Your Singing Career

As a former talent booking agent with the William Morris Agency, I know the struggles and the emotional whirlwinds that often face young singers attempting to find their niche in the music industry. Satisfying the desire to become successful in the music industry is not easily achieved or obtained, but those who make it, are well aware of the rewards.
In an effort to increase your odds and to obtain any real recognition in the music industry, whether as an artist, jingle singer, or just plain session singing, let s take a closer look at a few factors that might increase your odds. Notice, I didn t say do this or that and it s a done deal. If you re familiar at all with the music industry you are well too familiar that some make it with virtually no talent at all and others, with incredible style, look and drive, never even get the slightest nod from music industry executives.
To begin with What s your career blueprint look like? What are you doing from a pre-determined game plan right now? Have you actually taken the time over a cup of coffee and sat down with a pad and pencil and jotted down 1) your goals, short term and long term 2) your overall game plan and 3) how you are going to implement your to do list to get to your end goal? I m surprised to learn how few really get this far. Sure, many sit in the car or on the couch thinking about life and their career and have a general idea, but until you put it down on paper and follow through with a course of action, you might as well forget it. Start by writing down your goals with a course of action and break it down with what you can do this month, this week and what I can get done today - This will help you to not only stay focused, but give you the boost when you feel like giving up.
Next, now that you ve figured out what you want to do and how you re going to go about doing it with a set blueprint, what does your demo sound like? It can t just sound pretty good And yes, this does take time and money - $75 demos won t get the job done. Good and pretty good won t get it It has to knock their socks off and turn the heads of the listeners. Yes, as I mentioned earlier, some with virtually little talent get in, but what I m talking about here is reflected in an overall picture of what s being sent to the A&R director, producer, etc. Not only does this demo sound great, but Should we use it as the final mix in the CD, because it s already in the pocket and we won t have to spend anymore production money re-cutting any of these songs. That s how good your demo s should be And as an aspiring jingle singer, don t settle for a mom and pop or car commercially sounding demo reel. Your jingles ought to sound like they re national TV and radio spots like you ve already arrived.
The next important element, almost as important as the music itself, is your press kit and how you present yourself to industry professionals. I will break this up into 2 segments the first on the artist press kit and secondly phone calls and interviews. Anything that you send out in print or on your CD, has got to look like you re established and you ve already made it. Make sure that your CD covers are printed on gloss paper with high-quality photographs of you or the band. Managers, producers, and A&R directors a like, are more inclined to pick up an act that looks together. They don t have time to figure out if this poorly imaged act has what it takes or not And they very well might But they don t have the presentation. In here lies what I consider to be your greatest ally. If you will spend time and money to have your artist press kit not only look professional, but with an edge, you can convey 1) your image, 2) your marketability, 3) and your dedication and sincerity This is not a fleeting moment or idea for you. You re in this for the long haul and your presentation states that. Make anything in print that you send out, shine.
The next part of your presentation is in the phone calls, meetings, and grin and grip events, whether concerts, showcases or otherwise. If you don t have a natural ability to interact with individuals, you are going to have to practice. And furthermore, there s nothing wrong, and I would suggest, writing down on paper anything that you want to come to mind, before a phone conversation even begins. If you re bad with names, as many of us are, have those names written down, easily obtained in the middle of a call. Prepare as much as you can before the conversation and be honest. Honesty goes a long ways with people. Most in the industry have heard it all and it s so refreshing to hear somebody state, I m not sure, but I ll find out. Speak with sincerity, honesty, but with confidence as well. After all, you ve got something unique and it s your vocal career. You need to sell them, but they also need to recognize the obvious, and that is that they ve just discovered the next
So as you begin or at least start looking at your singing career, look at these simple to implement principals that we have just looked at and know ahead of time that you are going to be specific, analytic, and purposeful in your singing career strategies. Take a look at your strengths and weaknesses and be honest. Ask others. Don t be afraid to change course or look at other singing alternatives as well. We know that short articles are difficult to present every point of the equation, so don t hesitate to contact us should you have further questions.
For further information, the author can be contacted at 615-300-5030 and at http://www.reelmusician.com. In addition, Mr. Gauger is available for consultations, seminars and jingle and song production.



