The Best Way An Unknown MC Must Self-Promote: Part 1
By Da Emazing One • Jul 9th, 2008 • Category: Mic Check
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You know, most up and coming rappers today believe getting their rhyme skills any type of attention is to enter a local MC battle, exhibit their presence online (i.e. YouTube or MySpace), or get on multiple mix tapes and hope a talent scout would discover them. These are all well proven buzz tactics that can get you noticed, but there is one problem to these forms of promotion. It ain’t live! It’s Memorex!
Every MC must first learn how to emcee live! It is about grabbing the mic in front of complete strangers and move the crowd. As a matter of fact, you will have to change your attitude and promote that crowd’s wants before you even promote self! You have to get yourself out of the way and rock the party! Make them celebrate!
What? Yes, that’s right! You got to move the masses! You know…the people who are going to pay hard earned money to see you live sometime down the road! The same people who came to party and be exhilarated in a mood of celebration and house rockin’! Did you really think it was about you…a complete stranger?
The abbreviation, MC, is not just some pretty initials to attach to your name. It is not to be taken lightly. It means Master of Ceremonies; therefore you must master the ceremony! Capture the audience and take them on a ride!
Did you really think it was all about you? Forget about how dope your tracks are if you cannot perform them live. Before you record your next tracks find out how you are going to produce them to be performed live.
At Old School Scholar, we are about to let you know how to easily get baptized by fire and promote yourself live in the streets.
The first step is to obviously be absolutely sure you are ready to display your mic skills. We are not talking about your lyrics. That is for another topic. We are talking about microphone skills. Always practice your articulation, pronunciation, vocabulary, voice, delivery and flow. Understand it is not always a matter of what you are saying but how you are saying it. Fire is always hot. People will not sweat when it is cold. Control the thermostat by developing mic skills.
The next step, which I strongly believe is important, is that you must find yourself a true school Hip Hop DJ. This guy has to be a crowd rocker you can put your trust in and become a two-man team. Your DJ will be the backbone of the self-promotional process. This is your one-man band you must build with together.
The third step would be for the both of you to shop for the basic needs to make a demo. What are those basic needs? You can go old school with a drum machine, a microphone, and a tape deck, but if you can read this you obviously have computer access. So, let’s talk about software and a basic PC. Better yet, in case you do not have a budget, let’s talk about using free open-sourced software!
No money? No excuse! Click here at FreeMusicSoftware.org, Rekkerd.org, HammerHead Rhythm Station, and Audacity recording software!
With the once a week changing of the sampling rules and regulations, sampling for the demo is not needed at this time. Simply, make your demo raw so it can be performed live at anytime. It’s just beats and rhymes. Besides, the attention to your lyrics, styles and delivery is what should garner attention, and this will allow the DJ to improvise on his cuts.
Great raw examples of what I am talking about are songs like Sucker MCs by Run DMC, I Need a Beat by LL Cool J, or I Cram to Understand U by MC Lyte.
The fourth step is to get your demo mixed, mastered and duplicated into CDs and MP3s. Personally I would also do vinyl if possible for the traditional DJs to cut it up.
Soon afterward, get the demo copyright registered and published as a composition under your real and fictitious name. Nowadays, this can be done on the Internet. This is not to say this is going to be your breakthrough album you are registering. This is about protecting your creative and intellectual property. This is your responsibility to dog tag your works.
This article continues with part 2 on taking your skills to the streets[click here]!!! For now enjoy one of the greatest MCs; Big Daddy Kane Live at Studio Z in San Francisco, February 2008. Video credit goes to DMMASF.
Da Emazing One is without a doubt an Old School Scholar. Ever since the year of 1979, when He first heard "Let's Dance To The Drummer's Beat", Emazing was not only hooked, He was infused. His new passion launched Him into the skills of Lyricism, B-Boying, and Graff Writing. Hip Hop gave Him a reason to have a voice, and He now writes for Old School Scholar which gives you the true idea of the type of voice He has.
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