Test your Marketability II
 

Long overdue and much needed. With a deep history with music and who knows how many connections inside the business I'm likely the most qualified person to do this. No matter who you are, drop a link to your music page and the name of 3 songs, I'll give my objective observation of your musical development, style, presentation and more importantly, your marketability.

P.S. Help me help you. Choose 3 songs and 3 songs only. Additionally, don't say "pick what ever 3 you want" because I'll realistically end up picking none. You could submit a list of 10, 20, 50, or 1000, I'm still gonna go for the first 3. Now lets get it!

www.soundclick.com/starofthecitymixtape

Pure Thought ft. You
Swoll Up ft. Klutch
Hop On In ft. Re'Von

im sure you've heard all the tracks on my page

but lemme know whats up

12 Quick Bars
Threat
For Angie (just because it has something chorus-like)

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pag...m?bandID=301790

kthnx

www.soundclick.com/madknight

1.Easily Caged (EC Diss)
2. Curious......gotta have a track for the ladies! lol
3.End of my Life ...... im first verse! (its uploading now!)
if it hasnt upload by the time u go 2 listen then Pull Ya Self Together will do!
thanks!

okay here it goes.....

GO CRAZY - fuckin around with a club type - http://www.soundclick.com/bands/son...&songID=4114836

AGAIN - on a love type trip....for the girls workin that neyo angle... haha - http://www.soundclick.com/bands/son...&songID=3818463


LIKE A MOVIE - on that deep real type stuff...mostly for indy labels cuz mainstream doesnt do too much of this, although that whered you go thing made it out - http://www.soundclick.com/bands/son...&songID=4104071


SAVE THYSELF (REMIX) - and a bonus one if you feel you have extra time, for the ever so fast growing christian rap market song ft your best friend tha Q. - http://www.soundclick.com/bands/son...&songID=3878689


granted id be re-doing these songs with studio quality and stuff yep hit me up

i hate that these arent even my 3 best songs...but whateva

www.soundclick.com/7curse

I Hate You
My Hip Hop
One Shot

enjoy

Past Tense, you're fortunate in a lot of regards man, you float a line that not many MC's can float. Your story type tracks have substance and you can still do clubby tracks. Your voice is clear and distinct and only sounds like yours, so it's easily recognizable. You're pretty skilled with hooks, but based on those 3 songs you might start to sound redundant after an album full of songs because they're all done in a relativley similar fashion. Also, I noticed that you rely on full overdubs on slower songs, which is great when used sparingly, but typically you'll want to use less layers on the more meaningful songs and just come in with adlibs. You have a bassy voice, you just have to learn how to use it in a solo form to give your overall style more reach and variety.

I think right now, as an artist, your fanbase could be a wide variety of people, from thuggas to the ladies and back. You have a story to tell that you should be putting out more to reinforce the image of you. Musically, you discuss who you were, and who you are, but you need to delve more of the termoil in the transitions. People connect to that pain. Personally, I'd like to see some tracks on topics you havent' done before, or add some writing elements that you dont' currently use much just for spontainaity and to throw that surprise factor into the mix. You know, tread a little more on the outskirts of your comfort zone. You already have the ability. You could get a venue at most clubs, musically speaking, I don't know much about your image, body language or personal presentation. You'd do well from a few hype tracks with some heavy lyrical attacks like multis or rhyme scheme juggling. You could hop on a song with anyone.

Definitely one of the more consistently good artists. Just a little a little fine tuning to your actual catalog of songs and you'd be pretty much a finished product ready for marketing.

Def. good lookin out on that i'mma use what you said..and i'll hit you up on aim with questions..i dont wanna clog the thread

www.soundclick.com/konvictnyc

"Poppas"

"Goobye"

"Im Back"

Thanks

Soc, or Phantom or "Logic" or [insert your preffered name]. You'd benefit from some EQing. Some of your punches in this submission were kinda flat, sounded like you were just going though the motions. Some of the flow was rushed to get all the syls in one line which some word replacement and syl conservation would easily repair. You have a voice that you can do stuff with, but you don't know how to use it to even a quarter it's potential, mostly because of lackluster recording gear. Your beat choices are "underground" style and many people wont like them. Types of beats that were in style in the mid to late 90's but are a little clapped out today. You'd benefit substantially from different beats in the same moods as the ones you're selecting, as well as some gear that'll reinforce your voice instead of just forcing it.

