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Every now and again, I have the opportunity to meet some
amazing people who’ve done some incredible things. I know I could preach
to you for years about how to put out a record and never make as much
impact as I can by giving you some solid examples of those who are running
their own shit properly. So what I’m going to do now is introduce you, via
this page, to three different labels in different regions, and at
different stages in their projects, that are successful at what they do.
I-Funk Records (www.ifunkrecords.com)
“Make your funk the I-Funk, I want to get funked up...” the George
Clinton-esque white label from I-Funk croons. I-Funk is the dream turned
reality of a 30-something entrepreneur from the streets of Inglewood, CA.
In an era where Cali rap isn’t getting the love it deserves at radio, the
street savvy businessman, Jerome “Mugs” Taylor, understands the streets
and is working them with his team, blitzing them with posters and flats,
and handing out enhanced CDs that showcase the new single and the video on
one CD. Maybe I’m drawn to him because we think so much alike, or maybe
I’m just impressed by his incredible business mind and by the fact that he
studied this industry for years before jumping in with both feet (which is
rare but necessary). “To make it happen, ya gotta love doing it all day
everyday,” he explains when I ask about his apparent commitment and
dedication.
I-Funk began in 1995, but really came to life as a tangible asset 2 years
ago. The foundation was laid with hella studying, making connections, and
more studying. After putting together incredible music with his artists:
Reservoir Dogs (rap trio), Dice The Pimpstruss (female MC), and Drea (R&B
songstress), he pressed up Reservoir Dogs album, “Uncivilized,” which hit
the streets on February 5, 2002. To set up the album, I-Funk used some
traditional ideas as well as some incredibly creative approaches. Focusing
mostly on the South West and South East regions of the US, I-Funk released
a video of the first single “This Life We Lead,” targeted radio play, and
unleashed street teams in NC, FL, and Cali. The video ran 6 weeks before
the album dropped, and radio and the street teams kicked in with phases
throughout Florida, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi,
Louisiana, Georgia, and Southern California. The video features Crooked I
(Suge Knight’s next artist to blow up at The Row), and Miss Toi to lend
some local association and support to the project. And if that doesn’t do
it, old friend Mack 10 appears on the next single’s remix, and in the next
video.
I-Funk has a blueprint and is sticking to it. They’ve promoted by giving
away turkeys for Thanksgiving to radio stations; t-shirt giveaways with
radio stations, where they printed the station logo on the front of the
shirt and the I-Funk logo on the sleeve; offered breakfast at The Box in
Houston; and all the while employing street teams to give away posters and
T-shirts at high schools, colleges, and the streets. What motivates
Jerome? “Watching guys on the street blow millions, and I am proving to
the guys in my Hood that you don’t need millions to do this. Once it’s
spent, it’s gone. There is no second chance because you’re not Sony or
Time Warner,” says Jerome who is proud that he doesn’t have a lot of
money. When I ask him what qualities he has that make him different, he
tells me about his strong business ethics, the fact that he “needs to take
care of the people around him,” that he’s “fair,” and “that he never
forgets.” He knows this is a business and that “you have to make sure
everybody makes money, so they don’t forget you either!”
Jerome did some research and hired Marvin Robinson to consult for radio,
and is getting love in Jackson, NC, SC, etc, but not on “home turf.”
Airplay is hard to get in LA for the smaller labels, but this doesn’t slow
the roll at I-Funk one bit. They chose to do a promotion with the VIP
Records chain focusing on Watts and Compton supported with local cable
advertising on BET for 3 months; they blanketed the Watts store with
posters in the windows, on the door, and are on the impact rack as you
walk in the store. Jerome humbly points out to me that Sony ran a similar
program for 2 weeks, but he’s showing his love for the community for three
months! With a street team in LA that just kicked in on the release date:
hanging posters, passing out flyers, hitting up the clubs, and doing
retail displays--they are basically bringing what they’ve done in other
areas, home.
