that they do not have to make music for many years. They hope that they can not only achieve large financial benefits from their music, but also through endorsement deals and other opportunities that come about through leveraging their stardom. One such example is 25-year-old rapper, Vince Staples. Vince told :

I can’t do this forever. If I’m speaking for a generation and I’m trying to get my point

across to the youth about what I’ve been through, then what does that mean when I’m 40

years old, 45 years old, and I haven’t done that already? Then I failed. Because I don’t

want the fame, the attention, or the notoriety; I want to have an impact on where I come

from. Of course in my youth — 20s and 30s, something like that — I can figure that out

on a rap level, but I should be past that by the time I’m older. Not to say that I’m too

good for it, but ’t be able to resonate with younger people the way I can now when

I’m 35 and up, 40 years old. They’re gonna be like, “Shut your old ass up,” which is how

I would’ve been. So hopefully by then I can have made enough money or relationships to

be able to reinvest that back into the community and back into the youth, into the people,

so I won’t have to stand on the stage and rap anymore. I’ll be able to go to school and tell

kids to stay inside of it and figure out a way to get these kids jobs. Because at home they

fill out hundreds of job applications and never get hired. So there are things in this

community that can be handled in other avenues, not through rap. I say that we’re all There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 59

people because you shouldn’t limit yourself to one thing based on what people want from

you. (Turner, 2015)

While the longer an artist makes music, the more of an opportunity they have to money, this is not always their desire. Similarly, Phillips (2017) examines the brand of Travis Scott, whose brand is centered around his energetic live shows. While this brand has lifted him to current stardom, he will likely have to rebrand as he gets older, as an audience that would enjoy seeing a

40-year-old put on this type of show is likely few. If an artist is able to make the money, invest, and spend sparingly, they will have set themselves up with an opportunity to retire; as is the case with most careers, music or otherwise. However, most artists are not able to reach the level of stardom required to do this. Longevity is more easily achieved than stardom and thus, is the main goal an up-and-coming artist should have.

There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 60

Appendix: Case Studies

JAY-Z/Jay-Z/Jay Z, Jigga, Hova/Hov, Shawn Carter Group(s): The Throne, The Carters Label(s): Roc Nation, Roc-a-Fella, Def Jam, Priority Mentor: Jaz-O Location: Brooklyn, New York Career: 1986-Present • 2018 earnings (as of September): $76.5M (Rank: 1) (Forbes, 2018) • Estimated career earnings/Net Worth: $900M (Rank: 1) (Forbes, 2018) • Sources of Income: o Albums (13 studio solo albums + 1 Live Album + 5 compilation albums + 5 collab albums [R. Kelly (x2), (EP), Kanye, Beyoncé] ▪ All 13 albums platinum, 4/5 collab albums/EPs platinum (RIAA, 2018) • Live album and one compilation album both gold • 16 platinum songs o 11 gold • 9 platinum features o 7 Gold • 1 platinum video longform (“Streets is Watching”) ▪ 14 Billboard #1 Albums (Billboard, 2018) • The Carters – Everything is Love #2 • 4 Billboard Hot 100 #1 songs • 21 Billboard Hot 100 top 10 songs ▪ Rumored to be somewhere between $200k and $1.5M for a guest verse (BET Staff, 2017). o Live Nation Contract/Touring ▪ Live Nation: 10 yrs./over $200M (Akhtar, 2018) ▪ 4:44 Tour: $48.7M Gross (Akhtar, 2018) ▪ 7 Headlining, 9 co-headlining, 4 Supporting • Festivals o Roc-a-Fella Records (est. 1994 with Dame Dash & Kareem “Biggs” Burke) ▪ ½ sold to Def Jam in 1997 for $1.5M (Akhtar, 2018) • Rest purchased in 2004 for $10M (Akhtar, 2018) • Jay president of Def Jam in 2004-2007 (Akhtar, 2018) ▪ Kanye West, Beanie Sigel o Roc Nation (Est. 2007) ▪ Rihanna, J. Cole, Meek Mill, Miguel, , , and more There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 61