Right now, I wouldn't say that you're "marketable" to a large audience. Pretty much small select audiences or particular target markets, like people who like their hip hop "light". Not to say that you lack content, just that your music is considered 'light rap', which carries with it a small and particular demograpghic, mostly found on the net. Purists to some extents, out-of-the-loop in other extents. Your potential fanbase will swell when you pull away from these "deep" tracks and expand your catalog. You have to break that 'average' of "another deep track" since no one will want to listen to just that all the time, deep tracks are only listened to SOME of the time, whne they're appropriate. Also, stop making excuses for roughspots in your songs, just correct them. You can't progress by halfassing.

BTW, this sounds more like 24 bars. at 91bpm, the beat goes on for 28 bars, and you spit for 24 of them.

Thanks and shit. I'll work on it. :(

scott Eti sorry man, your quality makes it impossible to accurately observe your ability. There's too much sound bleed on that E C diss. That song Curious is a little clearer, mainly because you kept the adlibs off. You gotta step your mixing game up before you're ready for this thread man, cuz as it is with quality like you're not gonna be marketable in any market due to sound quality alone.

On that song "pull your self together" it sounds like your lyrics are too sparse over the beat so you have huge gaps inbetween the words which robs you of fluidity and therefore a "flow". seems to be a common factor in your tracks too, more prevelant on some songs than it is on others. This is about the most I can say for you right now with all things considered. 1

Scared cuz these are old but

www.soundclick.com/therevelation

ATW Anthem
Let Me In Collab
Speak On It

word props on this

www.soundclick.com/spul



1. "Shake That (Break It Down)"
2. "This Way, Thay Way" ft. Triple_N
3. "Y'all Know Me"

thanks in advance

Umm

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pag...m?bandID=537237

Check Out

"I Need No Introduction"Ft.JD(Im Second)
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/son...&songID=4098281

"The Streed Breed"(Intro Track)
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/son...&songID=4098894

"The Man Behind The Mask"
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/son...&songID=4102510

Thanks :)

Jay286 Your voice reminds me of ike a little bit. Your flow is pretty solid overall but you have those rushed spots at times that subtracts from its fluidity. Your voice is marketable but you need to EQ your vocals to open them. Hard to tell if it's a weak mic pick-up or some distortion as a result of overmixing, but there's definitely distortion present. Hooks seem to be your weak point, they don't seem to come easily to you. Sounds overall like some more experience would harden your style, sounds liek you're still developing it. Like you'll have stylistic flaws in one song that aren't present in another song, sounds liek you know where you missed your marks, just still working on a way to consistently keep from doing it. You rely heavily on reverb, which sounds excessive on some tracks mostly in the duration (too much reverb length) especially on your adlibs and side-comments. Some takes you sound emimem-esque which is great for eminem, but not great for someone trying to stand out as their own person. You never want to sound like anyone's junior. especially when hundreds of thousands of other people also sound like that same "junior", so avoid any tone of voice, speech patterns, and any EQing that results in you sounding like that.

Your beat choices are good, strong choices that is relatively light but still appealing to someone with an open mind. You'll alienate some people as a result, and draw some people closer on the other hand. With different vocal mixing and some tightening of your flow you'd be about ready for an underground effort, that's where your strongest fanbase will come from. Some more multis or some creative concepts throughout your verses would accentuate your expressive style in a big way. You'd appeal to the same demographic as a Del the funky homosapien or an El P orr...select members in atmosphere.

Just a little time. sounds like you're on the right track.


1

ok, time to start the list:

7.curse
Konvict NYC
Rev
Spul
UNF aka Half Breed.

yea man...like i said imagine w/ studio quality, all i can afford is my 15 dollar dynamic radioshack mic...so yep, but yea i hear what your sayin on the other stuff...thanks

I can't "imagine with studio quality" because you'll sound completely different. You'll also react to your sound differently too because you can hear things on better gear that you can't hear on cheap shit.

aka: a whole different rapper.



Signed, Living Proof.

