As a rapper your product is your music and your image. You are a hustler - you are hustling your music. Hustling doesn't always mean you're getting money for it, but it means one day you will.
It means you're constantly out there telling people to check out your music because you believe in it. You are not annoying or pestering people. You're identifying the right kinds of people that would enjoy your music and asking them for the time.
You let the music speak for itself.
If you're not hustling then you're losing.
Always Be Hustling
Nowadays you don't need to carry around CD tapes, just have the file on your phone ready to go if anyone wants to listen.
Bookmark your latest track so you can copy and paste it whenever it is relevant on the Internet.
What's your excuse for not selling?
You're embarrassed the quality isn't good?
You don't think the person will like it?
You only make music for yourself (then why post it on public mediums?)
Then go make better music. Then start selling.
Hustling your music is not simply dropping a link and hoping for the best.
This is how you get people to hate you.
This is how you become the desperate rapper that nobody likes.
This is how you get people to diss you everytime you're online.
You do not want to be this person. You do not want to be weak.
You want to be a valuable artist.
When you drop a link, go 100%. Make great album art for it. Have a story behind it.
Why did you make this song? What sound were you going for?
MAKE ME WANT TO CLICK THE LINK. Sell it. If you put time into your music, put time into making it shine.
When you get feedback, acknowledge it. Never argue it, otherwise you're making Mistake #1.
"Thanks for your feedback. I appreciate you taking the time to check out my track. It means a lot."
You're likely at a level where you can still manage to say this on every piece of feedback you get. And you'd be wise to do so because it's the foundation for having a relationship with your fans.
Hustling yourself is not dropping a social media link and asking people to follow you.
Content is king. Your content speaks for yourself. No one is going to follow someone they don't know, because how will that help them?
You hustle entertainment right? Show me that. Whenever you drop your follow-link, you should be dropping links to your content.
What kind of posts can I expect to see? What kind of music can I hear by following you?
Everything you do has to be to provide value through your art.
And your art is music, and your embodiment. Some people may follow you because they like what you stand for.
But unless you show them that first, don't bother dropping a social media link. If you do and I see it, I'm going to smack you upside the head. It's pathetic.
If you haven't figured it out yet you can't be like 90% of other rappers. You have to be unique.
Convey it in your personality and your music.
If either is shit then you're shit and you should pack up your bags and take yourself to the how to rap section to learn the art.
