Before you judge me and assume I'm blatantly saying "I refuse to work with independent rappers!", continue on, and you will see exactly where I'm coming from...
The first beat I ever sold was back around 2001/2002. I think I got paid $50 for it. At the time, it was such a proud moment in my career. Just starting out, I was just getting my feet wet. Making tons of beats. Learning. Seeking artists to work with (or sell *ehm* beats to) and sort of make my rounds to see if this is really something that could potentially become lucrative one day.
Of course along the way, I've managed to build and maintain relationships. Everything functioned on a case-by-case basis. There were artists that I wasn't really inspired by, whom were willing to pay $ for beats. There were others that I genuinely liked, whom were NOT willing to pay any $ for beats. And of course there was sort of a mixture of both.
As my career slowly started to build, I was catching the attention of more and more rappers. Rappers of all kinds. It felt good to receive that validation. It felt good to know that there are rappers out there, willing to shell out some $ to buy my beats (even though it really wasn't THAT much, in the grand scheme of things).
For about 5 years, I was on a roll. I was selling beats every week. I was on my hustle. A couple hundred here, a couple hundred there. Every so often, they'd buy my beats in bulk for a few thousand. It was working. I was actually making money. Real money to get me by. There were a small handful of these rappers whom I genuinely was a fan of. I liked their music. I was excited to sell beats to them. But unfortunately, most of the rappers who purchased beats from me were merely treated as a business transaction. I wasn't inspired by these people. They were obviously inspired by MY music, but I couldn't say the same about theirs. Either way, something didn't feel right. Something was missing. A sort of emptiness inside. The true satisfaction of creating music was lacking.
Eventually, I realized that what I was doing was the equivalent of being a beat-whore (let me LOL that to lighten the tone a little bit). Any taker willing to shell out $ was good in my eyes. They could have been terrible, but I didn't care. I was selling beats, and it felt great!
And then...
I stopped.
Cold turkey.
Why?
Because I've gotten to the point in my career where I didn't have to do it anymore. More importantly, I realized what I was doing. I realized that it wasn't helping me grow. It wasn't challenging enough. It felt too easy. It felt too comfortable.
That day changed my life.
Prior to that, I was producing the same "type" of music. Whatever you want to call it. Boombap. Big drums. Headknod. (and please, don't get me wrong, I hold that dear to my heart and still shines in my music).
I started experimenting and challenging myself. I started listening. Ultimately, I stepped up and challenged myself, musically. I did things that were uncomfortable. I stepped out of the box.
In stepping out of the box, my taste level for music evolved. The way I created music evolved. The type of artists I was attracted to evolved. The music I was making was exciting as hell. It was liberating.
So today I ask myself this question.
"Would you ever sell a beat to an independent rapper/artist that doesn't inspire you?"
The answer is no. (And THIS doesn't count. It's a fun competition where I get to dig deep and find out who's hungry + talented enough to potentially become inspiring. In fact, It's making my job easier.)
I'm at the point (thankfully and humbly) where I get to choose who I want to work with. Years and years and endless beats later, I've paid my dues to this point. I'm still growing, still learning, still wanting to achieve more greatness. But one thing holds true: no amount of money will coerce me into working with you. All you have to do is be incredible enough to inspire me to want to grow with you, as an independent artist or established.
Be inspiring, and you will inspire.
This is why I stopped selling beats to independent rappers.
- !llmind
249 comments
I feel you man. Im an engineer with my own studio. I started out recording and mixing anyone who would pay me. Dop and wack. But it got to a point where i wasnt inspired anymore. I got to the same point as you. Now i dont care about the money because i dont NEed it. I need inspiration. I need excitement. I need to like your music. If not i will turn down the work. Plain and simple. Its helped me immensely. I mean i almost quit doing music because working with wack mfs is very uninspiring.
Reply to CIZZURP215:
I agree with you 99%. I made a comparison that was spur of the moment, and not really fair or accurate; and I admit to that. My single issue with the entire article is that, as Illmind himself said in his RESPONSE to me, It’s not about not selling beats to INDEPENDENT artists, it’s about not selling beats to artists you aren’t inspired by. If he chose to title the article “Why I don’t sell beats to artists that don’t inspire me,” or “Why I am selective about who I sell beats to,” I would have agreed with him 100%. I’m not an INDEPENDENT artist, so I’m not personally offended by it, I just don’t understand making blanket statements like that, especially when he admits that this wasn’t what he really meant. I also agree with you that there are more wack INDEPENDENT rappers than good ones, in the same way that there are more wack producers than good ones.
The comparison of a drum kit to a music work created with another artist shows the level of musical knowledge and maturity of Atat. selling to anyone with a credit card? sounds are a product. blapkits is a business. selling beats to someone only covers the work made to create the music. the attachment to that work with that artist lives on forever and it is something lots of producers old and new take seriously. it is apart of the resume. the catalog. it is a legal connection and both parties should work with someone they respect and enjoy if they want to. no one is dissing indie rappers but in all honestly there are more wack ones and ones who aren’t serious or who aren’t about their business and the ones who are on their stuff, well they will get beats and work with producers of a high caliber. focus on making dope music and networking and you will be surprised at who you can work with. kudos brother Ramon. watching you evolve over the years both as a person and as a brand has been inspiring. those who know, know and conduct themselves in a similar manner. peace.
Reply to illmind: My intent was not to question your integrity, rather to question the title of the article. (I just got a little carried away) But as you said, it has nothing to do with them being independent or not, So it’s just a Very misleading title. For the record, you put me on to both Cheech Bundy and Hoodie Allen, both sick INDEPENDENT artists. I also know that you probably do more to help up and coming artists than Most, so I do give you much respect.
so what’s the process of putting our music in front of you !llmind? I want to inspire you! I feel what you are saying…and I want that opportunity as well.