^^ thats true when i went up too the studio too record a few songs...shit sounded waaaaaaay the hell hotter then what was on my reg. set up

ight either or, thanks for breakin down the other stuff tho...quality will be seen as an issue only a lil money can resolve

You need some EQing in a bad way. EQ to add clarity to your vocals and some compression to even out your vocals levels so your lows aren't so low and your highs aren't so high. You have a flow but it doesn't have a rythm to it. Like you'll combine sylables so it'll sound like one syl or one word aftr you mush em together but you use it frequently so it chips away at your "flow" overall. Your lyrics are expressive but they arent' packaged in a way that'll reach the people you want to reach to the level you want it to. You need to tighten up your flow a bit, your lyrics are usable but you sell your self short by not taking the time to get the flow down. Your musical character thives on low self esteem which will dry up real fast over time or you'll simply stop rapping once you pass that turning point. Your song "my hip hop" is entertaining but at it's core you insult your fanbase intelegence for listneing to your music which is counter productive.

your song "one shot" plays sped up on SC which is a shame.

Some EQing and come consistent flow would even you out a lot. Just pay real close attention to your flow man, conslidate words to save sylables so your stuff doens't sound liek you're stuffing it in place, it has to just float man...float...lol

www.soundclick.com/limitededitioncan

Stanley's Coming Home
Birds in the Metal
Knight in Shining Armor

Thanks.

Long overdue indeed.

www.myspace.com/mrleady

only got an ooollllddddd song and a freestyle on there

erm

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/son...&songID=4059206

few verse previews from some other songs(havent had any vocal editing what so ever to them), but thats about it, i really need to get my arse into gear.

bleh..lol nice though Apexx...

Ill go ahead and do this..even though my quality might be a bad factor..

First Real Track - Shorty -
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/son...&songID=3878532

Dear Lord -
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/son...&songID=4100635

Dkon Diss -
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/son...&songID=4087886

'Pexx you need to send me some new equipment :P

thnx a lot Apexx. all things ive heard (minus the EQing)...and ive been working on. (u shud have heard my first album...it was an insult to Hip hop.). and just for clarification...My Hip Hop was kind of a Joke song...just trying sumtin in the manner of Eminem.

but overall...thnk u very much for the advice. will def take it hard. pz

yay im next :)...

ditto what apexx said... when i got my new mic the difference was incredible... i haven't posted my shyt on SC yet but you've already heard a track or two with the new sound... definitely a diference maker!!!!

not only does it sound better cuz of the equipment but it will also boos t ya confidence and make you wanna experience more in areas that you may have been reluctant to venture into previously...

shyt... my new mic broke me out of a slump

Konvict NYC, Damn a little EQing or a better mic man, you'd have a platform that'll really draw the character in ya voice out. You sound liek a combination of a whole bunch of mixtape and mainstream rappers which makes you your own rapper in your own respect. Good beat choices too, I can see the sound you're goin for, def mixtape status. I could see you in like 2-3 years in the mixtape circut with a healthy following or on some Fight Klub shit. If you had a better mic, or even better EQing, you'd be aware of where you're at like 'hmm ok, so now I'll do this and propel your self to a whole new level. Right now, well it's like this, you're like a plant in the dirt that's too early to harvest...but a smart farmer knows that it's gonna yield good product for a long time. If I had a list of "up and comin niggas to watch for", you'd be on it.

You're young, so ya voice to older people is like 'damn, this is the voice of a generation here' so it's easy to grab that attention almost like a shock factor. You luck out too because your voice has its own harmonics that really shine on your adlibs, hooks, and most other places your voice is layered. Better quality gear would make that stand out even more. You're good with the abrasive stuff but your natural range isn't equally strong with the slower tracks, which is like most people but it's more skewed in your case which I suspect is partially due to beat choice. It's better that way because the appeal you're molding is sparesly populated with slow tracks so you in some ways level your self out. As you keep on going deeper into this, make sure you mix up some interesting subjects and stories in your song catalog to reinforce your overall image to your fan base, which will be dudes from about 16-30. Older dudes will liek your shit, but they'll be too embarassed to say they liek the music of a dude so young, but once your voice gets deeper you'll have that older market AND the audience you're already growing up with. That's "long term money" son. Just make sure to stop recyclin punches, cuz no body's gonna wanna hear the same material in different songs, especially not THAT close, you gotta spread that out a few months at least - and I'm talkin about that "chillin with jesus" line that I heard before.

All in all man, all you need is...some good EQing maybe even a good mic... some time, and some quality exposure and you'll be a recognizable "identity" ready for shows and battle circuts etc. Better qual on your vocals will make your punches and what not pop out more. The biggest dudes in the industry start young like you are. Stick with it man, don't get ya head swole full of your self cuz that'll be your downfall, and believe me, in your case, it'll pay off. Big time.

Pexx.