They announced their arrival in LA rather flamboyantly. Last month, at
Mack 10’s album release party at House Of Blues in Los Angeles, which was
also the same night as the American Music Awards, I-Funk decided to show
support for their homie. Jerome dressed 80 street soldiers in long sleeve
red T-shirts with the I-Funk logo and rented two limo buses to bring them
to the party. This turn-out not only showed support for Mack 10 but
promoted I-Funk so strongly that folks were talking about it on Hot 97 in
New York a couple of days later. The other unique effort I-Funk has made
that stands out is the Enhanced single CD. It contains the single This
Life We Lead by Reservoir Dogs, and also has the video so anyone can play
the video on their computer. The next single, which is called “Soo Woo,”
is the strongest song (Jerome believes in never releasing your Ace first).
It, too, will have an enhanced single with the original version, the remix
with Mack 10 and Dice, and the video, which shoots mid-March.
I-Funk believes in doing things big, but not in spending a lot of money.
“I have a strong plan, and don’t need to spend big money, just money in
the right places,” Jerome teaches. You could do what he’s done for around
$80 to $100 thousand. “But even if I gave my plan to 100 people, no one
could recreate what I’ve done,” Jerome sadly states. “Because most people
don’t want to put in the hard work,” I chime in. “Exactly,” says Jerome.
Another empire on its way to being hugely successful!
Power Houze Records (www.powerhouze.com)
The perfect mixture of great artists, proper financing, and a team of
people running the label who understand the business and can sell units,
is very rare and beautiful to find. Power Houze is owned by a humble,
artist-friendly guy with incredible vision and run by a hyper white dude
who has no room for failure on his program. I first met Corey (the hyper
one) through a series of phone calls placed to me after he finished his
federally mandated vacation. While he was locked down, he made great use
of his time studying the industry and learning all he could so he could
come out and take over Dallas. Upon his release he met up with an old
acquaintance, B, and joined B’s efforts to take new label Power Houze to
the top. With B’s leadership and foresight, and Corey’s knowledge and
people skills, they combined efforts to take over the world. As a radio
Program Director said to me a few months ago, “they sure got some heat for
a label that came outta nowhere in Dallas. They put everything else here
to shame!” Don’t be fooled, Power Houze is a well thought out and planned
empire that has been years in the making. When Power Houze was in the
conception stage, there were no local artists with a major buzz or a big
following, and the major labels were busy courting artists from 3 hours
south: Houston. In reaction, three years ago, B built a studio and got
carried away. What started as plan to create a local well-equipped
pre-production studio to offer opportunities to artists, turned into a
state of the art recording facility with two incredible engineers, one of
which has Hanson on his resume. Top Notch Studio was started as a way to
finance the record label and boasted a five year plan, but two short years
into the plan, the skill and professionalism of the studio became common
knowledge and clients poured in, in droves. Power Houze Records was on its
way.
At the same time that the money got right, Cory was sprung with his
enthusiasm and stockpiled knowledge, and the rest is history. Power Houze
Records has hand-picked some of the best and most talented artists in
Dallas, and put the 5 separate acts in the studio to develop and vibe with
each other. Together, they have become a force that can’t be stopped, held
together by sharing a dedication to success, a love of music, and the
professionally composed Power Houze engineering and production. “What
makes Power Houze special as a whole, is knowing what makes them unique as
individual acts,” explains Corey. Power Houze is not just a label, it is
also a group of artists who have come together to move forward as one:
solo rapper Rum from Baton Rouge by way of Texas; lyrical challenger Sir
Charles, a native of Dallas; rap group Tha Young Hustlaz; rap duo The
Affiliates; and R&B sensation B-Flat, half of the former Universal
Recording group, Fa Sho’. When I asked Corey what made him choose B,
instead of starting his own label, he cites a long list of attributes that
impressed him. The ones that stood out in my mind are B’s “lack of power
issues and ego. He’s really all about business, not hanging out and
flossing. He’s a hard worker, hard to please, and keeps me grounded.” When
I posed a similar question to B about Corey, he also had a long list,
including Corey’s “incredible people skills and networking abilities, not
to mention his commitment and drive to hard work and fulfilling a common
vision and goal.”