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Surrogate Life

Years ago, upon my first-ever arrival in Paris, there was no doubt as to where I would begin my itinerary ...
I went immediately to the P re Lachaise cemetery.
That s the final resting place of such luminaries as Voltaire, Victor Hugo, Sarah Berhhardt and Chopin. If I had been there during daylight, I m sure I would have taken my time to pay my respects to each of them and others. However, it was around 1.00am, and this was a pilgrimage to what s become more of a shrine than a grave.
This is where Jim Morrison of the Doors is buried.
James Dean lived fast and died young. Kurt Cobain had succumbed, by his own hand, to stress and recurrent abdominal pains. Marilyn Monroe took too many pills. Mama Cass choked on that fateful ham sandwich. Keith Moon simply exploded from self-indulgence.
Jim Morrison was different. He lived hard so we didn t have to.
I believe that there are those among us who live life on the edge for the sole purpose of conveying that experience to everyone else. I don t think they make a conscious decision to do so, but the circumstances of their existence drew them to it. They embody a collusion of talent, freedom, credibility and forum. From that mixture, fate then intercedes and legends are forged.
This role doesn t need to end in the ultimate cost of mortality. Look at Lou Reed. An underground poet laureat who was so anointed by Andy Warhol, who could arguably be called the godfather of punk --- which ultimately influences popular music to this day --- and then became a Rock-&-Roll Animal before settling into married life and relative tranquility. He s a writer-cum-musician who returned the value of word economy to lyrics (the Ramones owe a huge debt to him), who lionized the shadowy annals of altered states and culminated it by allegedly shooting heroin on stage. Somehow, the nihilistic creator of Sweet Jane, the opiate chronicler of White Light/White Heat, the dark playwright of Berlin, managed to survive. I m sure no one is more pleased with that result than him.
Morrison, on the other hand, never seemed to care.
His obsession was with a mystic dimension that seemingly co-existed with visceral reality and his determination was to channel it. This endeavor has been well-accounted both in Danny Sugarman s book, No One Here Gets Out Alive, and Oliver Stone s cinematic version of it, logically entitled, The Doors.
Morrison did Break on Through to the Other Side and became The Lizard King. His lifestyle and lyrics served as a catalyst for both new age and outrage. The Doors framed his visions in catchy tunes that were a cornerstone of their era. Their music worked for breezy listening, for intense audiophilia and for all levels in between. When Morrison would sing, "I woke up this morning and got myself a beer," there was no doubting his presence in the original Hard Rock Caf and that breakfast was going to be his lightest meal of the day.
With a legacy like that, I guess it s no surprise that rumors circulated about the French authorities wanting to evict him from such an esteemed cemetary as P re Lachaise. However, during my visit, I was told by a watchful gendarme that the graves were purchased in perpetuity, so he and his colleagues would man many a midnight patrol to monitor the Morrison mourners. From what I saw and have come to know, that is a full-time nocturnal posting.
Even at the late hour, I was one of around a dozen who surrounded Morrison s headstone. Someone s ghettoblaster churned through a litany of Doors songs, candles and flashlights provided an eerily appropriate atmosphere, and even though a strong waft of 60s-ish aroma was ever present, the constables kept their distance as long as the tokers kept themselves discreet. The composition of the entourage was constantly changing; the comings and goings were hardly acknowledged. Instead, the conversations were perpetual and free-form. On occasion, someone would recall a personal memory involving a Doors song, but preferred topics were more along the lines of the consciousness Morrison seemed intent on raising. Lyrics were analyzed and musical passages were toasted. All of this was done in hushed tones, not necessarily out of respect, but because no one wanted to upstage the ghettoblaster s ongoing soundtrack.
I was there for two hours. No one exchanged names or details. There were different points of view expressed, but no arguments. Literary references and musical influences peppered the dialog with a subtle intensity that would have made him proud. The effect of everyone s comments seemed both thoughtful and theraputic, as they put Morrison s escapades and compositions into deep personal perspectives; there was no doubt he had indeed, in some manner, become an extension of each of their lives and they felt they were enriched because of it.
My lasting memory of that night was the notion that Jim Morrison probably would have preferred being the focal point for those introspective testaments rather than for the massive din of a Doors concert.
If so, maybe that meant he finally got what he wanted. In a way, then, so did we. google_ad_width = 468;