▪ Acquired Block Starz Music Group in 2011 (Williams, 2016). ▪ • Kevin Durant, Todd Gurley, , Leonard Fournette, Romelu Lukaku, Robinson Canó, Juju Smith-Schuster, Hue Jackson, and many more ▪ Paper Planes Apparel o Part ownership of Brooklyn Nets ▪ Helped orchestrate move from New Jersey ▪ Sold share in 2013 for $500,000 (Akhtar, 2018) ▪ Sold stake in Barclays Center for $1.5M (Akhtar, 2018) o Tidal/Aspiro ▪ Acquired by Project Panther Bidco, founded in 2014 by Roc Nation CEO Laurence Brown Jr. Company is indirectly owned and operated by Jay (Williams, 2016). ▪ Purchased Aspiro (Swedish parent company of Tidal) in 2015 for $56M (Akhtar, 2018) ▪ sold a 33% stake to Sprint in early 2017 for $200 million, CNN reported—a deal that valued the company at $600 million (Akhtar, 2018) ▪ Highest artist payout of all streaming services ▪ HiFi Quality --- Double the monthly price ▪ “Exclusive Artist Content” o Marriage to Beyoncé ▪ Net Worth: $350M (Akhtar, 2018) o Rocawear (Est. 1999 with Dame Dash) ▪ Peak Annual Sales: $700M ▪ 2007: Sold to Iconix Brand Group for $204M (Akhtar, 2018) • Kept creative control and stake • 2017: Iconix sued Jay for trademark (Pierson, 2018) • 2018: Iconix accused Jay of breaching a 2015 private arbitration settlement • 2018: Jay sued to halt private arbitration, claiming “the company’s inability to find an African-American arbitrator to hear the trademark dispute was unfair” (Pierson, 2018) o 40/40 Club (sports bar est. 2003) ▪ NYC, Brooklyn, ATL o Champagne - Armand de Brignac ▪ Purchased in 2014 for undisclosed amount (Akhtar, 2018) ▪ Prices range from $850-200,000 (Akhtar, 2018) o JetSmarter (Uber for private jets) ▪ Invested $20M in 2015 (Akhtar, 2018) ▪ Clients pay $9,000/year for unlimited access o Co-producer for Broadway Play – Fela! (2009) There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 62

▪ Along with Will and Jada Pinkett Smith ▪ About Nigerian superstar Fela Anikulapo Kuti (Herrera, 2009)

There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 63

Kendrick Lamar, Kung-Fu Kenny/Cornrow Kenny, K.Dot, Kendrick Duckworth Group(s): Black Hippy Label(s): TDE, Interscope/Aftermath Mentor: Dr. Dre Location: Compton, CA Career: 2003-Present • 2018 earnings (as of September): $58M (Rank: 3) (Forbes, 2018) • Estimated career earnings: ? • Projected Net worth: +$30M as of May 2018 (Lee, 2018) • Sources of Income: o Albums: 4 albums, one mixtape, one compilation album, one executive produced soundtrack (that are available for profitable streaming/digital download) ▪ Three platinum albums (RIAA, 2018) • One gold album (Section.80) • One platinum soundtrack (Black Panther) • 15 platinum tracks o 14 Gold • 6 platinum features o 3 Gold ▪ 2 Billboard Hot 100 #1 songs (Billboard, 2018) • 8 Billboard Hot 100 top 10 songs • DAMN., To Pimp a Butterfly, and all #1 albums • good kid, m.A.A.d city #2 ▪ $250,000 to $400,000 per guest verse according to Complex (Lee, 2018) o Part ownership in TDE (Bandini, 2017) o Touring ▪ Four headlining, one supporting, one TDE tour ▪ Festivals ▪ 2017 (The DAMN. Tour: 35 headlining shows, 446,337 tickets sold, avg. $91/ticket – avg. gross: $1,267,568 per market appearance (Rendon & Rogers, 2017). o Shoe deals ▪ Reebok (2014-2017): Deal worth ~$5M (Lee, 2018) • 6 releases (Classics), worked to spread messages of unity and reconciliation. ▪ Nike (2017-?): Deal worth ? (Wolf, 2018) • Four releases (Cortez) as of March 2019 There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 64

• Nike also made DAMN. Merch (hoodies, hats, shirts) and other merch for TDE o Other Endorsements ▪ Beats by Dre (Young, 2013) o Acting ▪ Appearance on STARZ TV show Power (Kreps, 2018) • Philanthropy o 2014: five-stop world tour for charity. Proceeds donated to Habitat for Humanity (Selby, 2016) o Donates to Red Cross (Selby, 2016) o 2015: donated $50,000+ to his high school’s music program (Selby, 2016) ▪ Additional money to sports programs and other after school programs o 2016: Took a group of high school students to the Grammy’s with him (Selby, 2016) • Other brand key points o Low profile on social media o 2018: First hip-hop artist to receive a Pulitzer Prize (“Pulitzer Kenny”) (Coscarelli, 2018)

