I recently read an interview featuring fellow MC 'Dama Nilz' in the village voice, titled 'From Jimmy Fallon to Applebee's to Warped tour'. If you haven't read it, it's a must read for any aspiring artist and the like about the ups and downs of being one. It's as real as it gets. Here is the link check it out. http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/2014/05/dama_nilz_feature.php?page=2
After reading it it made thoughts resurface in my mind of similar experiences I've been through. Plus for me everything right now is all about my album 'Gone is the illusion'. So I thought it would make sense tying everything together in this blog to understand the meaning behind the title of my album.
'There is no spoon, and there is no manual to this rap shit, gone is the illusion if you thought so'. The first thing that came to mind was my experience going to A3C in 2011 in Atlanta Georgia. For those reading this and don't know what that is, it's a hip hop festival that happens every October. I registered to perform there through reverbnation.com. I wasn't chosen but they offered me discounts on travel, lodging, and entry to the event. I stayed at the Atlanta Days Inn where most of the artists performing were staying. Everyone from Sean Price, Freddie Gibbs, Malice of the Clipse and more. I got to mingle and network with a lot of people during that festival. Some memorable moments included having shitty diner food with Kosha Dillz and the legend Percee P after one night. I have footage of that I should upload from my flip cam if I can find another disc with that program on it. Another moment was taking the shuttle bus on the last night of the festival with Ras Kass, M.O.P, their manager, and the Brown Bag Allstars. Aside from that I learned so much about the independent grind while I was there.
But reality sets in the following morning when I'm boarding my plane back to NYC. That reality being many of those artists are on to the next gig, or in preparation for cmj later in October, or sxsw in the spring. While my ass was heading back to a day job. Albeit the job I was at had its rewards, but standing in the middle of a gym floor knowing your peers are off living the dream was and is a bit depressing. It's like missing the senior trip, or prom, hell graduation. Which all three I never had the experience of taking a part of (that's another story).
People try to cheer you up but no one can relate, so it can be hard for them to identify with how unsettling it feels to be back in the grind after such an experience. Such is the life. You have to keep yourself busy, the moment you don't, it hits you! Crazy looking back on that, I laugh because it added a bit of thickness to my skin that I still have to this day. I had no idea I would experience that feeling after going there but I don't regret a moment of it.
Now there is the element of T.V. which in itself can be very misleading if you aren't on the other end of the spectrum, man behind the curtain type of deal. I've been on T.V. myself having been on the Candid Camera reboot on TV Land hosted by Mayim Bialik of hit shows Blossom and Big Bang Theory. Also hosted by the son of the original Candid Camera. I was in a segment with Peter Rosenberg made to look like rappers were auditioning to be on hot 97.
Now I don't know the terms of Dama Nilz appearance on Jimmy Fallon but usually you get paid a small fee for being on there similar to my experience with candid camera. It's nothing glamorous, it won't get you out of loan debt or some shit.
I'm very grateful for the opportunity, but I can't speak for everyone else involved, it didn't bring me a new following on twitter and facebook or increase plays on soundcloud but you never know who is watching. From my vantage point only my grinding of getting my music heard has made the earlier mentioned happen.
A lot of artists I know including myself have fallen into opportunities. Your talent just lands you gigs even without a full proof plan. That's a good and a bad thing. The good is exposure and room to grow your talent. The bad is there is no plan, no endgame. So when the oppor-tunity is all said an done...What happens next?
But even with a plan unforeseen occurrences can and will happen. I've known artists who've orchestrated lengthy tours and album releases only for music fans or other opportunities not come to them in ways they expected only to be left with that sinking feeling of what do I do next?
There are more downs than ups in the music biz as a friend once put it. But make sure your ups last longer than your downs is what I've learned. To the point that's all there is.