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Things Just Ain t the Same : Hip-Hop s Reconstruction of the Gangster Rap Identity

/* 468x60, создано 19.02.08 */ Gangster rap, or hardcore rap, is generally considered a sub genre of the larger category of rap music, which itself is a subcategory of hip-hop. Gangster rap is differentiable from other rap music in that it makes use of images of urban life associated with crime (Haugen, 2). The top four images associated with the genre are violence, drugs, materialism and sexual promiscuity.
Gangster Rappers as Defining the Hip-Hop Social Group
As the hip-hop movement has gained recognition throughout the United States, it has established itself as one of the fastest growing social groups anywhere. In the late 1990s immediately following the murders of both Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace, two nationally known gangster rappers, a propaganda campaign escalated against rap music and the hip-hop culture (Slaughter). Although gangster rap only represented a small percentage of the hip-hop culture at the time, all hip-hop and rap music was instantly stereotyped negatively as being gangter-like . Why? Well, this gangster version of hip-hop was the highest selling and most recognized form of hip-hop music among the majority class. And many critics have determined that this is because America is in love with sex, drugs and violence (Whaley).
Hip-Hop s Rejection of Inferior Social Group Status
Henri Tajfel, a social psychologist who developed a theory of inter-group relations and social change, argues that members of a social group deemed inferior by a majority class can either accept or reject their inferior position in society. If a group refuses to accept its inferior position in society as just, it will attempt as a group to change things (Coates, 8-9). A large number of hip-hop artists have used their musical lyrics to reject the inferior social status placed upon them by the majority class.
The Reconstruction of the Gangster Identity
I have found that hip-hop artists use lyrics, both musical and poetic, to redefine the negatives characteristics given to their culture by the majority class, and in the process, reconstruct the gangster identity. By examining these hip-hop and gangster rap lyrics as text, I will show ways in which the lyrics attempt to reconstruct the stereotyped gangster rap identity by examining different views of violence, drugs, materialism and sexual promiscuity. In the end, one tends to wonder: Who exactly are the real gangsters?
Violence
That the hip-hop culture represents gangster-like violence is perhaps the biggest disputed claim amongst hip-hop artists. In order to disprove this claim, many hip-hop artists have pointed to the violence that exists within the majority social group, and how it leads to violence all over the world.
In Violence , 2 Pac demonstrates his belief that violence was prevalent long before gangster rap existed:

I told em fight back, attack on society
If this is violence, then violent s what I gotta be
If you investigate you ll find out where it s comin from
Look through our history, America s the violent one

Here, the poet points to American society as the violent one and that he has to be violent in order to fight back.
In Who Knew , Eminem showed a similar viewpoint by expressing his belief that violence is a common occurrence in American society, yet not challenged in genres outside of the urban environment:

So who s bringin the guns in this country?
I couldn t sneak a plastic pellet gun through customs over in London
And last week, I seen a Schwarzaneggar movie
Where he s shootin all sorts of these bad guys with an Uzi

Here, the poet questions the existence of violence in a country that allows firearms and violent movies.
In Casualties of War , Rakim blames the United States government, specifically its Head of State, as the group causing the violence in society with their war-like ways:

I ma get back to New York in one piece
But I m bent in the sand that is hot as the city streets
Sky lights up like fireworks blind me
Bullets, whistlin over my head remind me...
President Bush said attack
Flashback to Nam, I might not make it back

In this text, the poet refers to our country s decision to go to war as an example of the violence that exists amongst the majority social class.