There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 65

Soulja Boy/Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em, DeAndre Way Label(s): Stacks on Deck Entertainment (Stacks on Deck Money Gang), Interscope, Universal, Collipark Music, Entertainment One Location: Atlanta, Georgia Career: 2004-Present • 2018 earnings: ? • Estimated Career Earnings: ? • Projected Net Worth (June 2018): $30M (Berman, 2018) • Sources of Income: o Albums: 10 Studio Albums, 1 EP, 1 Collab Album (Bow Wow), 1 Collab EP (Go Yayo) ▪ Platinum Records: “Crank That” (RIAA, 2018) • Reportedly made him $7M in 2008 alone (Berman, 2018) • First single to sell over 3 million digital copies (Medal, 2016) ▪ 1 Billboard Hot 100 #1 song (“Crank That”) (Billboard, 2018) • 10 Billboard Hot 100 songs o Tours ▪ 1 headlining tour (2009), multiple other shows throughout the year o Stacks on Deck Entertainment (SODMG) ▪ Started by Way in 2004 (HotNewHipHop, 2018) ▪ Has boasted artists such as Riff Raff, Lil B, and many others o Production and writing ▪ Credits for Beyoncé, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, V.I.C. and more (Slavik, 2016). o Fashion ▪ Started S.O.D Clothing and started selling Yums shoes in 2008 (Wynter, 2016) ▪ Started Ocean Gang clothing line in 2012 along with fashion designer D. Young ▪ Released BLVD. Supply clothing line in 2012 as well ▪ 2018: Signed an endorsement deal with Fashion Nova o Acting ▪ Appeared on BET series The Game (IMDb, 2018) ▪ Appeared in the movie Officer Down (2013) o Consumer Products (SouljaWatch, 2018) ▪ Began selling SouljaWatch ($49.99/$19.99), SouljaPods ($9.99), SouljaGame Handheld ($199.99/$99.99), SouljaGame Console ($199.99/$149.99), and SouljaHeadphones ($38.26), SouljaPhone HT70 ($299.00/$199.00), and SouljaPad ($166.60) in 2018 o Poker There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 66

▪ Signed a five-year, nine-figure deal with World Poker Fund Holdings in 2016 (Wynter, 2016) • Other brand key points o Gained popularity through the and social media o Uploaded songs to SoundClick, where they sold for $0.99/song ▪ Projected to have earned $10,000/day, despite only getting half the profit from sales (other half went to website) (Wynter, 2016) ▪ Uploaded “Crank That” to Myspace and would label it as by other popular artists (i.e. 50 Cent or Britney Spears) to get people to download it and listen (Wynter, 2016) ▪ Often recognized as the digital trailblazer in hip-hop

There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 67

Rapsody, Rapdiddy, Marlanna Evans Group(s): Kooley High Label(s): It’s a Wonderful World Music Group/Jamla Records, Roc Nation Location: Snow Hill, NC Career: 2007-Present • 2018 earnings: ? • Estimated career earnings: ? • Projected Net worth: ? • Sources of Income: o Albums ▪ 2 albums, 2 EPs, 2 (that are available for streaming/digital download) ▪ With Kooley High: 2 albums, 1 EP ▪ Featured artist on 2 Jamla Records albums o Tours ▪ 2 supporting, 1 headlining tour • Other brand key points: o “Never let your gender define you or limit you, but be proud of it at the same time” (Roti, 2017)

There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 68

Vice Souletric, Nick Gatewood Group(s): Play Havoc (duo) Location: Lorain/Cleveland, OH

1. Besides being a hip-hop artist, what other revenue streams have you sought throughout your career, and what was/is the success and importance of each? I have produced tracks for other artists as a source of income. I am also a graphic/web designer and have helped brand artists and small companies as well. Most recently I have taken a position as booking agent for a new agency by the name of Breakpoint Booking out of LA. All of these avenues not only help fund my career, but they build a solid network of professionals in multiple industries outside of just music.

2. How would you explain your individual brand and how does this contribute to your career as an artist? My brand is built upon musical integrity, is very clean cut and is age appropriate. I grew up on 90s hip-hop so I know there is large demo that can relate to being a grown who loves hip-hop. I try to cater to that market. Nothing worse than a 30-year-old acting like a teenager.

3. How (if at all) have business and marketing decisions impacted your career, and how (if so) has this changed over the course of your career? Business and marketing is the foundation of any entertainment career. This is something that took me awhile to completely understand, but I am now well versed in all aspects of the game, from creation of music to marketing, promoting, and now the booking aspect. You have to know what you are getting into. Doing good business is very important.