The Revelation, Your mic is horrendous, so right off the bat you won't be marketable since no one will like records with bad quality. Your flow is hella rushed in some cases, you need better word conservation to push that back on, instead of all jagged and lumpy. Sounds liek you need better headphones too because you come in real low-energy on tracks that are high energy, usually a sign of a limp and un-inspiring sound system. Your beat choices are pretty good, just that you don't mesh with them or match their mood, likely for the reasons above.

That's really all I can tell you for now man till you get your sound quality on point. 1

SPul
UNF
LE
Leady
Sense



bTW I see you guys with the convo about better gear and hell yeah I completely agree. I'm just refrainign from responding in order to keep this on topic lol.

onehunnit

Thanks alot, I apreciate that alot..and yup you might not be able to tell with the cockyness i might say in my tracks im pretty humble...and thanks again I apreciate this and im definitely gon try do what you say..EQ'ng is a problem with me, even when readin the tut you put up I still find it difficult and the mic im using is the Shure SM 58

1. Fuckin Wit Chu
2. Hip Hop Police
3. Almighty OYD

www.myspace.com/enygmasmusic


Word......:thumbup:

www.soundclick.com/blackmagikproductionz

a Goodnight's Sleep
Here To Stay
The Truth

Thanks :thumbup:

haha.. i remember this. triple did me like 2 years ago.

most my joint arent full songs. more like verses that i lost interest in the song...


but you'll get my style without a whole song.


www.soundclick.com/pheenix


Pocket Change
Can you Help me Sample (sample)
My Civil War(sample) and/or When Pigs Fly(first verse to a join im working on)

they should all be at the top

i dont have many full joints. workin on that.

SPuL, your lyrics are well written, you could use some heavy EQing in your lows to bring more bass and some grit out of your voice. it sounds like structurally you have it together but the verbal packaging doesn't feel effective, it doesn't grab. Could be your mic, but you'll still come up with some EQing. Your cadence is what is seperating the rhymes from the deliv. Sounds like you should be spittin the lyrics completely differently with different attenuation on the words. It makes you unique, but not that marketable in that respect. Someone would have to connect with your content or your background in order to be a "fan", rather than

your tracks are good quality, but sound too formulaic and liek you're going through the motions. Theres no creativity injected in it, just sticking with what worked the last 40 times. Some variety in the tracks would be welcomed. All the verses are recorded and adlibbed in the same style, all spit in the same flow, same deliv, etc. only difference is the beat and sometimes the topic. Got redundant REAL fast, especially with your cadence as it is it started to wear on me as I listened to it.

All in all, I think you need something new and fresh in your style. you need to break every "routine" you have right now and change your self because you sound like the progression of a stagnant artist too stuck in their comfort zone. You have the materials you need to be ill, just not the order and packaging.

real talk as always.

Uno.

Half Breed aka this is the 17th time I changed my name, man your mic BLOWS. You should EQ like...immediately. close this window right now and bust open a track and start EQing. You've got som punches and some entertaining lines, but the weak sound quality makes it A: hard to hear B: hard to listen to. For me who's not used to your acent (since some words rhyme in your accent that don't rhyme in mine) this compounds the prior two problems into a glob of "say wtf?". Some tracks I can hear your mic screaming in the BG so I turned em off for two reasons. I can't fuck with high pitch sounds and also a mic that sounds like that will immedately make you unmarketable since no one wants to listen to bad quality vocals. You got lyrics and pretty solid beat choices, just busted vocal qual. You'd shine once you adress that. Your flow came back on time, I can remember when it used to be busted, look liek you fixed that up nicely. If you adressed those fidelity issues you'd have an album that even underground US heads would buy, or at the very least listen to and be interested in. You need some tracks that show off your lyrical juggling and writing ability more to break the routines and subjects you use now. Don't make the mistake oh so many people do and stick your self in a vein of meloncholoy music and shit like that because that gets old REAL fast. People get tired of hearing you talk about your problems so steer clear of that. That subject matter + your voice = bad combo of boredom. Your voice should stay clear of anything that's monotone, it just won't endure, at least not with the gear and settings that you have now.

You should come back to this thread once you get a new mic ANNDDD EQ. Notice that those two are together, not seperate. don't half ass your own music because you're robbing your self.

See you then.

1

LE
Leady
Sense
Enyg
Bmaj
Cal'lam

word, appreciate it a lot man. def gonna try some new shit. major props for takin' the time. pcc

Thanks man.i have a new mic at my aunts so i jus gotta go there.Appriciate it!