Female Rappers to Watch in 2016

It is well known that Hip-Hop is dominated by men but in today’s society where we can possibly have the first female president female rappers are getting recognize. Back in the 90s female rappers where constantly on the hip-hop scene. You have several female rappers such as Salt & Pepper, MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, Lil’Kim, Missy Elliot, Foxy Brown and etc. who have paved the way for the female rappers today. I am a strong believer that Nicki Minaj is setting the bar high and opening doors for the female rappers to come. Since Nicki Minaj has came in the game not only has she been dominating the rap industry but she also is versatile and she can hang with the Pop and R&B stars on the charts.

When your versatile like Nicki Minaj it is hard to compete and dominate the charts like she does. In 2016 there are several female rappers that I believe can help female rappers become a little more dominate then their male counterparts. The following female rappers has what it takes to go toe to toe with the male rappers and succeed.

• Dej Loaf
• Dreezy
• Kash Doll
• Iggy Azalea
•  Tink
•  Remy Ma
• Young M.A.
• Kamaiyah
• Cardi B
• NoName

There are several other female rappers that are making many listeners turn up their headphones.  The selected 10 I believe got what it takes to give Ms. Minaj a run for her money. Dej Loaf previously went on tour with Nicki Minaj causing her fan base to grow and Cardi B has a similar style to Nicki being that she is also from New York and also from Trinidad. Remy Ma is no stranger to being on top and her hit song “ALL The Way Up” shows that she has it in her to make Nicki Minaj sweat. Dreezy and Tink who are also versatile like Nicki who can sing and spits fire metaphors shows that female rappers have came a long way. I’m looking forward to all the music that these females will be putting out and I’m excited for female rappers as they are now getting recognized like they should be.

Experts Views on the Value of Business Plans

In the final months of completion my Masters in Entertainment Business, Business Plans has been the topic and focus. Any successful business person has created a business plan and soon it will be my turn. This post focuses on two experts who have the knowledge of creating business plans. This post will review some background information of the experts, their key components that investors look for in a business plan and which components or resources that I will use when constructing my business plan.

The first expert that I decided to research was Chuck Blakeman who is a successful entrepreneur, best-selling business author and world-renowned business advisor. His company, Crankset Group, provides outcome-based mentoring and peer advisory for business leaders worldwide (Blakeman, 2015). The second expert that I decided to research is Tim Berry who is a business plan expert and also the official business plan expert at Entrepreneur.com (J, n.d.).

Both of the exerts gave interesting information regarding business plans. I found Blakeman advice to be a little interesting. He often talks about how business plans hurt business and how business plans are not necessary. This rung an alarm because in several courses I was told that business plans are a must. “Not a single Fortune 500 was started with a business plan; not one. They understood that the second worst thing someone starting a business can do is create a traditional business plan, and the worst thing they can do is follow it” (Blakeman, 2015). I understood what Blakeman but I will not use his advice. I will use a business plan so that my ideas of my company are meet. I understand that you can not predict the future but I believe the best thing for me to do is to create my company with a business plan.

Tim Berry gave some great advice that I will consider using in my business plan. In his latest book Lean Business Planning he encourages readers to get focused and align strategy tactics, milestones, assumptions, and essential cash flow to your business plan com (J, n.d.). Since I am not interested in math the essential cash flow segment will be an area I will stay on top of. I will eventually purchase his book so that I can make a successful business plan.

Reference:

Blakeman, C. (2015). Chuck Blakeman. Retrieved August 7, 2016, from Chuck Blakeman, http://chuckblakeman.com/about

J, T. Business plan expert Tim Berry. Retrieved August 7, 2016, from TIM BERRY Lean business planning, startups, social media, and having a life, http://timberry.com/business-plan-expert/

Burhoe, S., & profile, V. my complete. (2004, January 10). Expert views on business plans Retrieved from http://bpexpertviews.blogspot.com

Marketing Plan for Hip Hop Artists

In today’s music industry being an independent artist is starting to be common. One of the main reason why many independent are able to achieve success without signing to a major label is through their marketing. If you are an artist that knows how to brand themselves and market and gain exposure for your music than the indepentent route is paying off.  There are several sources out there including articles and videos that explain how to market your music. The article from Hau Nguyen, HOW TO CREATE A MARKETING PLAN FOR INDEPENDENT HIP-HOP ARTISTS goes in to detail on a marketing plan strategy for independent hip-hop artists. The article basically is a guide on how independent artist should brand and market their music. The video below goes in detail for music marketing for Independent Artists.

 Below are the main topics that an independent artist should include when creating a marketing plan.

•       Artist/ Project Introduction- This should include some background information about the artists and an overview or summary of their upcoming creative project.
•       Goals & Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)- this should include the artist goal for the music industry in the next few years and performances/ events that track their success.
• Achievements to Date- These are the artist’s milestones and accomplishments that they have received/ earned.
• Target Audience- This includes who is the artist specific audience that they want target.
• Branding- These include logos, concepts etc. that makes the artist stand out and appealing.
• Press Kit- This is a resume/ portfolio for artists which explains who the artists are.
• Touring- Is an important aspect for independent artist and is who most artist get their money. The artist must choose venues and places that caters to their fans.
• Radio Promotion Strategy- Independent artist have to know which radio stations to contact and gain a relationship/ connection with the local DJ so they can help get your songs played on the radio.
• Fan-base Engagement- Having a fan base is really important if you want to succeed in the music industry. Being authentic with your fans and building up a connection with your fans will help in any artist music career.  Using Email to connect with your fans is a common. 3 Ways Independent Rappers Can Get More Email List Subscribers will better explain why emails are important.
• Website & Social Media- In todays society social media are artist best friend. Artists have to connect with their fans via social media and they have to make their music appear on social media and become popular.
• Distribution & Retail Strategy- This is where you will get your music out to the people either self distribution are free hosting sites such as DatPiff and  My Mixtapes are platforms that independent artists use to get their music out to the people.
• Sponsors & Investors- Investors, sponsors, endorsement deals will help artist market their brand and their music.

 The key for all successful artist is having a smart marketing plan and of course good music. Learning how to market your brand and music is very helpful and many artists are using social media and engaging with their fan base to get their music out to the people. Having a marketing plan is a must for an independent hip-hop artist.