Word. This post is for you, and hopefully you gain something from reading it. Some of y’all will already know everything I am about to tell you, but if our email is any indication, a lot of y’all don’t. I’m sure most other blogs would agree, and the second half of this post is on behalf of all of us. Let’s get to it.

We’ll start off like this: Hip-Hop is for everyone, being a rapper isn’t. If I could rap, I would be in the studio right now, receiving fellatio from two 10′s while I lay down a track. Unfortunately, I have to deal with something known as real life, so I’m settling for DM’s from a few 8′s while writing blog posts. That is the reality of it. Some of y’all are sitting there right now, wondering “How can I possibly know whether I’m built for this shit or not.” I’m here to help.

• Be honest with yourself. Seriously. For a lot of people, it really comes down to this. Do some soul searching. Do you believe with all of your being, that you are a good rapper? If you second guess yourself, you’re not built for the rap game. Last time someone on twitter told you your song was “not good”, did you block them? You’re not built for the rap game.




• Have you gotten positive feedback on your music, from people with whom you have no affiliation? Your circle of friends who don’t have the heart to be honest with you are not a good indicator. If you are the friend of a rapper, do them a favor, and keep it real. No one likes a Yes Man. Yes Men are to blame for countless crimes against humanity, including Weezy’s pants at the VMA’s




• How long have you been pursuing a rap career? How much has your buzz grown in that amount of time? I’m not talking about how the past 6 months you’ve added 73 more likes to your Facebook fan page, courtesy of the friends on your personal page. I mean, is anyone legitimately checking for your music? If your tape did 7 downloads on Datpiff, 5 of those were your friends, 1 was you, and 1 was a misclick. Be real with yourself.




• Are you committed to your craft? Spamming the link to your mixtape on facebook & twitter is not committment. Neither is talking about the amount of moves you’re making. If you’re talking about the moves you’re making, or going to make, or want to make, or wish you could make, or might make…you’re wasting time that you could have used to make moves. Every week, write down what you have done that week to contribute to the progression of your career or yourself as an artist. How long is your list?




• Do you got bitches cuh?

All of those will give you some idea where you stand. If you’ve reviewed the points above, and you’ve realized your rap career is looking bleak, all is not lost. Aside from being a terrible rapper, this could be attributed to a number of things. Meeting all of the following criteria will give you the best chance at improving your rap career, and should also be considered when submitting your music to blogs, or sites.

• Quality. If you don’t take yourself serious enough to purchase studio time, don’t expect anyone else to. That’s just how it goes. No one is looking to listen to a song that sounds like you recorded it via a Talkboy that was in a house fire and has one good battery.




• Presentation is crucial. If you want to be viewed as a legitimate artist, present yourself that way. Legitimate artwork, legitimate photography, legitimate videos. Find a professional in each of those categories, pay them for their work. Don’t submit your track anywhere with a cell phone mirror shot. Even if the track is hot, that email will find its way to the trash bin so fast it’ll scare ya.




• Be original. Contrary to all of your twitters, you do not smoke more weed than everyone in the nation. Truth be told y’all are probably smoking on the lowest grade of weed possible, and your supply is dependent on how many hours the BK lounge scheduled you this week. I’m not mad at the grind, but keep it real. If you’re a new rapper on the scene, and it just so happens your biggest loves in life are: Weed, Snapbacks, J’s, Diamond Supply shirts & high socks…you can probably go ahead and chalk it up now.

I think that covers just about everything. If you’ve read this in its entirety, and you’re still feeling groovy, you can submit your music to us directly here: unsigned@howflyhiphop.com

We will be making these Real Talk posts periodically. If there is anything you would like to see us discuss in the world of hip-hop or otherwise, or you just want to tell us to fuck off, you can do so in the comments section below or on twitter:

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