In The Watcher , Dr. Dre redefines the negative characteristic of violence by pointing to the police force as the source of violence, and therefore, referring to them as gangster-like :

Things just ain t the same for gangstas
Cops is anxious to put people in handcuffs
They wanna hang us, see us dead or enslave us
Keep us trapped in the same place we raised in
Then they wonder why we act so outrageous
Run around stressed out and pull out gauges
Cause everytime you let the animal out cages
It s dangerous, to people who look like strangers

Here, the poet accuses the majority class of keeping them trapped in the same place we raised in and that the perceived violence is only due to the introduction of people who look like strangers.
These are examples of how hip-hop artists redefine the image of violence by showing how it exists or was created within the majority social group.
Drugs
Another common disputed stereotype of hip-hop artists is their use and distribution of illegal drugs. In attempts to redefine this negative characteristic, many hip-hop artists have pointed at the majority social group as the facilitator of drug abuse.
In Justify My Thug , Jay-Z speaks directly to members of government, raising questions about who has made the availability and use of these drugs possible:

Mr. President, there s drugs in our residence
Tell me what you want me to do, come break bread with us
Mr. Governor, I swear there s a cover up
Every other corner there s a liquor store - what is up?

In this example, the poet inquires as to why there is a liquor store in every other corner of his community.
In I Want to Talk to You , Nas uses the same approach to challenge the notion of drug distribution by asking his representatives what they would do in his situation:

Why y all made it so hard, damn
People gotta go create their own job
Mr. Mayo,r imagine if this was your backyard
Mr. Governo,r imagine if it was your kids that starved
Imagine your kids gotta sling crack to survive

Here, the poet claims that the distribution of drugs is not only an effect of the poverty that exists in his environment, but also a means of survival.
In Manifesto , Talib Kweli actually accuses the government of being the body which allows drugs into the country:

Like the C.I.A. be bringin in crack cocaine bailin out of planes
With the George Bush connections, I push Reflection
Like I m sellin izm, like a dealer buildin the system
Supply and the demand it s all capitalism
People don t sell crack cause they like to see blacks smoke
People sell crack cause they broke

In this example, the poet accuses the C.I.A. of flying drugs into the country, and again reiterates the point that it is a means of survival due to the supply and demand of a capitalist society.
In Damn It Feels Good to be a Gangster , the Geto Boys fully redefine the negative characteristic of drug distribution by accusing the President of being a drug dealer, and therefore, a gangster:

And now, a word from the President!
Damn it feels good to be a gangsta
Getting voted into the White House
Everything lookin good to the people of the world
But the Mafia family is my boss
So every now and then I owe a favor gettin down
Like lettin a big drug shipment through
And send em to the poor community
So we can bust you know who

These examples show how hip-hop artists redefine the image of being drug dealers and users by again pointing to the majority class as the creator of the drug problem in this country.
Materialism
Hip-hop music is also seen by the majority class as a genre dominated by materialism. Again, artists point back to the majority class in an attempt to redefine this negative characteristic.
In Respiration , Black Star points to all the wealth surrounding urban areas, and how it absorbs the lower class in materialism, making them want parts of that wealth:

Where mercenaries is paid to trade hot stock tips
For profits, thirsty criminals take pockets
Hard knuckles on the second hands of workin class watches
Skyscrapers is colossus, the cost of living
Is preposterous, stay alive, you play or die, no options

Here, the poet talks about various materialistic aspects of the majority class, and how the lower class must play or die to stay alive.
In All Falls Down , Kanye West actually blames this materialism on American society:

