YC The Cynic

Posted by Justin Boland on Feb 05, 2011 | 0 Comments

A young kid from the Bronx making serious noise with serious skills…does that story ever get old? In the past 2 years, YC the Cynic has been very publicly building his career and handled a number of speed bumps like a man twice his age. The music is exceptional, but his work ethic and maturity is what’s really been turning heads in the industry. I got to catch up with him last week and chop it up on business and strategy…

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Sunday Mix: West Coast Phoenix

Posted by Justin Boland on Jan 30, 2011 | 0 Comments

Few of us ever see it coming. There will be many points your life where the Universe cracks you in the face hard enough to lay you out on the street, drooling. We are seldom ready for it, and nobody ever expects the moment to be caught on camera and immortalized on Teh Internets. Copywrite released an amazingly good album this year and the photo is ancient history, but I’m posting it here because my week is pretty much summed up completely by the guy on the right. This is the playlist of positive, transformational music that’s helped keep me sane…

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X:144 "Presentation is Everything"

Posted by Justin Boland on Jan 29, 2011 | 0 Comments

X:144 is probably familiar to a lot of Audible Hype readers. The emcee / producer / entrepreneur has been an integral part of the Florida hip hop scene for years now, and he made national noise by winning the first Scribble Jam Beat Battle. As he gears up for his busiest year ever in 2011, I got to talk shop with him about presentation, the indie music business and why DIY is really all about teamwork…

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Sunday Mix: New Voices

Posted by Justin Boland on Jan 23, 2011 | 0 Comments

For this Sunday Mix, the focus is on some new acts. I wanted to spotlight some of the emcees who have really impressed me in 2010, from Fashawn (duh) to Che Grand (don’t sleep). I might have also included a couple of the best rappers alive, like Elzhi and Black Thought, in the process. Really sorry about that. It will happen again.

Get situated and pay close attention to the words…

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Blame One on Endurance and Balance

Posted by Justin Boland on Jan 20, 2011 | 0 Comments

“I am a pretty nice guy but I will kick you in the shins if needed.” As music industry bios go, Blame One has one of my favorites. He’s also responsible for one of the most slept-on classic albums of recent years, Days Chasing Days. I got a chance to talk shop with him about balancing hip hop and a family life, staking out a long-term career, and how the Internets have changed just about everything.

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!llmind: Building a Business off Beats

Posted by Justin Boland on Jan 16, 2011 | 0 Comments

Humble, hardworking and successful, it’s hard to beat !llmind as a role model for hip hop producers in 2011. This is the second in a series of Case Studies (the first was Oddisee) focusing on the strategies behind the success stories. The principles behind !llmind’s hustle are pretty straightforward, but as you’ll see, actually implementing them takes serious discipline and patience…

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Sunday Mix: The Wake Up Call

Posted by Justin Boland on Jan 16, 2011 | 0 Comments

New feature for 2011: I generally spend my Sundays discovering new music and sending out a couple hundred emails. So I’m going to start doing a mix every week, spotlighting rare gems and my favorite classics. Good music needs to be shared, right? As always, submit your best single (you’re on Bandcamp, right?) and I will check it out. Meanwhile, put this on and turn it up…

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Kosha Dillz: Help Yourself by Helping Others

Posted by Kosha Dillz on Jan 13, 2011 | 0 Comments

It’s 7 in the morning, and Kosha Dillz has already put several hours into his music career. That sentence is true pretty much every day of the year, and stories of Kosha Dillz driving 700 miles for one gig or playing 6 shows in one day have become underground legends. Today’s he got a guest post for Audible Hype about Reciprocity — the foundation for any successful career…

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Jabee: Staying Focused on the Next Level

Posted by Justin Boland on Jan 12, 2011 | 0 Comments

Jabee does Oklahoma City proud. He is versatile, crazy talented and hustles harder every year. This interview is a look back at the path that brought him to where he is today, and the business moves he’s made along the way. Jabee is dedicated to his community and exactly the kind of business-minded artist that Audible Hype was made for. If you’ve never heard of him before, I am very glad to introduce you…

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