4. How would you describe your success in music? I have been successful making money from the music industry from a culmination of the services I provide in the industry even more than actual album sales. Success to me is setting a goal and accomplishing the goal no matter how big or small. No one can define your success. That being said I have been very successful throughout my years in the music business. I have performed in front of huge crowds and toured/performed all over the country and opened for legends. I have booked great, successful shows and have designed album artwork and websites for some of the biggest names in the game. I feel blessed. • Notable collabs include: Talib Kweli, KRS-One, Pete Rock, CL Smooth, 9th Wonder, and more There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 69

D Jones, Derrick Jones Location: Youngstown, OH/Atlanta, GA 1. What are the different revenue streams (if any) that you have sought throughout your career, and what was/is the success and importance of each? I've done shows, direct hand to hand sales, and online sales. Let's be clear, I've never had a "profitable" career though I've made profit. It would usually get invested in the next project or event. Shows have paid for shows, sales have paid for the next project or to recoup whatever was invested in the current project. I have always made it a point to recoup. I signed myself so my advances, my revenue has always been my own responsibility. It is important to generate revenue to keep the projects going, however, the question is always one of how much revenue can you generate and how much of a priority it is in defining your success. Success is relative and contextual. They (revenue streams) have always been important if for no other reason than to sustain.

• Also worked in film and theatre • Published four books of poetry • Currently pursuing a PhD in film at Georgia State University

2. How would you explain your individual brand and how does this contribute to your career as an artist? My brand has always been a lyricist who loves when hip hop lives. Simple and plain. Do I feel I have the talent and skill to be a household name? For sure. Is that my motivation/aspiration? Absolutely not. I do not believe our (hip-hop) culture is rooted in capitalism or stardom. I do not believe these things are the point of hip hop, therefore I do not believe they are prerequisites for practicing the culture. Someone may love to play and be very skilled, maybe even skilled enough to play professionally. Not going that route would not prohibit them from playing ball in the park, the rec, tournaments, etc. I am very upfront and intentional about my brand being that of a person who loves to MC, that's better than your average MC, that's dope for free or fee. My brand is an independent artist who signed himself to a deal and if nothing else, I am free. I say what I want, I do what I want as an artist and am not being molded my test markets and A&Rs. Not to say that these things are bad. The music business is a business and follows business practices. I am not mad at that. I'm just saying for me personally, for my artistry, not being restrained or beholden has been a top priority. This has undoubtedly had an impact on the trajectory of my career. I have not had the commercial success of others (including strictly independents) who have given more attention to the marketing of their brand. If I had done so, perhaps I would be more commercially successful. Lucky for me, my perspective is one of being on record, immortalized via my work, undeniable in my existence. I can't be erased.

There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 70

The priorities of my involvement has been to first, make dope music (knowing you can't please everyone). Second, to create opportunities to perform said music (I've opened for major artists, performed all over the country, performed internationally). Third, to create opportunities for others to develop their craft (hosting shows, open mics, battles, other artists - The Hip Hop Shop was a huge part of the Athens music scene). Knowing there are people out there who consider me their favorite or one of their favorite MCs is meaningful because they didn't have to choose me. I am certainly a quality over quantity kind of guy...

3. How (if at all) have business and marketing decisions impacted your career, and how (if so) has this changed over the course of your career? I tried to be more business-minded early on. In my group days and so forth. How much you sold mattered a lot to people. For some it was one of their greatest, if not the greatest indicator or success. But we were underground and enjoyed being underground. As I said before, a more effective financial grind could have led to greater success in that area. I had peers around me more focused on the business side and they still didn't make it, so I don't know. The internet changed the game and I was just a little, but before it in regard to using it to its full potential to market myself. I didn't have a team devoted to it. I was a bit before that made it a lot easier to use technology to its potential. I was interested in other things. Much like the industry rapper who is diversified in their brand, so was I. I had written books, been a filmmaker, actor, spoken word artist, teacher, etc. and with each of them come revenue streams and business opportunities. I've gotten paid well from them all over time. So, I don't look at my career as just a rap based one. I am still active in all of those areas. I am still engaged in opportunities in all of those areas. The music is something I still do passionately (just released an album in October 2018, working on more music) it is just not where I intend to hang my hat.

Because I was not willing to engage seriously with the business side of things, I gave up on selling my music at least 10 years ago. People tell me I should be selling it and I give people the option to name their price (via Bandcamp), but I give it away because it is invaluable to me. One could never pay me enough anyway. How can I make a studio album and give it away? How do I recoup? I have a reputation that pays for it. I get my music from producers who want to hear me on their beats. They may charge folks, but they want to give them to me. I am down to pay when and if, and I don't ask for free beats. I have valuable relationships. My engineer has his own studio. He is very business minded. He works in music 24-7. He makes music, produces, he was able to quit his day job to engineer, and produce full time. He gets licensing deals for his music. He came to me like, “Day after day, I'm engineering garbage. I do it because they pay, but the music is shit. I'm down to record you at no charge because I want to work on dope music.” [People] rock with me because of who I am and what I represent in the culture, not my sales. Therefore, I have a pay-it-forward . I'm 41. I've been putting out music for 21 years. I hold no illusions about "getting on." I spent a few years inactive to focus on the birth of my son and he had significant medical issues. There’s No Shortcut to Longevity 71

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