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"This is Probably a Mistake, But"
Posted by Justin Boland on Apr 14, 2023 | 0 Comments
Audible Hype began as just another music marketing blog, but it evolved into a much deeper dive. Along the way, it documented a lot of independent hip hop history, too.
It’s about time to bring it all back.
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2014: Improving Your Live Show
Posted by Justin Boland on Oct 07, 2014 | 0 Comments
In the course of re-booting Audible Hype, I’ve been asking everyone I know what they want to read about. It’s been an encouraging experiment: finally, nobody wants to know “How to Get Signed.” The most common question, by far, went a little something like “How can I make money playing shows?”
Well, there’s a lot of strategic and business details involved there, but let’s address the most important part first: you need to play really, really good shows. Rather than waste your time with my idiot advice, I’ve enlisted assistance from three seasoned professionals: Blueprint, Curly Castro and PremRock. This is science, dig it.
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Write Brothers: Strategy & Preparation
Posted by Justin Boland on Oct 05, 2014 | 0 Comments
This interview is a fortunate convergence: Write Brothers is an act that is just making the transition from the local to national level; they’re both interested in the mundane details of their ambitious careers; and best of all, I know them well enough to ask obnoxiously blunt questions.
Write Brothers are a Brooklyn - Los Angeles duo who just released a damn impressive debut project, Take Flight. During the preparation for that album, I got to talk shop with producer Dante DaVinci and rapper Learic about the process and planning behind a landmark in both of their careers.
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"Spend, Spend, Spend."
Posted by Zilla Rocca on Oct 04, 2014 | 0 Comments
Stop talking and start spending money.
We stopped paying for studio time, stopped paying for CDs and white label vinyl, stopped paying for posters and fliers to bomb the city, stopped paying for physical press kits and shipping tons of promo packets out. We’ve been seduced by the instant gratification of putting up music for free online minutes after the song is done. But in most cases, that’s not enough.
Now, everything is free, cheap, and fast. And everyone wants everything for nothing. How has music survived? Most of the old guards have not. The myth is that we all have a fair shot now, that the internet has provided a great democracy of choice, that having access to every song and video ever made with the touch of a smartphone screen makes it easier to make a career out of music. Not true.
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"A Work in Progress" - The Joel aka MaG Interview
Posted by Justin Boland on Oct 03, 2014 | 0 Comments
A citizen of Earth approximately by way of the Bronx, Joel aka MaG is a charismatic & ambitious artist who recently released the Mick Boogie produced project “freedom.” The album is superb, diverse and consistently surprising — and the singles he’s been leaking since have been even better. With Audible Hype gearing up for a new season, he was one of the first cats I reached out to for an interview. The results speak for themselves: enjoy.
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Crew Love
Posted by Zilla Rocca on Aug 28, 2014 | 0 Comments
Juice Crew. Wu-Tang Clan. Boot Camp Click. No Limit Soldiers. Quannum. Heiroglyphics. Okayplayers. Native Tongues. Living Legends. Anticon. Hit Squad. Def Squad. G-Unit. Brainfeeder. Weathermen. AOTP.
Here’s a secret about the history of hip hop: crews always work. Sometimes crews are born out of industry saviness. Other times they’re created organically out of longstanding friendships. Some are assembled like boy bands. Others are a monument of quality and consistency that give jobs and incomes for decades. The point is, you can do a lot worse as a rapper in 2014 than being associated with a collective.
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The Open Mike Eagle Interview
Posted by PremRock on Aug 15, 2014 | 0 Comments
The phrase “It” rapper or “It” artist often gets tossed around in the circuitry of music nerds but rarely does it equate to a worthwhile act. In layman’s terms “it” means the artist those in the know are constantly clamoring for it and the product seems to match the hype. Open Mike Eagle is just such an artist. Already a favorite amongst fellow artists in the indy lane as well as a healthy amount of critics, Mike seems poised to take the next step this year and beyond. You’ll be pretty hard pressed to find a person who has a microbe of a bad thing to say about the Chicago native and LA representative, but that really isn’t the point. There simply aren’t many rappers doing rap at as high a level as Mike is. Open Mike Eagle is an exceptional talent and one of the brightest minds in music today. On the heels of the release of the exquisite “Dark Comedy,” Mike took the time in between the road and home to give some answers for the questions burning a hole in my brain. Hope you enjoy.
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How Independent Rappers Get Booked for Shows
Posted by Justin Boland on Jul 26, 2014 | 0 Comments
The problem with rapping for like 50 years straight is how much you wind up taking for granted. This summer I’ve been getting emails from people asking me to book them shows, which is sad and adorable, but it indicates a basic problem. I can’t be the only person getting these emails. If this isn’t being clearly spelled out somewhere, let’s do that here today.
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An Interview with Steel Tipped Dove
Posted by Justin Boland on Nov 14, 2013 | 0 Comments
As promised/threatened, we’re back with a new season of Audible Hype interviews. First up is the prolific NYC producer Steel Tipped Dove, who has probably released a dozen projects since we wrapped up our conversation here. This was an especially fun interview because this cat confounded my expectations at every turn. What follows is, in the immortal words of KRS-One, great edutainment. Enjoy.
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Bill Hicks Was Right
Posted by Justin Boland on Apr 10, 2013 | 0 Comments
Apparently, it’s been a little while since I updated this here Audible Hype web-thingy. I’ve stopped doing artist interviews, stopped reading about music marketing, and most definitely stopped paying attention to the 50+ submissions hitting my inbox every day. The proper thing to do would be make a token gesture of apology, but shit, we’re all adults here.
The emails have been too heavy lately, though. Too many people asking “What happened?” and too many article requests to ignore. What follows, therefore, is a wide-ranging update on where I’m at, what’s changed, and what hasn’t.