Aside from the ability to attract my attention (which is NOT easy), Power
Houze has created the first record label built on fair contracts for their
artists, creative input from the artists, and open books and shared
information. The artists all have retained 100% of their publishing, a
fair split of income, shorter than usual contract terms, and are
encouraged to start their own companies with the help of the label and
staff. Power Houze began by releasing a song to local rap radio station
The Beat in August, where the song became the local champion in Battle Of
The Beats for 8 weeks straight, giving it instant access to rotation at
the station. As established recording artists came through Dallas (like
Killah Priest, Fiend, Crooked Lettaz, David Banner, Lil Jon, Devin, Beats
By The Pound, Bizzy Bone, etc), they would stop through Power Houze’s well
respected studio, and a couple of the songs even made it to the album.
After Three The Hard Way did its thing at The Beat, Power Houze followed
it up with Black Lips featuring Devin Tha Dude, as they prepared their
album, Family Business for release in late March. When they released Jump,
the single featuring Lil Jon, in early February, it was backed up with
street teams, BET cable ads, billboards, and a promo tour through the
south and mid-west in three phases. They have also created the hottest
club night in Dallas to give back to the local fans who support them. My
last trip to Dallas saw streets lined with posters; retail stores lined
with flats, posters and autographed photos of the artists; crowds rocking
Power Houze T-shirts, Baby T’s and halter tops; and even a homeless guy
sporting a Power Houze bandanna on his head.
Power Houze set up their CD by focusing on independent and chain retail
stores. For example, many stores received clean, full-length albums for
in-store play two weeks before the album dropped. They also focused on the
streets and club play to build the necessary credibility for the release.
“With a Lil Jon produced single, it’s not hard to figure out that the song
is an ass shaker getting crazy love in the clubs and strip clubs,” says
Corey. “Selling records is more than wrapping a van and shooting a
mediocre video with your whole budget. Ya gotta look at the costs involved
in everything and ask yourself, how many records is this going to sell if
I do this…or that…and then does it make sense,” adds B. Wanting to offer
fans snippets of their songs, it wasn’t a hard sell to get Power Houze to
make a mix tape. They had local DJs create a snippet CD to showcase the
music that they pass out free at shows and on the streets. There is a
screwed version of Three Tha Hard Way that DJ Marco Polo in Houston
chopped and screwed that is off the hook (even though I miss DJ Screw
terribly, Marco Polo represented) and has created huge demand even for the
snippet CD. Power Houze is getting hella calls from major labels to send a
copy of the album because of its incredible buzz, asking them to also
include “that fire mix tape.”
Power Houze hired an experienced radio promoter with a real track record
(not based on hype the way many are), a publicist with verifiable
connections and experience, a retail sales person from a major label, a
street team coordinator used by major labels, and an established power
attorney from New York. After meeting with a host of labels and
distributors, Power Houze turned down deals to stay independent and
collect $8 a CD instead of giving up a portion to someone who doesn’t
necessarily understand their plans, dreams, and goals. The artists stayed
in the studio until they had an album full of incredible songs—songs that
make you say “oh Shit!” As the artists have practiced their show and
performance skills daily, the label has added a skilled soundman, fog
machines, banners, their own microphones, and their own in-house lighting
system. They take their shows very seriously as they know they are
building a fan base while building artists’ careers, not just selling
records.
Power Houze is incorporating what they have learned, the incredible
response they are getting, and a truly professional team to build THE next
rap empire. When asked what B wants to do differently than those who have
come before him, he states, “pay my artists. I realize that without them
none of this would be possible. I’m not stupid enough to burn a bridge
with the muthaphukka who got me here. It’s not just money and time on
those CDs, it’s also heart, experience, and passion. How could anyone EVER
shit on that?” And Corey chimes in, “it’s not hard to do it right. We’re
just proving how easy it really is…” And the proof is in the example.
Fifth Angel Recordings (www.remedyross.com)
My introduction to Fifth Angel was a famous story Steve Rifkind (CEO of
Loud Records) loves to tell. In 1995, he invited some white kid who was
down with Wu-Tang Clan to his house for Passover dinner (a religious
celebration in the Jewish faith). Apparently the local Rabbi was invited
to dinner as well, because the white kid, who happened to be a rapper,
performed a song he had written about the Holocost, reducing the Rabbi to
tears. It’s a story that has made its rounds in the music industry for
years.
