PASSION OVER POLITICS: A GUIDE TO THE MUSIC INDUSTRY for INTERNS & VETERANS

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX w/ the OUTLAW: PASSION OVER POLITICS
Welcome Friends, Comrades, & Colleagues this is my first entry of many which is titled "Thinking Outside the Box" with the OUTLAW. With God's Blessing and Tupac's spirit, I will break down todays topics with overall facts combined with educated opinion. Basically, balancing the outlets of communication because right now, there aren't any outlets for the Mature Hip Hop Head to speak. Lets get into it with my first entry titled: PASSION OVER POLITICS.

Today's music climate is suffering from all angles. So Many critics not enough fans, so many college graduates not enough talent driven executives, so many A&R's not enough DJ's. The list goes on and on about how this music industry needs a makeover worse than the legend of Rocky Dennis w/ Cher. If we put more passion into our crafts maybe we can get better results but in the meantime, the trouble with this music industry is there is no passion and everything is determined through politics.

INTERNS
Is it me or do interns seem more "off" as the years go by. Interns are walking into the music industry doing exactly as they are told instead of doing more than they are required. The worst thing an intern can do at the internship is be an intern. An intern is like a turtle too scared to come out of there shell. Afraid to introduce themselves to the rest of the staff and offer assistance when needed outside of their departments. Todays Intern will sit on the computer and surf the internet if nothing is being asked of them. These interns are college kids who maybe for the first time in their life are doing some sort of service on their own. Interns today need to step up and learn why are they in the building in the first place. If your a "fan" of the entertainment, don't seek an internship. Get that dumb look off your face like you don't have a clue and have a look like you walked into this building with a plan. Check Yourself if your an intern right now, helping destroy the game.

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANTS
These people are the administrative process to the hands on situations that their direct reports execute on the field. Yet most executive assistants act like their position is from 9 to 5. Some executive assistants are afraid for their jobs instead of making themselves so much apart of their direct report operation that the assistant is "the job" . The assistant should be the glue, the eyes and ears as well as the next best thing to the concept behind the meaning of "Power of Attorney". Yet some assistants sit there and just remain happy to be employed. Once the assistant become unemployed they wonder why they have accomplished nothing since they have been in the chair. Assistants need to take more advantage of the direct access that they have by any means necessary and if the boss is one of those "Hold you down, you can't be anything but an assistant" here is some advice: Make your direct report so dependent on you that they cant start they day without YOUR DIRECTIVE. Correct them on their errors and protect them from doing something outside the ordinary if you know that it will benefit their interest in the long run. Call out sick and have your boss lose his mind cause he can't think of today's date. Let the rest of the company know how much you hold down your boss. Be an assistant but be your Direct reports mirror image.

EXECUTIVES & HEAD OF DEPARTMENTS
You guys must realize that you are in too many meetings to know what the hell is trending in the market in real time. You guys look bad when you come up with ideas that usually surrounded around the last time you were in the trenches of a particular market. A&R's please go out into the streets just as much as you are in the studio. Staying in the studio has clouded your concept of what a hit record is. Thats why A&Rs run and grab your favorite R&B artist to sing on the hook so they can get an artist market share verses actually making a collaboration. I don't think the album credit read Dionne Warwick feat. Elton John "Thats What Friends Are For" . I think it said Dionne Warwick duet with Elton John. Or Michael Jackson (BLESS) w/ Paul MaCartney on "Say, Say, Say". Now its Fabolous featuring this dude, Gucci Mane feat That Dude, That dude feat Drake, and nobody on the feature grew up together. It started when Cassidy did that record with R. Kelly. "Whos is this Ronald McDonald looking rapper cheesing with the R. and Swizz looking out of place. He from Philly, this one from Chicago, the other guy from Atlanta so how this "collaboration" come about. "Which hood you guys used to be at". Like come on MAKE DUETS AND COLLABORATIONS, DEAD THAT FEATURE.

Executives, if you are in more than five meetings per week and you have conference calls all the time, quit acting like you know what's going on in real time. Your salary cap and schedule is proof of the time capsule you are locked in because you are satisfied in life period. Some of you may not be as hungry anymore and your making "Not So Hungry" decisions on artist that are starving. Start listening to the younger staff members and make them have a voice in focus meetings. Allow them to come to the studio to hear what that "Stuck in the Studio" A&R has developed and let that A&R know that the sound they are producing is WACK or GABBICH. Stop using the rock star looking engineer as a source for what's hot cause he would rather you stay in the studio long as hell cause thats more money for him.

DJ's
Lets be real DJ's Alot of you got your ass whooped by your parents if you listened to that Wu Tang clan under their roof. The minute you moved into the college dorm was the moment you were free to listen to "that music" that your college roommate had all the tapes of. I can tell by the look in your eyes that most of these DJ's just got into the Hip Hop culture after 1998, when Hip Hop was an up and running official business. Please study the culture and have more passion into the decisions you make when you have the nerve to say things like "I don't like the record" or "we're not ready for it yet". Also the next biggest hit record is inside your email unopened. DJ's should start acting like their email is the "record store" and you are going through your crates. DJ's that "complain" about having so much music are DJ's I always take a side eye too. What if you woke up five nights straight and not one email attached with music was in your inbox? How would you feel? How would you like it if you for a week your phone didn't ring with a promoter hiring you for services. Would the DJ still complain about how much "email he/she receives".

RAPPERS
We are living in the Obama's America, that Reagan Era Rap is over. Too much, I'm so happy to be ignorant music. Rappers can create entertainment without being reckless or are we that dumbfounded? SOUTH RAPPERS talk to me, does every rap have to be a dance step? EAST COAST RAPPERS talk to me, can you stop making three minutes of death threats and make music, WEST COAST RAPPERS talk to me, stop sacrificing your unique West Coast culture to collaborate with artist from outside your region just to get attention in LA or the Bay, MID WEST RAPPERS, stop that crab in the barrel mentality and support each other, yahh ready to kill the next person who "gets on before you".

R&B ARTIST
Please study those before you and carve your own niche from there. If Rihanna would have STUDIED Mary J. Blige "My Life" album then maybe she could have taken over where Keyshia Cole left off on Keyshia's first album. This whole new "Space Age Pain" has the Urban audience lost. Urban Audience grew up on Pain from the old soul. When the young Michael Jackson sung "Ohhhh Baby Give me one more chance", he sounded like the man with the pain in his foot. Don't let Mary get hurt in a relationship cause thats when the BEST Music is belted out of her. I remember DJ's saying they don't want a happy Mary J. Blige record and the same thing going for Keyshia Cole to the point it pigeon holes them into that category. But Black people in America know pain so well and we know how we want to hear it when we hear it in music. Don't lift the door of a space ship with Ultimate Warriors logo on your face talking bout some "You in pain". Go Study My Life by Mary, Some Chaka Khan, some Tina, some Ashford & Simpson. Trey Songs is supposed to be the new R. Kelly as far as musical contribution but do realize Mr. Kellz released an album call 12 Play that forced an entire generation to lose their virginity while at the same time making records like "I Believe I Can Fly". Plus don't target R. Kelly without studying the group Guy or Aaron Hall or Keith Sweat. Dream needs to run and go study Al B. Sure. Ne Yo has studied Usher and Sisqo by way of K-Ci & Ralph Tresvant and is milking the game right now.

Tune in Next Week to PART 2 of PASSION OVER POLITICS