It seems we living the American dream
But the people highest up got the lowest self esteem
The prettiest people do the ugliest things
For the road to riches and diamond rings

In this example, the poet blames the American dream for materialism, saying it causes people to do the ugliest things for riches and diamond rings.
In Los Angeles Times , Xzibit also blames this materialism on the majority class, claiming that is what the youth are taught coming up in urban environments:

Welcome to L.A.
Where you can see the whole city burning
Cause the cops got Uzis and the dealers keep serving
And your kids ain t learning it, except this
Sex power and wealth, forget everything else

Here, the poet expresses his belief that certain aspects of materialism, including power and wealth are taught to children through occurrences in society.
These are examples how hip-hop artists redefine the negative characteristic of being materialistic by showing examples of how this materialism is prevalent in the majority class, and often created within that class.
Sex
And the final debated stereotype of the hip-hop social class is that they are sexually promiscuous, often leading to disrespectful treatment towards women. The poets also attempt to redefine this stereotype by blaming the core of the problem on society.

In Pussy Galore , the Roots claim that the country s obsession with sex is pushed by sexually-driven marketing campaigns:

Lookin out the limo window up at the billboards
200 miles, she was the only thing I saw
Promotin everything, from the liquor to the nicotine
Cell phones, anti-histamines, chicken wings
You gotta show a little skin to get them listening
For real yo, the world is a sex machine

In this example, the poet retells a personal experience in which he saw sex advertisements as promotin everything. And in order to get them listening , he claims, you gotta show a little skin.
In Get By , Talib Kweli blames this sexual obsession on what we view on television:

The TV got us reachin for stars
Not the ones between Venus and Mars,
The ones that be readin for parts
Some people get breast enhancements and penis enlargers

Here, the poet expresses his belief that television creates a misconception of what people should be sexually, and that contributes to the promiscuity that is being blamed on the hip-hop movement.
Hip-hop artists have used their lyrics and poetry to influence the rejection and reconstruction of the gangster identity that plagues their social class. This is accomplished through the redefining of negative characteristics assigned by the majority class. In most cases, these redefinitions include pointing to the majority class as the real holders of these negative characteristics. The redefining of these gangster-like images through hip-hop lyrics helps to reconstruct the gangster identity by questioning gangster-like behaviors and which social class actually has these behaviors. So the question presented is: Who exactly are the gangsters?

Works Cited / Discography
2 Pac. 2Pacalypse Now. Jive Records, 1991.
Black Star. Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star. Rawkus Records, 1998.
Coates, Jennifer. Women, Men and Language. Longman Publishing, New York: 1993.
Dr. Dre. The Chronic 2001. Interscope Records, 1999.
Eminem. The Marshall Mathers LP. Interscope Records, 2000.
Geto Boys. Uncut Dope LP. Interscope Records, 1999.
Haugen, Jason. Unladylike Divas : Language, Gender and Female Gangster Rappers. Popular Music and Society: December, 2003.
Jay Z. The Black Album. Def Jam, 2003.
Kanye West. College Dropout. Roc-A-Fella Records, 2004.
Nas. I Am. Sony Records, 1999.
Rakim. Don t Sweat the Technique. MCA Records, 1992.
Rawkus Records. Lyricist Lounge Volume 1. Priority Records, 1999.
Slaughter, Peter. Attack on Rap Music. Barutiwa Weekly News. June 14, 1997.
Talib Kweli & DJ Hi-Tek. Train of Thought. Rawkus Records, 2000.
Talib Kweli. Quality. Rawkus Records, 2003.
The Roots. Phrenology. MCA Records, 2002.
Whaley, Angela. Hip Hop is Not for Sale. Colorado State University s Talking Back: Volume 3, Issue 1.
Xzibit. 40 Days and 40 Nights. Loud Records, 1998. /* 468x60, создано 19.02.08 */



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How to Find Wholesale Car Parts from Junk Yards and Scrap Yards

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