How We Can Build a Serious Movement

Written by Tyler Hakes. Published: Tuesday, March 23, 2010.

For my second entry I just wanted to talk a bit about the vision of this project — the vision I’ve had of a united movement to seriously reclaim hip-hop from the garbage on the radio. It’s really about taking back artistic freedom and rejecting conformity for dollars.

In my mind that’s sort of what the “underground” scene has always been about. Artists who are set on making music their way, with or without label support. I think that’s an extremely powerful thing. It’s extremely powerful because it demonstrates a fierce dedication to moral and quality standards on their part. And that’s good.

Unfortunately there’s a problem. With major labels you always have this unifying body of executives and cash behind your project. They propel your project by putting it in the face of as many media consumers as possible. They buy you ad space, land you interviews, get you on the TV, etc, etc, etc — until everyone knows your name and knows your music. That’s why the mainstream is the mainstream: It’s simply a matter of saturation.

So, how can we — the little guys, the underground MCs, the indie rap mags (that’s us) — compete with their budgets and their influence?

Well it’s simple. We can not do it alone. We have to be united in a movement. We have to work together.

Sure, groups and artists can achieve a marginal level of success by carving their own niche and selling a few records at their shows here and there. They can be successful.

But to be REALLY successful would take a massive movement. An immense effort where everyone with this goal worked together to promote each other and reject those that opposed the movement. It’s like if two people are trying to get out of a hole. They may be able to individually climb up a ways, but they probably won’t be able to climb the whole way alone. If they join together and put their backs together, with their feet against the perimeter, they can both walk up and scale the walls using each-other’s support.

I’m not talking about anything irrational or apocalyptic here — I’m just talking about a support network. We will always be more powerful as a union than as individuals (or even small, fragmented groups).

Our vision is to be a hub for this kind of support. We want to be a community that elevates hip-hop. We want to connect MCs to producers and producers to fans and fans to fans and fans to MCs. Only then can we make serious waves in the media industry, together.

So, if we support your music, we would like to encourage you to support the other artists that are also featured on our site. Find other artists who are dope and share them with your fans. Don’t see them as just competition — you’re actually adding value for your fan-base by pointing them toward other artists. You’re increasing your value as an artist.

And of course, fans, tell us who else we should be supporting! Spread our articles and help the artists that you care about grow and become successful.

You can support each other simply by re-tweeting other people’s music. Re-posting their mixtapes and directing your fans to their interviews. Telling your friends about an album we reviewed. It’s really simply, and it will make a difference.

We want to see every artist that we feature succeed, but we can’t do it alone. We can’t grow alone, and neither can you. We need to work together and support each other. Find the real, recognize the real and support the real. This is a movement.

Thanks again for your love and support. It keeps us going each and every day.

Peace, love. Real hip-hop.

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