Now, fast-forward seven years to last night, when I had dinner with Rich
Isaacson, the President of Loud. He asked me what was hot out on the
streets right now and I mentioned to him an artist I was impressed with:
Remedy, a NY rapper who sold 90,000+ units in 6 or 7 months. As amazing as
it is for someone to sell that many records that fast, independently,
Rich’s first thought was, “Remedy, that white kid who made the Rabbi cry?”
Some stories live forever.
Remedy has been around for awhile. His foray into the music business was
his original deal years ago with Erick Sermon. He then went on to work
with many of the Who’s Who in the rap world-- most recently, RZA. After
years of being reminded that he was white, Remedy decided to prove to the
world he’s a viable commodity, and not an Eminem-alike, since many
publications like to mention them in the same breath due to the lack of
melanin that they have in common. As one of the only unsigned rappers to
get coverage in Rolling Stone magazine, it is opposite a picture of Eminem,
the most famous white rapper. Can the man get some love on his own,
please?!
Remedy turned to his family to finance his record release when shopping a
deal came up empty. He chose Southwest Wholesale in Houston (for the
record, he alleges he was never paid properly and my calls to Southwest
went unreturned) because they appeared to be working with most of the
independent rappers. Remedy heard the rumors of Southwest not paying
properly and shipping before release dates, but decided to give them a
chance based on the perceived kindness of the owner. He got burned.
According to an inside source at Select-O-Hits, a distributor that sells
much of Southwest’s product, Remedy’s project was a huge success. They say
they moved over 80% of the Remedy units for Southwest Wholesale. I asked
them if this was one of the reasons Remedy may not have been paid what was
due him (90,000 units times $8 a CD is a lot of money), and bluntly asked
them if they had paid Southwest. I was told Southwest is paid for sales
every 30 days due to their pipeline (continuous product). Remedy says he’s
received about half of what’s owed to him to date. His record, Genuine
Article, came out in May of 2001. (Most distributors keep one third of
payments in reserve and then liquidate reserves in 9 months).
When I asked Remedy what he spent, he immediately said he “wasted a lot of
money.” Remedy spent over $600,000 marketing and promoting the album,
which included everything from print ads in The Source, High Times, and a
skateboard magazine to billboards on the highway between Brooklyn and
Staten Island (his home), and Herald Square in NY. Remedy wrapped his van
and hit the road on two promo tours reaching the entire east coast first,
and then the west coast from the Bay Area to Los Angeles. He shot 2 videos
and hired a video promoter but got very little video play. He bought M-TV
and BET cable ads in all ten of his key markets. He tried to buy radio
where he could, but didn’t have a real radio song. He feels he wasted a
lot of money working his record like a major would since he couldn’t get
any love at radio or video as an independent. He targeted college radio
and then attempted urban radio, but was closed out. He blitzed ten markets
where he felt his project would sell the most: New York, Los Angeles,
Chicago, Boston, Connecticut, Virginia, North Carolina, Philadelphia,
Baltimore, and Washington, DC. He hired street teams in all of his key
markets and supplied them with the necessary tools: posters, flats,
stickers, T-shirts, post cards, etc. He hired a publicist who got him into
mainstream publications like New York Magazine, onto the local news in NY
on Channel 9, and even onto the Jenny Jones Show. He regrets allowing the
publicist to push him so mainstream as he feels he missed his market and
reached people who wouldn’t buy his record regardless.
If he had it to do over he’d save a ton of money on stuff like a video
since independents are not going to get much video play anyway. He’d
forego many of the retail coop ads he spent a bunch of money on. He’d skip
the publicist with the mainstream press and focus back on his market--the
people who will buy his record. He’d control the pressing of his project
so he could account for the units shipped (he is stumped by the fact that
his distributor said they only pressed and shipped 4,000 cassettes, but
his SoundScan shows over 6,000 cassettes sold) and so he could have
switched distributors when he first wasn’t paid properly. Remedy impressed
me immediately because he’s a man who has no fear and is willing to go for
what he wants. He is analytical, open, and intelligent. He learned so much
from this experience. Since it all comes down to the music, he’s back in
the studio making more radio friendly songs, and still an independent
record label owner feeling the trials and tribulations, wondering if and
when the majors will come. Whether they do or not, Remedy is a major
artist with big plans and pure 100% heart!
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